Mobile Electronics Australia

We’re onto the home stretch with the installation of the new Pioneer multi-media system into the Liberty, and in this final stage of the build we’ll install the amazing new AVIC-F20BT double DIN unit and do the system tuning. If you missed Part One or Part Two of our tutorial please have a read.

It may seem somewhat counterintuitive to conduct the source unit installation last of all, but it’s actually a much smarter way to approach any full installation project like this. We covered removing the factory source unit in the first stage of the build while installing the RCA and remote wires for the Pioneer amplifiers. While all the wires were indeed run at that stage I like to leave the connection of the source until last so that I can conduct a few basic wiring checks with the new amplifiers and speakers in place. This way, if you find a wayward connection you can easily sort it out prior to buttoning up the dashboard for good. Makes sense, yeah?

Anyhow, let’s get to the fun part, where we actually finish the installation and get to hear the system for the first time. There’s a special sense of satisfaction I get every time I complete an installation on a car of mine or a friends. There’s definitely an innately male need for short term gratification that is totally fulfilled by one or two day projects like this one.

Step 1: Installing the source into the dash aperture

The Subaru Liberty McIntosh system doesn’t adhere to the DIN standard, and therefore anyone attempting to replace the factory source unit will be required to source a replacement fascia panel to suit. Luckily, Subaru make a double DIN style fascia with the matching brushed finish. Unluckily, Subaru Australia doesn’t sell this over the counter, and it isn’t exactly cheap. We sourced ours through a website, and the price wias around $350 depending on the prevailing exchange rate.

It a bit of a scam frankly, as you only require the top fascia section but are forced (by Subaru) to buy a new HVAC control module, mounting brackets and antenna loom – all of which are superfluous. At least it screws together perfectly and arrives at an ideal factory finish.

Step 2: Mounting the GPS antenna

The navigation aspect of the AVIC-F20BT relies on a number of inputs to accurately determine the car’s position, heading and speed. Primary to this is the small GPS antenna, which plugs into the rear of the unit’s chassis via a small 3.5mm mono plug and needs to be placed somewhere on the dashboard to allow unimpeded view of the skies above to seek out the satellites circling above. This is a simple enough task and the kit includes a small adhesive backed plate that the GPS antenna is magnetically attracted to. I’ve heard that modern GPS antennas can actually transmit and connect through a dashboard panel as long as there’s no steel directly above them, which would allow you to simply sit the antenna on top of the source unit’s chassis in certain instances. Don’t take this as gospel though.

In addition to the GPS antenna the navigation takes input signals from the car’s speed sensor and reverse light wires, but these two only aid in sheer accuracy and aren’t strictly required. If you don’t have access to the car’s wiring schematic you can opt to leave this two connections out and just use the GPS antenna as we did in this instance. In practice the Navi still works perfectly.

Step 3: Mounting the hands-free microphone and iPod cable

A small pedestal mounted microphone is required for the hands-free system, and again this simply plugs into a socket at the rear of the AVIC-F20BT. The kit provides a small U-shaped plastic mounting pedestal for the microphone, and the most obvious location is directly ahead of the driver below the main dash binnacle. Likewise, the obvious location to run the iPod cable wire is through to the glove box, and in some cars this may require you to drill an appropriate sized hole.

Step 4: Wiring the source

The majority of the wiring for the new source unit will be ready to plug into the back of the chassis, but the main plug-in loom still needs permanent power, accessory 12V power and earth connections. With a multi-meter you can probe the factory plug to find permanent 12V power while the ignition key is set to the ‘off’ position. This connects to the yellow wire on the new source unit’s loom. Now probe the remaining wires from the factory loom for the 12V switched power by turning the ignition key the accessory position, checking that it cycles on and off via the key. This connects to the new source’s red wire. Lastly, connect the new loom’s earth to a point on the dash panel steel structure behind the dash. Often there will be a 10mm bolt of other obvious position. Now you can carefully plug in each loom including RCAs’ main power, GPS antenna and radio antenna.

Step 5: Initial test of system

Now you can carefully position the chassis of the new source unit into position, taking care not to pinch, stretch or otherwise foul the wiring harnesses as you do so. Secure it back into place with the original mounting screws.

Prior to replacing all the dash trim it is now time to do a test of the basic system playback to make sure everything is properly connected and things like fader and balance are working correctly. Using very low volume, test the playback of a CD, DVD, iPod and radio to ensure they are all connected properly. Also adjust the fader and balance controls to ensure they are working as intended, and you may need to drive out of the garage into open air space above to check that the GPS antenna is locating the satellites circling above. If there a problem you can now remove the chassis and check your wiring again, but otherwise if you’ve been judicious in your connections everything should work properly. It’s also wise at this point to switch on the car’s engine and check for pops, clicks, whines or any other extraneous noises. Thankfully, this installation suffered from no unwanted noises and worked perfectly from the outset. If yours does the same give yourself a high five!

