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450 Premium Audio rear speaker/sub signal issues

5K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Millz1273 
#1 ·
I've been driving a 2019 EX-L for 6 months (since June 2019) and the so called "premium" audio is anything but. The lack of bass has been killing me for a car that is supposed to have a dedicated sub, even if it is a factory weak sub. I was messing around with the fade and balance and noticed the front speakers seem to get much louder than the back at the same volume. When I say much louder there is about 1/4 the volume coming out of the rear speakers and sub compared to the front speakers. For the exact same speakers getting the same power, this seems really odd even if they are mounted differently. Is anyone else experiencing the same thing when you put the fade from all the way front to back?

I suspect that Honda deliberately killed the signal to the rear deck. I suspect this because when I go into the secret menu (power button, Home and source button pressed at the same time and held) the test signal that you can generate seems the same volume from all channels, and the sub actually made a deep rumbling (relative to what it does normally). When the sub had the test signal it actually rattled the whole rear deck, and I suspect this is why Honda may have cut power to these speakers to prevent people complaining. So now they complain about crappy speakers which is more acceptable than a car with rattles. This is all speculation, but would like to hear from others in early 2018 models versus 2019 models with the "premium" audio 450 watt system. It may be possible they changed this from 2018 to 2019.

I was about to start upgrading speakers, but did not want to add an amp to anything but the sub. My thinking is there is 20-25 watts RMS per channel (my guess on the 450 watt amplifier) would be plenty to push entry level aftermarket speakers (leaning toward Rockford Fosgate 6 3/4 components). There would be no point to upgrade the rear deck speakers if they cut the power going to them and would need a separate amp to accomplish any significant improvement.
 
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#2 ·
I've adjusted the the speakers balance to raise the rear a bit for a more balanced sound from front to back. In the sound settings remember to scroll down another notch. You'll see a sub-woofer settings. I've raised this to my liking and get a good amount of bump. Also look up Service Bulletin 19-044. I printed that and took my car into the dealership and this fixed my rattle problem in the rear deck. Even after all that the sound system in the car isn't that impressive but very serviceable.
 
#3 ·
I added a single 10” sub with 500 watt amp and tapped the front speakers for signal and it sounds freaking great in the bass department. I also sound deadened the trunk and all four door. For the doors I did the inside and the outside as well as some on the backside of the panels and this helped in cabin quietness and sound quality. Almost to the point where I might not even need to change out the front speakers and add another amp...lol..
 
#4 ·
I have a 2018 Accord EX-L and I tried changing the fade level to enhance the rear speakers but the bass is still underwhelming. My 2016 Altima SR with the standard audio system had much better bass with their 6x9” rear deck speakers. This is the last Accord I’ll be leasing.. until they get Bose to design an audio system for the car.
 
#6 ·
OP, I agree 100%. Unforeseen rattle likely caused a last minute manufacturing change to the DSP settings to compensate. It existed for 2018 you would think that kind of stuff gets fixed for the next model year but audio is not a deciding factor for vast majority of buyers.

I am half way on that path of modifying my 10 speaker system and here is what I have learned so far:
  1. Replacing factory fronts will, of course, lower their volume output as they have a heavier cone. Lack of power will also decrease your bass response. You will be turning up the volume higher and not be able to compensate for bass response loss.
  2. Front and rear tweets and mids have an active crossover set in the Amp/DSP so there is no need to use an external x-over. (Not so on the 8 speaker system)
    Best I can test they are crossed at around 3500hz which is standard. If you want to stick with the stock amp, you are probably better of getting a separate tweet and mid from Parts Express than any car specific brand so you don't pay for the marketing and x-over you will not use. Part Express has a good tool for searching so something that is 3-4 ohms, paper cone and very high SPL will probably be your best bet. I already had Infinities from my old car to use so i did not do that.
  3. To use an external amp, because of the active crossover, you will likely have to sum the signal wires to get 20-20khz signal. This may include the sub as I never tested where the fronts bottom out. Signal summing units are not cheap. Or as I did use a 4 channel amp to power two tweeters and two mids separately. bonus there is that you can adjust the gain separately on the tweeters from the mids. I like this because these LOC scenarios usaly add hiss to the signal that I can attenuate on the tweeter and boost the mid in this case. Othervise you can only adust the mid based on the level of distortion you can audible handle from the tweeter.
  4. Modifying rear speakers requires you to unplug your ANC module. I am not 100% sure if its the rear mids or the sub that does the canceling. in the 8 speaker system its the mids as there is no sub. Not sure if they move that duty to the sub on the 10 speaker system.
  5. For me, replacing the 3.5 center channel speaker with a coaxial one, brought up the music stage and gave better "faux" stereo image for each of the front two seats. It also made navigation, phone conversations cleaner and louder (you can adjust the volume for those features separately in settings). No additional amp just swap the 3.5. best 30 minutes spent on an upgrade.
  6. As you stated on the wattage, the Amp/DSP runs on a 20a fuse so producing anything more than 250-ish watts is purely peak power rating. 450W was that one time they measured the amp output when the lightning struck the test car. I mean its ridiculous :) even 20-25 RMS is very likely at 1khz, 15-20 RMS musically is in my opinion more realistic output
After all testing and modifications I came to the conclusion that the front stock speakers actually don't sound bad at all. They are not flashy to be brag worth but they are very efficient, clean with decent bass.

