Subaru Stereo Hidden Menu, Tweaks, and Optimization

[@Anthony1337]

Absolutely amazing simple trick. I was really disappointed in the stock deck in my 2013 WRX, after seeing this the difference is day and night! Thanks so much man!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks Anthony. Glad it made your day. Appreciate your support.

[@WRXSHIN]

A lot of people complain that the dealer should've told you this, but frankly mine didn't and i'm sure a couple others might've missed it. Thanks for a detailed tutorial!

[@michaelchesbrough]

Works on new 2015 WRX Premium. I was so pissed when I picked it up and was driving it home. Spent a few minutes playing with the equalizers and was like, wtf, how does a new vehicle have a radio that sounds this bad?! Awesome fix thank you so much. Have no idea why they aren't set like this to begin with...

[@BobbyKolahi]

I know right? They should just hire me and have me tweak each one before sending them out. More happy customers I think.

[@catman6995]

I'm 60 years old...I just got my new STI 2013 sedan thanks for the help sounds soooo much better. Wish I would have known this before the 3 hr drive home from the dealer. Now for that 12" sub install. Rock on!

[@nightVzn]

Anyway, thank you for the well-done demo. Obviously your camera recording doesn't do the sound justice, but that's part of the fun -- makes me want to go see for myself just what my Clarion can do with these tweaks.

[@digitalbots]

tried this on my 2008 and it worked and now my radio sounds amazing

[@BobbyKolahi]

digitalbots FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for watching!

[@Bunny2point0]

Picking up my '14 STI today, and will definitely give this a try. Thank you very much for the video!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Let me know how it goes.

[@GeorgeSanDiablo]

Thanks Bobby!!! I Picked Up My 2015 STI Launch Edition Yesterday & I Loved Everything On The Car Except I Was So Disappointed With The Stereo! On My Way Back From a Border Town Called Tecate a Border Patrol Agent Asked Me About My Car & I Told Him About My Only Disappointment And He Recommended Your Videos! Thanks Again Man Those Little Tweaks Sure Make a Hell Of a Difference!!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

No way! That's awesome!!! WOW! You just made my day! Thank you!

[@tammai7286]

Thanks man, I'll be doing this on my 2015 WRX as soon as I leave work this evening!

[@nymerc21]

since the moment i picked up my 2015wrx i hated the stock unit and was trying to find a decent unit and then i found this video,, u just saved me some money , kudos bro

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks Kazi!

[@krwagner119]

Thanks! I dumped a ton of money into replacing all my speakers and the tweeters, adding an amp, and dampening pads to the doors of my 14 crosstrek, but didn't want to replace the HU and lose my steering wheel controls. Now I can improve the sound even more!

[@johnevans3233]

Wow! I just bought a 2015 WRX STI and was totally disillusioned with the inferior sound system and was considering upgrading it. After changing the settings that you recommended it sounds like a totally different stereo system, thank you so very much for that. Instead of spending the money on a new stereo I can now use it for the damm premium fuel I have to put in this thing and the speeding tickets that I seem to be accumulating! LOL

[@BobbyKolahi]

John Evans It's so worth it though! Hey....We only live once right?

[@indybruce2082]

I have a 14 Crosstrek and this did amazing things to the sound! It is like I just upgraded to a much more expensive system. Thanks so much for taking the time to post the tweak!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Indybruce My pleasure! Glad I could help!

[@lolohnoes]

Very cool, thanks! The 'loud' function fills in where the speed-sensitive volume fell a little short.

[@nightVzn]

3 years with my '10 2.5GT and never knew there were "cheat codes!" Have to play with this more, but already discovered "Loud" was always on, and turning it off has helped a lot. Could never use my underseat sub to full potential -- bass was too boomy/percussive and tended to ignore all but drums. Had the Kicker trunk sub and had to remove it after 2 weeks because it only intensified the problem, and unlike the underseat sub, can't be adjusted. Now I can crank up the bass and get deep/rich sound.

