I am considering dropping a couple grand on my LS400, which I inherited from dad. It has the Pioneer "Premium Sound" system, which can't handle the music I play sometimes. Based on the responses from another thread, I think it will be best to pull everything out and put in a completely new system, complete with navigation.

I will need some help here from you guys. First of all, is any of the equipment salvageable? So far, the only thing I see that I may keep are the tweeters. What exactly is in the Pioneer "Premium Sound" factory system? How many watts of continuous power does it have?

I am looking to shell out no more than $2500 for this project, since it makes little sense to pay more for a car that presently has a resale value of about twice that. I don't care for the ghetto boom boxes you can hear a mile away. I listen to all kinds of music, but it will be nice to have clean bass if I feel like playing some old-school R&B or even rap.

All ideas here will be appreciated.

 

For 2500 you could replace everything. And i would if you are after great sound. A double din with nav will be around one grand new or shop online for a previous model for a lot less like i did. I would say a trunk mount sub with at least 2 amps maybe 3 depending on how you want to feed your speakers.

If you do it yourself it will say big bucks but will take some work due to the way this car is built.

Back in 85 i decked out my trans am and spent 3k. And everything was replaced.

Don't forget your back up cam.

 

I would like to install this into my 96LS400

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...rs/AVH-X2500BT

However, I am unsure of

1) fitment issues

2) Where can I source the requisite harness

 

You might wanna also check out some kenwood headunits.
Those are nice and the nav system is pretty good.

Beatsonic sells harness and faceplate to fit a double din unit

 

It would be nice to have a $2500 budget for a new sound system. Although i would keep it simple. Double Den with gps/bluetooth, run new speaker wires, new front door speakers, alternator, battery, amp, and 2 10" subs.

 

Find your subwoofer. THEN find an amp. Don't make my mistake of buying an amp first.

My recommendation for a system:
Double DIN (JVC if you're on a budget)
1200w RMS@1-ohm Amplifier
Twin 10" Subwoofers DVC 4-ohm (Sundown Audio SD-2 10" if you want a shallow-mount - Sundown Audio SA-10 for a standard sub)
4-Channel Amplifier (base wattage off the speaker wattage)
6.5" Component Speakers for the front door
6.5"/5.25" Coaxial Speakers for the rear door
Optima Yellow Top*
200A Alternator*

*Optional

The reasonably-priced LS400 wiring harness is a myth.

 

$2,500 seems like an awful lot of money to spend to replace a working audio system in a 19 model year old car than could be "totaled" by little more than a minor fender bender. You might look to see if your current subwoofer needs repairing or look for an inexpensive compatible aftermarket replacement. There have been past threads either here or in the audio forum about repairing rattling subwoofers..

You can read about your current 195 watt, 7-speaker, 5-amplifier Pioneer system in a brochure at http://www.toyotareference.com/lexusls/1995-2000

 

If you are for sure gonna replace the headunit then try to also get one with EQ, crossovers and most importantly, Time Alignment. This will really add to a magical final sound, seriously.

How much bass do you want and how much modding are you willing to do?
Any sub in the trunk will have to pass thru the rear deck or be mounted to the rear deck, the fuel tank is behind the rear seats. Still plenty of options for MEGA bass just gotta go about it differently.

I'd leave the door speakers alone to begin with and see how you like them with more power and better EQ and TA.

Try not to buy anything until you have a plan. There is alotta noisy junk out there.

 

OK, so I just dropped $2800 on the car. I bought an Alpine double DIN touchscreen deck, complete with Bluetooth, navigation, CD, Pandora, AUX, HD Radio and a few other bells and whistles. The new amp is a new Alpine 350-watts continuous power, five channels. I have new 5.25" full-range speakers from Pioneer to replace the ones in the door, and a 10" subwoofer in the trunk. I think four of the channels drive about 135 w, and the subwoofer channel is about 350 w.

What was interesting about the installation job was that I specifically requested the power mast to be disconnected and the radio to power up through an alternate antenna source, like either a diveristy antenna, the cell phone antenna, or a third-party glass antenna (as suggested in this thread). Fortunately, the owner of the stereo shop showed me that although my '95 LS 400 has a power-mast antenna, he pointed out that I also have a diversity antenna in the rear glass. I originally inquired about the diversity antenna in this thread, unaware that I already had it my glass. The owner told me that Lexus started putting them in the LS 400 by about 1992, yet they still installed the power mast. This is baffling, because why did Lexus put in the diversity antenna in the first place without using it? The tuner was connected to the diversity antenna without issue and works perfectly well, and with the HD radio I am picking up stations I have never picked up on my antenna.

There was an analog cell phone in the arm rest, and I told the boys to pull out the cell phone and its base since I could not use it anymore, and that proved very helpful because removing the base unit under the right side of the trunk allowed for room to fit in the Alpine amp.

The factory subwoofer was very weak, so I decided on the last minute to install an external 10" Pioneer subwoofer. It is running on about 300 w and makes enough bass for me to enjoy the songs when I need it, but it is not one of those boom boxes you hear in the ghetto miles away.

The factory amp is located under the passenger seat and was just merely disconnected, along with the original deck, which the owner suggested I keep just in case I sell the car so he will help me switch the system over if needed.

Overall, the difference is night and day, and my car is updated to the present year. Music sounds great and the bass pumps. However, to my chagrin the user guide to the deck is 395 pages long, so there is a lot to learn about the system, given its numerous features.

There is one thing very surprising. The factory tweeters suck. They crackle like crazy and the onwer of the shop merely disconnected them, citing that the new speakers make up for the lack of tweeters. I still would like to have tweeters blaring in my ears if spaces allow for it. Are there some good aftermarket tweeters I can fit in those small spaces by the side mirrors? Also, would there be a problem given my new amp has 5 channels and I am using them all up?

 

Here is a picture of the new deck.

 

Damn, that interface looks cool, but then again since this is one of Alpine's top tier (I presume?) units, I shouldn't be surprised My mid-tier JVC's interface is a little more simplified, but functional nonetheless.

 

I suppose the Alpine is top-tier. I paid $1200 for it, which is nearly half of the $2800 I spent. Decks have come a long way since I last fiddled with them back in 1990. It's amazing what that deck can do, skimming through the 395-page manual. I have a lot to learn about it.

 

Damn lol, my "baller on a budget" JVC cost me a little under 1/4th of that haha. How's the overall quality of sound? Thinking of doing any other cool stuff down the line (i.e. higher quality speakers, new subwoofer[s], etc.)? I mean, your probably set as far as the head unit goes for the next 3-5 years.

 

The deck is an Alpine INE-W927HD. Although I paid $1200 for it, I found it on eBay for as low as $850, but I would have ended up paying the labor to put it in there, so it would cost about the same either way. For now, the only way I could upgrade is to drive more power, but that requires more for speakers and amp, and for now I am perfectly happy with 350 w. Long gone are the days of booming hip-hop for me, so I don't need a thousand watts and 15" subs. Now I am older, I realize how childish I was back then, and that I should've used the money to buy Apple stock instead. Nevertheless, good music helps make any ride more enjoyable.

 

I forgot to add that the sound quality is magnificent. Most importantly it is very clean and there is no engine noise, the latter I can't do myself.