Sound System Upgrade

[pshivers]

I thought I would post what I have done to my 2003 Accord LX 4-banger's sound system. I wasn't intrested in spending mega dollars but I did want to "feel" my music.

Added Honda MP3 player - Works nice, intregates into the OEM sound system, does not display song and album information.

It does give the ability to store about 10 albums worth of music onto one CD. I like it, but Honda could do a lot better considering what is available for a lot less money in the MP3 aftermarket. OEM look was important to me.

Replace Rear Deck Speakers - JBL GTO935 6"x9" 3-way Speakers

Replace Front door Speakers - Kenwood KFC-1668S 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers

Factory dashboard tweeters were retained.

Added Sub woofer - Bazooka EL10A-HP 10" 100 watt max Powered Subwoofer

Bazooka F.A.S.T. wiring harness for Honda/Acura to tie into OEM radio wiring harness, (No cutting or splicing) for the subwoofer system.

PAC BB-150A2 Bass Blockers 1 pair with Terminals, 150hz/4ohm for front door speakers to eliminate bass too low for the 6.5" speakers.

Bazooka UMS10A 10" Universal Mounting System, better mounting system for the sub woofer than what comes with the unit.

Bazooka RBCM-EL Remote Bass Control Module for amplified EL. Allows me to adjust the gain on the subwoofer from the drivers seat.

Dynamat 19100 License Frame Kit - Eliminate major vibration caused by the rear license plate.

Expenses so far are just over $1,000 dollars, with the most bang for my buck being under $200 spent for the replacement speakers.

I will probably add a Dynamat trunk kit to improve the subwoofer sound.

I bought everthing except the MP3 player from Crutchfield. Excellent prices and excellent service.

I bought the Honda MP3 player online from Majestic Honda. All installation work was done by myself.

At this point I am very happy with the changes. :D

Now where is that Pink Floyd CD!
:wave:

[Wolf]

How tight a fit are those new front (door) speakers? I've heard there isn't much depth to work with. Knowing that the door panel needs removal, how much of a hassle was it replacing those fronts? I've read that it's between "a pain in the @$$" and "don't do it".

[pshivers]

Wolf,

It's all doable. The best advise... Just take it slow and easy.

Front Door Panel removal - 2003 Accord

The following instructions are very detailed but don't let that throw you. It actualy very straight forward and should only take about 30 minutes per side.

There are three hidden screws that need to removed. Two are behind the inside door latch. There is a little tab that needs to be
pressed, (I used a small jewelers screwdriver), and the false cover comes out revealing the screws.

Inside the armrest there is a depression where you might normally grab to close the door. The small flat rubber piece at the bottom is easily removed, (it is just sitting there) There is one screw under there.

Unscrew the door lock button by the window and save it with the
screws you just removed.

There a several white plastic press to fit buttons holding the door
panel in place. I used a BIG screwdriver (A 4" wide putty knife might work better), to go between the door panel and the door and began pulling the panel outward slightly with it.

I found it was easier to pop the window/doorlock switch panel out of place and unplug the wiring harness before actually removing the door panel.

Once I could get my fingers under the panel I pulled gently all around the edge until all "buttons" has released. (Some may fall out of place or stay stuck in the door, just collect them and place back in the door panel before reinstalling. Just be gentle with the door panel.

You will need to lift the door panel straight up and slightly
backwards to unhook it from the window sill, There is a small clip
holding the door latch cable to the inside door lever. Unhook the
plastic clip from the cable (pushing it sideways) and the cable will
come out easily.

Pop the plastic wire retainer out for the door light and remove the door light by giving it a half a twist.

The door panel should now be free.

Speaker removal is very simple. Pry the top of the speaker away from the door slightly, it held in by a spring clip, once free from the door, lift the speaker straight UP. There are just two plastic hooks holding the bottom of the speaker to the doors. Don't pull the speaker forward more than nessecary, it will break the plastic hooks on the OEM speakers.

Unplug the speaker wiring harness and you have removed everything needed to install your upgraded speakers.

Reinstalling is simply the reverse of removal, just make sure
everything is lined up properly and the door panel will go right back in place with little effort.


Front Speaker replacement - 2003 Accord
(and most other Hondas if I'm not mistaken).

Yes room is limited but if you order the speakers from http://www.crutchfield.com specifying the 2003 Accord as the target vehicle Crutchfield supplies (At no extra charge), speaker mounting adapters and wiring adapters that make mounting the new speakers a cinch! All you have to do is drill three small holes for the mounting screws

Hope this helps!

Paul Shivers

[Wolf]

Wow, that's probably the quickest reply ever on this forum.

Anywho... thanks for the detailed description. It will not only help me out but all the others thinking about doing this.