[@JoshuaWilliamsMA83]

Just did this to my 2014 2.0i Hatch. You're going to save me some data charges because I may listen to FM again. The other nice thing is that CD's and Pandora sound even better now too! For CD's and Pandora if I really wanted to crank it, 30 was my usual volume level. Now I have to keep it to 25-26. FM at 30 sounds almost as good now. Makes me even more happy I installed the Kicker 6.5's!

[@BobbyKolahi]

That's awesome Josh! Glad you are happy. Thanks for watching!

[@Dreamtheater1928prog]

nice work, was always interested what the 'sedan' / 'wagon' setting was all about. I did all those things you mentioned, makes a BIG difference. Cheers mate.

[@jeffreykweller1035]

I am so grateful to you and this viedo. I have a 2014 Impreza sport, great car, but the worst radio and speakers I have ever had. I am 66 and have had many cars in my time. I was ready to spend big buck, to remedy this problem.. Now I will not. Thanks Bobby, your the best.

[@milwniteowl]

Worked awesome on my lesser model CZ601U1 on my 08 impreza 2.5i hatch. Thanks man!

[@julief6044]

Thank you!!! I was ready to replace the speakers!

[@kamontravelon]

Thanks Bobby! I have a 09 Impreza, It has a stock Type 2 Pioneer, these hidden menu options are the same and works like a charm :) Thanks Again

[@BobbyKolahi]

Oh my pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@ptak257]

Thanks for the info! I have the kicker OEM option but b/c it's such a small box I uninstalled it and put equivalent of 75% of internal volume with polyfill; this helped some with the lower bass frequencies but still not as good as I'd like (mid bass is pretty good as is). These codes definitely made a difference. Thanks! BTW: my preferred settings are bass at 3-4, mid -2, and treb 5. With the mids lower, the bass has a cleaner sound, just IMO. Thanks again!!!

[@Getoutside2day]

Thanks for sharing this mod. It worked as all the steps you provided on my OEM hu in my 2013 Impreza 5-door. Thanks bud.

[@REALDIALM]

Sweet now I can blow out the stock speakers!

[@robbiemoore1274]

Holy crap Most things today can blow your mind but this BLASTED MY MIND !

[@BobbyKolahi]

Robbie Moore Thanks Robbie!

[@shawntaizi9106]

Tried it on my XV OMG the sound is way better Thanks a million bro

[@52fordf1]

I think that's the exact stereo in the 2013 crosstrek. It will help me out a Lot when I do my speaker upgrades. Thanks

[@BobbyKolahi]

Someone else said it works. Thanks for watching!

[@TrentMayo]

Just helped the sound in my new Crosstrek, thanks for the info!

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure. Amazing what a little tweaking can do, huh?

[@vnitto]

Thanks so much for this video. My 2015 WRX Premium had NO bass at all, I was utterly disappointed. The loudness and through mode you explained are so helpful. I watched the video a little late though. I already ordered Pioneer AVHX5600BHS In-Dash DVD Player, Alpine SPR-60 6-1/2" Coaxial 2-Way Type-R Speakers for front and rear, and a Alpine PDX-F4 4/3/2 Power Density Digital Amplifier before I watched the video. I sure hope it sounds a lot better than stock with your optimizations or I am gonna be upset :)

[@BobbyKolahi]

Yes and you will love that even more. Thanks for watching!

[@52fordf1]

Yep does work with crosstrek. Now I need the kicker upgrade or a great set of focals. Thanks again

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure.

[@Mookaton]

Wow thanks man, I can confirm this works on 2015 WRX stock clarion HU.

[@bchelfrich]

I have a base 2015 STi .... this just BLEW MY WORLD!!! My stock system was so horrid that I was embarassed to drive around with people in it. Now, it rocks! I dont think I even need to upgrade a thing. Shame on Subaru for sending cars out like that....THANK YOU BOBBY!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Brian Helfrich My pleasure Brian! Thanks for watching!

[@btt327x]

Brian Helfrich Same! I hated the stock stereo but now with these settings, its 100x better. Thanks Bobby Kolahi

[@Altek1]

Mind = Blown. I'm happy to hear you say it's not a bad stereo, because before even knowing this I thought just that. Don't get me wrong, it's not all that great but compared to other cars this one is pretty solid. I'm very happy with the Bluetooth operation. Every time I get in my car it starts my music via Bluetooth without fail, regardless of what model phone I have. From what I've noticed, that is a rare feature to come by. Good video bro!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Alex DiRaffaele Thanks Alex!

