I am a happy owner of a new black 5 sp Xb. We did not get any upgrades.

Anyway, we have the stock stereo with 6 speakers and IMO is is one of the worst factory speakers I have heard in a new car. When I turn the fade all the way to the rear, I can hardley hear any music even with the vol. turned up to around 40. When I have it balanced, the front speakers seem to be getting to much power and the sound is very distorted. I have the stereo on hear instead of feel and it is a little better.

Is this the way they are supposed to be or should I take it back to the dealer to have it looked at? What is the optimal settings for bass, treble, fade, hear/feel?????

Also, if thsi is how it is supposed to be, what are some good options to upgrade the speakers for around $500?

 

Not sure about upgrade options, etc. but you might start by simply checking this, if you haven't already...

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...667&highlight=

 

there was the same thing with the tC...it was pretty quiet....the ssp button did the trick though

 

You sound like you may have been spoiled sometime in the past. I've had other cars that cost more and were supposed to have nice stereos. My Xb stereo blows them away. Sounds like you need to learn how to use yer radio.

 

You've at least figured out how to adjust things. When I first got mine the settings were really bad and it sounded like it was coming from a barrel covered in blankets -- boomy, flappy bass, too much midrange and no high end. I almost drove straight to a car audio place for upgrades or a total replacement.

But when I got home, I got out the manual and learned how to adjust the sound. Ah! That's much better. Some of my music sounds great, some just sounds kind of adequate, so a lot of it has to do with what I'm pumping through the system.

I'm getting a lot better bass than I expected without a subwoofer. In fact, sometimes there's too much and interior panels start buzzing. I'd still like a little more clarity throughout, and because of my hearing losses, I can never have too much top end, so I'm thinking of upgrading at least the dash speakers. And if I offload some of the bass to a small sub, that might relieve some of the work the door and back speakers have been trying to handle, which might clean up their output a bit. A good EQ wold help a lot, too.

 

the first thing i did was rip the radio and speakers out
with less than 9 miles on a 05 xb
the factory "pioneer" stuff does just really sound bad
poor imaging poor volume
just all around bad
up grade your radio and speakers
just my 2 cents

 

Mine was set to tc so I changed it and it made some differance. It still sounds week to me and the bass is very loose.

I would like to keep the deck and just upgrade the speakers. Anyone have any good speakers to look at that will work with the stock deck w/o an amp?

 

Well I orderd mine with the bazooka. Just because the thumpidy thump isnt what i'm after anymore. Plus people were always trying to jack my ____.

So after reading this I go out to the xB, hold the ssp and viola! Its a whole new readio! This thing sounds badass now, thanks for the tip.

 

Agreed, I think the xB sound is AMAZING, but seeing that I have driven in an 96 Elantra & 97 Quest both with 4 speakers my opinions may be different