JDM double din folks - did you lose bass?

swapped out the stock HU for a sony XAV-AX5000 with the JDM double din swap but seem to have all the punchy bass that was in the original harmon kardon setup (sub in the rear trunk, oubackXT). Sub still works, just lacking the punch of the stock setup.

 

facebookers suggested to match the low pass filter setting in the new sony HU to whatever the amp or sub is. Ive tried all the hertz settings and it doesnt seem to do much.

 

Anyone with other ideas?

Heh. I'm on that thread too - and I'm also curious what the solution here might be. Any info appreciated.

Hmmm, I haven’t hooked one up to the Harmon Kardon setup yet, usually the base stereo is leaps and bounds better even as basic hu. I’ll look into some diagrams

Out of curiosity, are you having to really turn the deck up for sound?

Out of curiosity, are you having to really turn the deck up for sound?

 

no, not really. at least not noticeably(?). The sound is actually pretty nice and noticeably different from stock coming out of this Sony, just lost alot of the bass. Im not a true audiophile so good enough is good for me. Dont get me wrong, there is still bass, just not the same punch as the stock setup. thanks for any help!

 

someone suggested on the Facebook post that the original stock HU talks to the HK amp in a specific way? If thats the case, then there may not even be any solution short of wiring the stock sub directly to my Sony HU bypassing the HK amp (if thats even doable). Heck if there is even a way to do this i wouldnt mind doing it as from the amp to the HU isnt that far of a reach. That or get an aftermarket sub and reusing the wiring in the car...from the threads ive read on the HK system, i just dont understand it enough to do this or if its even doable.

Edited March 23, 2021 by kaitanium

I just looked at your HUs specs to see if you had P-eq or anything. 10 band standard eq and bass boost... Seems like you should be able to tune it back a bit?

 

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I'm not sure about Subarus, but in Dodge Rams with an Infinity audio system, I had to completely bypass the factory amp to get any sound at all and it actually sound better. Maybe it's a similar situation.

I had an 03 mustang with a factory amp and special sound system. Can confirm I also had to go with a whole new amp to get it to work correctly after a head unit change.

 

Can’t say for sure it’s the same with this. Also different radios put out different watts and certain speakers need a higher watt depending on its sensitivity. It could sound clear because it’s better more “clean” power but not as loud because it’s not getting enough power. No clue if any of that helps but just throwing in some knowledge I have.

Can confirm that both of you could have used both the Mach 460 mustang amp and the infinity amp in the ram with an aftermarket head unit with great results. However the best option is alway an aftermarket 4 channel amp

Can confirm that both of you could have used both the Mach 460 mustang amp and the infinity amp in the ram with an aftermarket head unit with great results. However the best option is alway an aftermarket 4 channel amp

Not really sure how this helps the situation but thanks!

Just spittin knowledge. How it helps this situation is that with 99% of cars you can retain the factory amplifiers with better results than with the stock head unit. I’m sure it’s the same case here, I just need to get off work so I can pull some information to see how the amp gets it’s signal from the head unit to see if there’s a solution.

 

Another question for the op, did you use the standard aftermarket Subaru harness to hook up the head unit?

I just looked at your HUs specs to see if you had P-eq or anything. 10 band standard eq and bass boost... Seems like you should be able to tune it back a bit?

 

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it does only a tad bit but nothing close to stock in terms of bass.

 

 

Another question for the op, did you use the standard aftermarket Subaru harness to hook up the head unit?

 

the famous http://ae64.com/Legacy-pinout.htm harness. Tons of info here on it. member name SVXdc here on lgt.com.

 

another similar but not exact thread: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/09-h-k-changing-h-u-bypass-h-k-amp-112168.html. it could very well be i have to bypass the factory amp but in reading this thread, its just way too much work. If i can just bypass the amps connections to the sub that would be great. thanks again for the help!

Edited March 24, 2021 by kaitanium

Can confirm that both of you could have used both the Mach 460 mustang amp and the infinity amp in the ram with an aftermarket head unit with great results. However the best option is alway an aftermarket 4 channel amp

 

Off topic for the op but actually the sound system for mustang had a few amps one was lost when the head unit was changed. The rear amps might of worked out but might as well change it all

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/09-h-k-system-help-251279.html

 

I’ve found other information where in some cases people needed to use the low level outputs to get full function of the h/k system. Most of the time if you send high level out to the inputs you get excessively high sound at low volume that quickly distorts, but it’d be worth a shot to see what happens.

FWIW, I installed a Sony XAV-AX1000 on my old 09 2.5i with the HK system and it worked just fine, no loss in bass at all - actually boosted my bass I think (and improved sound quality in general). Not sure if there would be any difference from sedan vs Outback (different amp and sub location).

