[beepbeepblue]

I agree with the other folks. The kit would work, but you'd be splitting the source from the doors to drive the dash speakers. The dash has it's own feed. You'd effectively be turning a 6 channel audio system into a 4. Part of the reason several of us went with the kicker Subaru swap, was that they were plug and play. With out also amping the doors, personally I feel you'd be underwhelmed. Yes, if you wanted to, that kit would work, but there are better solutions for the same money. -I should have clarified my initial response.

Thanks, all. I’ll do that.

 

[Pilot1226]

I missed it across the 581+ posts, has anyone that has the RF upgrade completed the tweeter one? The posts I've glanced over are owners that have installed the Kicker tweeters with some type of aftermarket speakers in the doors or with the non-RF amp. Just curious if anyone with the RF OEM upgrade did the Kicker tweeters and what they thought before and after.

Sorry if it's right in my face and I missed it.

 

[Mamberly]

When I picked up my Onyx last month, I had RF upgrade on it. The first thing I did was replace the tweeter with the kickers. It made the RF system better and the highs are a bit harsh because of the improved quality of the tweeters. I had to adjust the EQ to make it sound better. You'll definitely notice the difference once you install the kickers.

Overall, I would recommend the tweeter kicker upgrade with the RF setup. I replaced the RF speakers a few weeks after that.

@Pilot1226

 

[Pilot1226]

Thanks, I will consider picking them up then. I won't be changing out the RF because I paid for the upgrade and don't want to light my money on fire....

I think right now my EQ is running at -3 Bass, +2 Mid, and +1 Treble because I found the bass was drowning out everything else. I enabled the Virtual Bass per SilverOnyx's suggestion and I am liking the sound so far, even though it's "processed" more... Also using the virtual stage enhancer on low to improve vocals.

 

[SilverOnyx]

Thanks, I will consider picking them up then. I won't be changing out the RF because I paid for the upgrade and don't want to light my money on fire....

I think right now my EQ is running at -3 Bass, +2 Mid, and +1 Treble because I found the bass was drowning out everything else. I enabled the Virtual Bass per SilverOnyx's suggestion and I am liking the sound so far, even though it's "processed" more... Also using the virtual stage enhancer on low to improve vocals.

With the Kickers you might need to turn treble to as low as -4 but the quality will be better. Tune to taste. It's a much better tweeter than the stock piezos or whatever they are.

 

[Icemateo]

Thanks, I will consider picking them up then. I won't be changing out the RF because I paid for the upgrade and don't want to light my money on fire....

I think right now my EQ is running at -3 Bass, +2 Mid, and +1 Treble because I found the bass was drowning out everything else. I enabled the Virtual Bass per SilverOnyx's suggestion and I am liking the sound so far, even though it's "processed" more... Also using the virtual stage enhancer on low to improve vocals.

I have the RF upgrade, put in the Kicker tweeters and love the way it sounds. Not doing any other upgrades.

 

[Pilot1226]

Sounds great. Thanks. Would you mind sharing your EQ settings? Any of the processors turned on?

 

[teamdrop]

Just picked up my Onyx after having the RF upgrade And can vehemently make the argument that it is absolutely worth it. I’m also making this state after having compared it to the HK equipped unit at the dealership. The difference in my very humble opinion is that there’s slightly more clarity/definition with the right audio source as the technician pointed out however the RF to me sounds louder and holds its own as far as definition is concerned. View attachment 485567

IT should sound even better now after the last firmware upgrade I talked to RF they confirmed the DSP was upgraded in the code. So excited to put a Kicker 46HS10 tomorrow!

The grommet described might be better imagined if you think this way: Sit on the passenger side of the vehicle. Make a line from your left shirt pocket to your left knee. The console is sometimes known as that portion of the dashboard which includes the radio. The grommet is nearly that high. Now get out of that passenger seat and look at how the carpet is fastened down. The drain grommet is designed to allow water to escape below the carpet, so that it would be less likely to rot were the vehicle flooded. That is why it is under, not above the carpet. Chances are good that you need to find a screwdriver with a #2 phillips tip. While you are at it, consider: 1. The amount of time that you will have the area 'open' ( what happens if it rains? ). 2. Will you need additional tools, such as a 'prybar' and/or rag to keep it from scratching the plastic or metal? 3. The cost of replacement of those 'plastic'/vinyl parts if you get too rough or take them apart in the wrong order. BTW- Condensate refers to water ejected from the air-conditioning system (inside the engine compartment). Always look at both sides of metal before drilling.

