Sport Touring Hatch Stereo

brianbrooklyn

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So, I'm quite happy with my 2017 Civic Hatchback Sport Touring that I took delivery of a couple of days ago. My only complaint is that to my ears, the stereo sounds pretty awful. 12 speakers, 540 watts, and frankly it sounds flat and lifeless. I tried tuning the EQ and sub level but it still sounds just plain sad.

Long shot, but anybody else noticing this?
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Nanucq

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I took delivery of my Sport Touring on Saturday and I find the sound pretty good for an OEM stereo (mostly listened to Dire Straits). Didn't tuned anything yet.
 

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If you listen to FM primarily you're SOL because FM sounds like crap.
 

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It is better than the lower level stereo. But certainly not a high-end stereo system.
 

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Since you just got it a couple of days ago, it may be because the speakers haven't been burned in.

Mine sounds a lot better than before, especially when the inside of the car is warm enough (when it's cold outside -- like, -10 celsius or below -- the sound is crappy).
 


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brianbrooklyn

brianbrooklyn

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Since you just got it a couple of days ago, it may be because the speakers haven't been burned in.

Mine sounds a lot better than before, especially when the inside of the car is warm enough (when it's cold outside -- like, -10 celsius or below -- the sound is crappy).
That's good advice, thanks. I've found if I turn the treble down and turn up the bass, midrange, and sub, it starts to sound a bit more mellow. Still kind of sounds like certain frequencies on the low end of the midrange are missing, but I'll be patient.

It also doesn't help that my previous car had a superb stereo system. I gotta forget about that! Well, my ears need to forget a bit.
 

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I'm pretty happy with the sound system in the Sport Touring. Not a lot of bass, but other than that it is pretty decent. Sure, you can get better sound out of a high-end custom system, but this isn't so awful that I'm tempted to go that route. Even at reasonably loud volume, it still sounds good.
 

Gm52380

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I continue to work with the EQ settings to get it just right. Was hoping that the bass would be a bit punchier than it is....but we should be thankful that we don't have the rear decklid rattle issue from the Coupe/Sedan. Overall it's not a bad setup for most consumers.
 
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brianbrooklyn

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I continue to work with the EQ settings to get it just right. Was hoping that the bass would be a bit punchier than it is....but we should be thankful that we don't have the rear decklid rattle issue from the Coupe/Sedan. Overall it's not a bad setup for most consumers.
I tend to agree. I now think the speakers just needed a little bit of breaking in and some EQ adjustment. It is sounding much much better than it did when I first took delivery.
 

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Has anyone who has heard the ELS systems in Acura's be able to compare it to the 12 speaker system in the Civic? I personally really like the ELS sounds system and it would give me a point of reference.
 


exyia

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That's good advice, thanks. I've found if I turn the treble down and turn up the bass, midrange, and sub, it starts to sound a bit more mellow. Still kind of sounds like certain frequencies on the low end of the midrange are missing, but I'll be patient.

It also doesn't help that my previous car had a superb stereo system. I gotta forget about that! Well, my ears need to forget a bit.
Chiming in because it's starting to annoy me

The Sport Touring "premium" sound system is pretty garbage. It just sounds flat and empty. No depth at all. Definitely agreed on the midrange.

It's a shame, because they dressed up the tweeters in both the front and rear seats nicely.

My experiences so far:
- Maybe the crossover frequency or just the gain on the sub is off/low. I don't get any real depth or substance from the subwoofer unless the volume is cranked up past ~25 (too loud/showing off levels of volume). Anything lower and it sounds like I'm only getting sound out of the front speakers like a generic car audio system. It's as if they tuned the subwoofer to just be used for thumping bass for younger kids than actually adding depth to the soundrange.

- I think the DTS Neural Surround actually helps some songs/tracks in adding depth to the midrange. It's absolutely silly that it does considering it's fake 5.1 software, but I'm really finding the standard sound system so bad that anything to widen it's range is helpful.

- Turning treble intentionally low and bringing up the others just increases volume, but the sounds from low and midrange still sound flat as hell

The stock system in my Evo X - not their Rockford Fosgate upgrade option - sounds better than this to me. It hurts even more when I get in the gf's Outlander Sport with the Rockford Fosgate system.

I'm wondering whether to try swapping out the sub (based on other people's experiences probably) or maybe just rip out the tablet head unit if it's possible without freaking the car out (since there are lots of car settings in the head unit)
 

accordingtocivic

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That's good advice, thanks. I've found if I turn the treble down and turn up the bass, midrange, and sub, it starts to sound a bit more mellow. Still kind of sounds like certain frequencies on the low end of the midrange are missing, but I'll be patient.

It also doesn't help that my previous car had a superb stereo system. I gotta forget about that! Well, my ears need to forget a bit.
This, 100%. My old Accord had all aftermarket speakers, along with an 8" powered sub, and going from that to the stock "premium" audio in the Touring is a little underwhelming. I'm slowly accepting/getting used to the lack of deeper bass from this factory sub, but still miss what I'd invested a lot into previously. Not gonna mess with anything audio related... for now. Come summertime, unsure. A compact 8" powered sub under a seat would certainly do wonders for me.
 

Mikeguyver

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Honda Civic 10th gen Sport Touring Hatch Stereo IMG_20170219_153740
Honda Civic 10th gen Sport Touring Hatch Stereo IMG_20170219_153740
This, 100%. My old Accord had all aftermarket speakers, along with an 8" powered sub, and going from that to the stock "premium" audio in the Touring is a little underwhelming. I'm slowly accepting/getting used to the lack of deeper bass from this factory sub, but still miss what I'd invested a lot into previously. Not gonna mess with anything audio related... for now. Come summertime, unsure. A compact 8" powered sub under a seat would certainly do wonders for me.
Try this. It's a 10 inch Cerwin Vega powered under seat subwoofer really adds depth to the stock system. Easy install. Also replaced my tweeters with JBL-GTO9T set. Really brightens the front stage.

Honda Civic 10th gen Sport Touring Hatch Stereo IMG_20170219_150508
 

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I've noticed the same thing - In fact I mentioned it to the dealer prior to buying the car and he just sort of shrugged and changed the subject. At any rate, I'm going to be visiting a local car audio shop this week and getting their input. I know I can have them switch out the sub for something better and have them work some of their magic. I'll keep people updated if/when things change.
 

drewsryd

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I don't think just by changing the sub (speaker) your gonna get what your looking for. The sound quality may change slightly but overall sound output will be the same since your not changing the amp.
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