full review, writeup, and installation steps: ctr subs, amp, center channel, and door speakers

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ctrmofo

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I've searched around, but haven't found how to bypass the stock amp to run an aftermarket amp for mids/tweets/sub. Do I tap before or after oem amp? And specifically, I'm not just tapping, but actually cutting these speaker wires and connecting to 9-wire headed to the aftermarket amp (with DSP processing onboard) and then back where the wires were cut so they can head to the individual speakers, correct? Lastly, what is this business of "bypassing the amp with a resistor"?
yes and no...the stock amp is a smart amp and has things like navi and voice recognition built in. if you want to keep those functions, then tap after the amp. if not then tap before the amp.

we posted the wiring diagram before and after the amp in our fb group (link in my signature).
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Been trying to catch up on this thread but only made it to page 15 so far.
Excellent info, thanks for doing these write ups!

I'm planning on doing the 1st step, Pioneer sub and RF amp. Also decided I mite as well do the LC2i while I'm in there to prepare for future upgrades.

Do you have a wiring diagram showing the LC2i and RF amp connections all in one photo or diagram?
yes...here.

however, see my latest update and post. do NOT use the oem sub signal as the source for the lc2i for specific reasons as we've come to learn:

Honda Civic 10th gen full review, writeup, and installation steps: ctr subs, amp, center channel, and door speakers IMG_3231-1.JPG
 
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I think I've read this thread end to end, and my heads spinning. Lots of info.

Help a noob out.
If I get
Rockford Fosgate PBR300X1 Punch 300 Watt Mono Boosted Rail Amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T163PW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3ADWMNXT7FS32&psc=1

and
Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8-inch Shallow-Mount Subwoofer with 600 Watts Max Power
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQTU434/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A2UQKNL1HDAXZA&psc=1

I'd be all set? Don't need an LC2i? Just amp, sub, wire it up as per the multiple guides in this thread?
you need the lc2i. even with the amp the head unit is the master that controls and attenuates the bass frequencies as volume goes up. sooner or later you will lose bass signal even with external amp.

it's better to go to my fb group for all things in one place, organized by learning units. this forum platform just is too hard to follow for lengthy detailed threads. see my sig.

also, please follow my update on source signal to feed the lc2i. do not use the oem sub signal in the back.

 
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So I bough the RF amp and Pioneer sub and installed them a few weeks ago. I usually listen to my music between 15-18 volume, and it's not very bassy. I'm having an issue where the sub will sometime cut out or pop at these volumes. I have the gain all the way down too. I'm not very knowledgeable on this, so I figure I didn't wire something right on the sub side.

Anyone have some thoughts on what I should start with?

Thanks
yes there's a reason...the oem sub signal that originally goes into the sub box is time phased as we learned. that's what you're seeing. do not use that signal anymore.

use this:

 
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great job! only problem i see is heat. over time you don't have enough air flowing and will overheat the amp. keep an eye on that.

If anyone is interested in seeing how I did the sub+amp+LC2i installation in a HB Touring model (with spare tire), here are some pics. Initially I was really worried about the limited space (due to spare tire, unlike CTR that has foam block with lots of space in the middle of it), but once I figured out a couple of solutions, it worked out beautifully.

I used a Pioneer GM-DX871, which is a fairly large and heavy Amp (larger/heavier than RF R500X1D and definitely much larger/heavier than T500X1br), so I needed to find a way to mount it securely with limited space. I didn't want to make wooden planks that run across the entire trunk section as I've seen some members do, as I really didn't like that and I also didn't want to modify the supporting foam blocks too much. So what I did is I cut a piece of plywood to the same size as the amp and ran 4 mounting bolts through it and through the trunk covering/paneling with large washers on the under side. Obviously this requires removal of the entire left side covering/paneling, but isn't too difficult really. Because my amp has a slight gap below it (due to raised feet), I could run these bolts below the amp and the bolt heads did not interfere, so the plywood was cut to the exact size of amp for a clean look. (You could also just use countersunk head bolts and make the cutouts in the plywood with a large drill bit if your amp sits flat.) The amp is then bolted to the plywood with wood screws. Beside the floor jack is where the amp had by far the most room out of the four corners around the tire, so that is where I mounted it. That area allows most of the amp to sit onto the trunk covering/paneling with just a slight portion of it sticking out to the side (this is why the plywood is required to properly support the amp).

I also really liked placing the amp in this location because it was ideal in terms of the cable routing and it's not located right beside the sub.
I placed the LC2i with double sided acrylic tape under the tire and also did all the cable routing below the tire.
This worked out great for the cleanest cable routing (shortest path and least overlaps) and overall cleanest look.

The two foam blocks in the corner with the amp need to be trimmed for the height of the amp+plywood.
The jack is still completely accessible. Make sure amp is placed slightly away from the door/cover so it can be opened to access the jack and to provide space for input cables into the amp.

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I saw your update. I have yet to buy a LC2i. I did just upgrade the front door speakers and tweeters.

