Legacy Subwoofer

I'm looking to install a subwoofer in my 08 Legacy. Anyone out there have any opinions on the OEM subwoofer? I like the idea of installing it under the drivers seat. I've also seen Pioneer shallow mount subwoofers. Any recommedations?

Never heard the subaru sub, but a buddy of mine bought the pioneer one, that thing sucks.

the subaru sub sucks. i installed a (used) Dual 300 watt mono amp and a 12" pioneer sub in a sealed box. i spent about $200 and it REALLY improved the system. i just used the speaker inputs on the amp. ill probably add a re-q sometime.

 

im fairy picky when it comes to quality and imo this is up there. for little amount of $$ and work involved, the stock system + a sub is a great value. my old saturn had 80s vintage fosgate amps powering 2 90s vintage 12" kicker comps and boston fills. alpine deck and eq. i won several RTA awards 'back in the day'.

I disagree... the stock sub rounds out the factory system well.

It won't bump way down low... but it is a nice compliment to the stock system.

 

I, too, have an amp and a box in the trunk as well.

^ +1 plus it plugs right in.

it doesnt compare to a 'real' sub and amp at all IMO.

Having ridden in an '03 Impreza with the stock sub system, an '03 with a 12" 2000 watt in the trunk, an '07 STi (Limited) with the stock setup, an '07 Impreza with the stock setup, and my '08 Legacy GT with the stock setup... (stock includes subwoofer in all cases except the '07 Impreza), the underseat gives out an amount of power that matches the speakers quite well, regardless of Subaru model/year IMO. The one time without the sub at all '07 Impreza, was horrible in comparison.

 

Personally I would put the hardest hitting 12" in with the spare tire. The 12" in the '03 Impreza was awesome. When it was moved to an '92 Explorer later (brother hit a median burying the speedo in the '03) it sounded better due to lack of vibration... but either way. You can always turn it down but since it has the power, it'll never sound bad. Unless the vibration of the subaru trunk/optional spoiler is too much for you.

 

My 2 cents... is get something

My first 06 Legacy GT came with the sub option. It does sound a little better than without it. I have another 06 LGT without it. Doesn't sound as crisp. The idea of under the driver seat is pretty good though.

I have no idea whether or not my 05 has it. I hope not, there is NO bass in that car...

It really depends what you expect. If you can stand the stock stereo you'll probably think it sounds OK. IMO it sounds like someone in the back seat banging on a block of wood.

Truth be told, I never invested much in car audio.

 

I only changed the head unit in my previous cars and that was it (except my Z3 - I put Rockford Fosgate speakers in) and it already made a tremendous difference.

 

I find the LGT to be lacking in the «full sound» department. In comparison, a Mazda6 has great sound from the factory.

The stock stereo in my wife's '97 Outback Ltd. was much better than the one in our '05 LGT. We had originally intended to leave it alone but it was so bad my wife couldn't find 6 CDs that sounded acceptable in the car so I installed an Alpine HU in the cubby, ipod interface, some Infinity comps up front and coaxs in the rear. It had more bass like this than with the factory sub but I added a Kenwood KSC SW1(a good alternative to the factory junk IMO) in the storage tray in the back then later an amp for the fronts. Much better than stock now for a total of ~$900 including the ridiculously overpriced AVO bezel kit.

Look under the front driver side seat. I should be there if you have it. Unless they changed it in 06.

Would this work on the spec.b since the dvd player is under the drivers seat?

Has anyone installed a 12 inch sub in the spare tire area??? Where can you find a box for this???

Has anyone installed a 12 inch sub in the spare tire area??? Where can you find a box for this???

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87893

I just installed the Subaru subwoofer in my car. I was not looking for anything that would set off car alarms at 100 yards, I was looking at something to round out the factory system.

 

It does this quite well and while I haven't fine tuned the settings yet it seems to handle the low bass frequencies for the music that I listen to.

 

The other great thing is that it takes up such little space, you still have full access to your trunk or rear cargo area, and there's nothing to suggest to a car stero thief that there is anything worth stealing in your car.

 

I like it, but if you are a bass junkie, I'd go with something else.

this augest ill be installing my 15" kicker solobaric L7 in my legacy but I really like subwoofers. I even put an 8" kicker comp VR in my boat so maybe im overboard but if you dont own either i think an aftermarket solution would make you happier

thanks for the thread!!!

The stock sub is worthless.

 

I think everyone is placating themselves when they say it sounds good vs without.

 

I have an 05 with the stock sub. When I first got the car I was like, alright sounds good, whatever, I'll mess with it when I have money. Well I got some money and went to my local audio shop and dropped about $700 on some JL's in all the doors. This was good shit. As soon as I turned it on, I was ready for it to sound like a million bucks. Sounded horrible. Tweeters were popping, NO bass whatsoever. I had the installer listen to it before I left and he says how much better it sounds and crisper and everything, just tryin to keep the sale. I drive with it for about a week and can no longer take it and tell them they need to fix it or take it out. They fix it slightly with better tweeters, still pops, still no bass. So I tell them it still won't do and they tell me I need to get a clean sweep. I told them no way cuz I didn't wanna spend that much money and told them to put the stockers back in. They complied and I was refunded all but maybe $100 for the install.

