The GR Yaris is a driver's car first — focused, loud mechanically, and not particularly concerned with audio refinement from the factory. Not even with the JBL sound system in it. Which makes it a satisfying brief: build something that matches the car's performance credentials but in a completely different direction.

The front stage is a fully active 3-way Focal Flax setup — tweeter, midrange, and woofer each running on independent amplifier channels through the Helix Next V Eight DSP. No passive crossovers, full DSP control over time alignment, crossover slopes, phase, and EQ. Focal Slate Fiber coaxials cover the rear. The Flax series is worth calling out here — it sits at a price point that undersells what it actually does. Precise, natural, and unfatiguing at any volume. For a car you're going to drive hard and listen to seriously, it's the right choice.

Bass comes from a Focal K2 Power 10-inch driver in a custom-built subwoofer enclosure — handmade from 18mm MDF, triple-laminated with structural wood glue, properly carpeted, and pre-drilled for the driver. Built in Australia, built to last. The GR Yaris boot is compact, so the box was designed to fill it efficiently without sacrificing output or tuning flexibility.

Soundproofing was comprehensive. Focal B.A.M. went into the doors as standard, but this car needed more — floors, boot, rear plastic covers, A, B and C-pillars, and the rear view mirror housing all got treated. The process involved playing specific test tones and frequencies in the car after each stage to locate remaining resonance points before moving on. It's the kind of methodical approach that separates a quiet system from a system that stays quiet when the bass hits hard.

The Helix Next V Eight DSP handles all the 8 speakers actively — a serious piece of kit with genuine flexibility across input configuration, output routing, and DSP processing depth. The tune on this car was built for a clean, precise front stage that can still deliver real bass impact when asked. Not vibration. Bass.

Everything looks factory from the outside. Nothing was cut, nothing is visible.

Equipment:

• Focal Flax — active 3-way front stage (tweeter, midrange, woofer)

• Focal Slate Fiber — rear coaxial speakers

• Focal K2 Power 10" — custom handmade MDF subwoofer enclosure

• Helix Next V Eight DSP — amplifier and signal processor

• Helix M One X - subwoofer amplifier

• Focal B.A.M. — full vehicle acoustic treatment (doors, floor, boot, pillars)