You're now saying to use the front door speaker outputs from the stock amp and send that signal to the LC2i/sub amp? If so your photo of the LC2i and amp still say 'splice from stock sub high level wire'.

If you could make a wiring diagram it would be super helpful. I know it's a time consuming task.
 
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HEADS UP! do NOT use the oem sub signal (the white harness, single channel +/-) that feeds the oem sub box. we have discovered several things:

- that signal is only good for 5hz-45hz. you need a full range signal and feed the lc2i to do its job.
- it's time phased, meaning there's a delay vs the front door speakers. will get annoying as you turn up the volume.

we have tested and reconfigured the wiring and totally changed/improved the bass now with our lc2i, jl amp, and jl sub in the oem box to a whole new level. see the complete and detailed install and tips in the fb post i've made last night.

results:

- no more delay of sub bass.
- broader, richer, fuller bass frequencies - allowing lc2i to clean up and amp to then roll off at your set low pass filter.
- simply amazing bass!

 
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I saw your update. I have yet to buy a LC2i. I did just upgrade the front door speakers and tweeters.

You're now saying to use the front door speaker outputs from the stock amp and send that signal to the LC2i/sub amp? If so your photo of the LC2i and amp still say 'splice from stock sub high level wire'.

If you could make a wiring diagram it would be super helpful. I know it's a time consuming task.
ah yes, that's an old pic/diagram to show all the wiring directions.

yes, i'll make a new diagram with the latest lc2i and jl amp (could be any amp) setup.
 
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we blew up our jl w3v3 8" sub - on purpose ;-)

here's how...it took 35 mins and 34 secs to be exact. we wanted to see how much can the thing handle and holy crap it handled a lot before it melted LOL...

 

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That'd be great!

Also you are now using front door speaker signal OUTPUTs from the OEM amp to go to the speaker INPUTs of the LC2i?
 


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That'd be great!

Also you are now using front door speaker signal OUTPUTs from the OEM amp to go to the speaker INPUTs of the LC2i?
yes, that's the key update and heads up i posted.

don't use the oem sub signal in the back. i taped that off.

i'm using the front doors left (+/-) and right (+/-) signals...4 wires total AFTER the amp to feed the left (+/-) and right (+/-) of the lc2i.
 

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great job! only problem i see is heat. over time you don't have enough air flowing and will overheat the amp. keep an eye on that.
Thank you.
Heat really shouldn't be an issue. If anything, it should be far less of an issue then mounting the AMP in the Type R's foam tray which is basically capped off once the trunk floor is installed and is just the small isolated area within the tray. In your situation you're covered since you've installed fans in yours, but without the fans its a very confined space.

In the case of the Touring, even though the amp is in the corner, the entire trunk bed below the trunk floor is wide open. So the air and heat can circulate underneath the trunk floor. But thanks for the heads-up, I will keep an eye out on it just in case the entire trunk bed does actually get hot after extended running.
 
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Thank you.
Heat really shouldn't be an issue. If anything, it should be far less of an issue then mounting the AMP in the Type R's foam tray which is basically capped off once the trunk floor is installed and is just the small isolated area within the tray. In your situation you're covered since you've installed fans in yours, but without the fans its a very confined space.

In the case of the Touring, even though the amp is in the corner, the entire trunk bed below the trunk floor is wide open. So the air and heat can circulate underneath the trunk floor. But thanks for the heads-up, I will keep an eye out on it just in case the entire trunk bed does actually get hot after extended running.
i've actually monitored the temp in my custom tray with and without the fans running and saw about 15f degrees difference...lol! it works! the fans have 3 speeds which i set on "high". one blows in and one blows out. there are cutouts at the bottom of the red flocked birch wood base for the air to flow through the bottom and back panel of the trunk.

they're 40mm usb fans i've wired such that they only come on with the ignition on and the amp is on so as to not ever drain the battery ;-)
 
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i blew the jl w3v3 8" sub - on purpose!

yes, this was a controlled test to see what the limit of the jl w3v3 8" sub was...the damn thing handles more than i thought! even though the jl xd600/1v2 amp is more than is needed for the jl w3v3 8" sub, the sub took 35 mins and 34 secs to blow.

test was done at volume 40 max, all bass settings max on hu, sub setting max on hu. test track of "silent shout" by the knife and timed with iphone timer. at 35 mins and 34 secs of continuous playing the same song on repeat:

- the sub suddenly had massive boomy bass i thought was going to shatter the rear hatch.
- then rattles started to come on.
- a little bit of smoke appear.
- voice coil melted from the heat (see video in fb post).
- the jl amp never even skipped a beat or went into standby mode...damn thing is rock solid.

LOL....so now waiting for a replacement to come to replace. overall, the jl w3v3 8" handles a lot!

i'm thinking of doing same thing and test the previous alpine type r sub i've used to see how long that would last under same condition ;-)

 

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Question regarding the wires from front speakers to the LC2i; do you really need 16awg and would it make any difference using 18awg or even 20awg?
My thinking is it wouldn't make any difference since this is just a signal being read by the LC2i and won't be powering any speakers. But I could be wrong.
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