Upgrade Head Unit for 2017 Subaru Legacy Limited?

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edisonbaggins

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
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Hey all, I'm having a hard time finding good answers online, so I figured I'd seek some guidance here, in case anybody else is in my situation.

What I'd like to do is upgrade the audio options of my head unit without losing nav and camera functionality.

E.g. I'd like to listen to FLAC from a USB and DTS 5.1 DVDs (DVD-A preferrably).

Is this a pipedream? All answers online so far look like "no." I'd have to replace nav and cameras.

My car comes with the 7.0 Infotainment head unit with Starlink and the Harmon Kardon amp and speaker system.

Thanks for any info!
 
Hey all, I'm having a hard time finding good answers online, so I figured I'd seek some guidance here, in case anybody else is in my situation.

What I'd like to do is upgrade the audio options of my head unit without losing nav and camera functionality.

E.g. I'd like to listen to FLAC from a USB and DTS 5.1 DVDs (DVD-A preferrably).

Is this a pipedream? All answers online so far look like "no." I'd have to replace nav and cameras.

My car comes with the 7.0 Infotainment head unit with Starlink and the Harmon Kardon amp and speaker system.

Thanks for any info!

Ya pipe dreams dude! Pretty big one's also. To my knowledge only 1-2 car makers put 5.1 systems in cars and I am pretty sure Honda was the only one to offer this. As far as aftermarket , I have never seen anything. Today, the way cars are made, you need a mechanic at the dealer to work on them. More and more they are making it impossible to fix by anyone other than the dealer/maker retailer.
 
To my knowledge only 1-2 car makers put 5.1 systems in cars and I am pretty sure Honda was the only one to offer this.

The Acura ELS sound systems were quite popular with QQ members when they were offered years ago.
Time will tell whether 5.1 makes a return to the car audio market.
 
Hey all, I'm having a hard time finding good answers online, so I figured I'd seek some guidance here, in case anybody else is in my situation.

What I'd like to do is upgrade the audio options of my head unit without losing nav and camera functionality.

E.g. I'd like to listen to FLAC from a USB and DTS 5.1 DVDs (DVD-A preferrably).

Is this a pipedream? All answers online so far look like "no." I'd have to replace nav and cameras.

My car comes with the 7.0 Infotainment head unit with Starlink and the Harmon Kardon amp and speaker system.

Thanks for any info!

Most modern car entertainment systems route the environment, nav and camera controls through the head unit - meaning you cant remove the head unit without losing those controls (AC, camera, nav, MPG ,etc). Depending on the car and availability they do make special harness systems which require you to keep the original unit in the car - in my Avalon, I have the original unit strapped inside the trunk near the rear wheel well. I would check Crutchfield to see if they make a harness for your model car that would allow this. I'm guessing the tricky part will be the camera.
 
It really sucks. I got so spoiled having DVD-A in the car for 10 years. Now most new cars don't even have disc players, let alone 5.1 playback. It's funny because most of the high end cars all brag about having a zillion speakers and "surround sound" of sorts, but none have gone the small extra step to allow discrete playback of 5.1 flac files from USB stick.

If some company came along and made that leap, maybe with a backing like Acura had with Elliot Scheiner, that would be THE TICKET. Imagine having a USB stick of 5.1 .flac files and plugging it in the car. The ULTIMATE PIPE DREAM. "Disc's be gone, playback my damn flac files!!"
 
Most modern car entertainment systems route the environment, nav and camera controls through the head unit - meaning you cant remove the head unit without losing those controls (AC, camera, nav, MPG ,etc). Depending on the car and availability they do make special harness systems which require you to keep the original unit in the car - in my Avalon, I have the original unit strapped inside the trunk near the rear wheel well. I would check Crutchfield to see if they make a harness for your model car that would allow this. I'm guessing the tricky part will be the camera.

Add steering wheel controls to the problem too. No, crutchfield does not seem to have a wiring solution for a 2017 Subaru. They said I'd have to rewire and reamp to use any of their head units. And that was before even discussing whether their head unit had the features I truly want. Somebody needs to hack an OPPO to run off a car battery and figure out how to splice it in as a source!

Thanks for the replies. It seems going discrete with any product on the market is out of the question. Fortunately, I am very happy with how my sound system sounds and have LOADS of CDs to enjoy. Those that are mixed and mastered well sound great in the car. Fairly atmospheric music, like the Allison Krauss album I was listening to the other day even seem to wrap around me.
 
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