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Old 05-14-2014, 10:40 AM   #1
ronaldvalente
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Member#: 390730
Join Date: May 2014
Location: NC
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Limited
CWP

Default 2015 WRX Audio Plans (Added Pictures of Install)

Car Details

2015 Subaru WRX Limited
Crystal White Pearl with Black Leather Interior

Goal

Clean stock look with a much superior sound.

Requirements
  • No Splicing/Cutting Factory Harness
  • Retain SWC
  • Very Clean Look
  • Head Unit with CarPlay
  • Much Better Speakers
  • Properly Matched Amplifier
  • Retain Most Trunk Space

Vehicle Speaker Reference

Note: The 2015 WRX is the same as the 2012+ Impreza, Do not use the 2013/2014 Impreza WRX/STI option on Crutchfield!
  • Front 1 - 6.5" - 3.25"
  • Tweeters - 2.5" - 2"
  • Rear 1 - 6.5" - 3.30"


Head Unit

When the head unit goes in (see the notes under speakers section below) It will need to retain steering wheel controls and look very clean. CarPlay is a must. Looking for functionality and quality instead of every feature available. Nav not required because CarPlay.

Speakers

The speakers below were chosen because they have inline crossovers, this makes for a very clean look and much better sound than stock.

Speaker Adapters

Getting them from http://www.subaruaudio.net - Patrick is amazing to work with and his products look extremely impressive.
So far Patrick has been great to work with and puts my mind at ease when it comes to fit. It also opens up your options to all the 6.5" or 6.75" speakers out there!
[*]2012+ Impreza/2015 WRX & STI Spacers & Dash Adapters http://www.subaruaudio.net/subaru-speaker-spacers/

Speaker Wiring Harness

The wiring harnesses require an override at crutch field because they do not think the Focals fit in the car. With Patricks speaker adapters they do!
  • Metra 72-8104 - Door Speakers Only http://www.amazon.com/Metra-72-8104-Speaker-Connector-Vehicles/dp/B0002BBP7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400114648&sr=8-1&keywords=Metra+72-8104

Amplification

So I bit the bullet and decided to do it right and get an amp installed. That said, I don't trust myself to do this right. I am going to run the stock HU until the CarPlay Alpine HU comes out. I will be putting in an Arc Audio XDi 1100.5 http://www.arcaudio.com/c/amplifiers_xdi-v2-amplifiers

Image Section

Tint



Tweeter Install






Speaker Adapaters




OEM Speakers (All Doors)



Front Doors



Rear Doors

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Last edited by ronaldvalente; 06-15-2014 at 11:56 AM. Reason: amp section
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Old 05-14-2014, 01:52 PM   #2
CMoranRVA
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How do you expect to properly power your components without an amp? Sure, they'll play, but they won't sound very good.

There's a way to run an amp without cutting through the firewall. Run the power cable from the battery up to the top of the hood (driver side) and drop it down the hole into the fender. From there you can run it back into the cabin through the same opening used for the door speaker wire.

As for the dash tweeters, check out the adapters sold by IA Performance. I should be getting mine tomorrow.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:01 PM   #3
ronaldvalente
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The AVH-4000NEX should have enough power for the C2 speakers, obviously not ideal. Is it just going to be a huge waste of time not adding an amp?
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:12 PM   #4
CMoranRVA
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If you were putting some cheap coaxials in, no biggie. But if you're putting in good components, you really need to power them. JL makes an amp you could easily fit under the seat.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:17 PM   #5
ronaldvalente
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMoranRVA View Post
If you were putting some cheap coaxials in, no biggie. But if you're putting in good components, you really need to power them. JL makes an amp you could easily fit under the seat.
Ok so quickly glancing at crutchfield for amps, I found 3 which are reasonable in terms of power. I am not looking to shake the rivets out of my car mind you, I just want good clean sound.

Focal FD 4
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_091FD43....html?tp=35782

JL Audio JX 360
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX36....html?tp=35782

JL Audio XD 400
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1369860....html?tp=35782

Also, can someone explain to me the different between SVXdc's harness vs the Metra 70-7552...

Last edited by ronaldvalente; 05-14-2014 at 02:18 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:22 PM   #6
phenryiv1
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So while a component setup will certainly sound BETTER with an amp, I pulled my amp in my 2011 WRX after about 2 years and have my Rainbow components and Focal coaxials running (GASP!) off of the headunit for the time being. They do have limitations in how loud they can play with distortion versus their headroom on the amp but I wanted to see how they sounded without the amp (plus I needed that 8 gauge 12V+ and ground for another experiment) and thye certainly don't sound bad.

In my case may re-amp them with something like the Alpine 445U Power Pack but it isn't like the sound goes all to crap as soon as you pull the amp.

The C2 line is fairly modest, particularly for the JL offerings. If he was looking to run the C5 series I'd say it is a waste without an amp (I say the same thing about Alpine Type-R, Focal polyglass, etc.) but he can always add an amp later, either in the form of a full-fledged underseat amp, a compact digital amp, or something like the PowerPack.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:26 PM   #7
ronaldvalente
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So I have two options I am thinking about right now...

