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Upgraded speakers / radio

27K views 31 replies 8 participants last post by  lmracefan 
#1 ·
It seems finding out information about the radio / speaker systems is difficult at best. I want to purchase the Elite, one of the reasons why is to get the stereo upgrade, but I've heard some non-flattering things about these systems.
Does anyone know what the upgrade stats are from the base to the Touring / Elite models (other than the additional number of speakers)? Difference in the watts rating, etc.
Is the system in the higher trims a good system?
Had a really bad experience with my 17 Ridgeline. Took it to a stereo shop to get an upgraded system. They had to literally destroy the old speakers to install the new ones (Memphis Audio), also had a new subwoofer and Fosgate amp installed. Four hours later, the frustrated installation tech came to inform me of a serious problem. The way Honda designed their road noise reduction system it fed into the subwoofer making it unlistenable, and there was no way to get around it. He actually called Honda to verify the information. I ended up having to disconnect the sub completely, and permanently.
To avoid another situation like this I wanted to get the best system available from the factory. But is it any good?
 
#2 ·
The top trims get 540 watt 10 speaker systems. They are not amazing but not bad stock. Go have a listen for yourself. People saying it sucks are in my opinion expecting miracles without paying for it, and also not understanding hit to properly use EQ (cut can be better than boost). This isn't a Lexus but it sounds better than many in class SUVs and worse than a few.

Your previous installer sounds terrible frankly. Any good installer would know how to disconnect ANC. I did it in 15 minutes, it is very easy. There are other threads around here about audio and ANC with videos.

I have upgraded the front door speakers for 100 bucks, disconnected ANC, and put about 500 bucks of mass loaded vinyl and vibration damping tiles in the doors and part of the hatch and roof and with everything else factory it sounds pretty darn good. The factory sub performs respectably for an 8 inch sub with ANC disconnected and without the sloppy bass from the factory fronts to fight.

Factory speakers in doors are 6.5 inch, all 2 ohm Panasonic in Touring and up, 4 ohm Pioneer in low trims. Center and rear speakers are probably 2 ohm and don't exist in lower trims. Sub is 8 inch w dual 2 ohm voice coil I believe. Amp in upper trims should handle 2 to 4 ohm loads fine. I installed 3 ohm in front doors myself in less than an hour.
 
#3 ·
There's a post on here somewhere about the noise cancelling. To learn more quickly, go to a Pilot or Accord forum. It's old news in those forums.

Bottom line...the ANC must be disconnected if a higher performance stereo is going to be installed. The module is behind the glovebox. I'm unplugging mine this weekend, and having door speakers and under-seat subwoofer installed next week.
 
#4 ·
Ok, thanks. The Ridgeline was brand new when I attempted the upgrade, don't know if that info was available back then, and if it was, apparently Honda wasn't willing to share it.
storm303, what brand of speakers did you upgrade to? I was reading elsewhere in the forum someone replaced the stock sub with a Skar, said it made a big difference.
 
#5 ·
Yea unfortunately the ANC has been around for over 10 years and your installer was just not well informed. Honda is not ever going to help people disable features of the car, but all good installers know how to disable ANC on various brands that use it. Depending on vehicle, you can just muffle the mics, but in most, unplugging the module is best. My old Accord had it many years back and it was easy to fairly disable then too. It irritates me that Honda will not make this a software setting that can be permanently disabled from the touch screen.

My upgrade so far has been:
1) install sound deadening in select places like doors and floor. Takes time but makes any stereo sound WAY better.
2) replace front door speaker with Infiniti Reference 6532. Very easy, only cost ~100 bucks with the accessories needed, and no vehicle mod needed. The result was added clarity and depth across the range, and very slightly less but much more controlled bass. They also handle boosting bass and volume much better.

Up Next:
I will run either my old external amplified Punch 12" or try a JL Audio 8" in the stock location. I like controlled, deep, clean bass and personally not a fan of Skar brand for several reasons but I am sure any decent aftermarket might do better than the stock, but the stock speakers are not terrible. Disabling ANC and DTS Surround, and adjusting the EQ conservatively and then balance slightly to rear allows getting more power to the sub and I am actually impressed with how low the factory sub can get for an 8".
 
#6 ·
Storm has done some interesting modifications, that I would love to hear for myself. I am considering up grading the speakers and actually did so with some Inifinity's back in the day in my 1985 Prelude and they did sound MUCH better than the stock speakers. I will check out the Infiniti Reference 6532 speakers! along with adding the sound-deadening materials!

