I just got a 24 BRZ! I wouldn’t call myself an “audiophile,” but I love EDM, and honestly, the car’s sound system isn’t cutting it, especially at higher volumes. I’m looking to upgrade the sound system to something that really delivers. I don’t mind spending a bit, but I don’t want to go overboard if I won’t notice the difference. My car has an 8-speaker system—two tweeters up top, two on the doors, and two behind the front seats. So, here’s my question: what brands are worth investing in, and how much should I expect to save for a quality setup? Any advice would be super helpful, especially since this is my first car and I’m new to this!
Just to clarify, sounds like you might have 6 speakers total—two tweeters, two mids in the doors, and two mids in the back. Where are the other two? Also, does your stereo have a setting for front or all-seat audio? For the best sound, focus on upgrading the front tweeters and mids first, then add a sub for extra depth.
Setting a budget will help a lot. Around $1k will get you a decent setup, $2k for a better one, but it can go way up from there. If you’re not doing the labor yourself, double those numbers. Speaker quality matters, but setup is huge—decent speakers with the right setup can sound amazing, but great speakers with a poor setup won’t cut it. Maybe someone with experience on your car’s factory setup can give you more specifics.
@Casey
Gotcha, let me take some pics and post them here!
@Casey
Here’s a picture: https://placehold.co/600x400.png
@Mori
The tweeter is right next to another speaker in the front.
I’d start with sound deadening—it makes a big difference! For speakers, Rockford Punch is my go-to, but there are lots of similar quality brands. If you have a higher budget, maybe check out Focal Flax.
You could try adding the Harmon Kardon upgrade if that’s an option. My WRX sounded awesome with it, but without, it was just average.
There’s also a plug-and-play option that could be good if you want something easy: 86 / BRZ / FRS | OEM Audio Plus
Sound deadening, a LOC, and a sub will make it feel like a completely new setup. Highly recommend!
Here’s what I did with my first-gen BRZ: added sound deadening to the doors (outer skin, filled inner panel holes, and added closed-cell foam behind speakers), wheel wells, and trunk. Then I added a 10" JL sub and an HX280 amp to replace the stock amp for the door speakers. I also adjusted the crossover so the door speakers weren’t handling anything under 80Hz, which made a huge difference!
I ran that setup for 8 years with no issues. When one of my speakers finally started to wear out, I upgraded the head unit and added three-way components in the front. Didn’t even bother reconnecting the rear speakers.
If I could do it again with a bigger budget, I’d get a 6- or 8-channel DSP amp and a JL 300 or 500/1 mini amp. I think a fully active setup with proper tuning would make a big difference. Just remember it’s a small sports car, so you might hit a limit on what’s possible without going overboard. Try checking out ft86 forums for more tips; most of your questions have probably been covered there.