OEM Premium system...should i?...would you?

[#45 10+ year member]

Below is the details. What i want is some input so i can make a good decision. My question is basically what and how much should i upgrade? My concern is wondering how much better will it really sound if i'm not going to invest thousands into it?

2012 Focus Titanium. Sony 10 speakers (including sub). 9 channel, 355rms watts, Sony custom made for car, class D,amp. 8" touch screen HU.

The car is on order, won't actually have it for several weeks, however i did take a similar one for test drive and i was checking out the system. I have to say it sounded really good and the HU was pretty impressive feature wise from what i could tell, BT, sirus radio, support for USB...etc. It seems to be pretty tightly integrated, includes something called SYNC. but its an 8 inch LCD...i didnt measure it but thats what the specs say.

Ok so i'm thinking the HU is probably about as good as i'd get aftermarket wise...as far as LCD size and features plus i got the NAV option too. But mostly it would be difficult to swap and maintain full functionality of original......input on this?

I'm definitely putting in my W6 sub and 1000 watt amp. i wondered about leaving the OEM sub and use the W6 crossed over at 50hz for the lower end?....i kinda like OEM sub, i guess how it looks, i dunno. I do kinda like the OEM look however, adding my sub kinda takes away from that but whatever.

The components i'm not sure about. I was reading at Focus forums of those who have swapped to aftermarket speakers such as JL and said they did not notice any improvement, one reported he got less mid bass after going with high end Alpines...the pics show the OEM 6.5's to be pretty beefy looking, poly cones..etc

So i wanted some input as far as upgrading those.....i'm sure if i spent $500++ on components it would improve but i'm talking a bit more rationally priced...would i notice much? Apparently the forum goers didnt and there were several such posts of aftermarket upgrades but i doubt they went Hertz Mille or anything.

The amp. Well i dunno here, i could put in a 4 channel amp, but no louder than what i normally listen to, i'm not sure if i should really mess with that, i'd hate to spend the money, swap then not hear any improvement or worse have it introduce noise.

As it sat, the few minutes i had with it, i thought the system sounded really good. I could slap in my Maxxbass processor easy enough to prep up the midbass and add my existing sub to it...but the others, think i should tamper with it? Most seem pretty down on OEM systems, i'll improve it if its within reason but if i had to spend a fortune, i'm not sure it would be worth it....any thoughts?

Separately, out of curiosity...what would you guys do with the audio system, if anything, if you just got this car?...btw, i know the consensus on Sony, i feel the same, but i guess they custom made it for the car, not that it means much quality wise.

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[zako 10+ year member]

The premium sound systems on some newer cars are fantastic. In a lot of cars you get a 3-way front stage, center channel speaker, surrounds, surround sound processing, some kind of a subwoofer, and a good amplifier for about $3000. Usually navi head unit is included and other electronics goodies. A lot of those setups sound great. I am betting you would end up spending just as much money or time if not more to improve upon those setups. So I personally would probably get a premium sound system after auditioning it, and add a better subwoofer later. When I am buying my next car, I will take about 10 test tracks on a USB thumb drive to evaluate the factory premium audio systems. Of course, if you are a die hard DIYer and you know how to mount a DIY 3-way front stage speakers and the rest of equipment in the right places, perhaps you don't need the premium package. In the end, it's your call.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

it all depends on how much time youre willing to put into the install yes the factory system sounds good but with the right install and decent aftermarket equipment you could easily have a better system. personally i stay away from any high number speaker system as the for the most part are just marketing ploys. my cruze premier sound system actually uses the same speakers as the regular just with an amp, a center channel, and two 6x9 subs all of which i have removed for better sound

 

[zako 10+ year member]

Well, the claims of 10-12 speaker systems are indeed a marketing ploy. If the car has a 3-way front stage, they count each component speaker as a speaker. So just there you have 6 speakers. Next, count a center channel, surrounds, and a sub, and you have a 10 speaker system. In the end, it all depends on the particular car. Budget cars may not have strong premium systems but some of newer luxury brand cars have pretty nice well-thought out setups.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

yea i hear ya i pulled my factory amp and put my own so much better pulled the center though cause it was so quiet u didnt know it was there, and the 6x9 subs are being replaced by a couple of sundown z 12s. honestly i think the best upgade for my car would be new tweets as the factories are toned down so the uneducated people dont blow them. anyway all and all i would never pay for a premium system for the speakers id pay for the upgraded dash features but the speakers are placed for the manufactuers convenience not the best sound. ever notice that your mids are almost always in the doors, were as kick panels are normally better for sound staging. its just keeping the process cheap and simple. ive sat in alot of cars with premium thousands of dollars systems but i havent found 1 that i like yet. yes they sound ok but they are not tailored to my ears to they arent perfect

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I would just upgrade the sub stage and keep everything else as is.

 

[SPLaudio 5,000+ posts]

^ agree add a loc and add substage!

just unhook factory sub. after that if you wanted to do more replace the factory speakers but leave the factory amp and such...

 

[#45 10+ year member]

Well the Focus Titanium comes with the premium audio system regardless...i'm not getting Titanium for the audio, but for everything else plus it has more available options such as larger rims, winter packages, leather seats...etc. So its not really an optional package per say, its just part of the upgraded model.

I already have a sub and amp. The speakers..etc i would have to purchase, so thats the thing, i'm not gonna spend some $500+ just for 2 component speakers if thats what it takes for noticeable improvements. Now if i could swap them in the $200-$300 category and notice the difference i would, but some are saying on the forum they didnt notice or lost mid bass....thats what scares me into tinkering.

So i'll just do as splaudio and kushy dreams suggests and just add my sub/amp. Thanks for the input all. more opinions always welcome.

Well, the claims of 10-12 speaker systems are indeed a marketing ploy. If the car has a 3-way front stage, they count each component speaker as a speaker. So just there you have 6 speakers. Next, count a center channel, surrounds, and a sub, and you have a 10 speaker system.

yeah i know, i don't care if its just 2 speakers if it sounds that good. i was just listing the specs, i know the doors have 6.5's with soft dome tweaters, i saw pics on Focus Forums and both the mid and tweeter were pretty beefy looking...not that it says anything, but at least they look more like aftermarkets now compared to most OEM's of past. I don't think it has passive crossovers, i think their hooked to the amp seperately so it must have a built in crossover...hence i guess why its a 9 channel amp. I do plan to add sound deadner cause well i have some, might as well use it.