Last time I blogged on our long-term STI, I was trying to figure out what was going on with the head unit's "SUB WOOFER LEVEL" setting. I had it bumped up to 10 -- the maximum level -- yet there still wasn't any bass response. "I seriously wonder," I wrote, "if they forgot to put a subwoofer in our car."
Our man Bob Holland circulated my post over at NASIOC, where an STI owner offered the following words of wisdom: "The subwoofer adjustment on the head unit doesn't do anything. There are knobs on the sub itself that do. Tell your guy to try that."
Trouble was, I couldn't find the sub. I poked around in the spare tire well and under the front seats...nothing. So I decided to engage in the time-honored practice of RTFM. The text in the above photo is from page 160 of the nav system's instruction manual. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, our resident Subarophile, Loren Wong, had checked our STI's equipment list. He confirmed my suspicion -- there's no sub in our Subie. Nav-equipped STIs come standard with the subwoofer adjustment function, but the sub itself is an extra-cost option.
And believe you me, the STI's stereo sounds godawful without it.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 12,281 miles
carnage says:
04:38 PM, 10/28/08
So... lemme get this straight- you pay extra for the nav and improved stereo, but you STILL have to pay to get the actual subwoofer?
That is SERIOUSLY messed up. Even Mercedes making you pay for iPod integration isn't that bad. Subaru should really NOT be doing that. It's just horrible, horrible business.
clarkma5 says:
05:02 PM, 10/28/08
Subaru's stereo upgrades have always been weird...they separate the upgraded speakers from the add-on subwoofer. And I think they're usually port-installed options, not factory-installed. Most of the time when you get one you get both, but not always.
I was gonna say about your earlier post complaining about the lack of bass...my brother's WRX has the sub and it's certainly got bass. It's not quite an aftermarket 12" sub in the trunk but it's powerful for an OEM system. The sound quality overall isn't the best, though...but now this all makes sense.
7driver says:
05:16 PM, 10/28/08
Whoa. Loren's got a last name.
So is adding a sub as simple as dropping it into the spare tire well and plugging in the connector or is it more involved? If the former, then it sounds like correcting this omission would be no big deal for a real owner.
the_big_al says:
05:18 PM, 10/28/08
I smell a corporate money rat here. Just another way to eek more out of the consumer. I would price one out just to see how outrageous that cost would be. I'll bet it's north of $500. I would also be curious to see if it's a name brand or some low-end el'cheapo.
Then I would be interested to see what kind of outputs are on the back of the head unit and if it would be possible to add your own amp and sub to the stock unit without too much trouble and mount it in the factory location. Then you could get what you want and still have it cost less then the factory sub.
desmolicious says:
06:06 PM, 10/28/08
Lessee now, $40K for an econo car that you have to pay extra for the sub woofer.
Sweeeet!
g__ says:
09:22 PM, 10/28/08
Price is $270.00 with the usual caveats about "*Price shown does not include installation costs. Actual price is set by the dealer and may differ by dealer based on local installation or labor costs"
There is no mention of the brand or power rating.
(http://www.subaru.com/shop/accessories.jsp?model=IMPREZAWRX&trim=STI&category=SOUND)
I really think they're being cheap buggers with this and that Edmund's should go try to buy and install it like a normal owner with a quest for bass would and/or shop the alternatives.
redwoodaggie says:
09:40 PM, 10/28/08
I know the Japanese car makers like to out do the Germans, but this is ridiculous. Although BMW brought the Logic 7 stereo in the 335i back into $$ option land though (really makes me mad), so maybe they're fighting back!
bimmerjay says:
11:00 PM, 10/28/08
"Although BMW brought the Logic 7 stereo in the 335i back into $$ option land though (really makes me mad), so maybe they're fighting back!"
At the same time they also dropped the price of it from $1200 to $875 (at least).
ace47 says:
01:27 AM, 10/29/08
"Lessee now, $40K for an econo car that you have to pay extra for the sub woofer."
Since when did an STI become an econocar?
greenpony says:
03:38 AM, 10/29/08
So you're going through the options list and you select the checkbox for nav system, noting that there's a subwoofer adjustment included. Hey that's pretty sweet. No aftermarket head unit needed. Then you come to find out that there's no subwoofer. Bummer.
That's like selecting the box for real-time traffic updates, only to find out that satellite radio and/or a nav system are extra. So you get the updates, yes. You just can't hear or see them.
sbcooke says:
06:01 AM, 10/29/08
Wow. That is really poor by Subaru. When I got my STI, I read all the options and pretty much thought that if you got the NAV you got the subwoofer too.
coletrickle says:
06:48 AM, 10/29/08
It's not going to sound any better with it. Trust me, I went this route with my 2002 WRX and it's a waste of money.
If you want even decent stereo sound you have to put in your own.
redleggt says:
06:56 AM, 10/29/08
If you go to the Subaru website and "build your own"(STI), the subwoofer is listed in Step 3 "choose your accessories" along with Satellite Radio Kits. I have a Legacy GT and I had to purchase my subwoofer separately also- which does make a considerable difference BTW. Installation however was a nightmare. The center console, glove box, and headunit had to be removed. Good thing it was something that needed to be done only once.
subytrojan says:
07:09 AM, 10/29/08
FWIW, the system in my 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan with the "upgraded speakers" and subwoofer under the front passenger seat sounds *much* better than the MY2008+ Impreza base stereo.
bkochuk says:
07:51 AM, 10/29/08
Cheap, cheap, cheap.
There's just no other way around it. Makes you wonder where else they cut a few corners...
sbcooke says:
09:22 AM, 10/29/08
I appreciate the comments of how bad the stereo sounds...however I have the stock system. The radio does sound terrible, but as I have posted in the other blog...it isn't all bad news...I think the sound from mp3, either from mp3 cd or ipod sounds pretty good. Not the best ever, but actually on the good side of things. I appreciate the built in mp3 6 disk cd changer in the stock unit.
bankerdanny says:
10:16 AM, 10/29/08
I'm not surprised. To get XM or Sirius in my "satellite ready" '07 Forester requires not the simple the $50 satellite receiver and antennae you can buy at Circuit City, but the $350 special magic Subaru only controller/receiver box.
In fairness, GM does this too, but it still smells of a scam, and for any Sirius/XM executive who might stumble on this post, it's one of the main reasons I don't subscribe to your service.
jerrywimer says:
10:17 AM, 10/31/08
I haven't seen any non-XM GM vehicles advertised as "satellite ready", though any vehicle that didn't come with it CAN be upfitted with the factory pieces. So I wouldn't call it a scam in that case- GM just offers a setup with XM satellite radio, and sometimes, one without, as options on the order checklists. The don't offer a midway option that's "satellite ready" and have their salepeople primed to make big bucks selling the rest of the kit if you go for it.
the_big_al says:
11:01 AM, 10/31/08
yes - GM doesn't have an XM-ready option. It's either all or none and I think that most vehicles unless it's the bare bones absolute base model (work trucks and vans) have XM already along with a 3 month subscription. After that you have to pay for the XM service and that might be where some are getting the "XM-ready" idea.
If you don't pay for the service you don't get the service, but that's not a GM thing. That's an XM thing. But at least you don't have to buy any additional equipment. You just dial a phone number, give a little bit of info and you're all set to go.