DMc-DE Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I'm on my second day with the 2004 Outback. It has the basic stock stereo which I am told is a Panasonic. Sounds a bit bland. (adjusted the bass and treble already.) Does the tweeter kit improve the sound? It is cheap enough and simple to install so I will consider if I get comments that others have experienced improved sound with the tweeter kit. (I am not an audiophile, but my other car has a OEM stock Alpine system with an OEM amp so even I hear the difference between the two cars. Maybe that make me an audiophile now?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobySchmitty Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I'm assuming the tweeter kit will help, but you might consider a different stereo, an amp, etc. Just curious, your 2nd car wouldn't happen to be a Delorean, would it ??? ScoobySchmitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 You will have better sound with the new tweeters. The higher frequencies are better heard when you have the speakers near the same height of your ears. It will make a very noticable difference. You could also upgrade the original door speakers to improve their sound. Being an audiophile is not cheap. You need to decide how much you really want to spend when making changes. In mobile sound systems today, the sky is about the limit to spend on equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMc-DE Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 2nd car with OEM Alpine stereo is a 1996 Jaguar XJ6. Nice car. Not driveable anywhere near snow. Wife's car has an OEM Bose stereo system. That sounds better than stock Outback Panasonic also. It's in a Mazda Millenia S. Quick car. fun to drive. I do realize that sedans typically have better acoustics than station wagons however Outback Panasonic system could use a bit more "crispness" and "punch" nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobySchmitty Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Awww... Your handle threw me on that one :-P DMC = Delorean Shag the Jag and get a gull-wing! ScoobySchmitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nug Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Is your jag not good in snow, or are you babying it? Cuz I used mine to pull a thunderbird out of a mud hole, and then i did donuts. In the snow. It loves snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strakes Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Shortly after buying my 2002 Legacy GT wagon, I replaced my factory door speakers with a set of Kenwoods and added Rockford Fosgate tweeters up where the factory tweeter kit goes. The sound change is awesome. The cheap, paper factory speakers don't reproduce sound that well. The installation was easy...I bought all the components from Crutchfield and they sent excellent, step-by-step, instructions. The car is pre-wired, so that eliminated a lot of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I am using the Subaru tweeter kit on my 2000 Forester. Sounds a tad better. Very simple to do. I did however replace the original radio (Clarion w/cassette ONLY) prior to the tweeter install with a Pioneer CD. I'd give the tweeters a shot. Do not buy the parts from your dealer. There are plenty on places on the Internet selling Subaru parts. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I have the tweeters in my OB. They help a lot in my opinion. I also have the tweeters in my wife's forester. They made a dramatic change in the forester. Also, I bought the tweeters for the forester on ebay.... NIB with shipping...it was under $10. No crap seriously..... Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMc-DE Posted November 14, 2003 Author Share Posted November 14, 2003 Originally posted by snotrocket Is your jag not good in snow, or are you babying it? Cuz I used mine to pull a thunderbird out of a mud hole, and then i did donuts. In the snow. It loves snow. Probably a combo of things...I probably am babying it. We get crappy snow around here (slush, ice, snow combo). Live on "barely could call it a hill" and Jag just spins its wheels with its new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Should have gotten traction control on Jag. Now on to look for a tweeter kit on EBay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adge_082 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I got a 96 Liberty AWD 5spd (legacy) about a month ago, its my first subaru and so far its great. As for stereo stuff, i straight away removed the tape deck and put in a single CD unit, i also replaced the front 5" splits with some 6" JL splits, the difference is awesome. The stereo consists of a lot more, but i will try not to bore you with the details. But have a serious think about upgrading to a much better speaker, not just adding another cheap component to your audio setup. Not many factory stereo systems are quality products, im not saying that all are junk, just most arent up to par with fairly priced aftermarket products, therefore the extra few dollars you spend on quality made speakers may be a wise investment. Make sure you re-wire them if the factory wiring looks a little aged or dodgy, wiring can make a lot of difference as im sure your probably already aware. Thats what i would do anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbarber Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I put the tweeter kit in my 1995 Legacy wagon shortly after I bought it from my brother a couple of months ago. It SEEMED to make a difference. For $15 and 10 minutes of my time, it was worth finding out. I will probably replace the stock head unit and the speakers in the spring Since it doesn't cost much, or take much time; my $.02 is GO FOR IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillowsplat Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I went with a new set of door speakers and a new rear sub woofer. That was a 150.00 upgrade. I'm satisfied. Crutchfirld is a good place to find out what works. John 03 OBWL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I went to Tweeter, Etc. today to see what I could replace the OEM speakers with in my '97 OB, and they suggested some Boston Acoustic speakers @ 159 per pair - I think it was the NX 67. Good choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 My Forester has the same problem. It sounds bland.................... My Camry had the same problem. I put a good Kenwood in it with out changing any of the speakers and it now sounds great. I was going to try this with the Forester. My theory is the speakers are just not being pushed enough by the factory stereos. I'm going to start with the stereo first then head to the speakers if it still sounds bland....... Still looking for a good unit......... my .02 Glenn 82 Hatch, no stereo anymore....... 01 Forester, lousy factory stereo....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Originally posted by Sweet82 My Forester has the same problem. It sounds bland.................... My Camry had the same problem. I put a good Kenwood in it with out changing any of the speakers and it now sounds great. I was going to try this with the Forester. My theory is the speakers are just not being pushed enough by the factory stereos. I'm going to start with the stereo first then head to the speakers if it still sounds bland....... Still looking for a good unit......... my .02 Glenn 82 Hatch, no stereo anymore....... 