2009 LGT Stereo HELP!

I just purchased a used 2009 Legacy and the stereo sounds terrible. It has the Harman Kardon system in it and on the expressway with the windows down I have to crank it all the way up to 30 to hear it There is no base what so ever and the highs are not really there either.

 

I have played with the settings and checked the fade&balance to make sure all the speakers are working. They all work, no rattles or buzz, just weak sound. Is this normal? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I am very disappointed.

Does the HK come with the WOW stuff? Can't remember if they have that on the '09 HK systems. Look for a button that has ((O)) (or something like that) on it. Or is labeled WOW. Press that, should help out.

I will check.

No ((0)) button

There's no SRS wow on the '09. If you adjust the bass and treble does it make a difference in sound at all? I know some members in other posts have mentioned that the subwoofer blows out easily on the HK sysytems...

Yeah, bass and treble work. It all just sounds really weak. I don't expect it to sound like a set of focals, but I was hoping it would at least be decent.

i just had to have my amplifier replaced after a year of owning it. I listen to my sirius through the aux input and it sounds a hell of a lot better and louder. Still not loud enough but better. Btw i have an 09 legacy SE

What did it sound like when new?

the same way it sounds now lol...Theres a lot of bass (side mirrors and rearview shake) and when its on like 20 windows down on the parkway is decent. I usually have between 20-25 and im satisfied. I was driving with the amp blown for a few months and it was very flat sounding no bass. Didnt really have to crank it up to much higher then I have it now. I was very dissatisfied with the sound the day i drove it off the lot brand new. It def sounds a lot better when using the aux input as opposed to listening to a cd.

hmm. Well I have absolutely no base so maybe the amp is blown. I appreciate the input, this is driving me nuts. Do you know if there is a way for me to test the amp? Also, is it under the seat?

definitely doesn't seem normal. i've been in a spec B with the HK system and it's as jayrez23 describes in post #9, pretty significant bass outputs.

 

hopefully the amp is the culprit.

yeah its under the passenger seat...no idea on how to test the amp. I had originally thought it was my sub, but i needed an oil change and inspection so i figured id bring it to the dealer and have them do the oil change and inspection as well as check out what was going on with the stereo. They couldn't tell me exactly what caused it just that it was fried. Maybe a audio guru may know of a way to test it.

I was hoping for something more like a fuse, it is over miles on the bumper to bumper warranty

Anybody know how much that amp is? I cannot find info on them anywhere

How would you check for a blown sub?

 

Try adjusting the fader to move the sound a little farther back (R2?). I've got the HK system in my 09, and it sounds good at low volume, but gets swamped by road noise. If anyone else has suggestions, I'd appreciate them.