DCAWD.com

Hey peeps -

I'm looking for some advice on upgrading the sound system in my car. I have the stock 2009 WRX "premium" 80 watt, 10 speaker, surround sound set-up with steering wheel controls. It doesn't sound premium though. No subwoofer either.

I listen to a lot of electronic, bassy music. If I turn up the bass, the music just sounds horribly muffled and my car rattles. And then I turn the music off. What totally sucks is that my parents have a Ford Fusion hybrid with the sickest stock sound system ever. And it's a car for old people who probably won't ever crank up the Wu-Tang so it's just a waste! Why Subaru put such a crappy system in the recent WRX - a car aimed for the fist-pumping generation - just boggles the mind.

I'm a total n00b so what follows is probably super basic stuff.

It sounds like 2008-2011 WRX owners fall into two categories - those that insist that replacing the head unit will make the car sound leagues better. And those that say just adding an amp will do the trick. Both state that their respective suggestions will not require replacement of the speakers b/c they think the speakers are pretty decent. Well, and of course, there's the group that suggests replacing everything. I'd rather not gut the system if possible. I'm looking for an improvement. I'm not expecting aural perfection. To put a number on this, I'd rather not spend over $800.

Do you guys have any opinions on the head unit/amp argument?

Also, if I go the head unit route, I would need a double-din one. I see DVD receivers are popular (yes, I know I'm horribly behind). If you guys use them, do you actually watch DVDs on them? I.e. do you think they're worth the $100+ extra over a plain Jane CD receiver? Also, for head units, since I park outside, I'd like to not attract attention from thieves. If you think replacing the head unit is the way to go, do you have any recs for some inconspicuous receivers that don't look gaudy and can run Sirius?

Finally, I thought about getting a subwoofer. My car doesn't have a lot of trunk space but I see Kicker makes a small one for the WRX that takes minimal space in the trunk for $500, which seems a bit high. Subaru has a sub that goes under the driver's seat. People seemed to think that one and some other under-seat sub alternatives I looked at were not worth the price. If anyone has any thoughts there, I'd appreciate them too.

Basically, any thoughts on any of this are appreciated. Thanks!

I did a double-din in my STI and it made a HUGE improvement. So much so, I never got around to installing the $$$$$ speakers and amp and subwoofer with custom formed box I had bought. Sold the gear...

What is the budget for this upgrade?
If you listen to a lot of electronic and/or hip-hop a powered sub might be the easiest upgrade path. You could also install it in such a way as to make it easy to remove for track days.

PGT - thanks for the info! Do you mind telling me which unit (or brand) you used in the STi? Did it fit ok or did you need to purchase a frame to work?

G - I'd say ~$800 is my max. I'd prefer to not go nuts with this (famous last words). I'm just looking to make my music enjoyable rather than barely tolerable. Do you have any sub recs?

Subaru of Japan sells a few different conversion bezels so it looks OEM with a double-DIN. I had a Pioneer first and switched to a Kenwood. I liked the real volume knob on the Pioneer but the NAV sucked. The Kenwood had Garmin NAV and bluetooth, steering wheel integration, etc. It made it nice to have an aftermarket unit that looked and acted like it belonged in the car.

this is a pic of the steering wheel I had but you can see the Kenwood installed with the JDM bezel (Got it through AVO USA)

here are two LARGE pics with the Kenwood installed (and the STI bezel...think the other had the all silver WRX bezel)

I replaced the head unit in Suzies car (2001 Legacy L) and it made a HUGE difference. If you don't want a 2DIN unit, you could always put in a pocket:


If you want NAV, then obviously you're going to stick with a 2DIN unit though. Your budget is fairly high (I did speakers + HU for ~500), so you could probably do speakers if you wanted. No reason you couldn't do it in steps either. Replace the HU now and the speakers later if you are not happy. I've almost always had Alpine and liked them. Don't be afraid to look at the used market either!

PGT - That setup looks fantastic. Thanks for posting those pics - that's exactly the look I'm going for. And thanks for the Kenwood rec! I will look into that.

Sabre - Thanks for the tip! Head unit first, then speakers if necessary, I think that's how I'll plan on doing this. I'll look into Alpine too.

Not sure which is the weak point in your year Impreza, speakers or head unit. Any powered sub I think would fit the bill nicely for your specific application. Personally I would go with a larger trunk mounted sub not the small under-seat subs. That fits your cost criteria, the music you listen to, and your desire to not heavily modify the car for a sound system.

I liked my Pioneer double-din HU but the NAV was only good for showing a map with your location marked, the routing hella-sucked.

i would go double din as well. i've installed single and double din products in subies and the fit and finish are much better with a double din unit. it's becoming so common to have a touchscreen in -dash that it isn't anywhere near the theft target that it used to be. if you're going to splurge, make sure you get bluetooth as well. it makes integrating smrt phones so much more painless.

under-seat subs are garbage, stay away from them. i've built cars that competed on the iasca circuit. trust me.

complacent wrote:i i've built cars that competed on the iasca circuit. trust me.

no way. you too? small effin world.

these are the speakers I had for my STI...had custom door panels made for them too. never got around to installing the system, though.

Changing the headunit and changing the amp both are good options because they both do the same thing in theory "add power". I went the amp route and added 2 amps and a sub. Pioneer makes the GM-D9500f and GM-D7500M digital amps that fit under the floor in the spare tire well in my 11 hatch. Because they are digital they don't produce as much heat so air flow isn't a issue and being under the floor nobody knows there there. I went with the TS-SWX251 sub box so i can A. throw junk on top of it and not worry and B. take it out easily if need be. I know I sound like a Pioneer fan boy but everything just seem to fit so I went with it. Also I manage a shop in Tysons so if you need help or a deal let me know.