[@MrThunderx91]

Thanks man awesome video. I got a '14 and I remember from my 05 WRX that the audio quality was sub-par (as is my '14 WRX). I don't have the sub by my music streamed from my phone is so dull. Can't wait to give it a try

[@BobbyKolahi]

Let me know how it goes Jeff

[@djcdub3712]

Big thanks for this. I was never happy with the stereo in my 2012 Forester when I got it. Friends even commented that it had potato speakers. Service crew at two Sub dealers said sorry nothing they can do. One even commented if you think yours is bad you should have heard the 2010. What kind of comment is that. Anyway this works and makes it more bearable until I upgrade I guess Cheers

[@BobbyKolahi]

DJ CDUB AWESOME!!!! Glad I could help!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Great feedback and thanks for watching. Most appreciated.

[@BobbyKolahi]

I researched a lot of forums and picked parts that worked. Some of it was just by luck and not giving up on patterns.

[@bobbylininger5022]

Thanks a lot for this, i didnt even know these options existed. i cant wait to play around with them

[@winkmedia]

Works like a charm on my 2015 STI and sounds so much better! Thanks for the video!

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure. Glad I could help!

[@syafiq302]

Worked on my impreza 08!!! So much better than normal!!! Thanks!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. Have a good one! Enjoy!

[@BobbyKolahi]

No problem. Thanks for watching

[@BobbyKolahi]

No problem. I hear the factory speakers are amazing. I don't know if you will get more amazing sound out of them by changing them. They are Clarion speakers which are pretty amazing already.

[@baileystu]

Thanks for sharing. Never knew these tweaks existed.

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching

[@MrNurse-cr1lq]

You're awesome. I keep hearing how bad the stereo is but here are ways to make them better. Should be get a '14 wagon so ill use these tweeks

[@BobbyKolahi]

Sweet! Congrats!

[@mtucci58]

Thanks Bobby, great info... will try it on my 2015 Subaru Forester, the radio sounds as bad as you describe. It's my wife's car and she hates the radio sound.

[@BobbyKolahi]

+Ralph M Pl pleasure Ralph! Thanks for watching!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Sounds great! Thanks for watching.

[@TooSurprising]

Bobby, you're the man. Can't wait to got try this now and hopefully be impressed. Thank you.

[@BobbyKolahi]

TooSurprising Let me know how it works for ya. Thanks for watching!

[@TooSurprising]

thanks man

[@MRBtheFIFTH]

Dude, this video changed my life!!!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks for sharing MRB!

[@BobbyKolahi]

No problem at all. Yes it totally helps even with the stock sub.

[@kidsolo36]

I just swaped out my clarion on my 2012 sti for the alpine ine920hd and total thumps .. In really pushes the factory speakers nicely

[@captainnemo5435]

Works on a 2010 base model Impressa - sounds great!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Captain Nemo AWESOME! Thanks for watching!

[@JeffManseau]

Bro you are AMAZING! Just got a brand new Impreza with a different but very similar deck and OMG it sounded horrible like garbled noise even at fairly low volumes. The dealer said that was that so I was going to buy another deck and then I stumbled upon your video and you just saved me from buying a new deck. Now you wouldn't happen to have a video for when your iPhone won't reconnect on its own when the car starts would you? ;)

[@skimaniac05]

That worked really great on my '13 Impreza Sport. Thanks man!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrMIX069]

Wow! Big difference! Great Vid! Worked Perfect on my 09 STI!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Fantastic! That's for the comments!

[@mariolangevin7790]

Thanks. Just got a Touring 2012 model. Sound is so bad. Even my old Yaris 2007 is way better sounding. The video did help. Merci beaucoup Bobby.

[@dragonsicolumbo]

Awesome. I went out and did this as soon as I saw your video.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Nice! How were your results?

