Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post

ajcarson11 · 07-31-2015, 01:46 PM

I will start by prefacing my review: I'm fairly picky about audio in general. I wouldn't quite call myself an 'audiophile', but I have a good understanding of what I like, and I'm willing to work to achieve the sound that I want. When I first took a listen to the stock audio in the BRZ I knew an upgrade was in order -- The stock system lacks mids in the right frequencies, lacks bass, and overall sounds enemic. I'm an electrical engineering guy, and don't mind wiring and building a system, but as I was doing some research on audio builds for the BRZ I kept running across the OEM Audio+ system. Thread after thread was filled with 'You can't beat the OEM+ system for the price' and 'I plan out my music for my next commute in advance; its that good'. Having built a few systems for cars in the past I thought 'man, a turn-key solution sounds pretty good'. I emailed Daniel at OEM+ to see if the OEM+ Reference system was in stock, and it was at my door in just a week.

Pulling open the box I was happy to see no clutter -- You get all the components you need, and a packet of instructions. I wish I had taken more pictures during the process, but i'll try to paint a word picture:

- 2 carbon fiber 6.5" woofers with speaker spacer/adapters built in
- 2 drop-in high-grade tweeters with the factory connectors already in place
- 1 subwoofer enclosure with both sub and power amp bolted to the back face
- 1 tightly-wrapped wiring harness
- 1 small packet of zip-ties, and a knob/screw/speed clip for attaching the subwoofer in the factory trunk mounting holes
- 1 packet of quick-connectors/fuse holders for connecting the wiring to the battery
- 1 instruction manual

You can see the difference in speaker composition here (stock speakers on top, carbon fiber OEM+ speaker on bottom):

Installation was fairly straight forward. The instructions say the install takes 2 hours. For 2 people who both know the process and how to remove the panels this time-allotment is probably realistic, but for everyone else who is moving step-by-step I'd budget 3-4 hours. I'd recommend following the video on Youtube for the installation. Some of the pictures in the manual can be hard to see, especially as they are in black and white. The wording in the video is also different in some areas, helping to clarify details of each step. I recommend picking up a few interior trim removal tools. You don't want to use screwdrivers on your shiny new interior! Installation of tweeters and door speakers was beyond simple -- Unscrew (or pop out) the old speaker, attach the new one, and attach the wiring connector. For the subwoofer/wiring harness installation I recommend removing all rear trim panels beforehand. It makes it easy to understand where to route the wiring and how to attach the subwoofer to the mounting points. Subwoofer installation was fairly straight-forward, but I found it difficult to line up the speed-clip, trunk mounting hole, and subwoofer to get everything attached. I had to raise the subwoofer up a half inch off of where the trunk floor card sat in order to get the mounting screw in. I REALLY recommend taking your time installing the subwoofer. It is very easy to knick the paint, especially if you don't order a custom painted subwoofer (I have the stock default paint option on mine). The hardest part of the install involved routing the wiring harness. Getting the bundle of connectors up into the headunit area can be tricky, but even with that, I wouldn't call it 'difficult'; just requires you to sit back and think. Overall, I would consider the installation easy, and I think anyone could do it with some patience. It is, however, 100x easier than ripping apart the interior to install a traditional custom audio system. OEM+ did a great job of getting everything you need into one package.

Upon firing up the stereo for the first time I was a bit underwelmed. The mids seemed recessed, the tweeters sounded harsh at high volume, and i was able to max out the volume of the entire system when the 'volume' was only at 35. The knob kept increasing, but the output stayed the same. I sent Daniel an email over at OEM+ and he understood my concern. A new amplifier/DSP unit was shipped to my house, and this resolved the issue.

This new amp worked wonders. The Reference series meets my expectation in some areas, and exceeds it in others. The balance of the system is perfect. OEM+ tunes for each car using a DSP, spending up to 80 hours to get every speaker working together to present a cohesive, holistic sound. I am very happy with the balance and soundstaging. Most vehicles have a very left-biased soundstage (if you are in the drivers seat) meaning that the audio coming out of the left channel tends to sound like it is coming from an area in the door next to your left leg. The OEM+ system brings the sound stage up to ear level, and directly in front of you (the driver). The left and right channels are very balanced for the driver, with each speaker (tweeter, door driver, sub) hitting the ears at the same time. The crossovers in the DSP unit do a great job of splitting up the frequencies correctly between all speakers. I found the highs and mids to be a bit too fatiguing at higher volume, but this was easily corrected from the EQ on the stock BRZ headunit. The lows are interesting. I chose to go with the 'robust' setting from OEM+ and i am glad I did. The punch is absolutely there, and it is very very tight. The front door speakers have a lot of kick, and this helps to keep the soundstage forward, while letting the sub contribute to the overall thump. It is rare that the sub feels localized -- the DSP and crossover tuning really make the sound feel three-dimensional.

