Hey guys, I've been doing a bunch or research on upgrading my stereo... Sounds like it's going to be no easy task. I don't want anything crazy. Just some good quality tunes.
I have an Infinity Basslink II on hand that I'm going to be hooking up. I also want to swap out the stock component speakers with something aftermarket. I have the 4sc Expansion Module which is a 50x4 2-ohm amp that plugs right into a slot on the Basslink. I plan to power the Component speakers with that amp... so that I don't have to purchase another amp, or run any more wires.
All of this will be hooked up to the stock head-unit.
So the question is, which component speakers will fit, AND be a decent match for the amp.
Right now, I'm looking at Infinity Reference 5 1/4" and Infinity Kappas 5 1/4". (going with 5 1/4 because I've heard the nightmares of hooking up a 6 1/2" in the stock holes.) The RMS on the References is 2-75, and the Kappas 2-85. Which would you recommend?
Or can you recommend any better 2-ohm components that would fit, and match nicely with the power from my amp?
If I go with 5 1/4", can anyone point me to the correct spacer/adapter I'd need to get them to fit into the stock speaker holes? ANY and ALL help is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!!
One more question... can I simply tap into the speaker-wires at the back of the head-unit, for the front components... and attach some new speaker-wire to run to the amp in the trunk? I know this is probably less than ideal, but will it work? Because I'm pretty new to all of this, and can pretty much guarantee I'll botch something if I try running new speaker-wire through the doors as seen here...
You can fit the 6.5" components, but it'll take some trimming. Nothing a dremel tool with a sanding bit can't handle. The hole needs to be slightly larger.
FYI, It seems that you cannot bridge that 4ch expansion amplifier. Just a thought, as somebody may mention it.
With the Kappas, you're going to push 50wRMSx4@2ohm, to a 94 db speaker. Compare that to the References (2ohm model, not 4ohm) with 50wRMSx4@2ohm, to a 93 db speaker. The references are less sensitive. (read up on sensitivity) The references will be less capable of converting that power to output db than the kappas. With that said, I'd still go with the references. The sound quality will be more than good. Only one db less sensitivity won't be very noticeable. Your most limiting part of the system will be your factory head unit, so if you did go with the kappas, you wouldn't see much, if any, improvement of sound quality.
As far as how to run the wire. Yes, you want to run the RCAs from the line output converter (or new speaker wires if you're using high level inputs) from the back of the deck to the trunk, then speaker wires from the amp to the back of the deck and hook up to the factory speaker wires (no longer hooked up to the deck). This way, when/if you remove the system, everything can be hooked back up without any issue. This is how Best Buy always does it. It is proper.
If you want to run new speaker wire, which is recommended but not required, that writeup is exactly what I did and it works great! It took a bit of time, but it's worth it IMO. At Best Buy, we commonly use factory speaker wire and find it almost always results in very satisfactory results.
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. I do car stereo for a living (well, for now anyways)
I planned on finishing this project this weekend, but it was raining on and off all day Saturday and Sunday.
So, the only thing I was able to do was take the door panels off, and mount the tweeters and 6.5" woofers from my Infinity Reference 6020s set. The tweeters were pretty straight-forward... I used the stock-housing, and just turned them around to face the front seats, instead of the front windows. The woofers took a little more work... but nothing a dremel couldn't handle. I wired them all up and mounted the crossovers, and now the only thing I have to do is run the remote turn on wire and signal wires from the head-unit to the trunk... speaker wires from the trunk to the front speakers... and the power/ground cables. I probably won't be able to do that stuff until next weekend.
At one point, I was outside working on the project, and it started pouring... I had the whole door panel off, so couldn't roll up my window. So I ran inside and grabbed garbage bags to cover the window opening up with!
One thing that struck me as odd when I was wiring up the component speakers... According to BBYLude's information, and my Helm's manual... the passenger's door speaker wires (from the head-unit) are Red/Green (+) and Brown/Black (-)... while the driver's door speaker wires are Blue/Green (+) and Gray/Black (-). Well, when I got in there, it was exactly the opposite. The driver's side was Red/Green and Brown/Black and the passenger's side was Blue/Green and Gray/Black. Wtf? Oh well, guess I'll just roll with it.
Quick question though... my components are 2 ohm... and are currently hooked up directly to the stock head-unit. What would happen if I turned my stereo on?? It's all hooked up, but I don't want to fry anything, so I wasn't planning on turning it on until I install the amp... But, I'm anxious to see if everything was hooked up correctly, and if any sound comes out of the components when they're powered up... Would I do any damage by turning on the stereo?
Will update again when I get around to installing the amp/sub.
your factory stereo is not two ohm stable. Chances are your factory radio's amplifier will simply sound like crap running on a 2ohm load. Next most probable would be it allowing you to play, but at low gain (volume button on radio) levels. The amp might go into protect mode (doubtful honda engineered a protect circuit), or it might get damaged. I wouldn't turn it on if I were you, seeing that the factory radio will be providing you the signal for the amplifier.