[@JuhoZz1]

Very nice man! Worked on my 09 impreza. Was dissapointed on this audio system be4 this lil secret :D still needs sub..

[@BobbyKolahi]

Nice!

[@PpJjStock]

Awesome video, helps A LOT! Thank you so much!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Glad I could help!

[@nfssable]

Thanks Bobby! I have the same stereo in my 2012 Forester and this helped!

[@BobbyKolahi]

+Scott Smith Thanks for watching Scott!

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@submissions72]

Just did this on my 13 WRX..it works!! Thanks Bobby..I wonder why Subaru did this? Sneaky..sneaky..

[@dragonsicolumbo]

Great results. Thanks for the great how to videos.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks Anthony!

[@BobbyKolahi]

I would agree that Wagon is the best setting for USB mode.

[@mschiavoni]

thanks for the vid, really helped a lot (especially since my radio is installed in a 97 Legacy) :)

[@BobbyKolahi]

Oh nice!!! My pleasure. Enjoy!

[@apu95]

Nice, thanks for this video! My unit sounds a teensy bit better now thanks to these tweaks :) Now if I could only fix the BT metadata issues on Android I'd be all set.

[@mschiavoni]

sadly, it won't happen. android doesn't send it. dunno why

[@apu95]

Stock Android doesn't, but apparently CyanogenMod fixes it. It might also be that the BT audio spec on the head unit isn't implemented as well as it should be

[@BobbyKolahi]

Cristian Glad the new rom did the fix

[@ejayg626]

Bout to try it on my 2015 wrx. Thought I was going to have to swap it out. Hopefully it works it's pretty much the same unit

[@BobbyKolahi]

The 2015 WRX stereo sucks too? Damn that's too bad. This should fix the issue. Let me know how it goes.

[@pulledofftheroad]

Thanks Bobby, makes a big difference. Now to replace these awful factory speakers..

[@florisgrobler6503]

Great vid man. Helped a lot. Thanks dude!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Very welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@ranrio70]

Thanks man! This worked on my 13 WRX sedan.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Nite Owl Thanks for sharing Nite Owl!

[@henrylaureano8109]

Wonderfull my friend... Finally I have a real FM radio sound!!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Henry Laureano Welcome! ENJOY!!!!

[@chrissaegercircle]

Thanks worked fine on a 2011 impreza

[@BobbyKolahi]

Yes

[@discos-revenge]

Great video....very thorough. I'm gonna try this, thanks!!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks for watching Steven!

[@manofsoul86]

You rock, dude!! This was priceless!! Cheers!! :)

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks Varun. Cheers!

[@pjjrs0221]

Thanks for the tips. Will mess around with my settings and see if it will free the system. I have a 2014 Impreza sport premium 5 door. One of my least favorite things about the vehicle is the sound system. Hopefully this fixes my dislike for the stock system.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Well... How did it turn out?

[@pjjrs0221]

It's a little better than the stock setting, still a little flat for my tastes. Any knowledge with the kicker upgrade available through subaru???

[@JoshuaWilliamsMA83]

Got is working on my Impreza base 5dr. Loud plus Through Mode improves the sound greatly! Also, Crutchfield made installing aftermarket speakers a breeze if you haven't done that already.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Awesome to hear! Thanks for watching!

[@venom0237]

now if only there was a pause button...

[@BobbyKolahi]

+Anthony Foxx (The Bearded Ninja) Right?

[@carsonnewton3985]

is the 12 inch sub aftermarket or did it come with the car ?

[@Captainhairyass]

Damnit! My stereo sounds one million times better! The one thing I hated on my ride is now fixed, for free! Wahhhhhh I'm stoked!!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Well damnit I'm happy you are happy. ENJOY!

[@RyanMcDaniel3]

Awesome video! Much appreciated.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Thanks for watching Ryan!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Makes a huge difference on CD's, SAT, or Bluetooth streaming music (Pandora) etc...

[@Mantismd]

Thanks so much man glad I found this

[@BobbyKolahi]

dispatchx311 Thank you for watching!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Doug I agree with you 100%, but it does help....a little

[@pyromaniac4073]

Thanks man going to try it out on mine now!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Rasheed Allie AWESOME! Glad you love it Rasheed!

