Help With New Car Stereo

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - After driving my 2002 Honda Accord Coupe V6 for nearly 17 years, it was time to send it down the road to a new owner. I'm not a big "car guy" although I love cars. Maybe I should say I'm not a big fan of spending a lot of money on cars. I picked up a new Subaru Impreza (Limited) over the weekend and as you can imagine the sound of the stereo is less than stellar. 

 

In my Honda I had an Alpine / Boston Acoustics / Rockford system and I love it. The installation was pretty straight forward for the local installer.

 

My new Subaru, like many new cars today, has a head unit that's so integrated into the car that I don't want to replace it. It's called the Subaru StarLink (version 3.1) system. There is a factory upgrade that includes an amp and two speakers but I have a feeling I'd be a bit underwhelmed. 

 

Question: What are you guys doing or what do you know of that enables one to keep the factory head unit but add aftermarket amps, speakers, subs etc...?

 

I've been told there are three companies making interface boxes that enable use of a factory head unit and aftermarket components. But, it doesn't look like these guys have boxes that will work with a Subaru. 

 

https://navtv.com

http://mobridge.us

https://pac-audio.com

 

 

Thanks for any help you can provide. I'm "dying" with the less than stellar sound right now :~(

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Tom - For some reason I don’t think this is what I need. I thought I needed something more sophisticated to keep the stock head unit.

 

would be thrilled if I only need a wire harness.

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Ralf11 said:

I'd ask Crutchfield if they have anything.

 

what MY??

2019

[The Computer Audiophile]

Crutchfield says the only way to do it is something like this which takes the speaker cables and converts the signal to rca. Yuck.

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_161LC7IB/AudioControl-LC7i-Black.html?search=LC7i&skipvs=T

 

 

subaru sells this Rockford amp that appears to take rca out of the head unit using a proprietary connector. 

 

https://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/system/mobile/2017-current-impreza/

 

See pdf attachment for details.

 

Subaru Speaker and Amp Installation.pdf

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, Jud said:

I suppose you can find this for any car, but...

 

https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-slapped-another-lawsuit-have-you-had-starlink-problems

 

Yes, there are issues. I ran into an issue the day I got it with presets disappearing. There's a software update for the head unit that fixes it, but the dealer didn't install it. Now I can't get in for the update until April 6th. it would be just too easy if the "check for update" button on the head unit actually checked for the update and installed it. 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

did you get the optional ecoPUNCH ?

 

also, a true Norwegian-Minnesotan kinda guy would just have fixed the old car, over & over again...

 

haven't got the ecoPUNCH. It's a possibility. 

 

I fixed the Honda for 17 years. That's good enough for me. However, my father-in-law bought it from me :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, Ajax said:

 

Hi Chris,

 

I had the same problem with a BMW X3, and no doubt so will everyone else purchasing a new car, where the head unit is deeply ingrained into the car's electronics, just too hard to remove.

 

In my case I installed four new AVI speakers, these are Canadian made and very efficient so you don't need to add a power amp, which makes things much easier from an installation point of view. I also installed a 10" rockford active sub in the boot, with an adjustable cross over and volume control under the steering wheel in easy reach. 

 

http://www.avisound.com

 

I play my iPhone via the AUX input so as to by-pass the internal DAC in the head unit.... significant improvement in sound quality. From memory Jud does something similar using his Pono player.

 

Result is a surprisingly good sound, but you obviously loose some of the head units functions, but the volume control still works. Just need to "install" the iPhone on a bracket where it is safe to use and in easy reach. I tend to make specific playlists for the car using either Tidal or Spotify and download them to avoid fiddling with the phone while driving, which is obviously dangerous. 

 

You can always add a power AMP later if you feel it is warranted but I did not need too.

 

All the best,

 

Ajax

 

How did you connect the subwoofer to the head unit?

[The Computer Audiophile]

15 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:

My audio dealer used a kicker 10ZXSUM8 summing unit in my truck.

This takes the speaker wires as inputs and outputs RCA correct? This just seems like a terrible way to get a good audio signal. It's what Crutchfield recommended as well. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Jud said:

 

There is a design principle, particularly of software and even more particularly of GUIs, with the acronym POLA - principle of least astonishment.  I sometimes think that designers of control and software systems for automobiles have a Department of Most Astonishment.  I picture them standing on the other side of a two-way mirror with an intercom setup, waiting until a tester in a model of a new car pounds his fist on the dashboard and screams "Son-of-a-BITCH!"  Then they smile and walk away, knowing their work is done.

Agree. 

 

The first thing I did when I got home with my car was connect it to my WiFI and hit the Check for Update button. It came back and said the software was up to date. So, not only is it not updating it's telling me everything is all good, when it clearly isn't. Ahhhhhh.

