For a 2014 Avalon XLE (not Limited) model, what Company makes the speakers? Thanks
I believe JBL and Sonic makes the majority of speakers for Toyota but there could be others. I would remove a speaker and check the back for the manufacturer to be absolutely sure.
Why do you ask? Is one broken? Or just curious? They were made to Toyota’s specs, so their ‘sound’ may differ from what’s in stores by that maker.
Unlike cars in the 80’s where the first thing you would do is upgrade the sound system, there is hardly a vehicle sold new now that does not have good sound and the premium sound systems are excellent and specked for the vehicle itself, so why even care what the brand is?
I was curious. The speakers (front especially) are quite light in handling bass or volume. A good bit of distortion and rattling. Just wondered if they were budget speakers compared with the Limited JBL system.
I’m sure the speakers are better on the upgraded system. You might call Crutchfield if you want better speakers.
Both my 99 and 02 Camrys had the JBL systems and neither could I definitively determine who actually made the speakers. Both just had a toyota part number on them. So unless you know someone at Toyota who is " in the know" it is mostly a guessing game.
After market sound installation shops have been very knowledgable in our area answering questions and making recommendations. Going around to a couple and getting their opinions has worked for me. Working through the factory will get you a good system but at a much higher price. Aftermarket shops can give you less expensive and more flexible options and may give you access to similar equipment if that is your preference. Personally, I would research this route first before worrying about what the factory did. Good shops can evaluated your interior and do just as good a job with today’s equipment. The brand of speakers is incidental to the final outcome.
@PvtPublic is right. Otherwise, going through a dealer can be a guessing game.
Thank you for this information. Have a great local audio store and will get advice this week. Happy holidays!
In order to reduce road noise, and as a learning exercise, I gutted everything in my 2005 tC from the “B” pillars back, lined all the sheetmetal with sound dampening (I used a system exactly the same as Dynamat but direct from a manufacturer) to change the mass of the metal, and lined that with matting (after testing it for heat resistance and for outgassing). I also blocked paths between the body cavities with the matting. As I expected, road noise dropped. To my great surprise, however, two other things changed. The sound from my audio system improved dramatically, and noise from outside the vehicle dropped dramatically. It would seem that more noise from passing vehicles propagates through the body panels than I realized.
In summary, I can tell you from direct experience that you can improve the sound of your audio system dramatically by the process that I engaged in.
This being a new Avalon, however, I have to wonder in all honesty how loud you’re trying to push the sound system. These vehicles are pretty well known for quietude, and if you’re rattling the bodywork perhaps the problem isn’t the car. Just being honest.
Bodywork isn’t rattling. The actual speakers are rattling. And this at mid volume level.
Have you taken it back to the dealer to be repaired under warranty?
I’m calling them for an appointment. These front speakers remind me of the stock speakers in 70-80’s cars. If you turned up the radio, nothing but rattling as if “busted.” I remember saving my money to have Pioneer or Alpine speakers put in - those were the premium upgrades then.
For the record… from experience… Toyota also uses Pioneer as an OEM.
But if it’s rattling, they should be able to fix it without needing to upgrade the speakers.
Best,
TSM
Thank you for your help!
The dealer may replace the speakers but stock speakers on Toyotas don’t take high volume with lot’s of bass… If the rattling is in the voice coil of the speaker, then driving them hard again with stock replacement will just make it return. If it’s under warranty, fine. The speaker cannot be fixed and as I mentioned before, I would up grade at an aftermarket car audio dealer and get better speakers with more power handling for possibly less money. Sound systems are one of the areas where OEM is often of lower quality, not greater if you drive your speakers hard.
One way to check if the speakers are bad is to try out another Avalon at the dealer with the same music, see if it rattles. I had a bad pair of tweeters in a pair of Polk speakers, the dealer replaced them.