'09 with H/K - Changing H/U & Bypass H/K Amp.

[eavionics]

can anyone help me about technical questions about my 2009 3.0R, particularly on the audio system. I want to know the brand of my head unit, and is it possible to install a subwoofer on the provided space at the back.i dont have the harman kardon system but im interested to install a similar set up (with the subwoofer placed at the rear space provision). does anyone know what it is and if there's any kits available for it?

 

 

i also noticed that the fader is somewhat biased to the front speakers in neutral settings. is this normal?

[apexi]

If your car really is a 2009 you should have the harman kardon system, was it taken out? The head unit doesn't say harman kardon on it, just the speaker grilles. You should have a small sub in the rear deck, you have nothing there now? I confused.

[Masamoose]

Hello all,

 

So I ran into this problem where I installed a new head unit and amp, I ran the speaker outputs from the new amp into the factory harness adaptor at the radio. Turned on the radio and gave it some volume, tweeters and woofers in door popping to my surprise. So I call crutch field and they ask me if I bypassed the factory amp, I had no idea the hk system had an amp under the ps seat. I plan on jumping the speaker input at the amp to the output at the amp to bypass it and avoid running new wires.

My question is... On the first page of this thread we have harness R315 outputs to the tweeter and subwoofer, we also have R317 outputs to the four door speakers. Does my 09 legacy have both of these output plugs at the HK amp? (I haven't been able to pull the ps seat out yet and I'm trying to figure this out before I do so I don't spend all day doing this when I do go take the seat out).

If I am reading this correctly for let's say the input at the amp for drivers side front speakers are harness R316 pins 9 and 3 I would splice those into harness R317 pins 4 and 10? I have a component set and don't need to use the factory tweeter harness, I just need to get a input to the module and planned on using the factory woofer harness as the input after bypassing the amp.

Any help is appreciated.

[eavionics]

My salesman said that I have the 2009 3.0R, it's even written on the receipt. maybe the HK audio system isn't bundled on the middle east version of the BL 3.0R? given that, I am interested if I can update the system to an HK version or closely similar to that? I inspected the back area and I found that there is a provision for a subwoofer. Is there a store where I can buy the kit so to install it myself?

[wamje]

I ran across this post while trying to find information about my 2014 Outback and have to say this has been incredibly helpful. That being said I feel like the answer to one of my final questions is staring me in the face and I'm missing it.

 

In the posts with the pinouts, SVXdc mentions finding a matching wiring harness for the R316/R386 24-pin connector, but I don't see any info regarding vendor/part number/etc. Does anyone know where to find that particular wiring harness?

 

Thanks.

[claw951]

I wanted to provide an update and some additional info following my adventure replacing the stock Subaru head unit, H/K speakers, and H/K amp in my 2009 Outback.

 

For background, the saga began when I decided to replace the head-unit in order to add an integrated Bluetooth solution. While I was at it I added a rear-view camera (they’re stupid cheap on Amazon, I got one for$18.99). I figured with all of that work I might as well replace the factory speakers, since the front ones were distorting noticeably after 5+ years of use. I thought replacing the speakers would be one of the easiest tasks. I was wrong.

 

The stock speakers are, in fact, fairly easy to replace by themselves. (There are good tutorials such as http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2006-legacy-front-door-speaker-installation-diy-96931.html and http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2006-legacy-rear-door-speaker-installation-diy-96930.html?t=96930 ). The major problem with the H/K setup is that the factory amp has distinct channels—with an integrated crossover and likely EQ!—for the front door woofer and tweeter. Also, all of the factory H/K speakers are 2-Ohm units, so replacing with 4-Ohm speakers probably would halve the amp’s output capabilities. Note that the front speakers use a standard toyota speaker wiring harness but the rear speakers use an unidentified harness and very short leads. You'll want to extend the rear speaker leads during the install

 

