upgrading audio for the car
 

Hi All,

I am looking to upgrade the audio of the car, and I see a lot of support here on the forums for OEM audio plus. I have a couple of questions: is the difference in quality of audio noticeable for OEM audio plus? Are there other alternatives to this solution? If so what would be the rough ballpark of the cost? I am not a bass head, though I do like balanced crisp bass.

It would be awesome if there is anyone around the Seattle area that has OEM audio setup, or any alternatives done, and is willing to let me hear it :). I can drive to a place and time convenient to you. As a bonus I will also buy a round of beer for you :)

Lastly I see many posts about discounts available from retailers. Can someone recommend me one for a subaru brz for the OEM audio plus.

Thanks,
WingRider

Hey WingRider,

First of all I am in no way, shape or form endorsed by OEMAudio+. I know Sandy and Daniel and have previously purchased a sound solution for my old tC2 (that my parents are now enjoying by the way). Anyways, just figured I should disclose that first. Unfortunately, I do not have the 86 solution purely because money has not aligned for me yet to make the jump in. As to your question regarding a sound comparison I can promise you that the difference in sound is night and day. The immediate differences are a complete elimination of any acoustic distortion. You'll start to hear your audio as it was intended to be heard and pick up on things you didn't hear before. They have a slogan of "Clean, Crisp, Clear" and seriously those words are the best way to describe the most noticeable improvements you'll hear right from the start.

As for alternatives I cannot name any specifically. I know JL makes a similar idea of a stealth enclosure to minimize the creation of negative space that many other custom made solutions entail because of a sub box/enclosure. I can certainly say you could put together a solution yourself with various parts to choose from and may be able to do it on a better price point if your thrifty but what I will say is the ease and peace of mind of no splicing, drilling, warranty voiding, etc. and the strict value of the solution because it is tuned directly for your vehicle space makes OEM Audio+ the most valuable solution in the sense of quality to money spent.

I would say that the OEM Audio+ and their focus is to create an all around balanced and clear listening environment with their reference series and bass is certainly not a defined strength but if what you originally said is true, balanced crisp bass is something it definitely has and will not disappoint you in.

As for discounts unfortunately you just missed a good one for 86fest. Anyways, I know TJ Hunt has a discount code through them so maybe that route or contacting OEM Audio+ directly and see if they can help you out on anything.

Hope I could be of some help!

Awesome ! Thanks for the info :)

post in the PacNW forum to see if anyone has you you might be able to listen to. I dont have one yet but have heard them and it sounds great. im not an audiophole by any means but could really tell the difference

I'm more of a home stereo and headphone geek than car audio. Until my BRZ my car was just a tool for getting me place-to-place. But I couldn't stand the stock audio, especially the door speakers (largest in the setup) and their incessant rattle!

I went for the "standard" OEM+ on a Black Friday deal. Installation was dead simple. The result, IMHO what the stock system SHOULD have been. Crisp and clean is an accurate description across the entire range. The sub is present but not overwhelming. The models have changed since, but if you want more bass the reference models had more tuning options.

Could I have gotten a cheaper system? Most likely. But out-of-the-box this one works superbly together.

Well, if you have zero clue about installing your own audio set up OEM audio+ is your best bet. Sure it's $1k and change, but it's all plug and play. Total noobs can do it in a few hours.

Could you build a cheaper better sounding system your self? Yes. Are you ok doing the instal your self or have a shop do it? Either way the costs would be near the same.

In the end it's up to you how much money you want to drop.
If all you want is a bit of bass bump you can get something off Walmart for under $200. In about an hour install.
Would it sound as good as OEM audio+? Not really. Would it sound better than stock? Yes, ten times better than stock.

Another plug for @oemaudioplus, not affiliated.

For anyone who isn't a professional tuner this is by far the best solution. Plug and play self install, sounds amazing, and very low profile (doesn't take much space). I recommend going with reference series, personally the upgrade from there wasn't as noticeable.

Customer service is also top notch. Daniel and Sandy have helped me multiple times. During one issue Sandy personally came out to debug it for me and they have been more than accomodating in retuning my amp for a new headunit, different bass profiles, etc.

I'm curious, what equipment would you personally choose to best the oem+ system for under its price.

Which price level of OEM+?
The base kit or the high end kit?

Either one. Or both if you have the time.

Ok, so I just looked at the price of the OEM+ systems. Can it be beat for less money? Yes and no.

To have better or match the sound quality of the OEM+ system, you HAVE TO HAVE DSP. Sorry for the caps, but this is not an option, its a requirement.

The most basic of DSP's start at about $300, for the C-DSP. You will also need an amplifier channel for each speaker. So, 5 channels of amplification. Oh yeah, using the $300 C-DSP requires you to ditch the rear speakers. A good quality 5 channel amp costs about $400-1000. Lets assume $400. Now your at $700. Now you need a sub. Lets say you use a reasonably priced Dayton HO8". That will set you back another $100. Since this is a 2 way front stage, you need a tweeter than can be crossed over by at least 2500hz. The stocker isn't going to do that. Lowest price your going to find that is the SB Acoustics 29mm Soft Dome. Those will set you back $120 for a pair.

So you're at $920. That leaves you with $280 left to build the enclosure, run power wire for the DSP and amp, run signal wire from the head unit to the dsp, run RCA's from the DSP to the amp, run speaker wire from the amp to the speakers, and install the tweeters.

Then, you have to learn how to tune time alignment, which is adjusted in 1 millisecond increments, you have to learn how to adjust EQ separately for each speaker to overcome the acoustics of the car, and then adjust EQ for the speakers together for the general frequency response curve.

This will get you what OEM+ gets you sound wise. You can not get to the level of sound quality that OEM+ provides without DSP. It is impossible in a car.

Or, you could just buy the OEM+ and plug it all in and be done.

Of course, if you are a bass head, and only care about thumping, OEM+ is not for you.

I decided not to go for the OEM+. I'm not a fan of "plug and play" car audio systems. I just want more quality than they offer. I'm not knocking it per se, but it's just not for me. Plus, I like to do my own work as much as possible. It's not cheap, but I want it the way I want it. It's about priorities and what you really want out of it.

My main goal was to explain that it wasn't possible to sound better than the oem+ system without dsp. I'm in the same boat with you, I would build it myself with proper dsp.

Oh I know. I agree with you as well, maybe it didn't come across that way. I'll have almost $900 in my DSP when it's all said and done. Don't ask about the amps, lol!