A new client from Mount Airy, Maryland came to Westminster Speed & Sound looking to upgrade the sound quality of his 2011 Subaru Forester. Our team went out to the vehicle and sat in it with him, listened to the factory stereo system, and discussed what he liked and disliked about the current setup. What we realized early on with the stereo system is it sounded like a normal Subaru; lousy. We love the versatility and reliability of Subaru’s, but they build some of the poorest sounding car audio systems. The good news is that we can fix that, and give the client all of the modern smartphone connectivity in the process. Once we were done at the vehicle, time was spent in our sound room exploring different products that would work well in his Forester. At that point we worked up what we felt was his best solution and he liked our idea, so an installation appointment was made.
We opted to replace the Subaru stereo in the dash with a Sony WX-GT90BT, as it gave him all of the smartphone connectivity he desired. He gained Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming, along with SiriusXM capability and Pandora Internet Radio control. The Sony unit also has a vastly superior audio section, so the sound quality improvement alone made it worthwhile. And as you can see from the pictures, it looked right at home in the dash. We can also integrate with the steering wheel mounted audio controls, which is a great convenience feature.
Now that the new stereo was installed in the dash, we turned our attention to the front doors. We installed Hushmat damping material on the inner door skin to eliminate any possibility of rattling or vibration that may occur when installing high-performance speakers. Audiofrog GS62 speakers were installed in the factory locations using custom-made, composite speaker adapters. We chose to keep the factory rear speakers intact for two purposes. First, it allowed us to have a larger budget for front speakers, where the driver sits. Second, rear speakers are only needed in the rare event you want sound for just the rear seat passengers.
Any good audio upgrade needs power, so we installed a JL Audio XD500/3v2 amplifier underneath one of the front seats, completely hidden from view when the seat is in its normal position. It provides 75 watts per channel to the Audiofrog speakers, and 300 watts of power to the JL Audio subwoofer enclosure we placed in the cargo area. The client can now reproduce music with incredible clarity and punch, and has the capability of having concert level volume at will.
When he came to pick up his vehicle, he was thrilled with it. Everything from the sound quality to the fit and finish of the installation kept him nodding in approval.
When you are ready to upgrade the sound system in your vehicle, we invite you to stop by Westminster Speed & Sound. Our team of award-winning specialists will work with you to design and install the products that best fit your needs.
You can also Contact Us HERE for more information on any of our products and services.
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