[BryMack]

Hi all. Excited new owner of a 2020 Touring! I previously owned an Element that I had completely replaced the audio system in, and it’s fair to say that I’m always interested in getting more out of the audio in my cars. I’m honestly really impressed with the premium system in my Passport, but on the chance I were to look into upgrades, I have some questions I need answered first, and the internet has failed me so far. So any help would be appreciated. Assuming I stuck with the stock head unit and amp, with the possibility of adding a mono amp and a sub down the line, here’s what I’m wondering:

1. Do I need to keep the same style speakers in the doors, or can I go full range? Crutchfield makes it sound like they are subs, but if so, where does the crossover between them and the tweeters in the pillars take place? If I got a set of components and put them in, can I just wire them to the factory wiring? Is the stock amp handling the crossover, or do I still need to use the ones included with the new speakers, and tie the replacement tweeters into the wiring of the door speakers? If so, do I just leave the stock tweeter wiring disconnected?

2. Does Honda still put those red clips in the front pillars that are designed to break if you pull the trim off? It was always a pain to have to go get replacement clips every time I wanted to access the tweeters in my Element.

3. Does anyone know what the RMS is for the mains and the sub channel of the stock amp? I have to assume the 540w rating is peak power.

4. I know they squeeze the extra wattage out of the premium system by dropping the impedance to 2 ohms per speaker. And since finding 2 ohm full range speakers is like finding a unicorn, how big is the sacrifice of power/volume if I end up have to install 4 ohm speakers run from the factory amp?

5. If I were to install an aftermarket amp and sub, can I “tap” the leads to the factory sub for the new amp, but leave the factory sub operational? Does tapping those leads add any additional resistance that would impact the impedance of the stock sub? I’m curious if running the stock sub with an aftermarket would create unwanted phasing issues, outside of the issues with the noise canceling feature, which I would definitely disable.

Thanks for your help!

 

[stevenD]

Hello Brymack and welcome, we have another forum member (ironchef) who has done an extensive (and awesome) passport stereo upgrade and he is probably much better versed at answer you questions below, I have a 2019 Touring and am in the process of some major stereo upgrades. But I'll go ahead and give my 2 cents...

1. Do I need to keep the same style speakers in the doors, or can I go full range?

You can go full range, not sure why you would want to in the front, but someone here did put coaxials in the rear doors.

1. Crutchfield makes it sound like they are subs, but if so, where does the crossover between them and the tweeters in the pillars take place?

Crutchfield is an excellent source for research info, I used them to select my speakers, although I ended buying locally as they had a much better price. I'm not sure if there is a physical crossover, since the Amp is a 10 channel DSP Amp, I suspect that performs the crossover functions internally.

1. If I got a set of components and put them in, can I just wire them to the factory wiring? Is the stock amp handling the crossover, or do I still need to use the ones included with the new speakers, and tie the replacement tweeters into the wiring of the door speakers?

That is what I would do, just install your new speakers where the existing ones were, using the same wiring. I replaced my front & rear speakers with some Focal components and (WRONGLY) insisted the installer use the Focal crossovers, but I'm not exactly sure which wires they used, but it does not sound as good as it could, which is why I'm going with a separate 8-channel amp (this weekend).

1. If so, do I just leave the stock tweeter wiring disconnected?

Do you mean in the front or rear? I would would replace the stock front tweeters (and door woofers) with Component Speakers. For the rear, I would do the same Components. If you plan to keep the OEM Amp. If you replace the rear door woofers with Coaxials, give it a listen before disconnecting the rear Mid-range speakers (in the C-Pillar) , if the sound ok then leave them connected, if they don't then disconnect them.

2. Does Honda still put those red clips in the front pillars that are designed to break if you pull the trim off? It was always a pain to have to go get replacement clips every time I wanted to access the tweeters in my Element.

I have no idea.

3. Does anyone know what the RMS is for the mains and the sub channel of the stock amp? I have to assume the 540w rating is peak power.

