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2016 Wrx/Sti experience with dealer vs aftermarket speakers + sub's installation

946 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  kino_wrx
Hi Everybody!

Hope your Subie's are treating you well. Just hit 8k in 4 months lol I have aftermarket Kenwood speakers, sub and amp begging me to install them. However, knowing how Subaru's are, I'm not sure if I want to risk it at all. Had a chat with a service guy at my dealer and he just got his speakers and sub installed same day I was there. When we went to check out the new set up, it definitely makes a difference, but we also found out his A/C didn't work at all. The sound was great, but I don't know if 1k makes it worth it. It'd definitely help with the residual value. Luckily for him, he works there and could get everything fixed the same day. I would hate to dish out 1k for the dealer set up and come to find that I have to wait another day for them to fix my A/C or whatever might be the problem. I want to know all of your stories if you've got them installed at an aftermarket shop or dealership. Thanks again for all your input.
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I don't think I've once ever installed a radio/speaker setup and had my A/C not work afterwards. Sounds to me like whoever installed the setup didn't know what they were doing.... If you were to have new speakers installed, expect to not run into this problem unless you have the same guy install yours as did the gentleman's at the dealership.

Second, speakers are not what make the difference in these cars. The stock speakers are more than adequate. The addition of a sub is necessary for those who wish to add a little bump. The lack of sound quality from the factory base setup is a result of a sub-par head unit. Replace the head unit with a quality double-din, add a sub woofer/amp and I promise your system will sound worlds better than the service guy you spoke with.
I'm assuming they accessed the radio and dissconected the connector for ac controls. Not a completly unreasonable mistake. But still a mistake.

It's not the lack of bass that really bothers me. Mine sounds like somebody shouted more snare drum and make it extra sloppY. I've heard people say that it sounds 'ok' with the optional kicker speakers, so I'm going to try new speakers first and see where that gets me.
It makes a difference I'm sure, only you can decide if it's worth it.
I just bit the bullet and decided to go to a shop after some yelping. Very clean job. If you're in a the O.C area, the shop is called Audiolab in Laguna Hills.
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