grethec

Anyone? Trying to get a brand and hopefully a model number. Thanks!

Hey Thanks spicypeanut , this photo is from the web but it's exactly the same unit

Hi, Does anyone know who makes the head unit for my 2015 Forester 2.5i Premium? I've seen Harmon Kardon and Clarion mentioned. Thanks, Greg

Thanks Bratman, I'll give a listen to the setup with the "Easter egg" adjustments first-- might be just fine. I used to sell high end audio and know good sound. I don't have high expectations at all but I found that the initial settings of the stereo had been over tweaked. Virtual bass on, enhancements on, Bass and treble were all the way up (maybe when the car was test driven). I tend to like my music much "flatter" than what others like and my most recent adjustments seemed to have helped a lot.

Ha! Just learned that there are some hidden settings in the stock head unit (type- that came with my new Forester. Essentially, there are some Easter Egg settings that you can edit by pressing various button combinations which allows you to adjust the Loudness as well as the bass settings. This video helped me along: A reminder, my original complaint about the audio was this: Even with virtual bass off, and the bass, mid and treble set flat, there was too much bass and too much treble and the midrange tonality was not very present. Turning off the virtual bass helped. Bumping up the midrange added clarity to vocals and middle tones, especially at higher speeds, but they also sounded more canned. I'll need to drive with the music playing to see if the new settings helped but on first listen, midrange clarity seemed better and the bass was tighter. I'll report the full results in a day or so. G From my iThingy

Thanks for your reply Cougar and Keith, To all, We ended up buying the Forester based on the car first and foremost. We did get the premium version with the 6 speaker setup. I'm a little disappointed overall with the sound; a little too much "thump and sizzle" for my tastes, meaning to much bass and treble. The bass, mid and treble adjustments are a little too basic for fine tuning the sound. So I am looking for ways to tame the bass and treble in my 2015 Forester "type b" audio system. Some options I'm considering: 1- Quick upgrade to the speakers up front. If anyone has suggestions of speakers that fixed the sound issues, please advise. 2- I learned I can over-write the preset EQ settings on my iPhone in iTunes and load them into my phone. So that's 10 bands of tonality I can adjust perhaps to bring the boomy bass down and soften the treble a touch. Trial and error in that I create an EQ curve on the home PC, sync and then listen in the car. In a perfect world, someone with discerning ears has already found an iTunes EQ curve that plays nice with my 2015 Forester "Type B" audio set. Anybody? 2 more questions: 1: Does Virtual Bass just bump up the bass? I'm hearing some trebles gain too with virtual bass on. 2: How does "sound restorer" impact the sound? It's just the treble, right? If anyone is else having the same audio issues that I'm having please feel free to weigh in on this topic. Of course prefer to not spend any more dollars so I welcome all suggestions! Thanks Greg

Hi Folks, I'm new to this forum so don't make fun of me if I ask dumb questions! Considering either a new 2015 Forester or 2016 model. How do you like the quality of the audio in the Forester. We'll probably get the premium with the 6 speakers. We're also looking at the Toyota Rav4 but leaning much more towards the Forester. Anyway, if you have heard comments about the sound quality of the Rav 4, please way in. Sadly, I haven't really had a chance to listen to the audio in either car. I'm a little picky about sound quality. At home, I have a pretty nice audio setup (about 3k, albeit on the older side). Anyway, the system in my 2007 Mazda 5 (4 speaker), is the only thing I can compare the new cars sound to and the Mazda's audio is pretty ok. So if the Forester's is as good or better, I'll be happy, I think. Your opinions, please! Thanks in advance, Greg