Just had a rental Hyundai Elantra and the sound system in that thing was wolds better than what I have in my 2015 X.

Aside from lack of all interior panels rattling from the bass, the sound output was more direct (felt closer, maybe there are speakers under the windshield?), bass was stronger and mids and highs were clear. If I cranked the volume up a bit in the Evo, the speakers were blowing out.

Is there a clear upgrade path for the Evo? I replaced the stock HU with a Pioneer NEX-4200AVH, and I removed the rear sub (taking up room, and rattling the rear window panel and headliner).

I wouldn't mind just a bit more bass, so could I replace the door speakers with ones that have some bass too? Is that a common upgrade? Do I just need to worry about physical room for the depth of the replacement?

 

It won't be an upgrade if you're not going to use another sub to achieve more bass or at least amplifying the interior speakers more than the head unit alone can do. You're not going to get anywhere near the bass output the sub provides from your head unit if that is all you are using to power your interior speakers. You would need a mono amp at least with a sub or possibly a 4 ch. amp to push your interior speakers you have upgraded. There are some 8" woofers that can perform better than the stock RF sub and save some space but would need some sort of custom enclosure. Maybe an under the seat shallow woofer could work. You could get a 4 ch. amp and bridge 2 channels for the woofer, you can connect the front door speakers to the remaining 2 channels and just run your rear speakers off the head unit. That will probably sound way better than the factory system.

 

Thanks for the info. I know next to nothing about audio. Would it be a better route to go to a reputable audio shop?

 

So, the system isn't terrible. More the car suffers from a lack of sound deadening in the interest of cost savings and/or lightness. Your best first step in these is a focused application of a multi-layered sound deadener. If you're not up for ripping your entire car apart, an audio shop would be the way to go. Get the foundation done, the noise floor lower, and see how it sounds. You may still want a speaker upgrade afterwards but you'll never be hearing B&O system quality in an Evo of any sort.....

Check this thread out:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...eet-build.html

 

Yeah I already put a layer of Second Skin Audio's Luxury Liner Pro on the floor. Helped a lot with cabin noise. Have to get around to putting it behind the door cards too.

But even in the Hyundai Elantra I had as a rental, I could crank the volume all the way up and the speakers didn't start breaking down and distorting the way they do on the Evo, even when standing still. Full volume the Elantra stayed solid and clear.

 

Funny thing, this morning my passenger rear speaker decided bass should be reproduced as crackling distortion. I guess it's time to start planning my speaker upgrades.

 

I ended up putting the sub back in and turning down the 3 lowest frequencies a bit on the EQ, so I don't have to blast the speakers to get any bass now which helps with the distortion. Next I might learn about crossover settings.

Also added a sound deadener in the front doors which I think helped too.