Will spending only $200-250 on speaker upgrades be worth it?
 

I've had BMWs the last four years and just recently came from an 07 335i with "Logic 7" sound system. I'm not much of an audiophile at all. I mainly listen to the radio and 128kbps mp3s from my phone via AUX. When I started listening to my music in my BRZ though, it's entirely obvious the whole setup is below average. Even my dad's 2005 Accord sounds better! (IMO)

I read over some threads here and it seems a lot of people are going all out on their setups spending $1000 or more. The OEM Audio + seems to just add some new tweeters and a sub, so are the stock speakers not that bad? If I'm only looking to spend $200-250, is there anything in that range that will improve the sound quality?

I'm mainly looking for an easy replacement using stock wiring and head unit and amp.

Maybe your ears are off because I'm coming from a same generation accord as your dad and this is phenomenal in comparison.

Are you sure you have it set up right? Mine sounded like shit (I almost didn't buy the car because of it) until I read the manual and took the time to set everything correctly. It's not the best stereo system I've ever had but it's really not bad for a factory base system, especially with MP3s. I also spent a little time with the MP3 equalizer making a few adjustments. All in all, I'm very happy now.

Try adjusting the EQ settings if you haven't already. It makes a noticeable difference.

Here's my hypothesis.

Maybe the sound system in the FR-S is better at pointing out the shitty MP3 quality you're listening to. I'm not saying you have to run everything FLAC, but try 320kbps and see if it's any better.

I think the FRS/BRZ stock audio actually sounds pretty good. It lacks some low end, but overall the speakers are good for being stock. If you're going to add $250 in speakers I would go ahead and add a small sub in the trunk area.

Having said all that I did upgrade my entire system and am loving it. I've spent a total of about $1000: $150 JL Enclosed Sub, $200 RF 4-Ch Amp, $520 Pioneer X8500BHS head unit, $130 MB Quartz 6.5" Components, plus wires etc.

Definitely need to mess with the equalizer. I thought the stereo was bad at first, but now that I have the equalizer set, it's not so bad. Good use a dedicated sub woofer in the trunk rather than all the bass coming from the bottom front of the doors. Just my $0.02.

i think this thread is going to be way too subjective to be meaningful.

i have heard prolly 1000 stock systems in my time, and also aftermarket types from good to unbelievable.

i would put the FR-S system somewhere in the middle on the stock system chain, maybe a 6 out of 10 if 1 is worst and 10 is best. but again, all that is meaningless really, the key is how much does the OP appreciate good sound and what type of listener he is and what are his experiences in other kinds of car audio systems.

i do think in many ways, the FR-S system is better than the L7 system he came from :)

it's not just the mp3s, the radio is pretty sub par. perhaps it's how loud the entire car is but i do have somewhat of a very low grade headache after getting out of the car after listening to music.

i currently have the EQ setup to the recommended settings from this thread too: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15696

trying to find some higher bitrate mp3s to test.

I don't think speakers alone would be worth doing in this car. The head just really doesnt have the power to drive them cleanly.

I would say pick up Alpine KTP-445U Power Pack(its pretty simple to install vs a larger amp and has enough power for most components).

Then Rockford Fosgate POWER T165-S(they have a great tweet plus you can biamp it off the powerpack).

It would cost you 290$ and would sound quite good.

I really like my BRZ stock setup. I'd only change if I could find dedicated subs for the doors, or the HU for better EQ settings.

Agreeing with cruzingbill once again. Even though I have a really good SQ system now (thanks for Bing, Joey, and SimplicityinSound! :party0030:) When I was waiting for my install to happen, I upgrade my headunit first, and immediately with the more powerful output from the aftermarket unit driving the OEM speakers, the car sounded immediately better. The factory speakers are not that bad at all if you are on a budget, but you need to up the power thats going to them. You could get an inexpensive headunit and maybe have some leftover money to do some sound deadening (DIY though haha), or just go with a higher end aftermarket headunit and upgrade to more components later when you are ready.

Why not improve your car's environment accoustically? Will do a bigger improvement than speakers alone will tbh, and if then you feel you need to upgrade, you'll get the most improvement with resonances reduced.

Deadening should always be the first thing done, this car car has terrible resonance problems. Most people tho, dont seem to want to invest the time or money to do it.