The bottom line result is that when I replaced the front speakers (I used Alpine SPS-610C 6.5” components) they sounded like crap using the stock amp. So I decided to bypass and replace the H/K amp. My goal was to drive the four door speakers (SPS-610C components in front and SPS-610S coaxials in the rear) with the newly added Pioneer AVH-4600BT head unit and use a new Blaupunkt EMA-255 to power the factory dual voice coil sub. I debated retaining the factory amp to drive the sub, but in the end I decided to replace it because 1) amps are chap, 2) replacing the amp, which likely isn’t bridgeable, makes replacing the factory sub with a single-voice coil unit much easier if the factory sub fails and 3) I wasn’t really sure of the factory amp’s input impedance and how the system would cope with running a speaker-level input in parallel to the amp and the front components.

 

In order to bypass the factory amp I cut the factory wiring harness and used pigtails to splice the amp’s inputs (which are speaker-level outputs from the head unit) to the output lines to each speaker. In my 2009 Outback that resulted in the following connections (note: The H/K speakers have no markings to identify positive/negative inputs, so I verified the factory configuration of all but the right front using a 9V battery and ensuring the speaker moved outward. I double checked all connections but I may have made an error or two; of course it doesn’t matter for the end result as long as you’re consistent in reconnecting what you think is positive/negative)

 

The below table lists the connection, input harness/pin, input wire color -> output harness/pin, output wire color:

 

Right Front:

+: R316/5, Red -> R317/3, Black/Red stripe

- R316/4, White -> R317/9, White/Red

 

Left Front: (note: opposite polarity on output from previous posts)

+ R316/3, Black -> R317/10, Brown

- R316/2, Green -> R317/4, White

 

Right Rear: (note: opposite polarity on output from previous posts)

+ R316/23, Blue/Yellow -> R317/8, White/Black

- R316/22, Blue/Green -> R317/7, Yellow

 

Left Rear:

+ R316/18, White/Blue -> R317/2, Black/Blue

- R316/17, White/Blue -> R317/6, White/Blue

 

Amp power/remote signal:

R315/6 and R315/7, black -> Ground

R316/12, yellow -> Amp remote (as SVXdc noted, this is an accessory-on signal, not the head-unit’s amp power signal)

R317/1 and R317/5, red, -> +12V battery

 

Subwoofer output:

Voice Coil 1 +, R315/4, Brown/White

Voice Coil 1 -, R315/10, Green

Voice Coil 2 +, R315/5, White/Green

Voice Coil 2-, R315/12, Pink

 

I made bypass pigtails out of 12” lengths of 18 gauge speaker wire (and used the same wire for the amp power connections). Looking at the picture of the replacement amp, the bundle of red plugs are the 4-speaker outputs (8 total wires/16 total connections). The bundle with the black electrical tape is the amp power/ground/remote signal. The subwoofer outputs are the red heat-shrink connectors (bottom). The bundle of twisted wires at the bottom are the 4 factory front tweeter outputs, which I didn’t use. Somewhere in this mess there are also cut leads for the VSS output and an unused ground. I cannibalized one of the factory amp mounts to secure the new amp, cutting off part of the bracket and adding holes for the amp mounting screws and to secure the wiring with zip ties. My head-unit has line-level subwoofer outputs, so I ran that to the amp using the pictured RCA cables. Another install note is that removing both the front seat (to replace the amp) and rear seat (to run the rear-view camera signal) is quite easy; just be sure to disconnect the battery about 30 minutes prior to messing with the front seat due to the integrated airbag.

 

Once the connections were made, I needed to set the gain on the amp. This involved a bunch of guesswork. I assumed each voice coil could handle at most ~30W RMS based on the published difference in (peak?) power output of the 7-channel sedan and 8-channel wagon H/K amp, assuming both voice coils are otherwise identical, and assuming a .7 peak/RMS wattage conversion. With this in mind I connected both voice coils in series (to double impedance and thereby cut power by half) to one of the amp’s output channels and ran a 50hz test tone at my expected max listening volume. I adjusted the gain until the output AC voltage was about 8V, measured using my fluke DMM.

