Would it be worth the dough to spring for Toyota's optional upgraded
stereo system for the Tacoma, or would I be better off going with a
third-party dealer to install a killer sound system? I particularly
want to integrate my iPod with the stereo system, and I don't believe
Toyota is on board with that yet. Any advice from the audiophiles in
the group?

-Fleemo

In article <1159403753.332796.169780 (AT) m73g2000cwd (DOT) googlegroups.com>
fleemo17 (AT) comcast (DOT) net writes:

AIUI the latest Prius allows you to feed the onboard audio system
from an iPod through a socket within the central arm rest. Ideas
of that sort tend to spread.
--
Andrew Stephenson

<fleemo17 (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

Toyotas have a reputation for building reliable transportation, but I don't
think anyone has ever accused a Toyota of having a killer sound system, and
I do not think the Taco has a provision in the factory sound system for iPod
integration.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

fleemo17 (AT) comcast (DOT) net wrote:
If you can get the truck without it. <G>

When I bought mine, none of the nearby dealers were willing to get me a
TRD 4x4 Access Cab without the $200 CD changer. My truck was ordered
anyways, because nobody had a loaded truck with a stick, but all of the
trucks in the pipeline had the changer. I was finally able to negotiate
the overall price I wanted (after 2 weeks), without paying for the
radio. The sound isn't great, but it's been good enough to make
replacement less of an issue.

I really like the steering wheel controls, so I've been looking at
Eclipse aftermarket gear. Eclipse makes the Tacoma radio, so the
controls will work. The speakers are weird shaped, so plastic or MDF
adaptor rings are necessary to install aftermarket speakers. I'm not
really interested in losing my rear bins or any space to a subwoofer
(it's a truck that gets used as a truck, not a car <G>), so I'll have to
live without a sub.

I do the same with XM, using a $75 aftermarket aux input that plugged
right into the factory head unit.

B A R R Y wrote:
I asked the guy, and the issues were with an IRiver MP3 player that
didn't have a true "aux" out. He was using the headphone output into
the PIE adaptor.

The guy sez' that anything with a real aux or line out" works great.

Hachiroku wrote:

The issue was noise. The headphone-out of the player was quite noisy,
and when set at an output level low enough to sound good into the PIE
adapter, the noise floor was too high. This isn't an issue with a
headset, as the output is then turned up high enough to drive the
transducers, which makes the noise floor seem much lower.

I'm a former touring sound engineer, so I know what you suggest, as well
as understand his description of the problem.

Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it.

-Fleemo

Hachiroku wrote:
On occasion, I used to get hired in to Northhampton and UMASS Amherst. <G>

We've chatted before on this forum.

In article <1159405770snz (AT) deltrak (DOT) demon.co.uk>
ames (AT) deltrak (DOT) demon.co.uk "Andrew Stephenson" writes:

My local T-pusher's service manager tells me the Prius audio-feed
idea is, indeed, spreading and has reached the Aygo (sp?).
--
Andrew Stephenson