01 Forester, lousy factory stereo....... Try Pioneer. Best Buy has a basic 1 cd unit for $130. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 The door mounted speakers are crap. Adding the tweeter kit will add a bit of treble and change the imaging, but there will still be no midrange punch. Subaru does sell upgraded speakers for the doors. But for the price of the upgraded speakers and tweeter kit, you can get a better set of aftermarket speakers. For a while I used my Infinity Kappa coaxial speakers in the front of my Outback, and the sound was much improved even with the stock radio. The tweeters on the Infinity Kappa's rotated so I was able to aim them for proper imaging. I aimed the tweeter at the dome light, so that the left tweeter was not overwhelming. One thing you may note is that very few audiophiles mount there tweeters up high, this is because high mounted tweeters usually lead to poor imaging. Mounting the tweeters as far as possible from the drivers ear (which usually dictates a low mounting (note the kick plate speaker mounts in audiophile cars)) provides the best imaging. In my opinion, high mounted tweeters are just eye candy. Spend $100-150 on a good set of 6.5" coaxial speakers and you may find that you get the sound you desire. You can install component speakers for a lttle more bass, but I recommend mounting the tweeters low and close to the midrange driver. Aftermarket speakers will most likely require you to modify the stock plastic speaker cage, but this is easy to do with a hand saw, tin snips or in my case a dremel. The magnet on the stock speakers is pathetic, so no aftermarket speaker magnet will clear the plastic cage. I you decide to go the aftermarket route for the head unit, you will need to upgrade speakers anyways, so why not do the speakers first? Some of the new head units (Alpine in particular) push out better than 20watts RMS, which is very good. Unless you spend a lot of time in the rear, I recommend leaving the rear speakers stock. Spend money on front speakers, head unit, amplifier, subwoofer first and then invest in rear speakers.... Don't bother with the Subaru subwoofer, it does very little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 For the tweeter kit or any other Subaru part try: http://www.1stsubaruparts.com/ ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTrain Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 lol..was going to add a few things but alias beat me to it. good aadvice. high mounted tweeters not only give poor imaging but sound pretty harsh, as all the high frequency sound is aimed directly at your ears. and if you are going to add/replace speakers anyways, go with something that doesnt come from the factory. usually much lower in quality for the price than anything you'd find at a car audio shop. a decent alpine head unit coupled with some nice JL speaks should make your ears happy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbutkus Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 I have a few pictures of my stereo and speaker swap on my site. http://www.butkus.org (between the rulers). Unless you get the upgrade stereo.. the stock system is a wimp. Got the tweeters from subaruparts.com. A snap to put in and they do work good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Originally posted by mbutkus I have a few pictures of my stereo and speaker swap on my site. http://www.butkus.org (between the rulers). Unless you get the upgrade stereo.. the stock system is a wimp. Got the tweeters from subaruparts.com. A snap to put in and they do work good. I also have a Legacy/Outback radio install guide on my site. No guide for speakers yet. My guide applies to manual transmission vehicles, but aside from the removal of the trim around the shift lever the process is the same. 2000-2004 Legacy/Outback Radio Install Guide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Try some Polk audio Ex 365s,. I just got four of them new of EBay for $140 shipped to our house. Installed them in my wife's 2003 Legacy in which she already had one rear speaker rattling. The windows clear the magnets, they fit right in, can handle loads of power if you decide to ugrade the head unit, allow you to aim the tweeters toward you and are the differece between night and day(truely). The stock speakers are paper crap with tiny magnets that cannot be worth more than $5 a pair. Glenn Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Sounds like the Polk 365 is a good choice for a 97 OB wagon? Related questions: - Should I order 4 or is it OK to leave the factory rear speakers? - Do I need to disconnect the tweeters installed on top of the doors? If so, how? They're on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $57.50 plus $14 shipping per pair. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Originally posted by Ranger83 Sounds like the Polk 365 is a good choice for a 97 OB wagon? Related questions: - Should I order 4 or is it OK to leave the factory rear speakers? - Do I need to disconnect the tweeters installed on top of the doors? If so, how? They're on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $57.50 plus $14 shipping per pair. TIA Definitely change the fronts, as for the rears it is up to you. From the front seat you will not hear the high frequency signals from the rear speakers anyways. If you want a little more bass from the rear speakers (which you should notice from the front) and have no objection to spending the money, then change them as well. If you have door mounted tweeters already you can either leave them as is (it wont harm anything), but you may have too much treble. To disconnect them carefully pry the triangular shaped tweeter housing from the door sail (part that holds the mirror). There should be a connector right there in the sail, just disconnect in and reinstall the now deactivated tweeter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 I would recommend changing all four speakers as all four stock are pathetic. You might want to consider base blockers for the front, Polk recommends a 200 microfad capacitor which is available at Radio Shack. The ideal set up would have most of your midrange and high end up front with most of your bass in the rear. For info of those interested I dug up the polk book for the EX's, 60 watts continuous, 180w peak, with 92db sensitivity. It nearily sounds like you have added an amp to the stock system, intricate back ground instruments are heard that did not exsist previously. They will fit the baskets and windows will clear. There are not many 6.5 speakers that will clear and fit. I believe these may be the best drop in fit speakers you can get. If you do it yourself be extremely careful with the inside door handle trim as I cracked one removing it. Otherwise it was a straight forward installation taking about 2.5 hours with a tea break and phone call in between. Glenn Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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