 

As a side note, it seems the factory sub channel(s) also has a high-pass filter at circa 40Hz, as a 30 and 20 Hz test tone using the factory amp didn’t produce an audible response, while it did using my replacement amp. The 30Hz tone didn’t sound aweful, but the 20Hz tone was heavily distorted, fwiw.

 

Overall, the entire AV update took several days. I also added dynamat/fatmat while I had the panels off, which made a noticeable improvement but added a lot of install time. Below are my estimates of how long it would take a skilled novice (doing this work on this vehicle for the first time) to complete the stages of this project. Add an hour or two to each step if you choose to dynamat.

Mount rear-view camera to tailgate/run wire to headunit: 4-5 hours

Replace headunit: 2-3 hours, plus time to complete the wiring harness adapter and aux-in adapter (if desired)

Replace front speakers: 2-3 hours

Replace rear speakers: 1-2 hours

Replace amp: 3-4 hours (if you trust my notes and don’t verify where all of the connections go)

Edited September 17, 2014 by claw951
Grammar and added a couple pictures

[claw951]

For completeness, I might as well add some detail on the dual-voice-coil subwoofer found in the 2009 Outback with the Harmon/Kardon sound system.

 

I've attached several pictures that show the dimensions of the subwoofer and the mounting location. The sub is interesting in that the voice coils are in front of the conical woofer, while the spider is mounted behind (the spider is just visible in the attached top mount depth picture).

 

I'm not planning on doing so immdiately, but it seems that a low-profile 8" sub, like the JL Audio 8w1v3 would fit--if just barely--into the stock location. I think the only modification needed would be a custom spacer--about 1.5"--with lips to match the three stock bolt holes, as well as a wiring adapter of course.

[007hamster]

Thanks for the info Claw.

 

I just started my full install 2 hours ago. I'm kind of a novice and haven't done a stereo install since my highschool days.

 

So far I have the Kenwood installed and the 8 ga amp wire through the grommet under the front drivers wheel through the trim to the trunk. The driver seat removed.

 

That's as far as I got in 2 hours.

 

Installing Alpine SPS-610C in front and SPS-610S in rear.

 

JBL GT-BassPro12 in the trunk.

 

Infinity Reference 475a in the trunk. (H/K is under the pass. seat and drivers seat is powered so I don't think there's room.)

 

I am doing RCA x6 from headunit to trunk. Then speaker wire from trunk to each door separate. That will probably suck to route through the door!

 

I don't think I am going to dynamat even though I am sure its worth it, I just don't want to spend the extra $ and time. I need my car put back in 5 days to drive 800 mi round trip to the Albuquerque hot air balloon festival!

[jojorios]

Here are the pin-outs for the three harnesses on the 2009 and 2010 harman/kardon amplifier.

 

Each of these pin orientations is viewing the pins side of the car's harness (wires pointing away from you). For the socket on the amp, you'll need to mirror the numbers horizontally (e.g., 12, 11, 10, etc.).

 

Looking at the rear of the amp, the connectors from left to right are: R315, R317 (blue), R316

 

UPDATED: Thank you, Rickycc, for verifying the speaker wire polarities. I've heard from one other person who verified the 4 door speakers. I'd still like to get confirmation from a second person on the tweeters and subwoofer. If anyone opens up their speakers, please let me know which wire colors go to +/–, so I can update the pin-out tables with the polarities. Speakers usually have "+" and "-" stamped into the insulator board that holds the metal terminals, or inked onto the metal frame.

 

Also, in this post, "Christopher" said that in his 2011 Outback, the front and rear channel wires were "180 degrees out of phase from each other" (technically, that would really mean they're the opposite polarity), and he had to reverse one pair. [after re-reading his post, I think he was talking about the outputs from the h/k amp to the speakers, even though at one point he wrote "inputs"]. So I'd really like to hear from someone who can verify that (and say whether it is the front or rears that have the wrong polarity). You can check this by sending your test signal into the aux input and compare it to the polarity ("phase" [sic]) that you see on the HU's and amp's outputs.

