2012 Lexus CT200h Speakers and Subwoofer Upgrade. Premium Sound (10 Speakers)

Finally pulled the trigger on some speakers and subwoofer and did the whole speakers/subwoofer upgrade on my 2012 Lexus CT200h. The process was easy thanks to many of you that had posted your installations, but I did some things different with up to date components as the recommended Infinity speakers are not available anymore. Here is the list of the components I got:

1.- JL Audio ACS110LG-TW1 PowerWedge+ Powered Subwoofer.
2.- JL Audio RBC-1 Remote
3.- AudioControl LC2i
4.- AudioControl ACR-1 Remote
5.- 8AWG Gauge Amplifier Kit
6.- Posi-Tap 12- 18 Gauge
7.- 14AWG Gauge Speaker Wire
8.- Infinity REF6522IX 6.5" Speakers (1 x pair)
9.- Metra 82-8148 6" to 6-3/4" Rear Speakers Adapter
10.- Infinity REF9620CX 6X9 750W Reference Series 2-Way Component System
11.- Metra 82-8146 6" x 9" Front Speaker Adapter
12.- Infinity REF3022CFX 3.5" For Dash (2 x pairs)
13.- Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles (2 x pairs)

First installed the subwoofer. The JL Audio has speaker level inputs but decided to go with the JC2i because I knew that I would need to restore the signal as the Premium Sound system decreases the bass level when the vehicle speed increase. Also, the signal is cleaner so decided to try getting the signal from the OEM subwoofer terminal on the back. The subwoofer connector is on the right side and you can easily see it if you take out the Styrofoam compartment as you can see on the pictures. Knowing that the white wire is + and the black one -, using Posi-Taps the job was a piece of cake. Also, my thinking was that tapping on those wires would get me the OEM subwoofer working as well with the JL Audio (big mistake). Both, the JL Audio and the JC2i have DC Offset Auto ON function so no need for 12V remote wire which makes the installation even easier. It took me no more than 3 hours to get the subwoofer installation job done. With the help of my MacBook Pro + Audio Interface + Waves PAZ plugin + Voxengo SPAN plugin, I was able to check the frequency spectrum of the subwoofer speaker terminal which I can confirm that there is a low pass filter at 80Hz and no high pass filter. 80Hz is totally fine for me as that is always my crossover point for all thing’s audio related.
After some fine tuning with the LC2i AccuBASS, I found the sound to be acceptable, but like somebody else mentioned in another thread, not all songs sounded good. Something was not right but I kept moving and started the speaker’s installation.

The speaker’s installation was even easier. The Metra speaker adapters fit perfectly. These adapters weren’t available back in 2012 when most of you did your upgrades. Now they are available, and they really do the job. They even have a hole for the speaker wire adapter to pass.

I did the rear speakers first then the three dash speakers. At that point I found the sound just a little bit bright but after installing the front 6”x9” woofers the system came back totally balanced. It sounds REALLY good. I did not upgrade the front tweeters as the ones that come with the Infinity components are too bright. Right now, the system sounds GREAT with the factory tweeters.

Back to the subwoofer sound. Like I said, I wasn’t totally happy with the subwoofer sound. Something wasn’t right. I did check the frequency response of the front speakers and rear speakers and while the spectrum looked better above 80Hz, below 30Hz there is almost nothing. The front and rear speakers have a high pass filter around 30Hz which kills all the bass below 30Hz. So back to drawing board. After some thinking decided to try unplugging the OEM subwoofer to see if the estrange behavior was due to cancelation at the crossover point. To do that, I had to tap into the subwoofer adapter below the connector into the purple and yellow wires. I can confirm that both wires are (+) but using the Yellow as (-) and Purple as (+) the subwoofer stays on phase. To my surprise, I was right. The OEM subwoofer was canceling the JL Audio and after unplugging the OEM subwoofer the JL Audio came to life and all bass notes play accordingly. So, my recommendation for those tapping on the rear subwoofer speaker connector is to UNPLUG the factory subwoofer and tap into the Yellow and Purple wires before the connector and keep the factory subwoofer unplugged.

All I can say is that the sound improved from 6 to 9. The head unit on this model is made by Pioneer and the stock amplifier is made by Panasonic. They are good components with enough power to drive aftermarket speakers to a decent and normal levels, not competition levels.

I hope this help newer CT200h owners and BTW, all of these components work the same with the New UX250h as I already checked the Workshop Online manual and the Audio System is literally a copy of the CT200h design. Of course, with Airplay and all the newer stuff. The head unit on the UX is made by Pioneer and the amplifier by Panasonic as well.

Pictures coming in following posts!!