2007 Spec B Radio information thread

I am not clear which parts exactly to get the Aux-in to work, but the car is not wired for it, so you would need to make some connections from the HU to the Aux in that you decide to use. I jsut went to radio shack and made a connector for the HU and wires to go to a 3.5mm jack that I mounted into the cup holder area. It cost me ~$15 for the parts and took me about an hour to make the cables and install them. This will not likely be what the dealiership would be willing to do for you. The iPod kit is plug-n-play so that is self explanitory.

I guess that is part of my confusion, as the kit and the aux are not one in the same, they are different options, i thought the integration kit utilized an aux input.

 

So if i went for the kit, how does it work? Is it an FM transmitter? FM Modulator?

 

And also, why doesn't the integration kit work with the stock 05 head unit? I guess i'm missing some information here.

 

Also, as far as the 2007 HU - do i need BOTH parts listed in the first page of the thread? (~$950) or just one of them?

Edited August 25, 2009 by mattaleao

The Stock 05/06 HU were not designed for any type of input outside of the HU it self. So they just don't work.

 

The i-pod kit uses the the Sat input on the HU instead of the aux input. The closest thing out there would be a CD-Changer interface. So you get control, power, and level audio from the i-pod to the HU though the ipod interface, not the 3.5mm headphone jack (which is not line level).

 

The Aux-in is only a 3.5mm jack (stock) so you would only get line non-level input from that.

 

If you only want the i-pod, just get the 07HU + the i-pod kit and you are all set.

Awesome. And there wouldnt be any reason my dealership couldn't install both, correct?

 

Also - still unsure which part to tell the dealership to order for the HU, the first post says there are 2 parts, but doesn't clarify if both are actually needed.

 

There's a panel assy, and a radio up which = $950, do i need both?

I do not believe you need both parts. You only need the HU. I am not sure which part off hand is the correct one. I would have to see if I can find it.

Thats what i thought too, but reading through the thread I get conflicting reports, and i'm not sure which exactly is needed.

Cool.

 

Just got off the phone with my dad who works at a subaru dealership, his parts guy says the headunit is one peice Panel + radio. it's $590 retail, and $440 cost, which is what I can get it for.

 

I'm going to order that, along with the ipod integration kit and hopefully should be good to go.

I don't see why you wouldn't be good to go

Well, as it turns out there are no 07 Spec B HU's in the entire country according to my parts guy. He even called the manufacturer, and said the only way they can ship one out is if we can send a blown one that needs replacing.

 

I guess I'm outta luck unless I can find a wreck.

Check the JDM HVAC thread. Lots of people are pulling out their OEM radios, including 2007s and 2008s (both of which will work for you).

 

If you were to decide that you did want the Aux-in jack, I have an adapter that would give you a way to wire that in. See this post (the 3rd item in the "i85 harness" section is the one you'd be interested in).

Thats cool, i'll probably skip the aux. I have no plans to use the CD player or the SAT - Just my iPhone. So i'd be good with the kit.

mattaleao,

Dude, you need to slow down and do some more reading.

 

Only two parts needed for this:

 

86201AG67A - This is the '07 HU you've found to be very difficult to source.

 

The iPod Integration kit is the second thing you'll need but I don't have the part number for the Legacy one because I used an Impreza one. They function the same though so no worries there.

 

Both of these are super easy to install though. I'm a total car stereo newb and I figured out how to install them. Threre's a walkthrough on somewhere on how to remove the trim to get at the HU (check the "Walkthrough" section or even the first couple pages of this thread.

 

Unscrew the old one. Disconnect all the plugs on the back, paying attention to what goes where. Then plug the new one in. The new one will have one hole that is empty. This is where the iPod Integration kit plugs in (or the satellite radio antenna but you can only use one or the other). Find a place to fasten the iPod control box (I used small zip ties and fastened it under the main part of the HU). Plug it all in and voila!

 

OK, so if you want to route the iPod connector cable into your armrest cubby there's some further work involved but nothing any more difficult than what you've done so far.

 

Then again if you've got your dad at a Subaru dealership and he's got friends in the service department I guess that would work too! :lol:

 

It's just that most of us don't trust dealerships that much!

 

Good luck sourcing that HU. Definitely check some wrecking yards and maybe put a post up in the Want To Buy section here.

 

Cheers!

Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

Let us know where you find an '07 HU. I'm sure others would be interested as well.

 

Cheers!

Because I have dual climate controls, I had to find a 07~09 head unit with climate controls. As others have noted, the 07~09 head units are almost impossible to find. I got mine off ebay from somebody parting out a completely totaled (car was sandwiched) 2008 Outback limited. Given the car's condition I didn't know if the stereo would work. In fact it did not work when I plugged it in so it had to be revived. There were bits of glass everywhere!

 

Thanks to this thread, I just successfully installed a factory aux-in for my 2005 Outback XT limited! I did two things differently:

 

1. I made my own harness using a network cable (a ethernet cable) instead of purchasing the Impreza Aux-in kit for the HU-to-auxbox harness. To do this, I had to follow the wiring diagram found earlier in this thread. (post # 379)

 

2. Because of #1, I did not have to alter the circuit board of the AUX-in box. I just used the aux-in box from a 2008 outback and it all worked fine.

