Suggest you rethink you criteria of not using an amp on the door speakers.
(note most of my stereo advice relates to my 2016 Forester with the same 7" HU).

If you really don't want to use an amp, I suggest you upgrade the tweeters to the Subaru Kicker ones for $100 and be done. You'll get what IMO is the best sound you can without an amp. We did this on our 2016 Crosstrek Limited and the sound is decent, at least close to an average new car stereo or better. The 7" HU has much better sound quality than previous Subaru HUs, but it has no power to move any speaker other than a cheap paper cone (which is what the OEM speakers are).

I did try to run aftermarket door speakers off the 7" HU, using what were some of the highest sensitivity speakers recommend (JBL GT series, which are popular replacements). The sound was lacking, very thin and tiny, nothing on the lower 1/3 of the spectrum. The HU just couldn't move them. I then tried the Subaru Kicker door speakers, powered only off the HU. Again, tiny and anemic, not worth it, IMHO.

Then I put my amp in, and wow. I ended up keeping the Kickers since the fit was plug and play, but I did try the JBLs and they were great too.

i understand running wires for an amp is a pain. Also, with the current dash, removing the 7" HU is also a major pain in the rear. I did it on my Forester, but like I said, we didn't bother on the wife's Crosstrek. If you are serious about audio, bite the bullet, do some research and use an amp. If you just want an improvement, upgrade the tweeters only.

 

Suggest you rethink you criteria of not using an amp on the door speakers.
(note most of my stereo advice relates to my 2016 Forester with the same 7" HU).

If you really don't want to use an amp, I suggest you upgrade the tweeters to the Subaru Kicker ones for $100 and be done. You'll get what IMO is the best sound you can without an amp. We did this on our 2016 Crosstrek Limited and the sound is decent, at least close to an average new car stereo or better. The 7" HU has much better sound quality than previous Subaru HUs, but it has no power to move any speaker other than a cheap paper cone (which is what the OEM speakers are).

I did try to run aftermarket door speakers off the 7" HU, using what were some of the highest sensitivity speakers recommend (JBL GT series, which are popular replacements). The sound was lacking, very thin and tiny, nothing on the lower 1/3 of the spectrum. The HU just couldn't move them. I then tried the Subaru Kicker door speakers, powered only off the HU. Again, tiny and anemic, not worth it, IMHO.

Then I put my amp in, and wow. I ended up keeping the Kickers since the fit was plug and play, but I did try the JBLs and they were great too.

i understand running wires for an amp is a pain. Also, with the current dash, removing the 7" HU is also a major pain in the rear. I did it on my Forester, but like I said, we didn't bother on the wife's Crosstrek. If you are serious about audio, bite the bullet, do some research and use an amp. If you just want an improvement, upgrade the tweeters only.

Grrr... I was afraid someone was going to tell me I needed an amp!!

Any suggestions on a small amp that would do fine for powering the door speakers? And any placement suggestions?

An amp would require dash removal and custom bracket, is that correct?

Thanks for the input.

 

Alpine KTP-445U. $120 on Amazon, can be had a bit cheaper on Ebay. Can be powered off the stock stereo harness, you do not need to run a separate power wire, and installs between the stereo and speakers, using the speaker outputs from the stock HU for the amp inputs. It then amplifies the sound and outputs directly to the speakers through the factory harness. You will need to get the "breakout harness" from ae64.com, so you will not need to cut the factory harness. It really is plug and play, since you can do all of the wiring in your kitchen or garage. The amp is small enough to fit inside the dash under your stereo.

Word of caution, since this is a class D amp and runs off the factory harness, you will get a low level hiss from the speakers when your amp is on (ie: whenever your engine is on or the key is in the ACC position) regardless of whether you are listening to the stereo or not. It's not intrusive at all and you can't hear it when the car is moving. The sound is much, much better.

 

Don't you mean "thanks for the output"..... lol

 

I put the Polk db651s in my front doors. They are much clearer than the stock speakers. They are rated at 92db sensitivity. I used these spacers;

6½ 034 6 5 6 1 2 6 75 Subaru Factory Speaker Mount Plates Adapters Brackets Ring | eBay

 

Hello again CRAZYHAWK. So I intalled the front speakers yesterday. The mounts from ebay you recommended were a life saver. Do you know if the same mounts are needed for rear doors? For some reason I ordered these for the rear doors: "1 PAIR UNIVERSAL 6.5" / 6.75" SPEAKER ADAPTER Angled SPACER MOUNTS RINGS". I'm not sure why but I must have read it in a different post.

