Sound System Upgrade

[floormatt6]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum. About a month in with my new SE 2.0T and loving everything about it. EXCEPT the terrible sound system. I stuck with Package 1, not Nav package. I couldn't see spending 2900 when all I wanted was a better sound system. And that brings me to this post!

Has anyone upgrade the sound system? I'm looking to keep the head unit, but replace the speakers and add anything needed. Is there an amp with the stock system? Before I start peeling apart the trunk to find it (or not), I figured I'd ask here! Would swapping out the speakers alone give me more clarity? I'm not looking for anything heavy, just better quality. And I'm tired of hearing everything come from the front dash. It seems like the front and rear door speakers only add midrange. I've played around with the fade and EQ settings, but it does very little. And the volume is terrible! I'm used to playing music on 10 out of 50 on my 05 Elantra with a simple Sony head unit and pioneer speakers. Now I'm cranking the volume up to 30 out of 45 just to hear it over the city noise.

Does anybody have any recommendations? Be it speakers, amps, crossovers, subs... What have you done? Any advice would be great! I'm tired of listening to quiet muddy music!

[thegeach]

Hey Matt, welcome to the forum! After reading your whole post I can’t help but think something may be wrong with your current system. I have the same set-up you do and rarely turn the volume past 20. At that level I shake the mirrors and get what I think is pretty good sound quality weather the windows are up or down. I can agree with the less than ideal speaker positioning but it still sounds pretty good. Before you drop any cash on new stuff it might be worth your while to drop by a dealership and verify your stock system is working as it should. If it's not you might get a solution to your audio problem for free.

[floormatt6]

The two cars that I test drove weren't great either. I remember commenting about the quality of the system and was told that I should upgrade the sound system to the Nav/Sun package. Since I wasn't interested in the rest of the package, I chose to save the 3k and put a few hundred into just a new sound system. Maybe I will have them check it out, but I still think I will end up upgrading. Maybe I'm just not used to stock audio.

[cbx4evr]

I find volume varies with the source with XM needing more than USB for instance.

I'm normally running around 20.

[floormatt6]

That's actually something to look into also.

[2.0tspeed]

i wonder if swtching out the amp from the limited to the se would help

[floormatt6]

That's what I'm wondering. Is there an external amp in the SE without the Infinity package? I don't want to start tearing out my trunk lining unless I have to.

Whether there is or not, any recommendations on how to replace the speakers and install an amp? My last car was pretty simple plug'n'play. I haven't found much out there in regards to the audio setup.

[2.0tspeed]

my gli came with the sound package the only thing that was different was the amp after allot of gti owners found out thats all you needed to get the most out of the speakers it was on and everybody who bought the regular car just bought the upgraded amp and saved a ton of money. my jetts gli amp was under the seat lol

[floormatt6]

I was able to balance it out a bit today. I'm not used to setting the fade to -8 just to get a middle car sound. Are the rear door speakers angled towards the back seat? I'm used to back deck speakers which were angled towards the front.

Based on HMA Service reports, there is an amp in the trunk, along the right wall. I'll be digging into the trunk this weekend to find it. Hopefully its not just in the Limited. Might try to replace it to see if it makes enough of a difference or if the speakers should be swapped as well. If not it will end up going back to the store.

[thegeach]

Good luck with the project. Let us know what you find out and if it's not too much trouble, take some pictures along the way. That way if you do end up swapping things out we can all learn from your efforts.

[floormatt6]

Took apart the trunk today, on the hunt for the amplifier. HMA Service shows an amp on the right side of the trunk. No such luck. It was explicit about one component existing only for the SunNav package, but it didn't say anything about the amp. I assumed it would be there but to my surprise, it was not! First off, should it be? Second, has anyone installed an amp in the sonata? Easy to get the wiring back there?

[slapshot264]

Hi all, new to the forum also...Having the same issue with my sound as well. Floormatt6, keep us updated on what you do, I'm thinking about keeping the head unit and upgrade the factory speakers and add a small amp with a small 8 inch or so powered sub in the trunk. Been searching Crutchfield but I'm on the fence since its a brand new car.

[floormatt6]

It looks like the deck lid is cut for a sub. Just not the upholstery. Unless anyone else has an explanation for that 8 inch black bowl sitting in the upper side of the trunk?

[Fastlerner]

It looks like the deck lid is cut for a sub. Just not the upholstery. Unless anyone else has an explanation for that 8 inch black bowl sitting in the upper side of the trunk?

I've got the sun/nav package and that is indeed where the sub goes. When its installed stock, there's a nice grill in place on the top of the upholstered deck to let the air pass through.

If you're going to mount an aftermarket sub there, just make sure it's rated as a "free air" sub, as these are designed to be used in exactly this way (mounted in a deck with back open to trunk, not closed in a box).

[floormatt6]

Ok. Thanks.