[The Computer Audiophile]

14 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

It is a spectacle.  An industry that approaches $2 trillion in size and the profits of each of the manufacturers in the 10's of billions each year, and they don't seem to be able to get the basics of GUI and tech in general right.  Granted, a car is a unique tech environment but they seem hell bent on getting it mostly wrong.  Like most industries, it's amazing how insular their engineering and product development culture can be.  They want to reinvent the wheel (see what I did there @mansr  😋 ). I don't like it, but I actually want Apple and Google to simply take over their in car tech - I mean really take over...

My head unit at least has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

[The Computer Audiophile]

27 minutes ago, HIFI said:

Reading the original post . . . Sounds like you want to add amps and change speakers and add sub.

 

Because most factory stereos do not have rca outs you will likely have to add speaker to rca adapter(s) or go speaker output to speaker inputs on new amps.

 

You may want to look at audiocontrol.com and see the multitude of offers they have to put in between your Subaru’s head unit and everything else you will add/change later.  This is the best way to tackle interfacing factory and aftermarket. 

 

Just a thought . . . There is so much road noise in automobiles and then fan noise from ac/heater it’s not like your going to get great fidelity. . . 

 

. . . But i fancey a good 12 volt audio system.

 

Just suppose you don’t want to drop a bunch of money into a real good Audiocontrol ,or brand of your choice, factory head unit interface and you decided the less expensive rout of converting speaker outs to rca connections.  My vision now is a music server in your Subaru that will share everything else you add down audio stream yet it will be its own independent source.  It runs parallel to your head unit yet easy custom mode selector you add that allows your amps,speakers,sub to see one or the other systems (factory system or music server).

 

i don’t have to help with the music server but on the cheap a 12 volt netbook pc with jriver, JRemote on your smart phone, usb dac, usb hard drives for more storage and a router that runs on 12volt dc.

 

I did this on a boat with wonderful results.  I also used several audiocontrol components because I still had interest in the highest dynamic range and the lowest noise floor.  

 

I have some additional thoughts if interested regarding separation and center staging in autos if interested 

Yes. Very interested. Tell me more. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:

 

I once considered putting my squeezebox touch in my truck for music and feeding it line in on my summing unit.  But didn't think it would hold up to the cold.

Same here with respect to the cold. Must be robust.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, PorkChop said:

The JL Audio DSP amplifiers are awesome as long as you can get a good signal into them (analog works fine as long as it doesn't require a bunch as summing)

 

 I run 6 Focal drivers and JL Audio sub through the VX1000/1i  and the ability to tune every driver individually was crucial in getting everything blended right. Pretty sure I have the best sounding Prius in Silicon Valley. 😏  Even put acoustic material inside the door panels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome!

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, bluesman said:

My son has a 2018 STi and a good ear.  Fortunately, he also has a good job, because he had a top local shop do a complete build of a serious custom system for it.  After looking at all of the options discussed in this thread and listening to many, he concluded that none of them was good enough to justify the work and cost. I have to admit that the sound is stellar, but he spent far more than I think is reasonable.  Interestingly, since he discovered remote streaming from my servers, he only listens to "our" FLACs using JRMC's panel - so I built a separate Raspberry Pi server for his use.

 

We've both upgraded the OE speakers in several of our cars over the years to good effect, and he always adds a sub (which is nice but not necessary for me to be happy).   I've been driving an FR-S since 2013 and find the stock system to be more than tolerable when streaming my FLACs from my phone via BT.

 

I've never used an aftermarket auto system because my car's not my living room.  I listen through the system rather than to it, and music's music even if the band isn't in the car with me  

Jealous on all fronts. I've dreamt about an STi for years. 

 

If you could PM me what your son put in his car, I'd be very appreciative. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

9 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

SPOILER ALERT!!

Really can't picture you driving around in a card with one of those stupid wings Chirs... 

I can hear it now, "get off my lawn you kids!" 😁

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, Foggie said:

FWIW, I didn't want to mess with my stock head unit either etc.. but gotta have decent sound in car so (mazda3 GT hatch):

1. JBL MS8 - pretty simple to tap into existing head unit output and run cable harness to hatch area.  I made a platform to sit on top of the spare tire and bolted everything to it.  Totally concealed underneath carpet.

 

2. JL audio 5channel amp = > Focal tweeters, mids and JL audio sub (in a OEM custom enclosure, cant think of the manufacture at the moment, for specific cars that bolts right into corner where jack and accessories would be.

 

3. Run the calibration process from each seat (using the included binaural headphones).  Dial in all the xovers/EQ to your hearts content.  Pretty slick.  I'm sure there are newer/update solutions but this works awesome

Very cool.

 

I continue to dig into this and found that it appears my head unit has what people are calling a "high" output that's not the speaker wires but seems just like it. The Rockford / Subaru amp accepts this as an input and other amps may accept this as well. But, it's so hard to find information about the connectors and what DSP is going on before the signal is output. Ahhhhhh.

Subaru Speaker and Amp Installation.pdf