440-watt 9-speaker harman/kardon premium audio system sound quality

[cwgrooms1]

Just purchased a 2010 Outback 2.5i Limited and absolutely love it except the for sound quality, specifically the rear speakers, of the harman/kardon premium audio system. The front dash and door speakers sound wonderful but the rear door speakers sound like a portable transistor radio and the subwoofer can't be heard/felt unless you put your ear beside it. I've made all the necessary adjustments on the radio that might affect the sound with no luck. Even when the fade control is adjusted to full rear the sound out of the back speakers is weak and "tinny" with no noticeable sound coming out of the subwoofer. Bass, middle and treble adjustments haven't help, either.

I'm close to taking it in to the dealer to have a look but was hoping someone might have some insight about this issue. Hopefully this isn't how Subaru intended the system to sound.

Thanks in advance.

[MtnBikr]

What audio source are you using? Assuming you've tried various audio sources, it sounds like you may have a bad connection to the amp or something as the sound quality from ours is quite good. I would take it in....

[Harplayr]

I have the HK system in my 3.5 limited.

I think it is far better than the base system, but I’ve certainly heard better.

Being a musician, sound quality is important to me.
Mine seems a bit too heavy on base and light on midrange. I haven’t spent much time analyzing the different speakers, so I can’t say if the rears are the same, better or worse than the fronts. Playing around with the controls has improved it, but I would still rate it as average. I wish it had a full graphic EQ like other “high end” systems.

Eventually I may upgrade with an aftermarket system. It all depends on how long I plan to keep the car.

[Bobaru]

I've commented on this in a previous thread, but my impressions of the H-K sound quality are as follows:

The balance seems wrong to me, being overly bass-heavy. I've been fiddling around with the controls, and have (for now, at least) settled in on bass -3, mid +1, and treble +2. (The treble boost may be more of a personal preference for me.)

With those settings, I view the overall sound quality is being quite good for CD and aux. (iPod) inputs, OK for FM radio, but still pretty bad for AM radio. For whatever reason, the sound quality of the AM radio is very bad, and muddy/muffled-sounding, compared to other cars' AM radio.

Actually, when listening to CDs or my iPod, I think the imaging and soundstaging of the system are pretty good - better than the "Mach 1" premium systems that have been in some Ford vehicles that I've owned.

That said, the H-K system is still a far cry from the Dynaudio system that I have in my Volvo C70, which is (in my opinion) among the best car sound systems (other than custom installations). That system has three-ways in the front doors (with 8" woofers), all with separate drivers, two-ways in the rear sides (also with 8" woofers), a two-way center channel on the dash (for Dolby Pro-Logic II), plus two 8" subs behind the rear seats. And Dynaudio makes/uses very nice drivers.

One other complaint I have with the H-K system is that it is missing some of the user controls that the base system has (at least as far as I can tell), including no user control for the speed-sensitive volume.

[cwgrooms1]

Thanks for the responses. CD and Aux provide the best sound but I have to adjust the bass level to +1 or +2 since the front speakers seem to be providing most of the low end freqs for the vehicle. I was surprised to see the -3 setting for bass, but I guess if the subwoofer is working correctly, that may work best. Even passengers in the backseat mention that most of the sound they hear is coming from the front. I'm taking it in on Friday for the dealer to have a look. Hoping they don't tell me that it's working fine how it is.

I'm interested in hearing from others regarding rear seat sound quality and whether the majority of the sound they hear is coming from the rear door speakers and if they hear/feel the subwoofer in the back.

Thanks

[ardvark11]

Originally posted by cwgrooms1
Thanks for the responses. CD and Aux provide the best sound but I have to adjust the bass level to +1 or +2 since the front speakers seem to be providing most of the low end freqs for the vehicle. I was surprised to see the -3 setting for bass, but I guess if the subwoofer is working correctly, that may work best. Even passengers in the backseat mention that most of the sound they hear is coming from the front. I'm taking it in on Friday for the dealer to have a look. Hoping they don't tell me that it's working fine how it is.

I'm interested in hearing from others regarding rear seat sound quality and whether the majority of the sound they hear is coming from the rear door speakers and if they hear/feel the subwoofer in the back.

Thanks

I believe the sub is tied in with the front channel only. You might try experimenting with the fader to improve listening levels in the back. The front speakers, (door and tweeters) along with sub sound much better alone vs. just the rear speakers playing (I was told are two way units) which makes sense since you don't have a pair of tweeters up high for imaging and no sub. It sounds to me like you system is working correctly. It's kind of a quirky setup but sounds pretty decent after you twiddle with it a bit. The people in the back are not going to have as good a soundstage as the peeps in the front.

[Giddswat]

I test drove a 2010 with this stereo, and I was not impressed at all. It sounds like a decent base system, but thats it. I sure hopr they improve it when I go to buy my new Outback.

[tim22152]

Originally posted by cwgrooms1
Thanks for the responses. CD and Aux provide the best sound but I have to adjust the bass level to +1 or +2 since the front speakers seem to be providing most of the low end freqs for the vehicle. I was surprised to see the -3 setting for bass, but I guess if the subwoofer is working correctly, that may work best. Even passengers in the backseat mention that most of the sound they hear is coming from the front. I'm taking it in on Friday for the dealer to have a look. Hoping they don't tell me that it's working fine how it is.

I'm interested in hearing from others regarding rear seat sound quality and whether the majority of the sound they hear is coming from the rear door speakers and if they hear/feel the subwoofer in the back.

Thanks

Sounds like a problem to me.. see another thread, but I am running somewhere around -6 on the bass, +1 on middle and treble to make it seem "normal" so for you to be UNDERwhelmed with the bass, that doesn't seem right.

Tim

[fishoutback]

Love the car (2.5 Prem. 6MT), but I have EXACTLY the same concerns with my HK system, and haven't been able to find optimal settings despite constant tweaking. I pulled over one day to check if the sub was even producing any sound. It seems like there should be a separate subwoofer setting to filter all that muddled bass coming through the front speakers back to the sub and rear doors.

Yeah, the bass gets strong up front, but it's not clean. Underwhelmed with the back seat door speakers as well. I'm no audiophile or thumpin' bass junkie, but it sounds like the high-pass/low-pass frequency crossovers are messed up, and I've got tighter bass with the stock system in my Ford. It's on my list of dealer checks on my next appointment, but I'm interested to know what your dealer says about it......

[Somerset Max]

The sad reality of the audio situation is the same as regards the non-folding mirrors on the new Outback, namely SOA simply "cheaping out" on the equipment.

Since the incomparable McIntosh audio system is the premium audio system for Outbacks in other markets, clearly it is compatible with the design of the Outback, and could have been included in Limited models by SOA. Instead, they chose to "de-content" the North American version by substituting the inferior HK system, just as they chose to delete the folding mirrors and the knee-level airbags.

Even if SOA wants to "cheap out" on equipment in order to be able to show a lower list price, they should realize that there are some of us who would pay more for better equipment. My current Outback, an '02 3.0 VDC, has the McIntosh audio system, and everyone who has ever ridden in the car concedes that it is superior to the sound system in their own car.

SOA--if you expect to retain me as a customer, you need to stop "cheaping out" on equipment, or at least you should have better equipment available as an extra-cost option.