We have pondered that since the beginning, first off the are Car-Mfg Watts, not RMS Watts, but my guess is:
Subwoofer: 120w
Front & Rear Door Woofers 70w (each)
Front Tweeters & Rear Mid-range/Tweeters: 30w (each)
Center Channel: 20w

Which adds up to 540w

4. I know they squeeze the extra wattage out of the premium system by dropping the impedance to 2 ohms per speaker. And since finding 2 ohm full range speakers is like finding a unicorn, how big is the sacrifice of power/volume if I end up have to install 4 ohm speakers run from the factory amp?

There are some companies that make 3ohm speakers (JBL & Infinity) so you won't lose much. My Focals were 4ohm, yet they can be powered by amps with 6w minimum, so they get REALLY loud with no clipping. So when selecting replacement speakers, I would also look at the number of watts needed to drive them and the Sensitivity which is how much sound they produce with 1 watt. If you do that, the OEM amp will power 4ohm speakers without any issues.

5. If I were to install an aftermarket amp and sub, can I “tap” the leads to the factory sub for the new amp, but leave the factory sub operational?

You want two subs? Again ironchef installed an 8" Alpine R series Sub, in the OEM unit and added another amp to power it (look for his thread for more info). I would do this before added a new sub and amp and leaving the OEM sub operational.

Link: SQ Passport Build 2.0

5. Does tapping those leads add any additional resistance that would impact the impedance of the stock sub?

Should be able to tap into the high level wires and feed them into a mono amp, no problem, this would be a good question to ask Crutchfield, when deciding on which mono amp to go with.

5. I’m curious if running the stock sub with an aftermarket would create unwanted phasing issues, outside of the issues with the noise canceling feature, which I would definitely disable.

It probably would, and (again) not sure why you would want to, if you are after monster bass, just add a 1000w mono amp and a 12" (or two) subs in a box and disconnect the OEM Sub and the ANC (Automatic Noise Cancelling) as you mentioned.

Also please see my my thread, if you want.

COMPLETED SQ Build 1.0

See next post:

www.passportforums.com

And feel free to keep asking anything you want...

 

[BryMack]

Hello Brymack and welcome, we have another forum member (ironchef) who has done an extensive (and awesome) passport stereo upgrade and he is probably much better versed at answer you questions below, I have a 2019 Touring and am in the process of some major stereo upgrades. But I'll go ahead and give my 2 cents...



You can go full range, not sure why you would want to in the front, but someone here did put coaxials in the rear doors.



Crutchfield is an excellent source for research info, I used them to select my speakers, although I ended buying locally as they had a much better price. I'm not sure if there is a physical crossover, since the Amp is a 10 channel DSP Amp, I suspect that performs the crossover functions internally.



That is what I would do, just install your new speakers where the existing ones were, using the same wiring. I replaced my front & rear speakers with some Focal components and (WRONGLY) insisted the installer use the Focal crossovers, but I'm not exactly sure which wires they used, but it does not sound as good as it could, which is why I'm going with a separate 8-channel amp (this weekend).



Do you mean in the front or rear? I would would replace the stock front tweeters (and door woofers) with Component Speakers. For the rear, I would do the same Components. If you plan to keep the OEM Amp. If you replace the rear door woofers with Coaxials, give it a listen before disconnecting the rear Mid-range speakers (in the C-Pillar) , if the sound ok then leave them connected, if they don't then disconnect them.



I have no idea.



We have pondered that since the beginning, first off the are Car-Mfg Watts, not RMS Watts, but my guess is:
Subwoofer: 120w
Front & Rear Door Woofers 70w (each)
Front Tweeters & Rear Mid-range/Tweeters: 30w (each)
Center Channel: 20w

Which adds up to 540w



There are some companies that make 3ohm speakers (JBL & Infinity) so you won't lose much. My Focals were 4ohm, yet they can be powered by amps with 6w minimum, so they get REALLY loud with no clipping. So when selecting replacement speakers, I would also look at the number of watts needed to drive them and the Sensitivity which is how much sound they produce with 1 watt. If you do that, the OEM amp will power 4ohm speakers without any issues.