That being said, I love music and have probably close to 4,000 LP/CDs. I'm telling you I am very impressed with the stock stereo in the Touring/Elite models, with some adjustments. Not sure what types of music you all listen to, but I can tell you that the bass-punch and clarity of the remastered versions of Simple Minds: New Gold Dream, and the Cure's: Faith and 17 Seconds sound nothing short of AMAZING!
 
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#7 ·
Yeah, Storm really knows his stuff. Once I purchase I'll just have to decide if I want to do the additional upgrading. I'm in my 60's now and certainly no audiophile, but I really do like a powerful quality stereo. Never even thought of the doing the sound deadening installation, but that really makes a lot of sense, and probably the first thing to do before any other mods.

BTW, Storm, you mentioned disabling the DTS Surround, can you explain that a little more?
 
#11 ·
Absolutely, a good custom shop can do it. It requires removing most or all of the interior depending on how far they go and it is not cheap. It can be hard to find a shop that does it right.

This site, now closed, is a source of great info to either DIY or test the shop you find. If they don't do it like this, they are doing it badly. Just reading the 3 steps article is a great start:
 
#10 · (Edited)
Here are pictures from the sound deadening project showing in order, the following:

  1. Anti vibration tiles and melamine foam on the entire roof behind the sunroof mechanism. The foam absorbs high frequency and is extremely light and somewhat of an thermal insulator.
  2. The passenger door with panel removed and mass loaded vinyl I cut to fit under the door panel, with a bit of 1/2 inch foam to decouple the MLV from the door panel. Mass loaded vinyl if hung limply, is a very effective noise barrier. Sounds wastes its energy trying to vibrate that heavy mass and cannot get through. A layer of foam or similar on each side needs to decouple it from hard surfaces that vibrate for it to work best.
  3. The inside of one of the outer door skins showing vibration damping tiles. These tiles are butyl rubber with a really strong adhesive and a foil overlay. They work by adding mass to the panel and absorbing vibration that wastes its energy on that rubber mass. This brand takes very wide temp ranges (extreme cold and hot) with no problems and has no odor. Tap your door, notice the vibration? Mine thud solidly. These are placed carefully and firmly to the sheet metal to let any small amounts of water drain over them with no chance for trapping water. They make a seal with the anodized metal, and only about 25% of panel coverage is needed to stop the metal from resonating/amplifying noise and other sounds.
  4. The inside of the door panel. It has large plastic areas that needed dampening too so it won't vibrate. Just a few pieces were used. I stuffed some foam in the big empty cavity to fill it.
  5. Looking back at my hatch, I simply lay a large piece of cut MLV over the spare tire area and draped down behind the rear seats.
  6. A look at where the factory sub was removed. Note the factory uses similar vibration damping tiles, although theirs are not as good as the ones applied here (lighter and cheaper material).
  7. The back of the stock sub removed from the floor next to the spare. Dual 2 ohm voice coils for the subwoofer on the Touring and Elite.
  8. The sub box bottom.
Not shown:
  • My weather tech floormats all have MLV sheets under them that cover the entire footwells of the front and back seats, and under the front seats. It is hidden quite nicely by the mats.
  • Also put some foam in the B pillar to block resonant sound inside.
  • The hatch also got some anti vibration tiles and MLV.
  • Anti vibration tiles, 2 each, on the front quarter panel insides beneath the wheel well liner.
Overall, I spent about 500$ on high quality odor and outgas free, high/low temperature proof products for this project, and about ~18 hours to install it and the new front door speakers. The vehicle weighs about 67 pounds more with all this material. I can remove the MLV if needed leaving the vehicle only 16 pounds heavier than stock. The tiles are not as easy to remove but could be done in summer with a heat gun. They don't hurt the car so no point.
 

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#12 ·
Wow, great info and pics storm...! thanks!
 
#13 ·
Did some checking on the Crutchfield site and found the Focal RCX-165 @ $119/pair, they will fit both the front and rear (supposedly): LINK: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091RCX165/Focal-RCX-165.html

My concerns are:
1) They are rated at 4 ohms, and the OEM Speakers are 2 ohms and the Sensitivity is 91.5db. I am not sure how the New Front Door Speakers will blend with the Existing Front Tweeters, what if they are too low sounding and you turn them up and the EXISTING Front Tweeters are too loud and overpower the New Front Door Speakers? The Center Channel can be adjusted separately so that is not an issue.