[@revivedetail471]

I was wondering the same thing do you have a video on how you set this up? please and thank you :)

[@ross02two]

Thanks bro, that was a big help.

[@BobbyKolahi]

_bOmber_ My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@ej25Ti]

dude this was awesome! thanks

[@BobbyKolahi]

My pleasure, thanks for watching.

[@TheKindai12]

thanks Bobby cant wait to try these on ma xv and i was wondering why there was no kick in ma radio stations thanks bruv

[@BobbyKolahi]

Evans Kindiga My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Timothy York Let me know how it works out for you Timothy

[@wcomeaux]

Evan this working in my XV. I did notice an increase in Volume some stations on the radio still dont have enough bass. I think it is the signal from the radio station not the stereo in the car. I did notice a dramatic increase in bass and overall volume on my ipod wired,bluetooth and pandora.

[@BobbyKolahi]

Timothy York Awesome! Glad it worked out for ya Timothy!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Awesome. Thank you. Most appreciated

[@submissions72]

Thanks man gonna try that on my 13 Rex right now!

[@simpleman35]

Bobby, thanks for these tips. You may know this also... GPS navigation voice (like google maps or waze) won't over-ride the radio/CD/aux. However, calls that come in will stop the radio/CD/aux and switch the bluetooth audio. Do you know how I get my phone GPS voice to interrupt radio/CD/aux for driving instructions?

[@BobbyKolahi]

simpleman35 Have you tried the settings on your phone?

[@Ed-lz4jv]

it is a known issue (same unit) not compatible with Google gps android, It sucks I have tried

[@BobbyKolahi]

Hey Sergiy! Thanks for watching and I really appreciate your feedback.

[@BobbyKolahi]

I got them off the forums site, but they weren't crystal clear so I had to play around with it a bit until I got it right. Gotta admit I got frustrated a lot and almost gave up, that's why I made this video. Please thumbs up if it helped you. Thank you.

[@NimaSomeh]

thanks for sharing. how did you find theses menus lol ?

[@BobbyKolahi]

Get the sub. Worth it!

[@zackzielinski3340]

I actually used this backwards haha. I had the kicker package on my '15 WRX with the factory sub and on 0 base my head wanted to implode. Took loud mode off and wow I can actually listen to my music without the stupidly loud base, now its the perfect amount. Thank you! And also what does the through mode do exactly and how do you know if its on or off since it does't say it just says "through mode".

[@BobbyKolahi]

Zack Zielinski Glad it worked for ya!

[@holleychristianson7876]

You are kidding me secret modes.?? Just upgraded the front speakers in my (new to me) 2011 Forester. They still sounded horrible until this vid. WOW What a difference, I was about to take the speakers back until this vid. Ding, Ding.!!

[@BobbyKolahi]

holley christianson SWEET! That's music to my ears. (get it?) I made a funny. JK

[@MrJulio]

Nice trick :) Is there a way to connect 2 bluetooth devices (one for call and one for audio) at the same time ? I want to use a phone for call and a portable dash mount tablet for audio/navigation/weather etc. The latter does not have the phone as feature. I have a Subaru Forester 2.0D SJ MY13. Thank you.

[@AlanLeethechef]

I heard you mention about a 12" sub I was wondering since you have the stock radio did you splice into factory wires when installing the sub? I have a 2013 crosstrek and have been looking for threads in installing sub but came across this video wish I knew about it when I had my impreza.. anyways I just wanted to know if you did add a subwoofer did you need any special harnesses I've been looking for some under seat subs to conserve space but the concept of installing is pretty much the same Thx

[@jamespa48]

Thank you now I don't have to buy another deck - just got 4 50 watt pioneer 4 way speakers - they are on the way from amazon -

[@BobbyKolahi]

James Parrotta SWEEEEEEET!

[@BobbyKolahi]

Awesome! Glad I could help.

[@ThePCAssualt]

Confirm that it works in a 2013 impreza base model.

[@BobbyKolahi]

ThePCAssualt Yes it works!