 

In that same thread, Christopher also posted internal pictures of the h/k amp.

 

I've found matching harnesses for R316 (2009) / R386 (2010-up) (the 24-pin one).

 

UPDATE: I've also found matching harnesses for the other two. 10-pin is half of the Metra 70-1761 (or equivalent) set for Toyotas. 12-pin is Metra 70-7992 (or equivalent) for Suzuki. Both of those shells are from the same family, and the pins can be easily extracted and transplanted. More details and cross-reference:

Discussion of removing h/k amp and replacing with aftermarket amp in this thread:

Help with HK Audio Swap

 

Does anyone happen to have a link to the company that sells the R386 harness?

[argyle409]

Where would one purchase the subwoofer trunk cubby? I have 07 outback xt and to my knowledge the only OEM placement for sub woofer is under the seat, I'd prefer to unitize the rear cubby. Or what trim levels was it offered on, perhaps I can track one down in scrap yard. Thanks

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=83546&d=1271462768

[utc_pyro]

There are a few on ebay right now.

 

I'd get a wicked CAS box if you can, there is a guy selling one in the classifieds right now.

[argyle409]

There are a few on ebay right now.

 

I'd get a wicked CAS box if you can, there is a guy selling one in the classifieds right now.

 

What would I search to find it on ebay, I see zero?

[utc_pyro]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-Authentic-03-09-Legacy-GT-BP5-Wagon-Mclntosh-Rear-Speaker-Sub-Woofer-Covers-/391417357999?hash=item5b224ae6af:g:rRQAAOSwG-1WzpsF&vxp=mtr

 

Last week there were a few US ones on there as well

 

Look at this guys FS thread and buy his Wicked CAS box. I have one, they are a LOT better than the OEM setup.

Edited April 4, 2016 by utc_pyro

[crit89]

I've found matching harnesses for R316 (2009) / R386 (2010-up) (the 24-pin one).

 

 

What is the Metra Part #?

[SVXdc]

...

I've found matching harnesses for R316 (2009) / R386 (2010-up) (the 24-pin one).

...

What is the Metra Part #?

 

I'm not aware of any Metra part that fits the car's 24-pin harness. I've been obtaining the raw connector shells and terminals from suppliers who sell in quantity.

 

Anyone who wants to contact me about those, please use e-mail (or if you use PM, include your e-mail address).

[markc0220k]

with stock headunit 5yrs, i decided to do on-board direct solder soon to bypass that "diff eq at diff vol" function.

[spinnin]

do not totally "bypass" your oem amp (assuming you are talking the amp underneath the psg side seat), it (R316-B11) has wire it goes to your VDC/ ABS control module and GND.

 

i'm doing the same thing like you too. but i'm going to only bypass those 4 outputs from HU (FL/FR, RL/RR).

 

mark

 

You sir, are 100% correct. The OEM amplifier in the 440-watt

Harman Kardon® premium audio system is integrated with the ABS & the Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).

 

For those that may not know, VDC is an electronic stability control that utilizes sensors which constantly monitor wheel speeds, steering angle, brake pressure, vehicle yaw rate and lateral g-forces. If VDC detects a difference between the driver’s intended path and the one the vehicle is actually taking, VDC applies braking power and/or reduces engine torque to help correct vehicle path. The Traction Control System (TCS) is part of the VDC and it also incorporates an all-wheel, all-speed traction control system which senses a loss of traction and applies braking force to the slipping wheel or wheels as necessary to maintain vehicle motion.

 

So, it may be better to install an aftermarket amp that is run with RCA outs from the head unit to RCA inputs on the amp and then run all new speaker wire (14 AWG OFC or 12 AWG OFC) to your separate tweeters and woofers on your aftermarket speakers in your front doors while running the same gauge to the aftermarket coaxial or separate speakers in your rear doors.