 

Edited February 21, 2010 by halfapie

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1. I made my own harness using a network cable (a ethernet cable) instead of purchasing the Impreza Aux-in kit for the HU-to-auxbox harness. To do this, I had to follow the wiring diagram found earlier in this thread. (post # 379)

Here's the link to post #379. (now 377)

 

How did you connect your new cable to the connectors at both ends?

Edited November 3, 2010 by SVXdc

For those joining this thread late and/or the search-impaired, here's a quick re-cap of the two main ways to enable AUX-IN when upgrading your HU to an '07+ model:

 

Option 1: To go near-OEM, follow gregnauman's process in post #417: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2486366&postcount=417

 

Option 2: For more customized needs, get an i85 adapter from SVXdc, as shown in this post: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2551239&postcount=530

The adapter is the 3rd option in the i85 section, and basically allows you to custom re-wire the i85 pins as needed. This would make it possible to add custom AUX-IN jack wiring, including adding an AUX switcher, GLI or other components in the audio line. This is also more difficult, as you have to know how to wire your i85 properly, and some soldering is required.

 

I have a situation where I'm going to share the AUX-IN between two components, and I need a switcher, so I'm going to get one of SVXdc's adapters.

 

Hope this helps...

Even with gregnauman's mod (using a 2008+ Legacy/Outback OEM aux pod and console pocket "bin", plus a 2008+ Impreza aux harness), you'll want my i85 adapter -- the Impreza harness has a completely different connector intended to fit Impreza and Forester radios. Its pins are not compatible with Legacy/Outback's i85 harness.

 

If you really wanted to go overboard with "plug and play" I could add an Impreza-style socket to my adapter board. So you'd plug the Legacy/Outback car's i85 harness into one end, the Impreza aux harness' plug into the other end, and have an i85 plug coming out the middle to plug into the OEM radio.

 

But I can't think of any significant advantage to being able to disconnect the Impreza harness from my adapter board. Better to simply cut off the Impreza radio-side plug and solder the wires directly to my board.

Yesterday I installed a 2008 Spec B head unit into my 2005 LGT. Bought the i85 harness from SVXdc which included female RCAs that he pre-connected onto his harness for a small charge, and connected it to an Ipod charging adapter that I bought off of ebay. The install, other than me yanking the antenna wire out of its socket, was a breeze. SVXdc's harness was plug-and-play and works flawlessly, as does my ebay Ipod adapter. I'm extremely pleased with SVXdc's product.

Alright guys, after months of searching and calling parts yards, I finally found myself a P-204UH! Now, I've tried navigating this bear of a thread, but it's hard to keep up with the new revisions and other thread spawns... I plan to add an after-market, amplified sub (Infinity Basslink), as well as AUX-in, and Sirius satellite radio. I've read about SVXdc's adapters, and it seems I may need one of them, though I'm not above soldering and splicing to save some bucks! I already have the Basslink, the HU is on its way, and my deadline is two weeks. What do I need to order now?

The biggest question is what kind of aux in jack do you want? Others have installed:

• A cable with a plain 3.5mm plug or jack poking out from somewhere (ash tray, center console bin, etc.)
  
• An aftermarket panel-mount 3.5mm jack (see this thread: looking for aux in cable)
  
• The 2008 Legacy/Outback OEM aux pod
  

My i85 "breakout" adapter gives you a way to connect to the new HU's aux input while still connecting the other wires on the car's i85 harness to the HU.

 

I'm looking at offering a less-expensive version (without the PC board). Some 2005-2006 models only have one wire (pin #8) that needs to be connected between the car's i85 plug and the newer radio's socket.

 

Installing an aftermarket sub is a separate issue -- you'd face the same decisions even if you were keeping your factory radio. You might want my 14-pin combined forward/reverse harness to make that job much easier...

Edited April 25, 2010 by SVXdc

The biggest question is what kind of aux in jack do you want?

 

I'll be drilling a hole on the left side of the radio, about where the Hazard button is on the other side, and installing a female 3.5mm stereo jack; the iSimple IS335 does look pretty good.

 

Does the P-204UH have a dedicated subwoofer line out, or must I use the speaker-level input on my sub?

None of the HUs have a line-level sub out. The P-203UE was the only Legacy/Outback HU that had the 5th-channel speaker-level sub output. That's the same model that can play CDs with MP3 files (says "MP3/WMA" on the face).

 

So yes, you'll have to send the main speaker outs to your sub/amp, unless you want to use utc_pyro's mod (see his thread: Modifying OEM head unit for un-eq’d line out). He may know of a place on the board to pick up pre-fader line outs.

 

One downside of the IS335 kit for that location (on the fascia) is that you'll have to stow a coil of 6' of wire.

 

And before you say "I can cut the cable shorter," the jack must be installed from the outside. So you can't solder the other end to anything larger than the mounting hole beforehand. That's why the body of the plug is so small.

Ahh, ok. Since all of the sources are stereo, do I need to run separate front and rear feeds, or would just the front be alright? My Basslink has Front and Rear inputs.

 

I guess the last thing on my mind is the satellite radio. I'm wondering if I should go XM or Sirius. I don't want to spend $350 on the Subaru Sirius kit, and I'm unsure of what's available on the XM side which will work with the 2007 HU.

Edited April 26, 2010 by tgunner