Hi all, Picking up a new Forester 2.5X Premium. When I took the car out for a test drive I was impressed with the vehicle except for the 4 speaker audio system. They offer a subwoofer and tweeter option. Will this help improve the sound considerably or should a spend the money on better after-market replacement speakers?
Thanks for ypu response, Joe
Usually aftermarket speakers do a better job, as per the typical wisdom. I'm not sure if it still holds these days or not? But the rule of thumb has been go aftermarket with audio for years. Just check out the prices at a typical audio shop and compare it with the Subaru option.
Yousuf Khan
I haven't made any upgrades myself, but after having a speaker replaced under warranty for buzzing at loud levels I was told by the salesman to consider aftermarket speakers. I think Soobs are known for minimal quality/features stock audio. This was an 06 - maybe 09 is better?
Carl
My $.02: My experience of my 1999 Forester S with the powered subwoofer and tweeter option is that I'm pleased with the sound. It has more bottom than what it would have without the sub and the tweeters do add definition and sparkle to the high end. The subwoofer has a pair of fairly-difficult-to-reach pots to tweak the crossover frequency and the level, if one wants that degree of control.
I don't believe that the system has the power to fracture the windows with bass or to ultrasonically weld the cupholder shut with treble. You'd have to go aftermarket for those features. It does sound nice to my ears at moderate levels. Of course, evaluating audio involves a fair amount of subjectivity as well as a sense of how good is good enough for your own satisfaction.
I imagine that you could achieve similar improvements to the sound in your Subie at competitive prices from the aftermarket sector. I wonder how the pricing stacks up between Subaru equipment and aftermarket when the installation cost is considered?
I split the difference on my Soob sound system, added the subwoofer and went for aftermarket main speakers. It already had the tweeters mounted on the front of the windows. But then again, the speakers were over seven years old when I bought the car.
The stock subwoofer is a fairly easy install but requires taking the dashboard apart for access to the radio's connector and removing the front bolts on the passenger seat to slide the box into place.
Thanks to all for the input, I decided to add the sub and tweeter kit. Picking up the car on Wed. I'll let you all know my my thoughts on the sound.
Regards.
Picked up car with the added sub woofer and especially the tweeter kit is quite an improvement over standard setup. Recommeneded.
Joe
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