I'd check the wires for continuity with a digital multimeter if I were you. It's a safe and easy way to check out if you have the right wire or not.
your factory stereo is not two ohm stable. Chances are your factory radio's amplifier will simply sound like crap running on a 2ohm load. Next most probable would be it allowing you to play, but at low gain (volume button on radio) levels. The amp might go into protect mode (doubtful honda engineered a protect circuit), or it might get damaged. I wouldn't turn it on if I were you, seeing that the factory radio will be providing you the signal for the amplifier.
I'd check the wires for continuity with a digital multimeter if I were you. It's a safe and easy way to check out if you have the right wire or not.
I fought the temptation, and didn't turn it on... haha!
Tonight, I took out the rear seat and center console... Ran the wires from the head-unit to the trunk. Then I ran out of daylight... So, tomorrow I'm going to run the power-cable, remote-turn-on wire and ground the amp. Then I'll cross my fingers and hope it all turns on!
did you get a multimeter? It'll be your best friend doing installs like these. Let me know if you have any questions.
Not yet, I still need to pick one up.
I was thinking, since I have the whole center-console/backseat out, and I already ran the speaker/signal wires down the LEFT side of the center-console... I might try to run the remote-turn on and power down the RIGHT side of the center-console... (instead of under the sill in the passenger doorway.) It was so easy to run those cables with the center-console/backseat out... I guess the only thing is to make sure I keep the remote-turn on away from the signal wires... What do you think?
If you do it right and keep them as far away as possible (I remember the center console only having maybe 10-11" of width beneath it) you shouldn't pick up any noise. If you do pickup noise, however, there's not much you can do at that point, as the wires are already as far away as possible. You'll find that the passenger side route is very easy to run wire down. I would err on the side of caution and run it down the side.
If you do it right and keep them as far away as possible (I remember the center console only having maybe 10-11" of width beneath it) you shouldn't pick up any noise. If you do pickup noise, however, there's not much you can do at that point, as the wires are already as far away as possible. You'll find that the passenger side route is very easy to run wire down. I would err on the side of caution and run it down the side.
Got the system up and running last night! No major problems during the install... sounds great!! At first, I was a little un-impressed... but then I realized that the gain and bass-boost were all the way down on the amp. After turning them up *a little*, it made WORLDS of difference! Tonight, I'm going to run the "phantom center" controller, and tune the whole system up. The only problem I seem to be having is that the amp is still powered up after I turn off the radio/car. So right now, I've been turning it off by disconnecting the power cable from it.
Got the system up and running last night! No major problems during the install... sounds great!! At first, I was a little un-impressed... but then I realized that the gain and bass-boost were all the way down on the amp. After turning them up *a little*, it made WORLDS of difference! Tonight, I'm going to run the "phantom center" controller, and tune the whole system up. The only problem I seem to be having is that the amp is still powered up after I turn off the radio/car. So right now, I've been turning it off by disconnecting the power cable from it.
I called Crutchfield, and they said it could take a few minutes for the power to be cut to the amp... and that I just wasn't giving it enough time. So, I just tested it out, and after a couple minutes, sure-enough... everything shut off!!! Woo-hoooooooooo!!
Just a quick update... I'm so pleased with the way everything turned out in my stereo-install. But I'm afraid the bug has bit me, and I've decided to upgrade the rest of the system as well. I'm replacing the rear 6x9's with another set of Infinity Reference component speakers. I'm mounting the woofers in the 6x9 opening (with an adapter) and the tweeters somewhere pointing towards the front of the car. (Instead of straight-up at the rear-window.) I'm hoping this will give me a more "full" sound. These speakers are also going to be amplified at 50 watts/channel.
In addition, I'm upgrading the stock head-unit. I wanted something with an aux-input, so that I could hook my mp3 player up to it. The deck I decided on also has built in BlueTooth... and a full-color Organic EL display. It will all be here tomorrow. I'm psyched!
Thanks! I just realized that I'm going to need a dash-kit though... My factory deck has the cassette player. (which I can honestly say I don't think I've ever used once... lol) But, I don't have a pocket or anything to fill that gap. I've heard that if you go into the Best-Buy Mobile Install Desk, they will sell one to you... can you verify that?
Also, something I just thought of... When I wire up the factory harness, do I need to take into account that my factory wire's seem to be backwards? Red/Green (+) and Brown/Black (-) are DRIVERS SIDE, and not passenger side... (opposite of what it's supposed to be) While Blue/Green (+) and Gray/Black (-) are PASSENGERS SIDE, and not driver side like they're supposed to be...
But now that I think about it, it won't make a difference... right? Because I'm going to be taking out the speaker-level inputs (white and gray wires) that I ran when I hooked up my Basslink II to the factory-deck. So, the signals from the new deck are going to be going through the new RCAs, and not through the FR, FL, RR, RL wires in the harness... my head hurts.
1. Give the front components some time to break-in. My Polks took a good 2 weeks before the sound really started to jump out.
2. Why get another component set in the rear? There should only be one stage. That's front, where you'll be 100% of the time. Unless you have many passengers back there () and care about what they hear.
3. If you must have rear fill, go with a set of cheapo 6x9 replacing the stock speakers.
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