 

[pcray1231]

I also ordered it with the RF upgrade and put the kicker tweeters in myself.

It's not as good as the HK system in my 14 was. But its pretty good. I put the tweeters in on like day 1, and noticed it helped, but, I didn't have a ton of time with the RF without tweeters.

 

[Mamberly]

IT should sound even better now after the last firmware upgrade I talked to RF they confirmed the DSP was upgraded in the code. So excited to put a Kicker 46HS10 tomorrow!

Please let us know where you mounted your Kicker 46HS10! I'm having the older version Kicker 11HS8 installed later this month. Since my car has the RF upgrade, it'll be installed underneath the driver seat.

 

[Icemateo]

Sounds great. Thanks. Would you mind sharing your EQ settings? Any of the processors turned on?

+1 -2 +1

Seems to work well enough for most of the music I listen to. I mostly listen to Spotify and I have that EQ set to Rock.

 

[Giantry]

No idea. Was pretty snug after I screwed it in. I’ll open it up maybe in a month or so and see how well it stays!

Just an update on of the screws will come loose. It’s been about a month and I checked yesterday. The tweeters are still snuggly fit. At this point I think they’ll be fine.

 

[MorgadoJim]

I haven't had a chance to pop the hood and stare at routing yet. I'm only planning to route a 12g to start for the key 200.4. I have a 20 foot length of 9 conductor speed wire on the way, shrink tubes, the AHH harness and woven cable sleeving. My speakers, amp and power cable are arriving tomorrow, but my fast rings are still 10 days out. So I'm stalled for a little over a week myself.

Did you run into any weird issues related to volume control and steering wheel control loss after you powered up the amp... I installed the KEY 200.4 and initially it was great then I restarted the car after a couple hours and lost control of my volume on the head unit and the steering wheel, then I lost other controls like the source switch... I un-did the AMP harness reconnected the factory harness and still weird issues ... then I undid the AMP power at the battery and the system behaved normally??? WTH... I used 8 AWG wire from home depot to power it up is that my issue...it shouldn't be its copper but not twisted pairs...???

 

[CamoMike]

Did you run into any weird issues related to volume control and steering wheel control loss after you powered up the amp... I installed the KEY 200.4 and initially it was great then I restarted the car after a couple hours and lost control of my volume on the head unit and the steering wheel, then I lost other controls like the source switch... I un-did the AMP harness reconnected the factory harness and still weird issues ... then I undid the AMP power at the battery and the system behaved normally??? WTH... I used 8 AWG wire from home depot to power it up is that my issue...it shouldn't be its copper but not twisted pairs...???

The only issue I ran into, was the first time I powered it on. I couldn't control the volume at all, and it was set on max. And the infotainment screen was super laggy. I disconnected the battery and reconnected it after about five minutes and it was fine. No issues since. Did you reconnect the steering wheel control wires well enough?

 

[MorgadoJim]

The only issue I ran into, was the first time I powered it on. I couldn't control the volume at all, and it was set on max. And the infotainment screen was super laggy. I disconnected the battery and reconnected it after about five minutes and it was fine. No issues since. Did you reconnect the steering wheel control wires well enough?

I thought that I did... but I'll recheck all connections...The volume was weird laggy for me as well that is how it started then I lost controls on the steering wheel...and the info screen wouldn't work properly... I unplugged the amp power and it returned to normal...

 

[teamdrop]

Please let us know where you mounted your Kicker 46HS10! I'm having the older version Kicker 11HS8 installed later this month. Since my car has the RF upgrade, it'll be installed underneath the driver seat.

I put in under the driver seat, it was tight but PERFECT fit putting dials toward door obviously so I can adjust them with my finger tips. This system ROCKS now!

