My Stereo Advice for 2009 Owners

I thought I would share my experience/suggestions with those considering upgrading or modifying their 2009 Legacy GT:

1. Before making any changes that will affect the sound quality (different speakers, amp, etc.), I highly, highly recommend you give yourself a chance to listen to the HK system for a minimum of a month. I think you'll find, as I did, that the sound quality from the main speakers (subwoofer notwithstanding) is pretty phenomenal. Combined with the digital signal processing from the factory amp, the stereo image up front is pretty fantastic. Vocals are very good, and oh my word… the detail from the tweeters is pretty awesome! Try listening to a well recorded P. Frampton CD or perhaps Dave Matthews Live. I think you’ll find yourself agreeing with me. All I’m saying is that the factory system ALREADY is pretty good. It just took me a little while to appreciate it. In hindsight the only thing that was really lacking for me, given I have the sedan with what amounts to a 6.75” sub, was the low bass extension, just wasn’t there with the small factory sub. Wagon owners might disagree since they have a larger factory sub.

Okay… now on to my experience:

2. Japan Parts kit for single (double???) din install in factory cubby/GPS location:

Yeah… I bought one of these like a moron thinking I could mount a double-din touch screen unit in that location because I saw some others that had. Well… in my experience, you cannot, unless…. Unless, you have a very shallow unit, i.e. the length is rather short. There is a metal bar that runs the length of the dash that kind of precludes installing anything in this location other than a single din unit or a very shallow double din. If you’re not sure about it and you’re a novice installer like me, DON’T BOTHER. It’s not worth the wasted money, effort, and time you may spend trying to mount a DD in this location. Yeah, Japan Parts will take the merchandise back but you’ll take in the shorts with their exorbitant restocking fee(s) not to mention the money you’ll lose shipping it back to them. Plus, you have to send it back in pristine condition with all of the packing materials, etc. So… unless you want to put a single din in that location.

3. Japan Parts Double Din Kit for replacing factory stereo:

I never bothered with it because the darn thing doesn’t match the interior gray. You have to paint it, and at over $400, not worth it. Plus, you’ll have to order a harness(s) from the SVX fella. In my opinion, he’s not a very reliable salesman. Perhaps he’s a one man shop and very busy. I don’t know. You can come to your own conclusion.

4. Factory Satellite Radio and/or add-on Satellite Radio

Okay, I have two experiences to share with you as far as this area is concerned. First, if you want to add an aftermarket satellite radio… good luck. I purchased the XM sky dock piece because I thought it was double bang for your buck (an Ipod control type input plus satellite radio). Well, the two units that were sent to me via Cruthfield both had really bad ground loop problems. I established a better ground to try and fix – didn’t solve. Wired up a completely different 9v power socket – again… didn’t solve. Finally, tried using a ground loop isolator that caught fire (not literally) when I was bench testing it on the car. The POS had a short someone which subsequently caused my test leads to be smoked (insulation totally burned off). Needless to say… I gave up on aftermarket satellite radio.

Next, I installed the factory satellite radio kit, BUT I was really, really not impressed with the sound quality. It sounded very, very compressed. So unless you like listening to sub-par sound, I wouldn’t recommend. It’s not worth the money, both the subscription cost and the price of the unit itself. However, one thing I will say, it was very easy to install.

Now for the positive stuff…

5. Audio Control LC2i:

Hands down this was the MOST WORTHWHILE purchase in my entire upgrade experience. Obviously I opted to stick with the factory head unit (see issues/reasoning above) so I needed a line out converter. I’ve been told in the past by a Crutchfield advisor that all line-outs are not the same. He was probably right. I’ve only every once tried adding an amp to a factory system, and it was an amplifier that HAD high level inputs. The sound was total pooh. With that in mind I thought… well, I’ll try to get a good line converter this time. Look… read the Crutchfield reviews, and take my word for it, this thing is worth it! Not a lot of instruction on the actual package in terms of adjustment but you can easily find an instructional video on the web (I think even on their website) OR just call ‘em. I did and the advisor I got was excellent. He even instructed me on the best way to wire it into the system. I initially spliced the rear speaker outputs coming from the HU to source the line-out converter. DON’T DO THAT. According to Audio Control you should splice AFTER the factory amplifier. I’m not sure if there was an improvement in SQ, but it sure made me feel better. LOL. Not only that but it’s much easier wiring. If you do it like me, simply disconnect (cut) the factory wiring going to the factory sub and you can use that to source the Audio Control unit.

