I will be getting my City Hybrid next week and I plan to upgrade my audio system, as the sound was terrible when I tested it in their showroom.

My budget is ~3k-4k.

My question is,

1) Should I upgrade parts by parts or just spend my budget on a full system upgrade?

or

2) Upgrade parts by parts, if upgrade parts by parts, in which sequence should I follow?


Another thing is, should I get underseat sub or boot sub? I usually listen to pop and rock, a little of EDM, source usually from Spotify.

Try Plug n Play system so it does not void your warranty. Like Match, Focal and Rainbow

Perhaps can check fb page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100018664238418 for pricing..


If warranty is not an issue then you can visit any reputable shop to change the entire system..

1. Depends on you. I would say few things at 1 go . Head unit -> 2chnl amp -> front component speaker -> monoblock -> subwoofer. If you want your rear passenger to enjoy only you buy 4 chnl and rear component speaker

2. If you are listening to edm, then dont buy underseat sub. It is a complete waste of money especially when you got bootspace and willing to sacrifice some of it. Im aware that hybrid version of your car actually has quite a bit less room for the boot. Buying a proper sized subwoofer box is crucial for sufficient punch to your low-end.

I assume you subscribed Spotify Pro as your source but i can tell you, with such system you should definite look out for .flac files instead. Theres a difference in sound quality.

This post has been edited by k!nex: Aug 30 2018, 07:29 AM

Thank you for your introduction.

Thanks for your feedback. I am eyeing on kenwood/pioneer head unit, but I am still not able to find a casing for the audio panel for 2017 FL model.

I was told not to put an amp behind at the boot area as the hybrid battery is located under the boot, not sure how true it is, kindly advice.

Yes I am subscribed to Spotify Pro and I do have loseless audio files, which is why I'm opting for a better head unit.

I PMed a few reputable audio shops, (e.g. EA, xcite,etoni, etc) and they are giving me different opinion on which to upgrade first, some would say, use the head unit and add DSP, front speaker then sub, some would suggest changing HU, front speaker, then adding DSP+AMP combo, but most of them are suggesting underseat sub. Any other advice from sifus here?

my suggestion. go for EA autoworks. never regretted

For things like this, easier to just go the shop and discuss in person.

But if you want my opinion, I would suggest the following.

1) good headunit
2) dsp with built in amp
3) underseat subwoofer


The above 3 can be done in one go but may go a littler over your budget. In the future, get better speakers and soundproof your doors and maybe an amp to drive your speakers.

Underseat sub is more than sufficient for normal listening. If you listen to really hard edm/house/techno/bass songs and want to make everything in your car vibrate, then go for a proper sub and place it in your trunk.


Currently, I have a kenwood single din, crossfire dsp, underseag sub and jbl speakers. Its enough for my listening. I'm using the cheapest underseat sub in the market and it's enough to make my rear view mirror vibrate 😂

Yeah I heard a lot of good reviews about them too. I might opt for them since they are willing to install my dash cam for free =D

Thank you for your feedback, I don't think I need my whole car to vibrate, I just want the feeling as if the singer is singing in front of me, and I guess an underseat sub is good enough. How much did it cost you for your whole setup?

If that's the case then dsp would be a good choice as you can tune it to set the sound stage in front of you. And yes, and underseat would be just nice for your music needs.

My whole system costed around 2.3k including the cables and installation. My dsp is a used unit. If it was a new unit the whole system would be just under 3k.

Normally the options are like these:
1. Cheapest and simplest: upgrade front speakers to split component set plus install underseat powered subs.
2. No. 1 above plus replacing new head unit if the factory head unit not good enough and can easily taken out without messing up existing wiring of the new car.
3. No.2 plus 2 channel power amps to power the front speakers, and/or using custom sub box in the rear trunk of course also with power amp. Now the power amp can be several scenario as well, most practical and cost efficient is just buy one 4 ch amp where the front 2 channel is used to power the front speakers while the rear 2 channel is bridged to mono to power the sub. Otherwise you need to buy 2 amps separately which can be the best and most flexible but of course more costly and take more space.
4. Go all out by replacing everything, HU + front & rear speakers + sub, powered by either a 5/6 channel amp or a 4 + 1 separate amps.

For me, I used to go with no. 4 using a 5 channel amp and I planned my budget around this setup, carefully researching, reading reviews and magazines, and trying to match them. But nowadays I'm not so particular anymore so I just go with option 1! :lol For your budget I think you can go either for option 2 or 3 with still decent quality products. As for whether you need custom sub box or just underseat sub, I'd suggest for you to test listen to the underseat first if that's enough already or not. You can also opt to use 2 underseat subs if you want more bass yet still practical (this is what I do for my car now). Those shops surely can provide you a demo of the underseat subs that they have.