New Speaker system!

821 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Myopic, 4 mo ago

happysquirrel204

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

Hello hello, I'm happy to say that after about 5 months of research, frustration, and agonizing quiet drives, the speaker system in my 2006 Scion xB is officially set up.

I bought all my speakers off of Crutchfield thinking it was going to be a walk in the park to install but I was definitely wrong 😅
The first mistake I made was buying a component speaker system without having a smidge of an idea of what a component system actually was (I know, bad start)
So when it finally arrives, I'm left stumped on what im looking at and it wasn't until it was explained to me by my dad, YouTube videos AND Crutchfield tech support that I finally understood what I got myself into.
To keep the story short, all of that has finally ended with a thankfully good ending. My awesome dad lent a hand and helped me get through the entire painstaking process of replacing all the new speakers and wiring in the crossovers to the correct components.
While this definitely was a challenge, I ended up learning a lot more about car speaker systems and got some good moments with my dad

(I can also blast some great sounding music too).
For anyone who's replaced their speakers, how did your process go? I'd love to hear how it went!

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jawhn

· #2 · 4 mo ago

That is awesome!

It has been sooooooooo long since I upgraded a stereo, save having to replace a deck when they fail. It really is a fun rabbit hole to go down, although I discovered that improving one's vehicle audio system always seemed to invite burglaries and break-ins. Maybe I'm just getting too old, but I've kept myself happy with the stock systems in cars for quite a while now...

I've heard of Crutchfield and know that they make awesome stuff. How much did that all set you back, if you don't mind me asking? Any pics?

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happysquirrel204

Discussion Starter · #3 · 4 mo ago

jawhn said:
That is awesome!

It has been sooooooooo long since I upgraded a stereo, save having to replace a deck when they fail. It really is a fun rabbit hole to go down, although I discovered that improving one's vehicle audio system always seemed to invite burglaries and break-ins. Maybe I'm just getting too old, but I've kept myself happy with the stock systems in cars for quite a while now...

I've heard of Crutchfield and know that they make awesome stuff. How much did that all set you back, if you don't mind me asking? Any pics?

I've noticed a lot of xb owners still have their stock audio systems, I can't blame them though the Scion logo that was on the stock Pioneer stereo was so cool and something I still miss. I bought both my stereo and speakers through Crutchfield the stereo being a Pioneer, and the front and rear speakers being all Kicker. All together costing about $550 😅 I'm excited to see how they do in the long run.

Here's pictures of the stereo and speakers I got to replace the old ones

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The old ones were definitely ready to retire, I'll take some pictures and post them on here soon

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Myopic

· #4 · 4 mo ago

happysquirrel204 said:
Hello hello, I'm happy to say that after about 5 months of research, frustration, and agonizing quiet drives, the speaker system in my 2006 Scion xB is officially set up. ... For anyone who's replaced their speakers, how did your process go? I'd love to hear how it went!

Nice job on your upgrade!

My head unit and speakers upgrade went very well. As you experienced, the front door speakers and the dash speakers are readily accessed. The rear speakers are more of an effort. I was able to make the change by moving the panels away from the body instead of taking the panels off. Very tight working area with some sharp edges which resulted in my leaving DNA traces of my skin and blood.

Some installation questions: Did you pull the rear panels off, or just pry them open for access? What color did you choose for the head unit display? Did you connect the display dimmer feature to the xB's dash light wiring? Any plans for a sub-woofer?

Keep up the great efforts with your mods. It is wonderful that you and your father work on projects together. That is the best team of which you could be a part.

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happysquirrel204

Discussion Starter · #5 · 4 mo ago

Myopic said:
Nice job on your upgrade!

My head unit and speakers upgrade went very well. As you experienced, the front door speakers and the dash speakers are readily accessed. The rear speakers are more of an effort. I was able to make the change by moving the panels away from the body instead of taking the panels off. Very tight working area with some sharp edges which resulted in my leaving DNA traces of my skin and blood.

Some installation questions: Did you pull the rear panels off, or just pry them open for access? What color did you choose for the head unit display? Did you connect the display dimmer feature to the xB's dash light wiring? Any plans for a sub-woofer?

Keep up the great efforts with your mods. It is wonderful that you and your father work on projects together. That is the best team of which you could be a part.

I'm glad your front speakers went well! We pulled back the rear panels as well when putting in the rear speakers but having two people made it a bit easier 😅 still was an exhausting process though. I chose blue for my head unit display because it looks really sleek up against the black interior, the idea to connect the display dimmer to the dash light wiring was something that didn't even cross our minds but sounds cool! As for sub-woofers, it's definitely a possibility but it's something that gonna have to have a custom installation so it blends well with the car but I'm not ready to take that project on just yet.
Does your xb have subwoofers?

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Myopic

· #6 · 4 mo ago (Edited)

Your Pioneer FH-X830BHS head unit has a built-in feature which can use the dimming function of the xB's dash lights to control the display brightness. This synchronizes the head unit display brightness with the xB's dash light brightness. The wire in the harness is Number 22 in the Pioneer owner's manual and is color-coded Orange with a White stripe.

I have a modified Scion option Bazooka brand 8-inch powered subwoofer in my xB. I took the components out of the tube and put them into a wooden box. The tube took up too much of the xB's cargo area. The new box fits in the cargo area's underfloor storage. Even covered by the cargo area's floor panels and with a carpeted mat and a rubber mat, the bass sound is effective.

As a reminder, your Pioneer head unit has a subwoofer volume control built in.

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