You want two subs? Again ironchef installed an 8" Alpine R series Sub, in the OEM unit and added another amp to power it (look for his thread for more info). I would do this before added a new sub and amp and leaving the OEM sub operational.

Link: SQ Passport Build 2.0




Should be able to tap into the high level wires and feed them into a mono amp, no problem, this would be a good question to ask Crutchfield, when deciding on which mono amp to go with.



It probably would, and (again) not sure why you would want to, if you are after monster bass, just add a 1000w mono amp and a 12" (or two) subs in a box and disconnect the OEM Sub and the ANC (Automatic Noise Cancelling) as you mentioned.

Also please see my my thread, if you want.

COMPLETED SQ Build 1.0

See next post:

www.passportforums.com

And feel free to keep asking anything you want...

Thank you for the thorough response. I did have a thorough read through all the threads on this topic and saw your post. That install was a beauty. It’s too bad it led to the problems you had.

Crutchfield is always my go to, but they’ve been a little confusing with this one. When I go to “outfit my vehicle” they list options for full range in the door, as well as subs. But I’m sure they’re just going off of measurement, and not necessarily the specific type of speaker that was stock. I think a replacement set of components up front and an amp/sub upgrade will be the way to go. I would be curious how an upgraded sub would sound off the stock amp too. I guess I’m a little less knowledgeable when it comes to the sensitivity rating vs impedance. To my understanding, if the system is running all 2ohm speakers and I replace with 4ohm, I’m losing about half the wattage. So that would be a concern if I start mixing and matching. Like replacing the fronts but leaving the rears. I’m sure I can balance it out with the fader, but I really don’t want to lose volume or power. The stock system is actually louder than the upgraded system that was in my Element, but certainly not as clear at high volumes. But I’m also wondering if replacement components are rated 4ohms because they’re a 2ohm sub and a 2ohm tweeter run in series. If that’s the case, then running them each off the factory wiring should actually hit the 2ohm mark.

Regarding the stock sub and amp configuration, it’s a dual coil sub with two leads coming from the amp, correct? So if I replaced just the sub to start, I would want to look at a sub with dual coils that both run at 2ohms, right? I want to be able to feed it as much power off the stock amp, if I start out by trying it that way. Definitely not as worried about the impedance if I put an aftermarket amp in down the road and have to end up running it at 4ohms at that time. Any aftermarket amp I would get should put out enough power to keep up at 4ohms.

I also feel like I’m missing something with the tweeters. There’s one in each A pillar and one in each C pillar, right? Or are the C pillars mids? The C pillars only seem to be present when I switch on that DTS setting. I’m surprised they would stock midrange speakers so far behind the driver, as they would be handling so much of the critical sound frequencies.

 

[stevenD]

I see your concern about wanting to stay with 2 ohm speakers and saw something that may be of interest to you:

Audison is an Italian Automotive Stereo company, not super popular here in the US, a lot of their stuff is high-end/high quality products, I have an 8-Channel DSP Amp & 8" Subwoofer being installed in my Passport, as I am typing this.

They make a 2 ohm component speaker set: "APK 165 2 ohm", see link below

Audison - Car Audio Amplifiers, Speakers, Processors

Audiophile in-car sound, where instinct meets innovation, going beyond the ordinary car audio solutions that’s where our instinct comes in.

www.audison.eu

Now these go for $300/$400 here in the US, but I found an overseas retailer, (in Germany) that has them for around $150.

Audison APK 165 2 Ohm - 16,5cm 2-Wege Compo

APK 165 Ω2 APK 165 ohm2 system features 2 crossovers dedicated to woofer and tweeter and separated, to ease the installation. APCX WF ohm2…

www.carfeature.de

Note: I am ordering my speakers from them and checked the Audison site and verified they are a Authorized dealer.