2) Same issue with the Existing Rear Tweeters, what if the New Rear Door Speakers are too low sounding and you turn them up and the Existing Rear Tweeters are too loud and overpower the New Rear Door Speakers? The Sub Woofer can be adjusted separately so that is not an issue.

Anyone have any thoughts?
 
#15 ·
I agree with your concerns. My best guess is they will probably be ok and you could cut treble and balance to the the rear slightly to get away from the front tweeters. 91.5dB is pretty efficient.

However, with the Infiniti 6532ex 3 ohm 93dB speakers I installed, I did notice a very slight reduction in perceived midrange with one new installed vs the factory in the other door. The quality was better but perceived volume maybe one or two volume knob clicks lower. With them both installed, the clarity improved enough that I don't need them as loud. I can say Focal is one of the best brands out there. When I used to be really into auto sound I ran Focal, JL Audio, MB Quart, and similar brands known for their great product.

What about running it by the Crutchfield advisers and making sure they would take them back if you didn't like them? I am 99% sure they take stuff back without hassle.
 
#19 ·
I have a 2019 Sport. I didn't like the 5.5 inch radio but didn't like the EX-L enough to upgrade. I decided to look around and upgrade to a third party touch screen radio with wireless Apple CarPlay. After researching both the Honda Ridgeline forum and the Pilot forum, I found two people who had posted what they had to do to upgrade from the 5.5 radio. Here is the post I found in the Ridgeline forum that also references the Pilot radio change out.


There are some issues. First, hardly third party people know anything about the Passport and thus using the Ridgeline and Pilot experiences is necessary. Second, there are some issues with compatibility. As mentioned here, the installer must turn off any noise cancelling device. Also, the sub woofer needs its own amp. The control of the rear camera is software driven so you only get the wide view with a third party radio. Finally, I ended up with two controls buttons on my steering wheel not working due in part to a change in the wiring harness in the Passport from what's in the Ridgeline and Pilot mentioned in the other forums. They are the Source button and the Call Hangup button.

I went with the Kenwood DMX906S for the head as it has wireless Apple CarPlay. I am pleased with the install and general sound of the Kenwood. Here are some pictures of the final look and the list of parts installed. CarPlay connects at start up either wireless or wired. I can stream Pandora and Sirius and also use the HD radio with CarPlay. Siri controls most everything.

I did look at purchasing the EX-L radio head and associated parts from Honda. The cost of the parts was more than what I paid for the Kenwood with installation. My Honda dealer told me that their "Supertech" said the EX-L radio head would not work in the Sport because they weren't on the same "network".

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#21 ·
I just upgraded the door speakers to the Infinity Reference REF-6532EX 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers at $74.95 a pair. I run music through my phone for XM, Pandora and Itunes. The factory speakers were missing a lot of mid range almost muted, I actually thought I was losing some of my hearing. With the new Infinity's replacing the door speakers front and back, there is great mid range and some additional thump on the bass side. Easy swap out and I recommend it highly especially if you like clean, crisp volume.
 
#22 ·
I am just getting ready to upgrade the speakers in my Touring model Passport so I have some questions for Coojo & storm3 regarding their speaker upgrades - especially regarding the rear door speakers.
I plan on directly replacing the front lower door 6.5" & tweeter into their current locations with some high end Hertz Mille Pro Comp MPK 165.3 that I removed from a CRV that I traded in to purchase my Passport Touring.
My questions concern the rear speaker upgrade.
What model Passport do you have?
Was your rear door speaker a 2/way Coax?
Did you install Tweeters anywhere in the rear?
*(The Infinity 6532ex are coax with tweeters built in)
In my Touring model, the rear 6.5" is in the lower door with 3.1" speakers in the columns in the trunks area.
Since I have not looked yet, is the Touring door 6.5" a 2/way coax type?
Are the 3.1" speakers in the trunks area "tweeters" connected to the 6.5" speaker in the door (to play high end)?
Or are they separate from the 6.5" in the rear door & therefore reproducing sound separately on their own?
Your input & information will be greatly appreciated.
 
#31 ·
Make sure they are a small to medium size jpeg and use the "Insert Image" button below...
 
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