Audio upgrade

[TheRhoamish]

I've got a 2021 Suzuki Across (a RAV4 PHEV, basically) and the audio system was pretty weak. I've had some good results with some reasonably cheap upgrades which I thought I'd share.

I didn't want to change the head unit because I wanted this to be discrete. So the first thing to change was the Speakers. There's lots of talk online about the JBL 3020 or 322F tweeters being used to replace the dash Speakers. I used 322Fs. They are really bright, so I coupled them with fairly sensitive door Speakers (JL Audio 6.5" C1 coaxials). Couple of things to note:

- The passenger side dash speaker has a second speaker attached, for telematics. You can leave this wired in but detach it from the mount with two screws. You can then drop it down the side of the A-pillar to make room for the new tweeter.

- The door speakers are riveted in. It's fairly easy to find adaptor rings and plug-in cable adapters though.

I also added a Pioneer D1004 amp. This plugs into a T-harness from InCarTec (part number 10-5016). The T-harness means you don't have to modify the vehicle wiring loom, it makes it 'plug and play'.

The speakers on their own are a worthwile upgrade, but this cheap little amp makes a big difference. I fed the cables down the dash next to the right-hand edge of the glovebox, and mounted the amp on top of the transmission tunnel.

I'm really happy with the result. Lots more detail, and quite a bit more bass too.

 

[flash22]

Adding sound deadening to the front doors will make a vast improvement, my go to is silent coat 2 or 4mm sheets, foil duct tape on the joints and edges

backpack amps like the pioneer 1004 and alpine KPT-445 are a good oem+ upgrade

[TheRhoamish]

I did add sound proofing to the doorskins adjacent to the Speakers. I'm never really quite sure where to stick it!