PGT wrote:

complacent wrote:i i've built cars that competed on the iasca circuit. trust me.

no way. you too? small effin world.

wow! small world indeed. that's too funny that you just had those laying around the garage. some days i really miss working with fiberglass.

somedays...

only warm days...

outdoors.

well, they came out of here:



ended up tossing the panels (and the $700 I spent having them fab'ed). Not ideal for pointsource but I specifically didn't want to impede on foot room and didn't want to separate the mids/highs.

as for "lying around"...LOL. I had several nice amps, subs and gear (10W6v2 and AI enclosure for the STI). I had a new, sealed pair of every MB Quart Premium driver size stored in teh cabinet. 25mm domes, 100mm mids, 130mm mids, 160mm mb, and 200mm midbass. This was the last series Made in Germany before they were bought out.

Finally cleared out the garage late last year.....

For home stuff....I've got piles. I've got a Canton CD100 center, a CD50 three channel soundbar, a DefTech ProSub80, a Scandyna sub....not to mention a brand new 110" acoustically transparent screen, three inwalls, two ceiling speakers, a Yamaha RXV3300....all sitting waiting for time to build the theater in the basement. I need to get four 18" infinite baffle drivers and a pair of mono amps for them but can't decide what setup yet.

<------ has a problem

I didn't even know there were sound competitions...
But that's very cool that you guys competed. I knew you guys knew your stuff.

Thanks Gabe, Colin and LLT for the new recs. I don't think I'm going to get a navigation unit but I'll go the double-din route for sure. I'll check out the trunk subs you guys noted and I think I'd need to add an amp to run one so I'll look into the digital amps.

And thank you, LLT, for the offer. Much appreciated. Thanks everyone!

As for a sub enclosures, I went with an enclosure from Audio Integrations. It fits perfectly into a corner of the trunk and doesn't take up a whole lot of space. I've been extremely happy with it.

08-11 specific enclosure

Installation of the enclosure in an 08+.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIngRM6xwjA[/video]

I don't have anything useful to say other than poor sound system is nothing new in the Subarus. Adam's 04 was way worse than our dinky premium sound system. My old Camry had a great JBL system but then again is was a boring sedan vs the fun WRX. The WRX has the $$ in all the fun performance places but little $$ in the interior... I mean every time I pick up a piece of gravel it sound like its rattling in a tin can... not a very comforting feeling.

It's been my personal experience that this is the best sound system for a Subaru.

If you're going double DIN, I'd go ahead and do NAV. If you like the NAV, keep it when you sell the car and put it in the next car. If you don't like the NAV, it's a selling point for the car. Either way it's much cleaner than stuff hanging off the windshield.

Thanks for the tip, Adam. I just checked out a couple pics of Subies with that enclosure - looks really clean. Definitely the way to go with a sub.

Anna - I completely agree. Can't be too pissed at Subaru for skimping on sound for affordable turbocharged awd awesomeness. Easier to change audio after the fact than add a turbo and change the drivetrain.

Gabe - My only concern with NAV is that I gotta park outdoors and cars get GPS devices stolen all of the time nearby. I'm just nervous that thieves wouldn't think anything of ripping a nav unit out of the dash. Otherwise I'd definitely go the nav route.

anything in the dash is a target unless its stock. aftermarket radio or aftermarket radio with NAV built-in....same difference. The NAV on the glass is a "quick smash and grab" whereas removing a radio is 5min worth of effort.

Just my two cents from owning them all and selling this stuff years ago.

PGT wrote:anything in the dash is a target unless its stock. aftermarket radio or aftermarket radio with NAV built-in....same difference. The NAV on the glass is a "quick smash and grab" whereas removing a radio is 5min worth of effort.

mount the GPS antenna in the front center of the dash. It's easy to hide the wire, the antenna is small and black so it doesn't stand out, and the rake of the windshield allows plenty of signal.

on the '08+, it's super easy to mount it on the dash next to the passenger's A-pillar. run the cable through the back of the glove box, pop the dash cover off, remove the airbag cover and put it in place, putting the panels back on after you're done. like 10min to do it.

So, I've changed my tune about adding a NAV unit. Do you guys have any thoughts on Pioneer vs. Kenwood? I know Kenwood gets high marks for using Garmin, but it also sounds like Kenwood owners complain a lot about horrible lag in its current units, which retail for about ~$700-$1,100. However, Kenwood very recently came out with a couple Excelon (I think its higher end line) NAV units that supposedly correct all of the lag issues but retail around $1,000-$1,300. That's a bit much than I'd like to spend, but I also want to have good, dependable navigation. I like to go on drives in the middle of nowhere and I've noticed that my phone GPS isn't always reliable, so it's a safety thing. I'm weighing whether or not I should take the plunge with a newer Kenwood, which would exceed my initial $800 budget by a bit, but would, according to reviews, sound awesome and provide reliable navigation.

I'm also eyeing the Pioneer AVIC-X930BT (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HW6F8I/?ta ... g8zelcur_b). I've found it online for about $700. I haven't read any complaints about the NAV, but I have read many complaints about the NAV of other Pioneer units. So I don't know if this unit is a fluke or if Pioneer has improved in the NAV department.

Last, but definitely not least, I NEED something that delivers the untz untz. This is imperative. Anytime I endure the sound of my stock stereo, a piece of me dies inside.

Any thoughts? Is it worth the extra dough for a new Kenwood over the Pioneer? Are there any other units/brands I should consider?
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and your expertise. Thanks!

I went from the top Pioneer model to the top Kenwood model (Excelon) and it was 100% the right move. That said, it's been a couple three years now.

The routing on my Pioneer AVIC D3 was crap, I used it as a geo-located map and did my own routing. Other than that I loved it.