need to clear up the stock speaker/amp/headunit situation

[hari-bhari]

ok ive been reading through a lot of old posts about replacing stock headunits, and there seems to be a lot of confusion. i, for one, need confirmation and closure on this situation so I know what i can and cannot replace my headunit with. so im gonna explain my understanding of what we've got, and then you guys correct me wherever i'm wrong. if any mod wants to make this a sticky in the audio section or put it in the faq, that would be great for new users. and this only applies for the 2000-2003 solaras, the 2004 are obviously different, and in 1999 toyota used a different harness so i dont know what was going on with that. ok so here goes.

Setup 1:
Single CD, non JBL, amp built into the headunit.
this headunit can be replaced with another non-JBL single-cd headunit.

Setup 2:
Single CD JBL headunit, JBL amp is separate (next to glovebox).
this headunit can be replaced with either the same JBL headunit, or the non-JBL headunit (for which you would take out the JBL amp, and i have no idea why someone would want to do this).
if you wish to put this headunit into your car that had a non-JBL headunit, you will need to install both the headunit and the JBL amp.

Setup 3:
Same as setup 2, but with a 6-cd in-dash changer. Amp is still separate.


Ok, i think that about sums it up. Now for some questions:

1) Are the actual speakers different between the JBL and non-JBL setups, or is it just the headunit and the amp. In other words, if I install the JBL headunit and amp into a car that had Setup 1, would I get the same sound quality as a car with Setup 2, or do I have to replace the speakers as well?


2) Are the harnesses for all three setups the same? In other words, is all of this plug and play, with the exception of having to install the JBL amp if you are trying to put Setup 2 or 3 into a car with Setup 1

3) How can you distinguish between Setup 1 and Setup 2 by looking at the car. I guess the speakers will have JBL on the grill if you have Setup 2. But there is a discrepancy here. In my 2000 solara, my speakers did not say JBL on the grill, but my sound and bass was noticeable better than Louis' (solarat) who also had a 2000 solara whose speakers did not say JBL. So am I missing something here?

Ok guys, hope this all makes sense. If you have any info, please help ASAP cuz I'll need to replace my headunit very soon. Thanks

[Yanks0114]

The speakers are different between setup 1 and 2/3. I believe setup 2/3 have the ability to goto setup 1, but setup 1 can not goto 2/3. Setup 2/3 has 2 different harness's.

There was another way to tell based on the model number of your cd player what system you had. I think Davpak posted it a while ago

[bassthrive]

hari check out this guide i used while installing my aftermarket h/u

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Solara/message/413

at the bottom, it talks about putting the jbl h/u in other cars (requires a reverse harness)

- Paul

<<<edit>>>

The headunit in the solara's JBL system is not JBL. It is Fujitsu Ten (pre 2000) or Panasonic (after 2000). The external amp and speakers are JBL though.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

The way i've looked at this (and again I COULD BE WRONG) JBL on the cd/deck and the JBL on the speaker grill is what a good indicator for differentiation between system 1 and system 2/3.

Do also, note that if you are comparing pre 2000 solara's, there was some kind of BASS adjustment done after 1999..I think if memory serves me right. So your ears didn't discount the bass adjustment that toyota did on gen1 in the later years (minus initial years)....

Edit: i found what i said...for 2000 solara (SLE model is what i searched)..there is a TSB # AU001-03 issue date of JAN 03 for Audio System - Excessive Bass. So hari..i don't know if this helps you (or further confuses you???) find someone at a dealership computer..and see if this tsb applied to system2/3 or was this tsb for system 1? (hence your reasoning for differences in system 1 output levels??) AAAH...i hope i didn't confuse you further..but your reasoning is right...

[SolaraT]

so you trying to install an aftermarket single unit or replace oem with oem. ?

[bassthrive]

so you trying to install an aftermarket single unit or replace oem with oem. ?

He wants to put an oem h/u from a "jbl solara" into his non-jbl solara.

[Parke10]

dont mean to still the topic or anything but, wut would it hurt to just change the H/U in a JBL car. and still use the JBL amp and speakers or change the speakers a and H/U and use the JBL amp still

[SolaraT]

Dang then I would just go aftermarket and screw trying to put an OEM-JBL unit and amp back into the car. Unless It's a real cheap swap then I would do it. But I would not pay more then $25.00 for this switch.
This way you get MP3 and more features. I love my Apine unit.

[SolaraT]

so you trying to install an aftermarket single unit or replace oem with oem. ?

He wants to put an oem h/u from a "jbl solara" into his non-jbl solara.

Thanks, I was totaly lost.

[Nutty101]

You can bypass the amp really easy if you have the two part unit. Mine was like that and we just wired up a harness to the output from the amp to to all the speakers then ran them all to the trunk where i have my amps at. Granted i am not running a head unit at all now but its still the same idea. I can take pictures of it if you want.

[TheTamago]

Another 2cents in. Our package trims when first bought. Some of us had a better sound package then the given stock. As lately we've been given the triple play deck Radio/CD/Cass deck. And our speaker count was from 6-8? or was it 4-6?. and the Convert had 7. I'll have to look my stuff up again....

Basically. The top line had like the front tweeters plus 2 back bass units i believe.

The convert had a wider speaker for the bass unit at the near the back rear seat as the 7th speaker. Lost count already hehee. But yea. wouldn't some things change if we had the better speaker package?

[hari-bhari]

ok maybe i need to go back to basics. what exactly is a harness? how does the headunit connect to the amp? and are the speakers connected to the amp in the case of the jbl setup?

[geminimouse]

h/u -> amp -> speakers