HK stock or aftermarket stereo

[Schwatmann]

I'm going to build a Legacy soon and am considering my options. The standard stock stereo left me cold. I thought the HK was not bad but am not sure how the usb accessory would work with it. The HK with nav is attractive because it has usb connectivity and appears to play dvd 5.1. I have a large collection of those from my Acura days. Nav system is quite pricy though and can only get it on the Limited. I would prefer Premium because I would like to go with cloth seats. Can anybody comment on the different configurations of the HK and whether you think I would be better off getting a base stock and going aftermarket? Audio is VERY important to me.

[Malt Beverage]

Audio is VERY important to me.

 

Aftermarket

[zmarko]

Aftermarket

[Malt Beverage]

Since you are new here, you probably want to search for "dual din hvac now working" best option for after market if you have auto climate control. If not there are double din dash kits in the $50 range. The stock head unit is just junk all around. You could sink tons of money into it to improve the sound, but an after market head unit will be worlds better for cheaper.

[zmarko]

Since you are new here, you probably want to search for "dual din hvac now working" best option for after market if you have auto climate control. If not there are double din dash kits in the $50 range. The stock head unit is just junk all around. You could sink tons of money into it to improve the sound, but an after market head unit will be worlds better for cheaper.

I'm guessing he's looking at '10+ Legacy's, as it looks like he might be buying new soon (the adding NAV sounds like he's considering adding it as a dealer installed option).

 

And the '10s are easier to upgrade the stereo than the '05-09s.

 

 

 

However, I don't know if the HK stereo was available on the '10 cars. :dontknow:

[Schwatmann]

I'm looking at the 2011 Premiums. I was looking at dealer installed navi (which would require an upgrade to the Limited) because it appears that the stereo configured with it plays 5.1 DVD-As which would be a selling point. If not, I would prefer portable aftermarket GPS and cloth seats. My question, based on what's been said, then, is the head unit the same in the base and the upgrade, ie. does the HK option only upgrade the speakers and add an outboard amp? I've listened to the "base" stock unit. It is dreadful and am puzzled by an option system that allows you to "add" tweeters to what is apparently a mid and low range muddy driver. If I get it with HK I don't want to upgrade which is where the question comes from. If I'm looking at an aftermarket upgrade, I'll go with the stock system (in the premium). Further thoughts?

[Malt Beverage]

I wish I could help more, but 5th gen is outside the scope of my knowledge (what little there is lol). If I were in your shoes though, I would lean towards after market knowing that I would be fully happy with the audio system If I built it my self. As you said you are happy with cloth seats, go for the lower model and use that money saved to put into the audio. Make sure you know what it takes to put a head unit in your car though. The climate control integrated into the radio made for a hellish 3 years of oem in my 4th gen limited because there were few options for a radio install. I hope the 5th gens are a little for mod friendly.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Schwatmann]

The basis of this question is that while I could put together a great aftermarket system, I am too big of a spaz to do the install and it is virtually impossible in my market (Chicago area) to find someone to do it well. Two of the shops I used to use that I could trust are gone and a simple speaker repair on my current car was too much for the two "recommended" places I took my car to (long story). My interest in the HK stems from my current stock system - the upgraded JBL in my Camry is better than any other "upgraded" stock system I have had and is not great but not bad. Its hard to evaluate the HK on short test drives and I was hoping for something encouraging (or not). If the head unit is the same on the stock and HK upgrade, then perhaps the stock head with outboard amp and different speakers? Argh!

[billbaxter87]

Aftermarket. Btw, my Legacy has the subwoofer/amp under the seat. I didn't even know it was there! I was trying to figure out why there was more bass on one side of the car. That thing is lame. I think I'll be putting a system in soon myself.

[zimbonies]

For what it's worth, I just bought a 2011 2.5i Limited. The 9 speaker HK system in it is adequate for my needs (and better than any stock stereo with Subwoofer that I've had in previous Subaru's). It's not going to loosen the screws in the license plate, but it does sound pretty good.

 

Zim

[Chazmanian Devil]

For anyone who knows. I have just recently installed an aftermarket head unit and it comes with a steering wheel adapter but im not sure if u can adapt Aftermarket units to the steering wheel controls and if so where do i get this adapter?

[SVXdc]

For anyone who knows. I have just recently installed an aftermarket head unit and it comes with a steering wheel adapter but im not sure if u can adapt Aftermarket units to the steering wheel controls and if so where do i get this adapter?

 

Most new HU's can be interfaced to a car's steering wheel controls (SWCs). A few HUs can be connected directly to the car's wires, and will "learn" the buttons. The majority of HUs require a separate steering wheel interface module. The ones currently available are the Axxess ASWC (by Metra), or one of the various SWI-* models from PAC Audio.

 

If your Legacy has the new phone/Bluetooth buttons on the wheel, the modules will "see" all of those buttons. It's up to your HU whether it has remote commands that correspond to the phone buttons. In the worst case, you can program the module to assign unrecognized buttons to do other audio functions that the HU does support (mute, band, preset up/down, etc.).

 

See my pin-out table for the 20-pin radio harness, including the notes at the bottom for information about the wires for steering wheel controls (2 or 3 wires).