What's the best (and cheapest) way to improve an older car audio system?

Question

I have a '93 Subaru Legacy wagon factory sound system (4 speakers, 80W, Cassette, AM/FM, it has Subaru branding on it but I believe it's made by Panasonic), and I am looking to upgrade it ideally for it all being under $200. I would upgrade the head unit, but it is a weird size and is not mounted with DIN standards or whatever so it would be hard to do. But I guess I could if that would really make that much of a difference. Anyway I am looking for a system with not necessarily more bass, just crisper bass that can go louder without completely distorting (as it does now) and crisper highs. Should I just upgrade the speakers, and would that provide me with basically what I need? If I do should I go for 2-way or 3-way? Or would the speakers basically be a useless upgrade without an amplifier/crossover? I would go with a component system but I don't want to have to drill and rewire for separate tweeters. Any advice or recommendations on equipment? Cleaner bass/crisper highs are my goal.

Answer 1

I have to disagree strongly with the previous posts. Putting a better head unit's signal through factory speakers is an excercise in futility. The speakers simply will not be able to translate that improved signal in a way that your ears will notice. New speakers make the most significant impact on the overall quality of sound in any stereo, hands down. And sorry to say, but jtheo89's comment is flat out wrong. The only way you can "blow" speakers is by putting too much power into them, not the other way around. The power rating on a speaker is a not a requirement, but merely an indication of capacity. Speakers with higher power ratings will also be able with withstand the distortion and clipping you mention better than the factory speakers until such time that you decide to upgrade the head unit. And with the higher efficiency that the new speakers will offer, you'll get much less of that distortion to begin with, because you won't have to tax the amplifier's capacity by turning up the volume as much to get the same overall SPL. caravellerr is right on the money when he says that adapters are easily available to allow a DIN radio into your factory space. If you can expand your budget by all means do so.

Sticking with your budget, however, means upgrading the speakers is the only way to go. I'm a big fan of Infiniti speakers for their excellent sound and build quality. You do not want foam surrounds in a car, they simply degrade too quickly ands distort more easily. The Infinitis I'm about to mention all have rubber surrounds. For your rear wheel well location, I'd recommend the Infinity Reference 6022i (about $80/pair). In the front doors, you need to determine if you have openings to fit 5-1/4" or 6-1/2" speakers. For the 5-1/4". I'd go with the Infinity Kappa 52.9i with aimable tweeters and level controls (about $130/pair) or if you have the 6-1/2", then even better, because the Infinity Kappa 63.7i also have a tweeter level control and can be had for about $110/pair. Use at least 16-gauge wire (dump the factory speaker wire quickly!) and also do a search for (highly recommended) XTC Baffles. They'll keep your new speakers safe from the elements and improve bass response by giving the speakers a defined airspace to push against.The only concern I have is your desire for crisper highs. You cannot expect miracles when using the stock speaker locations. Clean highs require tweeters that are on-axis (or close) to your ears. These speakers will certainly improve things, but they'll still be off-axis in the stock locations. One more thing. If you are comfortable with using a soldering iron, solder the wires on to the speakers and unit (if possible) for maximum signal transfer. Even these fancy gold connectors (which you don't have room in your budget for anyway) will not do as good a job of signal transfer as a quality soldering job. Best of luck to you!

PS. I don't work for Infiniti or any other car stereo company. Just been doing this for over 25 years...

Answer 2

Buy a Walmart special. They have low end Name brand radios on their display. Make sure to buy an install kit as well, and a wire adapter. Have fun.

Answer 3

just do the head unit.  You put more power to the speakers, which is good since your current stereo is probably under powering the speakers any way.  Do not upgrade your speakers without a head unit otherwise you will blow the speakers since your are underpowering something that is made for more power.  Like I said, just upgrade the head unit and you should be fine...you will know the difference.

Answer 4

A new head unit would go a long way towards correcting the distortion you have in the bass frequencies.  Subaru was not looking to invest in any more than they absolutely had to at the time, so you ended up with merely an adequate stereo for the time.  You would be amazed at the improvements in head unit design and sound processing capabilities even five years newer than what you have.  That said, do not scrimp on something that is cheap and expect good sound quality.  The budget is pretty tight, but workable with some effort.  Several companies make adapter kits to properly fit a one din stereo into the current 1.5 din location.  Figure on $20-$30 for the dash kit and another $10-$20 for the adapter harness.  You will also need new speakers to realize the full potential of the new head unit and prevent more distortion.  I suggest 3 way in the front and 2 way in the rear.  3 way tend to handle high frequencies better, but are more expensive, 2 ways handle mid and bass ranges better and are cheaper.  Speaker technology has also jumped by leaps and bounds.  This is one place that you can save a bit of money.  The head unit budget of $50-$70 dollars, means that ebay is our friend.  Look for a slightly older, but higher end unit from top brands like Alpine, or Pioneer Premier.  The speakers will occupy the remaining $70 and will make the car sound much better.  Good Luck