Ehayoung

Hello everyone, I have been searching this forum for a while but I cannot seem to find an answer to my question.
I have a 2002 gs300 that I bought used. I believe it had the premium sound system originally but I cannot be sure as the owner I bought it from said it had the sound system that is in it when he bought it in 2007. The double din unit is a DVD unit and has a touchscreen and bluetooth, but the touch screen is a capacative screen and the unit looks very old and outdated and the sound that comes from it is pretty horrible. I'm pretty sure the driver's side tweeter is blown and not putting out any sound, and the static and noise that comes out when the volume is turned up even a little bit is pretty bad. There is the space on the right side in the trunk where there is an amplifer under that black felt enclosure. But the amplifier is an apline brand and there are a bunch of connectors not plugged into anything all loose around it.
My question is, did any gs300's come stock with an apline amplifier in the trunk or was that put in by one of the previous owners? I'm trying to figure out how hard/how much it will cost to get my stereo to sound decent and have Bluetooth connection. I don't need any audiophile level of sound, I would be happy with anything close to sound quality that comes out of any stock stereo system. Of course higher quality than that would be great but I'm not picky. Essentially right now I cannot use my stereo at all. Thank you for your help!
Ehayoung

firelizard

iTrader: (1)

No, Alpine was not factory equipment in the GS. How much you spend to update your system is up to your local stores and installers.

brains646

I just bought my 2000 GS400 two weeks ago and it came with an aftermarket DD Kenwood that was decent but I already had a Pioneer touch screen in my truck so I switched it over. Since you already have an aftermarket head unit and an amp with dangly wires in your trunk, I'm gonna assume that the previous owner had a system and took it out leaving you with an unrecognizable mess. I've installed thousands of stereos and good sound is subjective but there are a few things that help replicate or enhance your factory sound.

1. Find out what you have.
-where are your speakers now?
-do they all work?
-are they factory or aftermarket? If aftermarket, what kind and what are those specs?

2. What do you want?
-You can get a good double din touch screen for $200 or a little less if you don't need nav and some like mine even come with the ability to mirror your smartphone screen so you get nav without actually paying for it. Waze is pretty cool...
-You can get a good double din NON touch screen for $140+ that will have BT, Sirius capability with an additional tuner, Pandora, Spotify and others that is pretty much a 30 min install.
-Do you want a sub? Does your GS have the factory sub in the middle of the rear deck? If so, that can be replaced with an open air sub or...…something custom.

From what you've said, I would say that a trip to Crutchfield or Best Buy would get you the head unit you need ( I suggest crutchfield for all the free install stuff you get) There you can also get suggestions for speaker replacements and find out what fits best. If you are going to stay with JUST head unit power, look for speakers with the highest sensitivity rating possible within your price range. This will give you the most sound with the least power. Kenwood, Alpine and Pioneer all make mini plug n play amplifiers now that can fit behind your glovebox. My suggestion is that if you like your music clean and full, get one. I'm 42 but I used to listen to everything loud..now I'm grown and I just want clean and clear. Those little amps put out about 30-45 watts RMS per channel and that's more than enough to get great sound from an aftermarket speaker.
I know it sounds like a lot but you could take $500 and completely overhaul your system in an afternoon. Good luck! Any audio related questions, I'll be happy to help...I'm still learning the GS though

TrueGS300

I've been afraid to mess with my oem deck because apparently you cant use the oem amp and sub. I am satisfied with my system, just would like a touch screen and the ability to pair for up to date ease of use. Hell I wish I just had an aux port at least. I'm assuming your Pioneer unit is wired up to an aftermarket amp and sub?

brains646

No it is not wired to the sub yet. From what I've seen, using the OEM sub is possible but not easy. I've never heard mine in action but I plan on buying a small amp and free air sub to use in the factory position.

firelizard

iTrader: (1)

Where have you seen this?

brains646

Every search about the topic shows how people run into trouble trying to make it work. There's a way, there always is, but the time investment just cant be worth it.

firelizard

iTrader: (1)

I mean, yes. It's not technically impossible to turn a GS into a rocket and send it to space either.

But where have you seen anyone come up with a solution for using the factory amplifier with an aftermarket head unit?

brains646

In my previous life I was part of a team that built a 2002 GS 430 into a show car. The job was done in stages in order to chronicle the install step by step to show how you can upgrade you vehicle one piece at a time. Our installers ran into the issue with getting the signal to the factory amp and were able to make it work BUT they were NOT happy about it because it went against EVERYTHING that aftermarket guys push for...(get rid of the stock system) but bossman said to make it work and they did. By the time we were done, we had gone thru three different amps trying to make an install that kept the Lexus looks and classiness. We ended up using a discontinued Phoenix gold M44 (one of the best amps ever) to push 9 speakers cleaner than we could with 3 separate amps.

As I said initially, it IS possible but it ISNT recommended or worth it....we never did another Lexus after that. We started using my Acura Legend which was MUCH easier to modify.

Ehayoung

Thank you for your response. And yes I believe that the previous owner switched it over to a new system and left that mess in the trunk. Where should I start in trying to figure out what is wired up or not? I don't think I can hear any sound from the speakers in the back. I think only the front door speakers are putting out sound and the front passenger tweeter, but that tweeter sounds horribly blown. However I cannot find a fader option on the headunit to test if it is just only putting out sound to the front due to settings or due to wiring. I also unplugged the red and black rca cables going into the amplifier and I didn't hear any difference in sound from the car, but I did not undo any the wires held to the amp with the set screws.
What would you do first in order to try to figure out what is going on with the system? Or would you just bring it to a car audio place to have them "diagnose it"? I know about working electronics and I know about cars mechanics, but I do not know a whole lot about car audio equipment or audio equipment in general, but I think I could learn. If there are any resources that you know of where I could start looking that would be great. Unless you think I should just start teaching wires and taking off door panels, which I could do too. Thank you for your help.

brains646

I would start with a download of the instruction book of the head unit so that you can operate the settings. Then run front/back and side to side to see whats hooked up. If you get no sound from somewhere, then you trace the signal. Is it hooked up and blown, or not hooked up at all? Then go down the list that I posted, the end result is what matters so at the end of the day, what do you want? Once you determine that, then you can see if the head unit you have can hang or if you need to start fresh.