I've read here that the Harman Kardon sound system in the 3.6R Limited is awesome and also that it is pathetic. Sound quality is highly subjective, but still these extremes don't seem right. I'm really happy with the Bose system in my Corvette, and folks complain about Bose as well. They say it's a bit muddy and could use more power. How would you describe the Harman Kardon?
Harman Kardon sound system - Really good or really bad?
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9ball1104
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2022 Outback Touring XT. Also 1995 BMW 525i with 240,000 miles
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That reminds me that my 2017 OB limited will randomly change FM radio stations. Always back to 87.5 as you start the car. Starting to piss me off a bit.I came from a '14 Ford Escape with the Sony 10-speaker setup and I find the HK system significantly better across the board. It is especially more enjoyable to listen to at lower volumes whereas my Escape was only decent on higher volumes. The one thing that does "annoy" me is that there is no "off" button. The radio always comes on when you start the car, so if you forget to turn down the volume, it could surprise you the next time the car is started
Compared to stock sound systems I remember from the 80s - these cars rock.
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I remember back in the good ole days. I had a 73 Monte Carlo. Believe it or not those old Delco Radios had some of the cleanest output of any Factory Radio I knew of(and most after market also)! They just didn't have enough power. I installed a good inline Amp and a set of Jenson Triaxials and had one of the most kickass stereos around for the time! I even had another set of speakers in boxes I would pull out of the car for those parking partying days!
I got my license in the 80s... I had a Dodge Colt E... it had AM only and a tape deck... I blew the speakers out the first day I think. The other one rotted out from uv damage...
Parking lot partying is an American tradition... my kid will probably be doing it in a Subaru though.
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I guess everybody’s ears are different. I find the HK system to be incredible. Also, the genre of music matters.
For hip-hop and R&B, the system must have a high quality low end in order for the music to sound exceptional. The HK system has a high quality low end for sure. I listen mostly to hip-hop and R&B. I believe the HK is tuned specifically for these genres. (These are also the most popular genres in Japan.)
For rock, the system needs to be tuned for the mids in particular. I find good mid-range speakers are more important for rock than a good sub-woofer. I have listened to rock (with lots of electric guitar) through this HK system, and I thought the sound was just pretty good.
For hip-hop and R&B, the system must have a high quality low end in order for the music to sound exceptional. The HK system has a high quality low end for sure. I listen mostly to hip-hop and R&B. I believe the HK is tuned specifically for these genres. (These are also the most popular genres in Japan.)
For rock, the system needs to be tuned for the mids in particular. I find good mid-range speakers are more important for rock than a good sub-woofer. I have listened to rock (with lots of electric guitar) through this HK system, and I thought the sound was just pretty good.
For my ears, the HK system sounds great in my 2018 and I have no complaints as such. The head unit is a different matter. Getting the updated firmware installed on the 27th to hopefully fix a number of bugs.
As I mentioned before, my past three cars have had some sort of high end audio system. I feel this H/K system is as good as anything I've had before (even the Audi B&O), although I'll admit I haven't had it long enough to actually wring the system out much. While I bought it a month ago, I've been out of town for 3 weeks, so still getting to know the car. Since I've only had one HU lockup (two days after purchase), and since then it has been perfect, I wonder if there might have been a rolling hardware update. My car says built in October, but I don't honestly know when they first started coming off the line.
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Check this recently active thread for some thoughts and potential solutions to this issue:
www.subaruoutback.org
Is anyone interested in a HK stereo mod write-up?
I have a plan to improve the dreaded HK audio system in my 2013 OB. The idea is to keep everything looking stock (stealth) but to reduce the muddy bass, install a real subwoofer, and improve the upfront sound stage. Options for dash speakers are extremely limited, so I have decided to keep the...
www.subaruoutback.org
The problem you're noticing is not the fault of the car's sound system .. it's a deficiency of Sirius XM. Sirius has 200+ channels crammed into a bandwidth infrastructure that can support only 50 channels. It's heavily compressed and sound terrible on any system. The HK system sounds great imo, as compared to my wife's Infinity or my prior BMW.
it's just fine audio in a very noisy environment when the car is moving. I would not pay extra for it... it does not hold a candle to even my most basic HT setup in terms of sound quality. for car audio it is not bad
The FM Radio sounds so much better than Sirius XM. Definately bandwidth related. Compare FM to both Sirius and Pandora, they have a flat sound, reduced dynamic range.
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Nope, dont have XM, using USB. Speakers are AM radio from the 60s quality throughout the whole car, probably made by Subaru non HK.
Take out the rear door or dash and see for yourself, no need to believe me.
One of the most subjective threads on this forum for sure. All I can contribute are my comparisons to the current and past cars I've owned with stock sound systems, and as a studio recording engineer as one of my jobs.
One big factor people don't take in to consideration is how well acoustically reinforced their cars are for both exterior and interior noises. People may listen for outside road noises, but the same consideration should be made for how well sound is absorbed inside as well. This is usually one area that distinguishes higher end cars from more affordable ones.
Another factor is how the audio companies work with the car makers to tune their speaker frequencies to accommodate for how each specific car model sounds acoustically.
With that said, the stock Harman Kardon system in my 3.6 model are honestly quite good, IMO. It definitely helps that there is a small and reasonably sized subwoofer in the back along with decent tweeters and a center speaker up front. The sound is less muddy than Bose Systems (over-rated name brand) that I have heard and there is a clarity to the HK system that as mentioned, is partially aided by how the car is acoustically reinforced for exterior/interior noises. I'm not saying the Outback is the best with sound reinforcement, but it's decent enough. That factor probably makes one of the biggest differences in how speakers sound, just like in any setting.
The HK in my ears are better than the premium Bose system in the Mazda 3 we also have (now that is an underpowered, muddy sounding system), better than the stock system in the 2002 4Runner Sport Edition (traded this for the Outback, and I do miss that car a lot), and better than my old late 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee's Limited system.
One big factor people don't take in to consideration is how well acoustically reinforced their cars are for both exterior and interior noises. People may listen for outside road noises, but the same consideration should be made for how well sound is absorbed inside as well. This is usually one area that distinguishes higher end cars from more affordable ones.
Another factor is how the audio companies work with the car makers to tune their speaker frequencies to accommodate for how each specific car model sounds acoustically.
With that said, the stock Harman Kardon system in my 3.6 model are honestly quite good, IMO. It definitely helps that there is a small and reasonably sized subwoofer in the back along with decent tweeters and a center speaker up front. The sound is less muddy than Bose Systems (over-rated name brand) that I have heard and there is a clarity to the HK system that as mentioned, is partially aided by how the car is acoustically reinforced for exterior/interior noises. I'm not saying the Outback is the best with sound reinforcement, but it's decent enough. That factor probably makes one of the biggest differences in how speakers sound, just like in any setting.
The HK in my ears are better than the premium Bose system in the Mazda 3 we also have (now that is an underpowered, muddy sounding system), better than the stock system in the 2002 4Runner Sport Edition (traded this for the Outback, and I do miss that car a lot), and better than my old late 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee's Limited system.
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Yeah. There's not even one tweeter in the entire system, seems we were hoodwinked as the car is stellar. Start looking at the construxtion of these these apoarebtky weak speakers .... dash, front door, rear door, sub.
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Every "speaker" in the "12" HK is turning out out to be some kind of nearly fraudulent driver cone.
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