Hello and thanks for taking a look. Used to be in a Lexus forum but had to sell it for a family car...good news is I get my wife's 2005 ex accord sedan, by far my favorite generation for sure.

Ok, please go easy on me. This is my 4th Honda and I loved all of them, just kept getting the newer models. This one is a keeper for sure though. I just hooked up a smaller JL amp and and JL 10" sub that sounded amazing in my last civic, I also had a Kenwood excellon HU. Ater installing my sub in the accord, it sounds awful with the factory system HU.

Just bought a pioneer deh-p8400bh


DEH-P8400BH - CD Receiver with Full-Dot LCD Display, MIXTRAX, Built-In Bluetooth®, and HD Radio™ Tuner | Pioneer Electronics USA

I also got 2 sets of pioneer 6" by 9s and a set of 6 1/2"s by 6 3/4"s

Pioneer ts-a6965r
Pioneer ts-a1675r

Best buy match priced everything from amazon and I feel like I got an amazing deal!! I bought the display HU and bout the 4 year geek squad warranty, total for $100.

Here are my questions

I've seen people leave the factory system in and use the lower cubby for a single din. I have seen these dash kits for 13 bucks to 220 bucks for the upper. I want the the cheaper one however I want to be able to use the climate control and what not. Does this make sense? Do I need to look out for something specific when I purchase the dash kit and wire harness? Does anyone have experience this?

Also, I teach with a friend who did car audio while in college and we have been hooking up our own equipment which is very fun because I've always wanted to learn. However I don't want to overlook anything if there are suggestions.

I bought the 3 sets of speakers so I could put 2 sets in my wife's 2006 xterra which had the WORST sounding stock system I have ever heard. Now I'm thinking I will use 2 sets in the accord and just just use 1 set in her car. That's not being selfish right?

I know the back of the accord has the 6"9 but I was hoping to put in another set in the front doors. Don't know if it will make that much of a difference because the speakers up front actually sound pretty good for stock. Plus I'm only running 1 amp directly to the sub, unless you have a different idea?

K, sorry for the long posts really happy to be here, and happy Mother's Day to all.

Thanks,
Yaniv.

 

Sorry if I sounded like a jerk. I am trying to be honest. it is a ton of work redoing the sound system in a car, and it can be very disheartening if you get done and it doesnt sound good. I hope it all works out for you. I would put the 6x9's you bought in your rear deck, since you already have them. put the other 4 in your wifes car. if the sound is as bad as you say it may make a significant difference. buy a nice set of components for the front stage of your car and an amp to power them. I think that is going to yield your best results.

 

Thanks for the reply Neo,

You didnt go hard on me at all, but thanks.

Whn I redid the system in my last civic, I started with a deck, one of the upper Kenwood Excellon decks and changed the quilty dramitcally in a great way. Then I put the 10 inch JL sub and JL amp in which just made it sound amazing. I have pleanty of friends who have very expensive nice systems and I must admit, mine was very clean and sounded pretty close.

I did it backwards on the accord. I put the sub and amp in but with the factory HU and it sounds awful, I mean awful. I dont think like you mentioned the system will sound worse, im pretty sure this new deck will make it worth while for all speakers. I might not put in the 6 by 9s like you mentioned because I would rather use them where they will be heard more.

Thanks and I just bought the lower mounting kit with the WH so ill get back to you guys once installed.

Thanks again!!

 

hope it all works out good man, be sure and post pictures as your build progresses.

 

Hey Neo, I was looking at your build thread the other day, I didn't realize you we're the one replying to me.....

After seeing what you have done, let me ask again what you think is best with what I have.

The new deck is definitely going into the accord.

I have 2 sets of 6/9s

1 set of 6 1/2s

My plan right now is to only put the 6/9s in the back because they sound AWFUL with the sub and factory unit. If I turn the base all the way down, then the 6/9s also don't work. I think you mentioned some sort of way solve this in your original reply to me.

My thinking

The new deck will send more power to all of the factory speakers except for the sub which will have its own amp.

Since the factory 6/9s sound awful with the factory HU is turned up, I imagine they would sound bad with a different deck. However with a new deck and new 6/9s, maybe they will blend in well with the base. Like you mentioned, there was a ton of thought put into this sound system and I think the tweeters and front door speakers sound great so leaving them factory hopefully will sound as good or better with the new deck.

With what I have, is this the way you would do it?
Thanks again.

 

with what you have yes, that is how I would do it.

I would not replace the factory components with coaxils. even if they are higher end. they may produce better sound at the source but you sacrafice staging.

originally when I started out I was gonna do sq but I switched more to spl. Keep hope alive will probably have some input on this when he sees it. I have learned a lot from him, so he may have some other ideas. he is a lot more familiar with staging than I am, and can probably help with the sub sounding bad issue. Honestly I dont think it is the head unit. It is something in the processing of the factory signal. since you already have the head unit go ahead and put it in. it will probably solve the issue, but I dont think it was the head unit itself. The factory head unit is a pioneer head unit, while it does have its problems, I dont think that is what is causing your issue.

 

welcome to HAF. Neo has done a good job giving you some direction so far and I agree with what he's posted.

The rear factory 6x9 are for bass only. think of them as factory subs. once you put a sub in the trunk the bass energy will pressurize the trunk, causing the rear speakers to move in opposition. this will distort them as they try to also play music. the best thing to do for starters is just remove the stock 6x9 and let bass come through the holes. if you decide to put new speakers back there, they too will suffer from distortion.

a head unit only has a few watts that are usable. stock or aftermarket, you won't get much for listenable power. when you want clarity and higher volume levels, an external amp for the speakers is required. the difference is night and day.

people who choose to keep their stock HU use an OEM processor to clean up the stock signal and feed amplifiers for speakers and subs. this can work very well.

since you went the route of installing a new headunit, you will have a good starting point.

i also agree that front coaxial speakers is not a good idea. your car has a well designed system from the factory; front components and rear woofers. using fader and balance you can set up a usable sound stage. upgrading the amplification and speaker quality certainly helps, but only as much as the installation. sadly, new speakers that are not properly sealed to the door and door panel will have less performance than stock.

you've already bought the speakers, which is a bit unfortunate. you could have spent the same money on a nice set of component speakers. you are welcome to run what you got. if your expectations are met, then your expectations are low. maybe that's a good thing because it takes a lot of effort to get something great. but as long as you end up being happy and enjoying music, that's all that really matters.

the lower pocket kit should have included a harness adapter that has two plugs (one male and one female) and extra wire leads that allow you to connect an aftermarket head unit without cutting any factory wires. if you want to retain steering wheel controls, you can buy an adapter, the SWI-X is a decent one. it will require you cut/tap factory wires.

DIY car audio is a fun project. success is determined by the installer and their methods. making safe, quality connections is key. solder and heat shrink is best, good crimp connectors and a crimping tool is a minimum.

here is a good resource for you and your friends in the future:
Basic Car Audio Electronics