Recommendation: Don’t be a cheap bastard like me and try and save $10 by buying this unit from a “bargain” online electronics dealer. When you do you void the warranty from Audio Control. Just buy it from an authorized dealer already and with it gain a 5 year warranty (parts and labor) from Audio Control.

6. Factory Add-On I-Pod Controller.

If you can find one (I think they’re starting to be in short supply), it’s worth the money. Yes, the operation isn’t perfect and can be a bit cumbersome, but it beats trying to work your click wheel going down the road and potentially having an accident. Just give yourself time to learn the operation of it AND you may have to create some playlists so can find songs/artists quicker/easier. It’s not a terribly expensive add-on, it’s easy to install, and in my opinion, I much more cost effective and worthwhile addition then say the factory satellite radio.

7. Hide-away Sub Box from Stereo Clarity:

Like my impression of the Audio Control folks, I was equally as impressed with the gentleman that produces these boxes. He was very professional and timely. Perhaps it might be a bit pricey for some, but it is a well built box... and I’m no carpenter so I couldn’t build it. If you want stealth… this is it, fits right under the floor atop the spare tire. However, if sound quality is your principal concern, this arrangement is good, but a box that sits on top of the floor with no intervening structure in front of it to color the sound (i.e. the floor) will probably sound better. As it is now… I’m okay with what I got. I kind of went for cheap and installed a 10” Infinity sub in the box. Don’t ask me why. I was going to install a JL sub, but I was being nerdy and since the main speakers are infinity speakers I figured why not have another Infinity speaker for the bottom end. I know… stupid. LOL. Anyway, the sound is not bad. I got the extension I was looking for, goes much deeper and delivers more SPL than the factory sub (which I do not have hooked up). I would describe the system sound now (with factory speakers) as very balanced and musical, BUT for those that really, REALLY want a bang in their chest, then a ported box is probably the only way to go. It will also be more efficient. However, for those that listen to many genres of music, I think you’ll be very pleased with the sealed box arrangement from stereo clarity. My only recommendation… install a JL sub. ; )

8. Finally, some installation advice:

1) If you have a manual (and perhaps even for those with an automatic) make sure you put an old t-shirt or towel over the transmission stalk when you pull the factory radio out. If you do not, you may, like me, end up scratching the face of the radio as you are fumbling around trying to unhook the factory wiring in the rear of the unit. Save yourself from this awful moment and heed my advice.

2) When removing the doors, follow the advice on removing the little cover hooyahs that go over the door pulls. You can use a small flat head but make sure you cover the flat head with a couple good strips of duck tape to protect the surface you’re prying on. Finer nails are probably best on this part.

3) For sound proofing… yeah, I applied some dynamat to the front doors (didn’t do the whole door) but I don’t think it made a hill beans worth of difference. For a very inexpensive improvement, and to eliminate any buzzing from the little plastic attachment fasteners, recommend you use double sided tape on those. It’s a trick I learned from the Forester blog site, and it’s a good one.

4) If you’re going to use a wire puller (to bring wires under carpet, etc.) recommend you purchase the plastic variety from Crutchfield. I got a metal one from the hardware store and guess what… metal and plastic don’t mix. If you mistakenly let go of the metal tape it could spring back and scratch in number of plastic interior pieces, so… FYI.

There you are Legacy family. I have now given back. Hopefully my advice/mishaps will save you time and money with your project. Take care and good luck! : )

Great writeup and advice. Once the dealership finds me an 09 I plan on doing as you said and waiting a month. I do plan on adding a sub though. Mos likely 10" jl audio 10w6 with an amp. I have gone back and forth on getting the clean sweep but if I'm happy with it stock then I won't use it. One question though, would I need the audio control to add my sub and amp to the system?

I'm very underwhelmed with the OEM sound setup on my 08' spec B...