If I was doing it all over again, I would swap the tweets with a pair silk dome (or another type of tweeter where you prefer its sound characteristics) swap the 3.5 to coax to match the tweeter of choice and stop there. Moving forward will likely get you a whole lote of trouble as you can see from above ;)

If you have any question do not hesitate to ask.
 
#7 ·
I've been driving a 2019 EX-L for 6 months (since June 2019) and the so called "premium" audio is anything but. The lack of bass has been killing me for a car that is supposed to have a dedicated sub, even if it is a factory weak sub. I was messing around with the fade and balance and noticed the front speakers seem to get much louder than the back at the same volume. When I say much louder there is about 1/4 the volume coming out of the rear speakers and sub compared to the front speakers. For the exact same speakers getting the same power, this seems really odd even if they are mounted differently. Is anyone else experiencing the same thing when you put the fade from all the way front to back?

I suspect that Honda deliberately killed the signal to the rear deck. I suspect this because when I go into the secret menu (power button, Home and source button pressed at the same time and held) the test signal that you can generate seems the same volume from all channels, and the sub actually made a deep rumbling (relative to what it does normally). When the sub had the test signal it actually rattled the whole rear deck, and I suspect this is why Honda may have cut power to these speakers to prevent people complaining. So now they complain about crappy speakers which is more acceptable than a car with rattles. This is all speculation, but would like to hear from others in early 2018 models versus 2019 models with the "premium" audio 450 watt system. It may be possible they changed this from 2018 to 2019.

I was about to start upgrading speakers, but did not want to add an amp to anything but the sub. My thinking is there is 20-25 watts RMS per channel (my guess on the 450 watt amplifier) would be plenty to push entry level aftermarket speakers (leaning toward Rockford Fosgate 6 3/4 components). There would be no point to upgrade the rear deck speakers if they cut the power going to them and would need a separate amp to accomplish any significant improvement.
I have the same problem as Torres_15. rear speakers are not loud.. even took It dealership to check it out..... they told me that’s how it is... blah blah it’s the surround sound and all... I don’t her squat from rear deck unless About 22 or so......have the car about 7 months now and first 4 months it seemed louder..... I was thinking maybe output blew or something.... I don’t think they took dashboard apart to check amplifier...... they told me they went to another car and that’s how it is..... feel like taking it to another dealership and see what they say about it
 
#8 ·
I've been driving a 2019 EX-L for 6 months (since June 2019) and the so called "premium" audio is anything but. The lack of bass has been killing me for a car that is supposed to have a dedicated sub, even if it is a factory weak sub. I was messing around with the fade and balance and noticed the front speakers seem to get much louder than the back at the same volume. When I say much louder there is about 1/4 the volume coming out of the rear speakers and sub compared to the front speakers. For the exact same speakers getting the same power, this seems really odd even if they are mounted differently. Is anyone else experiencing the same thing when you put the fade from all the way front to back?

I suspect that Honda deliberately killed the signal to the rear deck. I suspect this because when I go into the secret menu (power button, Home and source button pressed at the same time and held) the test signal that you can generate seems the same volume from all channels, and the sub actually made a deep rumbling (relative to what it does normally). When the sub had the test signal it actually rattled the whole rear deck, and I suspect this is why Honda may have cut power to these speakers to prevent people complaining. So now they complain about crappy speakers which is more acceptable than a car with rattles. This is all speculation, but would like to hear from others in early 2018 models versus 2019 models with the "premium" audio 450 watt system. It may be possible they changed this from 2018 to 2019.

I was about to start upgrading speakers, but did not want to add an amp to anything but the sub. My thinking is there is 20-25 watts RMS per channel (my guess on the 450 watt amplifier) would be plenty to push entry level aftermarket speakers (leaning toward Rockford Fosgate 6 3/4 components). There would be no point to upgrade the rear deck speakers if they cut the power going to them and would need a separate amp to accomplish any significant improvement.
I know im a little late but just bought leftover 19 touring and noticed when using pandora a signifigant drop in quality and bass, when i use the sirrius app installed on radio quality and bass jumped dramatically and i had to turn the settings down
 
#9 ·
There is little to no output to the rear speakers in the factory system. To change it you’ll have to install external amplifiers, With the premium system you need an amplifier that can sum the signals, for non-premium use the front speakers for an input to your amplifier.
 
#10 ·
I just purchased a JL XD600/1v2 mono amp so I can install a sub. The Crutchfield rep said to get signal from door speakers not the sub. He told me you don't want to grab a crossed over signal such as the sub. He also told me no LOC is needed with the JL amp. I have the 10 speaker premium system. Some say grab signal from door speakers, others say from sub signal...I am so confused at this point
 
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