Upgrading Speakers, Keeping Factory Head Unit?

[WebLord]

Hello all,
I just bought a 2003 Honda Accord EX (I love it) and had a question
regarding the factory stereo. I would like to get some aftermarket
speakers for the back and the doors, and a couple of subs, but it looks
as if replacing the factory cd player would be a pain and it would also
look funny. Plus the in-dash 6 cd changer is kinda nice.

Has anybody had any luck upgrading their sound system while keeping the
original factory stereo? Does it still sound as good as an good
aftermarket radio/CD player? Do I need to buy an amp/EQ or does
factory CD player have enough power to rock some new speakers?

Thanks for your help!!!

[Matt Ion]

WebLord wrote:
> Hello all,
> I just bought a 2003 Honda Accord EX (I love it) and had a question
> regarding the factory stereo. I would like to get some aftermarket
> speakers for the back and the doors, and a couple of subs, but it looks
> as if replacing the factory cd player would be a pain and it would also
> look funny. Plus the in-dash 6 cd changer is kinda nice.
>
> Has anybody had any luck upgrading their sound system while keeping the
> original factory stereo? Does it still sound as good as an good
> aftermarket radio/CD player? Do I need to buy an amp/EQ or does
> factory CD player have enough power to rock some new speakers?
>
> Thanks for your help!!!


It SHOULD work, but there are a few considerations that may or may not
apply to your car:

1. Some cars have head units with line-level or low-level output, and
little discrete amps attached to the back of each speaker. With these
setups, you can't just swap out the speakers without providing some
other source of amplification. I've never known Hondas to use these
(ran into them a lot in older RX-7s) so you're probably okay.

2. When car manufacturers were starting to care about "decent" audio
(late 80s), they often used cheap speakers that were extra-efficient -
for good level with little power - but with really poor frequency
response that was compensated for with some pretty harsh EQ in the stock
deck. Replacing either (deck or speakers) without the other meant all
manner of sound problems - most often you'd find that putting new
"quality" speakers on a stock deck would result in a lot of muddy bass,
muffled mids, and missing highs, because the stock deck was designed to
compensate for the lack of bottom end in the stock speakers... and of
course, you'd end up with upset customers who wonder why their expensive
new speakers don't sound as good as the stock ones (and naturally, any
explanations of the problems are seen as an attempt to simply sell more
equipment).

Anyway, that shouldn't be so much of a problem with your newer car, either.



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[sniper99]

Actually, there is a specific dash kit available for your Honda Accord
from 2003-2006

It will fill the space of the original and give you a din size opening.


http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/search.php?substring=turbo2

[FaxMeBeer]

It's often not desirable to change out your factory head unit,
especially if the double-din unit controls other features and/or the
door chimes work through the stereo and/or you have steering wheel
controls.

If none of those issues apply, then there are plenty of double-din
replacement units that you could choose from in the after market. If
you really don't want to do that, then there is a new product which I
was reading about last month that bypasses the factory EQ settings and
allows you more control over the sound coming from your head unit. I
can't remember what the thing is called, or who manufactures it, but if
you're interested you can respond here and I'll get the information for
you.

Don Carroll
Owner, Pious Audio
http://www.piousaudio.com

[WebLord]

I ended up buying JL Audio's Cleansweep. Iit was a biit pricey at $300
(on sale), but it was well worth it. I was able to keep the factory
head unit without doing any crazy mods, and it sounds excellent. It
sounds better than my Alpine 9807 I had (in another car). It comes
with a CD to calibrate the speakers and a mountable gain so you can
easily adjust (which i do when i go from Billy Joel to Ludacris) with
the turn of a knob. I had it mounted in an empty gauge hole and it
looks very professional. I highly recommend this for anybody in this
same situation with their factory head units. Thanks everybody for
your help! Gotta say thanks to Sound Advice in Midland, MI for their
expertise and service (they installed it)....