Cost of a noticeable improvement in sound quality?
Discussion
My 2006 Subaru Outback has a decent stereo and six speakers. What it doesn’t have is DAB and hands free phone calls. The obvious solution is to get a small box that plugs into the cigarette lighter but they’re a bit untidy and I’m keeping the car for a long time so a larger investment is worth considering.
The big problem with my car is that the stereo panel includes the aircon controls so the single/double din adapter is £200 before I’ve started. My question is how much would I need to spend on an aftermarket double din headunit/speakers/amp to hear a noticeable difference in sound quality. Any specific recommendations of what to buy would be welcome.
The big problem with my car is that the stereo panel includes the aircon controls so the single/double din adapter is £200 before I’ve started. My question is how much would I need to spend on an aftermarket double din headunit/speakers/amp to hear a noticeable difference in sound quality. Any specific recommendations of what to buy would be welcome.
Are you happy to do the work yourself?
If so, not too much - And you can do it in stages to spread the cost if you prefer.
Best place to start is with a headunit; As you've said - It's a bit of a cost with the double din too, but (Even with that cost included) ~£500 should get you something practically top of the line.
You can get cheap android headunits for ~£150 which will do what you need, but you're sacrificing quality there - Sticking with the bigger manufacturers, they should include a reasonable quality amp too - Which, depending on the factory speakers, can be enough to make a big difference with some extra driving and better EQ.
Sound deadening material can be had quite cheaply; Whilst it's an investment of time, it will pay off both in NVH and sound quality - That's before you've even touched the speakers.
If so, not too much - And you can do it in stages to spread the cost if you prefer.
Best place to start is with a headunit; As you've said - It's a bit of a cost with the double din too, but (Even with that cost included) ~£500 should get you something practically top of the line.
You can get cheap android headunits for ~£150 which will do what you need, but you're sacrificing quality there - Sticking with the bigger manufacturers, they should include a reasonable quality amp too - Which, depending on the factory speakers, can be enough to make a big difference with some extra driving and better EQ.
Sound deadening material can be had quite cheaply; Whilst it's an investment of time, it will pay off both in NVH and sound quality - That's before you've even touched the speakers.
Thanks for that. I’m from the Max Power generation so I’m happy to do the work myself and would only buy kit from the big brands. You mention a £500 head unit - is that RRP or sale prices? It seems that if you’re prepared to have last year’s model there are big discounts to be had.
Speakers are funny things - I’ve swapped speakers for very cheap replacements with good effect. With this standard of head unit I doubt the standard speakers are up to scratch so how much per pair do you think I need to spend?
Speakers are funny things - I’ve swapped speakers for very cheap replacements with good effect. With this standard of head unit I doubt the standard speakers are up to scratch so how much per pair do you think I need to spend?
Oops - £500 is what I'd probably budget for the ancilliaries too (the £200 fascia etc / adapters that you'd mentioned) - The rest would be HU budget!
https://www.carelectronicsnottingham.co.uk/jvc-kw-...
Something like this should set you up - TBH, Anything with Android auto / Apple Carplay will be essentially fine for the forseeable future - They're about all you need in a HU.
You can get cheap, generic ones, but I'd start to doubt the quality of the amp / unit etc, so it's nice to have a brand name on it.
Agreed on speaker swaps - I did a speaker swap on my CTR (FK8, so new / recent speakers too!) and noticed a great deal more clarity and improved frequency response.
I swapped for JL Audio C1 - They seem to be (From what I've found) the best balance between value and output quality - Unlike some speakers, they've not sunk the budget on blinging plastic covers and housings etc, but rather on the speaker components themselves! - You can tell, too, as they're nice weighty, quality units.
https://www.carelectronicsnottingham.co.uk/jvc-kw-...
Something like this should set you up - TBH, Anything with Android auto / Apple Carplay will be essentially fine for the forseeable future - They're about all you need in a HU.
You can get cheap, generic ones, but I'd start to doubt the quality of the amp / unit etc, so it's nice to have a brand name on it.
Agreed on speaker swaps - I did a speaker swap on my CTR (FK8, so new / recent speakers too!) and noticed a great deal more clarity and improved frequency response.
I swapped for JL Audio C1 - They seem to be (From what I've found) the best balance between value and output quality - Unlike some speakers, they've not sunk the budget on blinging plastic covers and housings etc, but rather on the speaker components themselves! - You can tell, too, as they're nice weighty, quality units.
Get on to uklegacy.com for more ideas - for example, if you hunt down my old posts, I mounted a single din unit into the cubby at the top of the dash on my Legacy, and made up a patch lead so the HVAC controls still got power while bypassing the OE stereo (and then I used its CD slot to mount a phone holder).
Grom make adaptors if you want to just increase the functions of the OE stereo: https://gromaudio.co.uk/partfinder/product/list/?m...
My current speakers - Focal Access (ie the entry level of an excellent make) - are great anyway, but currently an absolute steal for £99:
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/focal-access-165as...
It was a little tricky getting the door cards back on over the adaptors for these on my Legacy... gaffa tape is your friend if you're going cheap'n'cheerful
Grom make adaptors if you want to just increase the functions of the OE stereo: https://gromaudio.co.uk/partfinder/product/list/?m...
My current speakers - Focal Access (ie the entry level of an excellent make) - are great anyway, but currently an absolute steal for £99:
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/focal-access-165as...
It was a little tricky getting the door cards back on over the adaptors for these on my Legacy... gaffa tape is your friend if you're going cheap'n'cheerful
Haltamer said:
As a complete aside, If you need any 3.5" speakers I have a pair of mint Alpines that I was testing with - You're more than welcome to have them for free 
That is an extremely kind offer, thank you. Alas they’re not the right size for my car.I’ve been doing a bit of research based on the advice in this thread and the cost seems to be:
Double din adapter £200
Double din head unit £350
6 speakers of different sizes £250
Miscellaneous cables £50
I’m not going to rewire as that is a pain in the arse too far. The only thing I’m umming and ahhing about is whether to go for a new head unit or a box of tricks that tidies up the signals coming from the current headunit. Probably favouring a new head unit as it’ll give me DAB and hands free phone but it is amazing what kit is out there these days.
I’m showing my age here, but I still fondly remember Max Power cars with single din CD, Cassette, Minidisc and DSP all stacked on top of one another. If I could I would as my dashboard would have more lights than the Enterprise. Nostalgia......
Edited by SonicHedgeHog on Friday 2nd October 12:22
Edited by SonicHedgeHog on Friday 2nd October 12:22
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