 

If you decide to go with a 5-channel amp instead of a 4-channel amp, you can run new speaker wires to your OEM sub as well. I'd highly recommend replacing the OEM sub with the Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8-inch Shallow-Mount Subwoofer. I just replaced the blown OEM sub with the Pioneer today. Honestly, I wouldn't want to run new speaker wires to the sub because you're going to have to take out almost all of the panels and trim work in the cargo area of the outback and part of the backseat to get at all that ridiculously thin gauge OEM wire. That may be another reason people can't get behind the OEM sub; the driver sucks, the wiring sucks, and you need to add sound deadening material behind the driver. That is a lot of work but anything worth doing is worth doing right, right?

 

I hope this helps anyone looking to mod or replace their OEM 440-watt 9-speaker Harman Kardon® premium audio system with 8-channel amplifier/equalizer, Digital Signal Processing (DSP),Dual Voice Coil (DVC) subwoofer, MP3/WMA capability and Speed-Sensitive Auto Volume Control (SVC)

 

Cheers

 

Edited November 25, 2017 by spinnin

[AZLegacy]

Idk where you got those wiring schematics from, but I cant seem to find any info stating VDC/ABS is tied into any factory amp.

 

In fact ive found more threads with people trying to disable VDC/ABS and none of it has to do with the audio system.

[AZLegacy]

So i contacted Subaru of America asking about the VDC/ABS and they said this

 

"The HK audio system in a 2009 Legacy Sedan does not have VDC/ABS sensors."

[spinnin]

Idk where you got those wiring schematics from, but I cant seem to find any info stating VDC/ABS is tied into any factory amp.

 

In fact ive found more threads with people trying to disable VDC/ABS and none of it has to do with the audio system.

 

The schematics came straight from the 2009 Subaru Outback Service Manual.

 

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/2009/2009%20Service%20Manual.pdf

 

I found the link to the manual in this thread: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/15724-free-factory-service-manual-download-links-12.html

 

After more research, it appears that the OE HK amp is linked to the VDC & ABS in order to increase volume at higher vehicle speeds automatically and it does not control the VDC or ABS.

[spinnin]

I am in the process of installing a new audio system in my '09 Outback 2.5i Special Edition with the factory "premium" Harman Kardon audio system.

 

I have already installed a Pioneer AVHX490BS HU.

 

I will be installing Alpine Type-S Series Component 6.5" Speaker System (SPS-610C) in the front doors with the Soundskins Sound Deadening Door Kits, Alpine Type-S Series 6.5" Coaxial 2-Way Speakers (SPS-610) with Noico 80 mil 10 sqft car Sound deadening mats in the rear doors powered by an Alpine MRV-V500 5 Channel V Power Digital Amplifier. I'm using a Rockville RWK4CU 4 AWG Gauge 100% Copper Complete Amp Installation Wire Kit as well. The OE sub was blown when I got the car and I replaced it with a Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8-inch Shallow-Mount Subwoofer that is wired in series (the OE sub was wired in parallel but doing that with the Pioneers sub would present the amp with a 1-ohm load and I don't think the amp(s) can handle that).

[AZLegacy]

i would do a 4channel bridged on a set of nice components, and dedicated amp for sub.

i never use rear channels, all front stage for me:)

[dug-e-fresh]

Has anyone successfully hooked up the second sub output on the H/K amp? I was under the impression it was the same unit in the Outbacks that powered the DVC sub (just without the leads). I'm in the progress of replacing the factory H/K sub and found a completely bolt-in DVC solution... but the pins for the second sub output aren't giving me anything... confirmed the amp part number, lines up with the Outback unit. Thoughts?

[jkaic]

So is the Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8" shallow mount a direct fit? Any spacers required / Does the cover fit on top without problem? OE sub is blown...

[spinnin]

Yes, the Pioneer fits with the OE cover on the side in the back cargo area. You just need the plastic panel removal tools to get to it. The wires from the amp to the sub are very short. Get some OFC wire on amazon to extend it so you can connect the wires to the Pioneer. The wires with the stripes on them are the ground/negative wires. The solid color are the positive wires. Wire in parallel so the OE amp sees a 4 ohm load.