 

[MorgadoJim]

Installed the Kicker KEY 200.4 ($270) in a 2020 Outback Premium...Sounds quite a bit better...No Sub added yet but maybe in the future...

Front door installed the Alpine R-S69.2 ($200)
Alpine SPE-6000 in the back doors ($80)

Upgraded the dash tweeters to the Subaru kicker tweeters ($110) (had to drill new holes in the kicker tweeter plastic near the factory holes, lined up one hole and added a washers to keep the other hole secured)

Routed the power and ground through the passenger footwell left side behind the rug easy location to access, drilled a hole just below the AC drain and put in a grommet...used wire loom on the cables ($15)

I used (RED 16') and (Black 4') 8AWG copper wire that I got from Home depot for ($14) its not super flexible but its effective and stays when bent...it has a heat and chemical resistant coating on it as well...could have gone with the 8AWG kicker kit online or a 4AWG and distribution block...I though they were way overpriced with the fancy OFC this and that...the kits have multi-strand wire which is easier to maneuver and has no bend memory... Its your call...it may have been easier with a kit...

Mounted the unit under the passenger seat on a piece of wood...used speed wire ($ 25) for the audio connections and the Hardware House adapter harness ($45) ordered on amazon (Wire Harness Compatible with 1987-2018 Toyota and 2016+ Subaru (Used for Amplifier or Subwoofer Installation) so I wouldn't have to cut the factory harness. Also used a InstallGear 8 Gauge AWG 1ft Power Wire with 60A AGU Fuse Holder - 99.9% Oxygen-Free Copper connection at the battery...

Took about 8 hrs...

IMPORTANT NOTE!!! THE FACTORY HEAD UNIT WILL NOT WORK IF THE KICKER EQUILIZER IS SET TO ENABLED!!! YOU WILL LOOSE ALL CONTROL FUNCTIONS TO THE FACTORY HEAD UNIT AND STEARING WHEEL CONTROLS...

I have my DIP settings below...

All in all cost was about $800 was it worth it...Yep was better than the Rockford Fosgate setup and sounds super crisp...really decent base from the fronts as well...

Hope this is helpful for others...

Jim

 

[Mamberly]

I put in under the driver seat, it was tight but PERFECT fit putting dials toward door obviously so I can adjust them with my finger tips. This system ROCKS now!

You got any photos of the sub? if you don't mind.

 

[MorgadoJim]

I have both the Alpines and the Kickers in my car - and they work fine together but I have my treble set to either -3 or -4 in the head unit. I thought about that warning and ignored it and my thinking was this: The stock tweeter was 4 ohm and so is the Kicker. The Alpines are 4 ohm and so were the stock door speakers. I've been using this combo for 6 months with no problems.

First I had the alpines with the stock tweeters. The sound was better, but the soundstage was dragged down because of the alpine tweeters. It didn't go to the floor, but it was noticeable. I found that the highs still didn't sound crisp and dynamic so I added the kicker tweeters afterwards. When I installed the kicker tweeters I did a listening comparison of Alpine + stock tweeter vs Alpine + kicker tweeters and much preferred the Alpine + Kicker.

Notably, I have never heard the combination of Kicker tweeters with stock door speakers, or with the Rockford Fosgate upgrade. People with the RF (which isn't a coaxial) seem to like the Kicker tweeter combination since the stock tweeter is so lacking.

Since you have the Onyx, have you considered adding the sound deadening from the Limited and Touring trims? If I had known about them before my install, I would have put them in.

Driver's Side Door Panel Removal - 2020 Subaru...

In this DIY OVERDRIVE video, I remove the driver's side door panel from my 2020 Subaru Outback Touring XT! Why you ask? Why not?! No really, mostly for curiosity for a potential future speaker upgrade, Dynamat installation, etc. After searching YouTube to find a video that covers these...

www.subaruoutback.org

I have both the Alpine R S69.2 and the kicker tweeter replacements in the dash and a kicker key 200.4 and have no issues on any fault that I'm aware of...what exactly is the fault that occurs?

 

[SilverOnyx]

There's no fault that I notice - simply saw that when the Touring XT door panel was removed there was a black sheet of something that isn't present on the Onyx XT.