 

Crutchfield has the Polks for $60 with the harness.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DB651/Polk-Audio-db651.html?tp=95

 

Thanks Crazyhawk. I looked at these speakers on Crutchfield, but I didn't see any mention of the harness being included. Can you point me where it says that?

Thanks also for the link to the spacers.

 

One thing everyone needs to realise is perceived sound quality is subjective to each individual. Your not going to make your Crosstrek sound like the interior of a high end BMW. And there are a ton of reasons why that can't happen.That being said Crazyhawk has a point. Given the output of the HU, high sensitivity speakers is a good choice. Combine that with a powered sub with frequency filtering then you should be very happy.

 

I found these threads helpful;

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/...orum/interior-audio/1530-4-speaker-upgrade-install-fronts-rears-no-amp-sub.html

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/...or-audio/5169-best-buy-polk-dxi650-6-5-speakers-39-99-60-off-free-shipping.html

 

Thanks for the links NIGHTHAWK. I've read through these and yes, they're definitely helpful.

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_12071035L/Metra-71-035LC-Speaker-Wiring-Harnesses.html?tp=3097

Pretty sure this is the one I used. Yours should be the same.

 

Thanks for that info. That's the one (Metra 71-035LC) that Crutchfield noted when I ordered my speakers (I ended up getting the Polk DB651 that CRAZYHAWK linked to in a previous post). I ordered the Polk DB6501 components for the front doors from Amazon because Crutchfield no longer carried them.

So all is ordered. For the amp I went with the Alpine 4-channel MRV-F300, mainly because it's small size. I'm hoping to fit it under the passenger seat. It is also supposed to be really good at regulating its own temperature, so it shouldn't get too hot I'm hoping.

I ordered 36 sf of Noico 80 mil sound deadening mat from Amazon (Dynamat knockoff that is a lot less expensive and has pretty good reviews on Amazon and YouTube)

Speaking of which, from what I've read, Dynamat is a sound DEADENING application that dampens vibrations, but it is not a sound barrier. I've read that for barriers, I need to go with a self-adhesive CCF (Closed Cell Foam) and/or a MLV (Mass Loaded Vinyl). It seems that MLV is heavier and really only good for floor surfaces and CCF is better for inverted surfaces (door walls, roof). I don't think I'm going to tackle the floor of my Crosstrek, but I will do the doors since I'll have them disassembled for the speaker install, and the back hatch area. Can anyone make any recommendations for "best-bang-for-your buck" CCF and MLV?

If all goes well, I'll get to work on this next weekend!

 

Best "bang for your buck" you say?

https://youtu.be/pABvTWSxOes

 

Ha! Looks like I'll be stopping by Goodwill today to stock up on towels! :laugh:

 

Hey Guys. My first post on this forum.
Picking up the 2017 Crosstrek Limited next week. My wife's car.
Reading through this thread I'm surprised that there is no mention of upgrading both sets of front speakers - doors and tweeters. It is definitely more money but am I missing something? Putting 2 ways down in the bottom of the doors where you can not hear them seems like a bad idea. In all the years of playing with stereos the one thing I know is that tweeters should be at you head height for them to sound correct. I understand that if you just get 4 speakers but if that car come with the place for the tweeters?
So did anyone replace both front speakers and use a passive crossover? If so what speakers do you recommend? Was looking at the Alpine SPS-610C I would guess that almost any tweeter will fit under the large cover on the dash!

 

:welcome:
...to the forums, GregoryK!

You will see upgrades to all speakers, including the door speakers, tweeters, and even adding a subwoofer. You may not see them all in 1 thread, because they've generally been talked about separately: tweeters, 4 door speakers, and subwoofer.

There have been some creative upgrades, both straight forward with the OEM Kickers, and also with cheaper DIY/home upgrades, and other customized solutions. Look around, and if you have specific questions, you may want to start your own thread that's specific to your needs - I'd just recommend looking around, searching, and trying to navigate your own solution first.

 

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/interior-audio/11002-20-tweeter-upgrade.html

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/interior-audio/31513-36-tweeter-retrofit-stock-connections.html

 

I replace the tweeters and door speakers with the Subaru/Kicker upgrades. It's $300, but dead easy and the improvement is massive. I personally don't have a need for anything louder. When the volume is turned up, people in the rearview mirror look like characters from Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. I'm sure that aftermarket is cheaper and better, but the Kickers were done in 30 min.

 

I'm sure that aftermarket is cheaper and better, but the Kickers were done in 30 min.

Unless you get it done at a dealership... then it's an entire afternoon.

 

Though the Kicker is a perfect fit there are better sonic options out there. Depends on how much fitting you want to do and how good you are at it. HU is crap sound, adding an amp will make it louder, but not cleaner or better. I recommend ditching the HU and replacing it all.