KingsPuck

On my 2007 ES350 with premium sound (no NAV), I decided to add a NAV and my local shop recommended and installed the Pioneer AVIC-Z140BH. I am not very knowledgable in this area so I'm learning as I go (not smart).

They installed an adapter to retain the stock amp and the steering wheel controls.

The problem is that I don't like the sound! I feel like I went from something that was more full and rich in the original equipment, to something that sounds more screechy and tinny, no matter how much I play with the equalizer and the thousand other settings.

I'm looking for some suggestions. The car shop said they would be willing to undo everything and put it back with the original equipment and refund my money (minus installation costs).

But, I'm willing to spend a bit more money to get a system (amp and speakers) that works together well with the car and the head unit.

Help!

SatComm302

In looking at the specs of the AVIC-Z140BH, the RMS power output is 14 watts per channel, which seems low to me. I'd start with an amp and test the system with your current speakers before leaving the shop. Boosting the power may be all you need. If you're still not satisfied, I'd look at upgrading your OEM speakers.

Robert_J

With the adapter and stock amp, the head unit's power is not applicable here.

I looked but couldn't tell if this had auto calibration like the AVH-3300BT I installed. After installation and not even running the setup, both my wife and I could definitely tell an improvement. Adding an $80 set of Phoenix Gold component speakers was a huge improvement over the factory models. The 12" sub was the icing on the cake.

What is your high pass filter set to? It should be set to None, Off or something like that. Your factory amp should be getting a full range signal if you haven't installed an aftermarket amp and sub.

Robert_J

I forgot to ask - what kind of adapter did they use? I used the PAC to convert the audio to the correct format to feed into the factory amp along with the PAC steering wheel control adapter. It was very simple to use. My only complaint is that I can't fade all the way forward without the volume randomly going up and down.

KingsPuck

I found out they didn't have the PAC TATO available so they used the Metra Axxess adapter. I really hope that switching to the PAC TATO will solve my problem. It seems, like you said, that my factory amp isn't getting a "full range signal". Seems more like my front speakers are only putting out the high end sounds.

They have the PAC adapter on order to swap out. I'll let you know how it goes.

I double checked that my HPF is set to None. There is an auto calibration on the unit but it doesn't seem to want to let me select it.

What size Phoenix Gold speakers did you buy? What kind of sub? Does the 12" sub fit into your car without any mods?

Robert_J

I've used the Axxess steering wheel adapter in a Camry and it's much better than the PAC. It sensed both the controls and the radio. I did nothing. I had to manually program the PAC. The PAC audio adapter has some settings on it that allow you to set the gain. I think I set the DIP switches to a +7db out of a +8. I'll add that last db the next time I'm in the dash.

Double check your settings. Your front speakers should still be playing full range and your factory sub should still work. Set the EQ to flat. Don't use any bass boost or loudness. Use a real CD to test with and not some cheap MP3. You are upgrading your source so it will show any imperfections in your music and lossy compression like MP3 is the worst. I use WMA files at 320kbps. It's not perfect but it is a compromise so my wife can load over 1,000 songs on a 32GB SD card.

To use the auto-calibration, you need the mic and and you can't have a video bypass relay installed. You must use the parking brake connection to get it to work correctly.

It's all in my thread - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...-a-2007-a.html The 12 is in a cheap enclosure from Wal-Mart like the 10" in my pics.

KingsPuck

Robert,

Is there some adjustments on the PAC interface or some way of installing the unit so that full range sound is generated in the speakers? It seems like my current system with the Metra interface is more of a 5.1 type system where sound is separated between the various speakers.

Robert_J

When I installed just the head unit, I had great sound through the factory speakers. I'm not sure why you are having such issue with the Metra unless there is a problem with the interface. Pioneer head units sound great to me and yours is a higher end model compared to mine.

KingsPuck

Ok, so the installer replaced the interface with the PAC TATO and...much MUCH better! While the Metra may be good for steering wheel controls, it certainly wasn't good for the interface between my head unit and the JBL amp.

Question, is there any benefit to setting the PAC TATO at +7db, or something higher than 0db? The installer said that it's only necessary if you can't get enough volume from the system at the 0db setting.

What do you think?

Robert_J

I'm pretty sure mine is at +6 right now. I'm cranking it to +7 the next time I'm in the dash. There is no distortion on my head unit until I hit 38 (out of 40) on the volume. That is loud enough to be uncomfortable.