Thanks again :-)

[ssjones]

I just ordered the same 6.5" Kenwood speakers for the front and went with Kenwood 6x9"'s for the rear. I wanted the JBL's but apparently Crutchfield doesn't carry JBL any more. For the first time in 25 years, Crutchfield messed up my order by forgetting to put in the brackets for the front speakers and the harness connectors. They sent them out today, but the install will now have to wait until they arrive (off today...).
Install looks pretty straightforward. I also ordered the speaker baffles for each.
Thanks for the comments, timely for me.
I primarily listen to my XM (SkiFi2 in the dash cubby) and lately the bass has been bottoming out. Hopefully these new speakers will resolve that issue.

[marOne]

Good luck with your install, hope it goes smooth.

I was thinking if you can snap a few pics along your installation steps I am sure it will be greatly appreaciated by everybody wanting to do the speaker upgrade (i am one, but I am a little intimitaded by taking the door panels off)

Let us know how the system sounds after the upgrade

Cheers,

[DWNSOUTHGABOI]

thas real nice system..i kept all my factory systems including the dash and just added 2 12" kenwood sub, 1200 watt rocksford fosgate amp

[mrjtree]

PAC BB-150A2 Bass Blockers 1 pair with Terminals, 150hz/4ohm for front door speakers to eliminate bass too low for the 6.5" speakers.
Great posting! Always interested to see what others have done. Regarding the Bass Blockers, does one just wire these in between the speaker and the radio? Are they small in size like a AAA battery?

[ssjones]

Sure, I'll snap a few photos of each install. Crutchfield sends a nice instruction booklet specific to your vehicle. It has pix as well. I've had door panels off plenty of vehicles but if you are a rookie, the instruction book let would be pretty handy.

[treetribe]

Hello,

I have a 2005 Accord Sedan 2.4L 5AT. I recently installed 2 Audiobahn AS69Q 6x9's in the rear. I have a question about installing an amplifier in the trunk. Firstly I know the stock headunit only puts out 30w x 4. I don't find that loud enough at all, especially with the stock front speakers. Also, the stock headunit doesn't have RCA outputs which makes an amp harder to install. I have 2 Pioneer 400W RMS subs in a box all ready to go. All they need is an amp.

I was thinking of either buying an amp just to power the two rear 6x9's because they are 150W RMS speakers and should sound decent with the right amount of power. Or I could put the subs in and power them through an amp.

I'm kind of leaning towards the first option, cause putting in subs just adds weight and occupies trunk space.

So, here is the question: In order to power the rear 6X9's with an amp, how exactly would I need to setup the wiring, considering there's no RCA outs from the headunit.... I've heard something about a high-low convertor. What exactly is that? Any suggestions on how I should go about this?

[ssjones]

MarOne:
Just finished the install. Didn't exactly go as smooth as I would have preferred. Like Crutchfields website said, the Kenwoods weren't a perfect fit. I also bought the foam speaker baffles which proved impossible to install and cost me nearly 2 hours of screwing with them before deciding to remove the baffles. The factory screws for the rear speakers are just a little larger (head size) than the opening in the Kenwood's, making reinstallation a little challenging. They supplied bolts/nuts, but they also fit so far down into the speaker mount area, I couldn't get a socket in the small area (1/4" drive or my nutdrivers). I should have gone over to Lowes and bought something to shim up the nut/bolts or bought shorter ones with a phillips head, that would have been a lot easier. As it is, I may end up doing that anyway.
The rears were simple and took me about 15 minutes per side. I did snap some digital photos but will post tomorrow. It's 11 PM and I'm just eating dinner, thought this would have taken me about an hour.
On a positive note, it was definitely worth the effort. Much better highs and lows, a huge improvement for a modest investment (both sets $150 from Crutchfield).
Crutchfield's instruction sheet was 100% correct but didn't really go into detail about removing the door lock cable. I took a good photo of that area and will explain with the pix.
Three frozen burritos are calling my name.......

[ssjones]

Ate my burritos, got a good nights sleep and thought about my install issues. I went to Loews and bought eight, M5-.80 x 20 mm socket head cap screws to replace the factory screws. They were much easier to deal with and I had both speakers secured in 10 minutes.

I trimmed the baffles to make insertion easier, particularly around the mounting holes as you can't see where the screw is inserted. I trimmed the underside of the factory grill for a better fit against the larger frame Kenwood 6x9's. Snapped in place nicely. The baffles do help re-direct the sound into the interior vs. the trunk, a worthwhile item to purchase. I still have to insert the baffles in the front cavity's but that should be simple.

I put up some pictures at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/415035939kNSJMt

The Crutchfield install guide made it simple and eliminated any guesswork. Unfortunately it is not available online, only with a purchase. Crutchfield supplies free harness adaptors and the front mounting bracket, so I'd definitely consider them over Circuit City as they charge a premium for those harness/adaptor items.