 

Stockers sound f-ckin horrible now. The sub is still goin, I can see it when I move my seat all the way up. I think when they put the speakers back in they didn't seal or seat them right or sumthin, just to get back at me for takin up all their time.

 

So as now, my car has ZERO bass and I've just lived with it. I'd expect that the sub would help support what the speakers weren't doin, but no, it just sounds like ass.

^^^ By saying ppl are placating themselves, I mean they're biased because they know a sub is in the car, so they're subconsciously tellin themselves it sounds better. When I was purchasing this car, I'd go from car to car and listen to the radio without lookin at the sticker, you couldn't hear a difference if you didn't know there was a difference.

The stock sub is worthless.

 

I think everyone is placating themselves when they say it sounds good vs without.

 

I have an 05 with the stock sub. When I first got the car I was like, alright sounds good, whatever, I'll mess with it when I have money. Well I got some money and went to my local audio shop and dropped about $700 on some JL's in all the doors. This was good shit. As soon as I turned it on, I was ready for it to sound like a million bucks. Sounded horrible. Tweeters were popping, NO bass whatsoever. I had the installer listen to it before I left and he says how much better it sounds and crisper and everything, just tryin to keep the sale. I drive with it for about a week and can no longer take it and tell them they need to fix it or take it out. They fix it slightly with better tweeters, still pops, still no bass. So I tell them it still won't do and they tell me I need to get a clean sweep. I told them no way cuz I didn't wanna spend that much money and told them to put the stockers back in. They complied and I was refunded all but maybe $100 for the install.

 

Stockers sound f-ckin horrible now. The sub is still goin, I can see it when I move my seat all the way up. I think when they put the speakers back in they didn't seal or seat them right or sumthin, just to get back at me for takin up all their time.

 

So as now, my car has ZERO bass and I've just lived with it. I'd expect that the sub would help support what the speakers weren't doin, but no, it just sounds like ass.

I can't speak to the effect of the factory sub, but I would agree that the door speakers are pretty weak. There is very little difference in volume going from say 10 to 20 in most cases. My acura had bose speakers in which sounded great imo, they didn't have bass but that is what the sub is for. The rears were also not in the doors but on the rear deck where they belong. I have been thinking about upgrading the door speakers to something a little better, but at the same time do not want to drop $500 on them.

The stock sub is worthless.

 

I think everyone is placating themselves when they say it sounds good vs without.

 

I have an 05 with the stock sub. When I first got the car I was like, alright sounds good, whatever, I'll mess with it when I have money. Well I got some money and went to my local audio shop and dropped about $700 on some JL's in all the doors. This was good shit. As soon as I turned it on, I was ready for it to sound like a million bucks. Sounded horrible. Tweeters were popping, NO bass whatsoever. I had the installer listen to it before I left and he says how much better it sounds and crisper and everything, just tryin to keep the sale. I drive with it for about a week and can no longer take it and tell them they need to fix it or take it out. They fix it slightly with better tweeters, still pops, still no bass. So I tell them it still won't do and they tell me I need to get a clean sweep. I told them no way cuz I didn't wanna spend that much money and told them to put the stockers back in. They complied and I was refunded all but maybe $100 for the install.

 

Stockers sound f-ckin horrible now. The sub is still goin, I can see it when I move my seat all the way up. I think when they put the speakers back in they didn't seal or seat them right or sumthin, just to get back at me for takin up all their time.

 

So as now, my car has ZERO bass and I've just lived with it. I'd expect that the sub would help support what the speakers weren't doin, but no, it just sounds like ass.

 

 

I think you missed your point somewhere. You just wrote plenty about how the Subaru add on sub is horrible because you didn't like your underpowered mids and tweets that you bought. Now, if they sounded good, it would REALLY show off how bad the factory sub is, but your bad experience with your door speakers has nothing to do with it.

 

LET'S CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THIS THREAD. WHAT IS A SUGGESTED WAY TO GET A BETTER SUB/AMP COMBO FOR UNDER $250 AND DOESN'T LOSE CARGO SPACE? Notice this is still more than the Subaru unit.

 

Keep in mind wiring/fuse. We can even keep installation costs out of it. Is there a way to build a small box for a shallow 8" sub under the seat?

 

 

Pioneer TS-SW841D 8" .15-.5 cu ft 3.5" deep box, 120-500watt $90

Pioneer UD-SW8U box 9.25"x11.75"x4.5" (5.75" w/ grill) $100

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_11221/315329357UD-SW8U%20Dimensions.pdf

Profile AP400 amp 200watt bridged $80

TOTAL $270

 

If you can install it yourself, you can probably build the box yourself which would cost maybe $30 vs $100. DIY total $200

basic woofer box is 3/4" MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). If your good at carpentry a basic box isnt that hard. cut some MDF, nail together, seal with caulk, put some terminals somewhere on the box, cover with mouse hair or other trunk carpet material & install your woofer. Most brands have specs for reccomended enclosure dimensions on their websites. def do a sealed enclosure I think they sound the best for quality and a bandpass, ported, or other enclosure is much more precise to build.

This looks like a nice solution.http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87893

You could build one yourself cheaper but all in all not a bad deal, IMO.