July 29, 2019

Sound Systems In Cars Today—Better Than After-Market Systems?




Gone are the days of buying a car and taking it directly to a car-audio shop to have the market sound system ripped out and replaced with a new Bose or JBL. Nowadays it seems just about every car comes equipped with the very best in most everything, especially sound. But are these sound systems really as good as they say?

In the 1990s and throughout the early 2000s CDs and mp3 players were the way to listen to music. Cassettes had just died out, 8-tracks were already forgotten, and we loved blasting music from our cars. We still do. But how we listen to music has changed—drastically.

A New Way to Listen

Once the FCC allowed satellite radio to be deployed, it was Sirius Satellite Radio that really got things started by partnering with car companies to have its satellite system integrated into the car’s sound system. Now, there was no reason to replace your car’s sound system since it already came with the best and newest in music, sports, entertainment, etc. Nothing could compete with this, and since we started streaming our music and news and so on, CDs began to disappear.

It would be a complete shock for someone today to buy a new car and find it has a cheap sound system installed. This doesn’t happen anymore. Sure, not every car comes equipped with JBL Premium Sound, but even the lower-end systems have better sound than what we had in the 1990s.

Sound Precision

One thing that’s different from listening to music in a car versus in your home is that if you can’t clearly hear what’s playing at home, you can move to a better spot. Usually, when seated in a car, that seat is where you must stay.

In order to make sure the vehicle’s speakers carry sound equally to each and every seat in the car, it takes some work, and Toyota has put in that work and has come back with some pretty impressive results.

Take, for instance, the 2020 Toyota 4Runner and the 2020 Toyota Tacoma. Both come with JBL Premium Sound with select trim levels. But what’s really impressive is how this sound system will affect your in-vehicle listening experience.

According to a recent posting from Torquenews.com, “Toyota engineers took great care in designing a premium sound system for today’s Toyota 4Runner. With up to 3 rows of seating, music must be crystal clear for all passengers.” This same information is true for the 2020 Tacoma as well, and what this means is that Toyota technicians have taken the time and effort to make sure that every seat in both vehicles is the best seat in the house.

In order to find the clearest sound, Toyota did more than simply sit around in a vehicle listening to music. They mixed and matched different speakers and sounds until they found the best. What they ended up with is a superior sound system comprised of the following:


  • Fifteen speakers, including an 8-inch subwoofer and a ten-channel 550-watt digital sound processor amplifier.
  • Sound processors throughout that work to achieve the best audio power available today.
  • And there are plenty more benefits, such as being able to utilize Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, and Amazon Alexa.

What’s important to note is that every Toyota vehicle has a configuration of speakers that work best for that particular model. Since sound operates in accordance with the structural dynamics from which it is being played, and not every Toyota vehicle is shaped the same, it was important for technicians to find the precise sound they want for each and every Toyota that comes off the lot.

At Mount Airy we love our Toyotas, but it’s not just because they drive so well, last so long, and look so good. We love the way Toyota’s sound as well! Come out and visit us at 508 North Andy Griffith Parkway today and have a listen today. We think you are going to like what you hear!



-Andrae Bergeron






*Sources:






No comments:

Post a Comment