Step 6: Replacing the dash trim

Now that you have established that basic playback works well you can replace all the original dash panels prior to doing final system adjustments. Hopefully you’ve been diligent when storing all the small screws while removing everything and can replace all the panels securely and correctly, though as is often the case a screw or two may be left over if you forget where they go. Try and be accurate with this as missing screws are the harbinger (look it up Marc… LOL) of dash squeaks and rattles. You can now feel free to sit back and bask in the glory of the new source unit looking resplendent in its newfound home.

Step 7: Setting crossovers and levels

The front seats are still out of the car so now it’s time to turn the system on again and do the final high and low pass crossover settings prior to replacing the seats and other extraneous pieces of trim that are laying around. In many modern source units like the AVIC-F920BT there will be in-built high and low pass filters, but most amplifiers have these built in as well. You may choose to use either or both, but note that using both filters (called cascading) will result in a shift of the ‘F3’ point. For example, if you apply an 80Hz low pass at both the amplifier and source unit the filter slopes are added (12dB per octave plus 12dB per octave will result in a 24dB per octave final slope) and the actual cut off frequency will shift downwards. This is because one filter will diminish the signal by 3dB at 80Hz, then the second filter will diminish the signal by a further 3dB at 80Hz. Since 80Hz is now 6dB down the actual F3 point will probably be more like 65Hz. This means that if you actually want an 80Hz cut off the two filters may need to be set at around 100Hz. The same is true of high pass filters but the filter point shifts upwards. Anyway, steeper filters are usually desirable as they offer cleaner bass from the subwoofers and enhanced power handling from the midrange drivers. As a guide I have found that and 80Hz intersect point between midrange speakers and subwoofers usually bloody close to ideal in most instances. With this completed you can mount the seats and all remaining trim pieces.

Step 8: Setting other options in the menus

Now that everything is buttoned up you can sit back and enjoy the new system, but there are still a handful of minor system setting that can still be applied to best integrate the new source unit into the car. The AVIC-F920BT has variable illumination for both the main back-lit buttons and the screen itself. I set this one to red to match the Subaru’s dash perfectly and chose a wallpaper that best suited the car. All in all I think it matches the Liberty’s interior scheme perfectly – I couldn't ask for a better integration.

It’s also worth talking quickly about the various equalization settings offered by the AVIC-F920BT and other similarly specified units. If you’ve done a thorough job of the basic level and crossover settings thus far there shouldn’t be a huge need to apply EQ anywhere. EQ itself should only be applied when there are measure frequency response dips or peaks that are found via a real time analyzer. Adding bass or treble boost liberally at this point can only lead to potential clipping issues downstream, so if you think the system needs additional EQ adjustments seek out a professional to assist you.

Step 9: All finished

You are all done, and the seemingly mammoth task is now all but complete and ready to go. A quick final note on subwoofer positioning is worth mentioning so that you are achieving the highest efficiency possible from the system. Almost without exception the ideal way to place any subwoofer system is to aim the subwoofer rearwards towards the back of the car. This creates the longest wavelength in the cabin and therefore results in the most bass reinforcement and highest output. This counts for sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons.

Needless to say, with the Pioneer system upgrade completed the owner of this car was exceedingly pleased with the results. While a large portion of the budget was applied to the AVIC-F920BT source unit initial design brief of the system of offering supreme multi-media connectivity was well and truly met and exceeded. What’s more, even Pioneer’s more affordable range of speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers still serve up an outstanding performance – proving in this case that throwing most of your budget at speakers and amplifier isn’t always the correct path for all people. Thanks should go to the ever helpful lads over at Pioneer for fully supporting this project.

Step 10 Adding steering wheel controls

During this installation we wanted to retain the factory steering wheel controls of the Subaru Liberty since the Pioneer AVIC-F920BT offered the compatible input connection. PAC Audio does offer a SWI-PS adaptor (‘PS’ being for Sony and Pioneer, while the SWI-PAC model suits Panasonic, Alpine and Clarion) but unfortunately the wiring codes required for Subaru vehicles did not correspond with what was provided by this particular Liberty. There are a myriad of vehicles that now offer steering wheel mounted controls and likewise a host of aftermarket source units that have the 3.5mm jack input. If you want to retain this control the SWI-PS and SWIPAC are the only way to go, and you can find more info at www.stingeraustralia.com.au