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/09-h-k-system-help-251279.html

 

I’ve found other information where in some cases people needed to use the low level outputs to get full function of the h/k system. Most of the time if you send high level out to the inputs you get excessively high sound at low volume that quickly distorts, but it’d be worth a shot to see what happens.

 

are sedan and wagon (legacy vs outback) amps different?

 

"excessively high sound at low volume that quickly distorts" this characteristic doesnt sound like my system though.

 

but maybe i dont understand what these "low level" outputs are. i just got SVCdx's harness and soldered everything together with the harness that the sony came with, quadruple checked my work and connected everything up.

I noticed a bass difference between an old JVC deck that had more control of audio and my Pioneer deck. My old JVC deck sounded a lot better. Only reason I switched it out was the bluetooth automatic connection sucked and wouldn't auto connect.

im guessing no solution to this huh?

 

anyone know how to divorce the sub from the HK amp so i can wire it to its own amp and then directly to the sub outputs in my deck? maybe i should go to an audio specialist haha

no i didnt.

 

went with alpine 650, i actually think my sound quality got better with the swap.

I having a hard time finding specific information, but most of what I’m reading is people experiencing better quality all around with an aftermarket hu

The hardest part about hooking up the h/k sub to an aftermarket amp would be the fact that the h/k sub likely has a very different impedance.

 

I did find another much more detailed thread that also mentions using low level outputs resulting in happier results. When I say low level I mean installing rca jacks to the harness you got with your jdm kit and connecting them to the rca pre amp outputs of your deck instead of the speaker output wires on the deck

The hardest part about hooking up the h/k sub to an aftermarket amp would be the fact that the h/k sub likely has a very different impedance.

 

I did find another much more detailed thread that also mentions using low level outputs resulting in happier results. When I say low level I mean installing rca jacks to the harness you got with your jdm kit and connecting them to the rca pre amp outputs of your deck instead of the speaker output wires on the deck

 

what about getting an aftermarket sub? Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 is what i read some people have used. case and point: https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/installed-the-new-pioneer-subwoofer.483025/

 

in reading this post:https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4930296&postcount=31 looks like 4 of the wires going into the HK amp is for the sub itself. I wonder if i can cut the 4 wires + extend them + add RCA head and connect it directly to my deck's sub output? That pioneer Sub seems to have 4 attachments for wires, not sure how 4 wires can end in a RCA...

The last post in that entire thread shows a guy who installed the pioneer but wired it to the HK amp and he said it doesnt hit much harder than the stock sub, so im assuming it really has something to do with the HK amp. Just need to bypass it.

 

All this jargon in that thread flies over my head. ill really need to study this and look up terminology and how basic car stereo wiring is done. If I can reuse the wiring and not have to rip up carpet, panels and seats that would be best.

 

If i have time ill cut my harness (for the record, its SVXdc's custom harness, not one that came with the JDM kit, actually no harness came with the JDM kit) and rewire to RCA for the regular speakers. i dont see how this will affect bass as it doesnt do much for the sub?

 

i feel like if the 6 speakers are wired via RCA and that improves sound of those speakers AND i can somehow get an aftermarket sub and bypass the HK amp, that would be golden.

Edited April 1, 2021 by kaitanium

i wonder if you @blackobxt are right about the low level inputs. The more i think of it, the more ive been driving these past few days and tinkering, the more i think it could be a factor as currently i can only set my Sony HU to about 7 before it gets too loud for me. This is a far cry from the max volume level.

 

I think my steps right now is to:

1. cut my harness and resolder RCA heads and go directly into the rca outs on my deck

2. then depending on how #1 affects sound...maybe upgrade the 2x tweeters and 4x door speakers

3. then depending on how #2 goes, figure out what to do with the sub.

 

i like my car to be as buttoned up as it can be as if it came that way from the factory and this stereo stuff bothers me knowing it could be way better haha.

If that’s the case, it sounds like that’s exactly your problem. Quite a few vehicle replacement harnesses for non can bus radios with factory amplifiers have rca jacks instead of the purple, green, grey and white wires the the speaker inputs.

 

For example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metra-70-8113-Amplifier-Integration-Wire-Harness-for-Select-2000-up-Toyota-/262695394849

 

Get you some rca’s and wire them into the positive and negative speaker wires on your harness you got with the jdm hvac kit and plug them into the pre-outs on the back of the deck.

There is a chance this will solve your sub problem since your sub amp likely generates its output off of the signal put out to the speaker channels. And something to be aware of, factory speakers are usually a different impedance than aftermarket speakers. I’d try it and see how you like it before making the decision to change.