New radio install
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2026 10:10 am
Longtime Viber, new genviber. Thought I'd put some info here for the next sap that tries to use AI to plan a radio install. I have a 2006 Vibe Base model with Moon and Tunes radio. My cd player conked out a few years ago and I couldn't find another bluetooth FM transmitter I was happy with after my last one broke, so I decided to install the JVC KD-T920BTS.
parts/install:
The correct Metra harness is the 70-2003. I bought the 70-8113 at first because I planned to use the RCA outs on the JVC. That plug was only for Toyota dash connectors. (Thanks, AI.) The factory amp seems to want a speaker level output anyway, so using the regular speaker wires on the 70-2003 was the way to go. Just don't forget to wire the blue/white to power the amp. This car has the red ignition wire in the harness, so no need to use the separate long red fuse box wire that comes with the harness.
I used the Metra 99-8205 dash kit. It went together ok, once I figured out the confusing instructions (it's my first radio install). But the quality of connections could be much better. The four screws that hold the mounting bracket to the plastic cage are super small. And one of them started to strip the prefab hole. Thankfully, there are supports built in to hold the weight as long as sideward pressure remains. Maybe I should have glued them, too. Maybe the Scosche kit is better quality. If you're installing a double din, you might be able to use the metal brackets from the original radio.
It was a super tight fit getting the trim plate back on with the new radio installed. In fact, I came back later and it had cracked in a few places. No big deal.
I needed an antenna adapter, the Metra 40-GM10, to convert the Toyota plug to a regular one.
settings:
For this JVC radio, these are the settings I stuck with after trying several things.
Use the 2-way mode on the head unit, not 3 way. Use Low Gain mode. Disable all the head's crossovers (tweeter, front high pass, rear high pass). The factory amp handles all the crossover itself.
Set speaker size in the head unit correctly (small tweeter, 6.5 doors). Enable the sub setting, though you can't really control it independently with this set up. Use Rear/sub.w configuration.
Disable all DSP enhancements (car type, K2, DTA, Bass boost, extended bass, Sound space, etc). They make things sound unnatural.
Use minor eq adjustments for taste or correction (take down 250k a notch to remove door boom).
It doesn't sound the same as the factory radio configuration and it'll take a little getting used to. The factory had a little cut in the mids, so I ended up with more of that in the doors. I wondered if there was something wrong, but no, I'm just getting more of a flat eq now. I've always preferred to hear things close to what the artist intended. I don't like big eq spikes. So I'm using a +1 or +2 on the bass end and +2 on the treble. Still deciding if I like the 250k flat for the doors or not.
Overall, I'm happy with the results and the ability to play all my weird music without wires, transmitters, dropped cell coverage, etc. I tried the JVC android app and I can't get it to connect. Any tips on that would be appreciated.
parts/install:
The correct Metra harness is the 70-2003. I bought the 70-8113 at first because I planned to use the RCA outs on the JVC. That plug was only for Toyota dash connectors. (Thanks, AI.) The factory amp seems to want a speaker level output anyway, so using the regular speaker wires on the 70-2003 was the way to go. Just don't forget to wire the blue/white to power the amp. This car has the red ignition wire in the harness, so no need to use the separate long red fuse box wire that comes with the harness.
I used the Metra 99-8205 dash kit. It went together ok, once I figured out the confusing instructions (it's my first radio install). But the quality of connections could be much better. The four screws that hold the mounting bracket to the plastic cage are super small. And one of them started to strip the prefab hole. Thankfully, there are supports built in to hold the weight as long as sideward pressure remains. Maybe I should have glued them, too. Maybe the Scosche kit is better quality. If you're installing a double din, you might be able to use the metal brackets from the original radio.
It was a super tight fit getting the trim plate back on with the new radio installed. In fact, I came back later and it had cracked in a few places. No big deal.
I needed an antenna adapter, the Metra 40-GM10, to convert the Toyota plug to a regular one.
settings:
For this JVC radio, these are the settings I stuck with after trying several things.
Use the 2-way mode on the head unit, not 3 way. Use Low Gain mode. Disable all the head's crossovers (tweeter, front high pass, rear high pass). The factory amp handles all the crossover itself.
Set speaker size in the head unit correctly (small tweeter, 6.5 doors). Enable the sub setting, though you can't really control it independently with this set up. Use Rear/sub.w configuration.
Disable all DSP enhancements (car type, K2, DTA, Bass boost, extended bass, Sound space, etc). They make things sound unnatural.
Use minor eq adjustments for taste or correction (take down 250k a notch to remove door boom).
It doesn't sound the same as the factory radio configuration and it'll take a little getting used to. The factory had a little cut in the mids, so I ended up with more of that in the doors. I wondered if there was something wrong, but no, I'm just getting more of a flat eq now. I've always preferred to hear things close to what the artist intended. I don't like big eq spikes. So I'm using a +1 or +2 on the bass end and +2 on the treble. Still deciding if I like the 250k flat for the doors or not.
Overall, I'm happy with the results and the ability to play all my weird music without wires, transmitters, dropped cell coverage, etc. I tried the JVC android app and I can't get it to connect. Any tips on that would be appreciated.