Option 1:
Get two pairs of the C2-650x coaxials for fronts and rears, and not use the dash speakers.

Option 2:
Get one pair of the C2-650x coaxials for the rear and one pair of the C2-650 components for the fronts, and place the tweeters in the dash speaker area.

Links to both speakers:

http://www.amazon.com/JL-Audio-C2-650X-Evolution%C2%99-speakers/dp/B002PJ7FVG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400072307&sr=8-2&keywords=JL+Audio+C2650
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136C265...650.html?tp=94

The reason for the C2's is so they could be powered by the head unit itself... hopefully. If not then I need to rethink my plans.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:33 PM   #8
phenryiv1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ronaldvalente View Post
So I have two options I am thinking about right now...

Option 2:
Get one pair of the C2-650x coaxials for the rear and one pair of the C2-650 components for the fronts, and place the tweeters in the dash speaker area.

The reason for the C2's is so they could be powered by the head unit itself... hopefully. If not then I need to rethink my plans.
I'll sell you my Boston Acoustics GTA-504 for $75 and solve your amp issues. It fits under your seat and is more than enough to drive the C2s.

And go with option 2.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:37 PM   #9
thill
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Option 2. Honestly, they are efficient speakers and may or may not give you what you want/need. If you find them lacking you can always add an amp later.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:49 PM   #10
ronaldvalente
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Yeah I would rather spend the extra $100 on the speakers for now, and add the amp later if I find it to be lacking too much. This will keep the install price lower for now, and I will still be able to enjoy the upgrade.

I just need to make this system sound better than my current car which is an Infiniti G37 with a bose (crap) system. Basically same as stock WRX but with DSP.

Its annoying that Amazon doesn't sell the C2 component speakers but I guess thats ok.
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:51 PM   #11
ronaldvalente
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If I were to get an amp I would match it up with the JL to have similar voicing. That said I would keep the costs right by getting the JX360... have to check dimensions when I get the car. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX36...er-reviews-tab
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Old 05-14-2014, 02:59 PM   #12
phenryiv1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ronaldvalente View Post
Its annoying that Amazon doesn't sell the C2 component speakers but I guess thats ok.
http://www.amazon.com/JL-Audio-C2-650-Component-Speaker/dp/B0036D1DQI
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Old 05-14-2014, 03:00 PM   #13
ronaldvalente
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I guess I should have clarified, I only buy things from Amazon if they are "Ships and Sold By Amazon.com" I have had too many bad experiences otherwise.
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Old 05-14-2014, 03:11 PM   #14
thill
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Do you have to buy the speakers from Amazon?
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Old 05-14-2014, 03:12 PM   #15
ronaldvalente
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thill View Post
Do you have to buy the speakers from Amazon?
No, I don't have to, but I have Amazon prime. That said Crutchfield is fine with me as well.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:29 PM   #16
CMoranRVA
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If you can afford it, get the amp now. You seem like someone not keen on taking things apart, do it right the first time.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:41 PM   #17
ronaldvalente
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMoranRVA View Post
You seem like someone not keen on taking things apart, do it right the first time.
Man, how could you guess ;-)

Has anyone used the JL Audio JX360 amp? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX36....html?tp=35782
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:50 PM   #18
CMoranRVA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ronaldvalente View Post
Man, how could you guess ;-) Has anyone used the JL Audio JX360 amp? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX36....html?tp=35782
Do you plan to ever run a sub? If so, get a 5-channel. If not, that's adequate. I'd suggest checking Craigslist too.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:52 PM   #19
ronaldvalente
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Don't plan on running a subwoofer... I also need the amp to fit under the seat. I want to be able to use my trunk and fold my back seats down.

CMoranRVA: Did you replace your speakers in your WRB 2015 WRX? I ask because I am trying to find out what harness to use for the dash tweeters so I do not need to cut the wires.

My whole goal here is to not cut or splice a single wire.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:55 PM   #20
CMoranRVA
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I used these for the doors, and I believe they fit the tweeters as well ( I get them tomorrow):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002BBP7Y?pc_redir=1399855017&robot_redir=1
Keep in mind you need to wire in the crossover for your new components, as the built-in crossover is attached to the stock tweeter.
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:03 PM   #21
CMoranRVA
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Here's my trunk (currently):

<img src="http://flic.kr/p/nBJR7a">
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:05 PM   #22
CMoranRVA
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Crap. Don't know what I'm doing wrong.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/sickboi/14187929385/
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:08 PM   #23
ronaldvalente
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Very nice!

How hard was the amp run?

One more question I have been trying to answer... backup camera...

With your new head unit, did it still function after the upgrade?

Thanks again!
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:12 PM   #24
CMoranRVA
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Amp run was super easy, this was actually my first full install on my own. Read up on everything you can find, so google searches for the question followed by "forum" and you'll find valuable info. Main thing is to make sure you ground it properly.

The MFD (which includes backup camera) is not impacted, other than not being able to see song info on it any more.
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:27 PM   #25
ronaldvalente
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMoranRVA View Post
The MFD (which includes backup camera) is not impacted, other than not being able to see song info on it any more.
Key! Thanks man, appreciate all the help.
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