With all of the above being said, I do have a few things to note:

1. If you are used to having one or more larger subwoofers in the rear of your vehicle, you may be underwelmed. The bass that the OEM+ system puts out is very tight, but will not send you down the road bouncing. For me, i've found the bass output to be perfect at a standstill, and great for cruising around town. I mainly listen to blues, rock, metal, and some country. At 45mph+ I find that the bass drops off, and the overall sound becomes a bit thin. This is to be expected with an 8" subwoofer in my opinion, and if you want more punch at those higher speeds you will need to move more air (or completely sound-deaden the car).

2. If you are someone who likes to fiddle with settings and EQs and crossovers, then this system may leave something to be desired. I can relate to this, as i'm used to having complete control over my car audio systems. OEM+ has designed this to be a turn-key solution, and if you are sticking with the stock head unit you will not be able to change much. With that being said, if you do find that you'd like to change something related to the EQ, OEM+ will accommodate your request free-of-charge (provided that you can send in your amplifier for retuning).

Overall, I would recommend the OEM Audio+ Reference system for our cars (BRZ/FRS). The tuning really makes the difference, the install is fairly easy, and the OEM+ support team is great. The system comes with a substantial warranty (10year/100,000 mile i believe?) and looks completely stock (no wires hanging around, no cutting apart the car or modifying wiring harnesses). I know many people may be looking at the price tag ($1500), but think it of this way: If you could have payed for a premium sound package when ordering your car from the factory, would you have payed the extra $1500 for the car? If so, then find someone with OEM+ in their car, give it a listen, and give the system a try. You won't be disappointed.

Bonus:

During my research period I ran across several individuals who had added sound deadening to the car to reduce interior resonance. Having experienced rattling with the stock system I knew that the increased output from the OEM+ would require deadening to maintain the sanity of those listening. I went ahead and took the panels off the car to do this before installing the OEM+ system. The deadening ran about $60 for 50sqft (of which I only used 36). I was able to do most of the car (trunk, rear quarter panels and wheel wells, doors, rear seats, etc). I highly recommend this, as it reduces interior noise (especially at highway speed) and makes the system sound even better!

07-31-2015, 01:46 PM	#7
ajcarson11 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Drives: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited (Black) Location: Indianapolis Posts: 511 Thanks: 253 Thanked 206 Times in 149 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	My OEM+ Reference Series Review I will start by prefacing my review: I'm fairly picky about audio in general. I wouldn't quite call myself an 'audiophile', but I have a good understanding of what I like, and I'm willing to work to achieve the sound that I want. When I first took a listen to the stock audio in the BRZ I knew an upgrade was in order -- The stock system lacks mids in the right frequencies, lacks bass, and overall sounds enemic. I'm an electrical engineering guy, and don't mind wiring and building a system, but as I was doing some research on audio builds for the BRZ I kept running across the OEM Audio+ system. Thread after thread was filled with 'You can't beat the OEM+ system for the price' and 'I plan out my music for my next commute in advance; its that good'. Having built a few systems for cars in the past I thought 'man, a turn-key solution sounds pretty good'. I emailed Daniel at OEM+ to see if the OEM+ Reference system was in stock, and it was at my door in just a week. Pulling open the box I was happy to see no clutter -- You get all the components you need, and a packet of instructions. I wish I had taken more pictures during the process, but i'll try to paint a word picture: - 2 carbon fiber 6.5" woofers with speaker spacer/adapters built in - 2 drop-in high-grade tweeters with the factory connectors already in place - 1 subwoofer enclosure with both sub and power amp bolted to the back face - 1 tightly-wrapped wiring harness - 1 small packet of zip-ties, and a knob/screw/speed clip for attaching the subwoofer in the factory trunk mounting holes - 1 packet of quick-connectors/fuse holders for connecting the wiring to the battery - 1 instruction manual You can see the difference in speaker composition here (stock speakers on top, carbon fiber OEM+ speaker on bottom): Installation was fairly straight forward. The instructions say the install takes 2 hours. For 2 people who both know the process and how to remove the panels this time-allotment is probably realistic, but for everyone else who is moving step-by-step I'd budget 3-4 hours. I'd recommend following the video on Youtube for the installation. Some of the pictures in the manual can be hard to see, especially as they are in black and white. The wording in the video is also different in some areas, helping to clarify details of each step. I recommend picking up a few interior trim removal tools. You don't want to use screwdrivers on your shiny new interior! Installation of tweeters and door speakers was beyond simple -- Unscrew (or pop out) the old speaker, attach the new one, and attach the wiring connector. For the subwoofer/wiring harness installation I recommend removing all rear trim panels beforehand. It makes it easy to understand where to route the wiring and how to attach the subwoofer to the mounting points. Subwoofer installation was fairly straight-forward, but I found it difficult to line up the speed-clip, trunk mounting hole, and subwoofer to get everything attached. I had to raise the subwoofer up a half inch off of where the trunk floor card sat in order to get the mounting screw in. I REALLY recommend taking your time installing the subwoofer. It is very easy to knick the paint, especially if you don't order a custom painted subwoofer (I have the stock default paint option on mine). The hardest part of the install involved routing the wiring harness. Getting the bundle of connectors up into the headunit area can be tricky, but even with that, I wouldn't call it 'difficult'; just requires you to sit back and think. Overall, I would consider the installation easy, and I think anyone could do it with some patience. It is, however, 100x easier than ripping apart the interior to install a traditional custom audio system. OEM+ did a great job of getting everything you need into one package. Upon firing up the stereo for the first time I was a bit underwelmed. The mids seemed recessed, the tweeters sounded harsh at high volume, and i was able to max out the volume of the entire system when the 'volume' was only at 35. The knob kept increasing, but the output stayed the same. I sent Daniel an email over at OEM+ and he understood my concern. A new amplifier/DSP unit was shipped to my house, and this resolved the issue. This new amp worked wonders. The Reference series meets my expectation in some areas, and exceeds it in others. The balance of the system is perfect. OEM+ tunes for each car using a DSP, spending up to 80 hours to get every speaker working together to present a cohesive, holistic sound. I am very happy with the balance and soundstaging. Most vehicles have a very left-biased soundstage (if you are in the drivers seat) meaning that the audio coming out of the left channel tends to sound like it is coming from an area in the door next to your left leg. The OEM+ system brings the sound stage up to ear level, and directly in front of you (the driver). The left and right channels are very balanced for the driver, with each speaker (tweeter, door driver, sub) hitting the ears at the same time. The crossovers in the DSP unit do a great job of splitting up the frequencies correctly between all speakers. I found the highs and mids to be a bit too fatiguing at higher volume, but this was easily corrected from the EQ on the stock BRZ headunit. The lows are interesting. I chose to go with the 'robust' setting from OEM+ and i am glad I did. The punch is absolutely there, and it is very very tight. The front door speakers have a lot of kick, and this helps to keep the soundstage forward, while letting the sub contribute to the overall thump. It is rare that the sub feels localized -- the DSP and crossover tuning really make the sound feel three-dimensional. With all of the above being said, I do have a few things to note: 1. If you are used to having one or more larger subwoofers in the rear of your vehicle, you may be underwelmed. The bass that the OEM+ system puts out is very tight, but will not send you down the road bouncing. For me, i've found the bass output to be perfect at a standstill, and great for cruising around town. I mainly listen to blues, rock, metal, and some country. At 45mph+ I find that the bass drops off, and the overall sound becomes a bit thin. This is to be expected with an 8" subwoofer in my opinion, and if you want more punch at those higher speeds you will need to move more air (or completely sound-deaden the car). 2. If you are someone who likes to fiddle with settings and EQs and crossovers, then this system may leave something to be desired. I can relate to this, as i'm used to having complete control over my car audio systems. OEM+ has designed this to be a turn-key solution, and if you are sticking with the stock head unit you will not be able to change much. With that being said, if you do find that you'd like to change something related to the EQ, OEM+ will accommodate your request free-of-charge (provided that you can send in your amplifier for retuning). Overall, I would recommend the OEM Audio+ Reference system for our cars (BRZ/FRS). The tuning really makes the difference, the install is fairly easy, and the OEM+ support team is great. The system comes with a substantial warranty (10year/100,000 mile i believe?) and looks completely stock (no wires hanging around, no cutting apart the car or modifying wiring harnesses). I know many people may be looking at the price tag ($1500), but think it of this way: If you could have payed for a premium sound package when ordering your car from the factory, would you have payed the extra $1500 for the car? If so, then find someone with OEM+ in their car, give it a listen, and give the system a try. You won't be disappointed. Bonus: During my research period I ran across several individuals who had added sound deadening to the car to reduce interior resonance. Having experienced rattling with the stock system I knew that the increased output from the OEM+ would require deadening to maintain the sanity of those listening. I went ahead and took the panels off the car to do this before installing the OEM+ system. The deadening ran about $60 for 50sqft (of which I only used 36). I was able to do most of the car (trunk, rear quarter panels and wheel wells, doors, rear seats, etc). I highly recommend this, as it reduces interior noise (especially at highway speed) and makes the system sound even better!