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

Muggsy

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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!

I finally got around to rewiring this over the weekend. It definitely makes a difference. The sound seems more natural, less boomy, bass is more fully integrated with the music. Not easy to describe, but very glad I made the change. I don't listen super loud, typically volume is set between 12-18, but that's plenty loud enough for me with this setup (RF amp, LC2i, Alpine Type R sub, JL front door and center dash speakers).
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piterek

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HEADS UP! do NOT use the oem sub signal (the white harness, single channel +/-) that feeds the oem sub box.
Well, well... shoulda kept my head up and read the thread fully. The boomy, droning/delayed bass is what I've been trying to tune out of the system for some days now. Easy enough fix, but man... what an awkward audio system in this car. Thanks.
 

Iceyankee-Tsi

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I'm such a dork. Got an 8" MB Quart shallow, DVC 4-ohm sub coming. $50 after discount from Walmart. Will be interesting to A/B against stock, with stock power at 2 ohm.
Hi Todd:

Did you ended up doing this MB quart install? If so, how you like it?
 

SlasherX

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I've been reading through the thread and it seems everyone really like the JL audio, alphine, kicker, pioneer and rockford.

The stock subwoofer on the Type R is trash especially for a car that is really quiet from the factory Honda could of did a better job... I understand the car main purpose is to be a track car and when driving fast and hitting corners thinking about music goes out the window but you can't always drive fast on the street. *I wish* My 8thgen Si stock premium subwoofer has more bass and tremble than the Type R Sub which is crazy. Plus the Type R cost way more than the 8thgen Si..

What would be the best overall upgraded Subwoofer without an amp???

Don't have to be earth shattering the windows, the neighbors hear me coming and people feel the bass in their chest outside the car. *Probably change my mind in the future*

Music Genere: Hip Hop, Rap, Reggae, Dubstep and Instrumental.
 

ebatr24

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I've been reading through the thread and it seems everyone really like the JL audio, alphine, kicker, pioneer and rockford.

The stock subwoofer on the Type R is trash especially for a car that is really quiet from the factory Honda could of did a better job... I understand the car main purpose is to be a track car and when driving fast and hitting corners thinking about music goes out the window but you can't always drive fast on the street. *I wish* My 8thgen Si stock premium subwoofer has more bass and tremble than the Type R Sub which is crazy. Plus the Type R cost way more than the 8thgen Si..

What would be the best overall upgraded Subwoofer without an amp???

Don't have to be earth shattering the windows, the neighbors hear me coming and people feel the bass in their chest outside the car. *Probably change my mind in the future*

Music Genere: Hip Hop, Rap, Reggae, Dubstep and Instrumental.
It is not the sub's fault in reality, the stock amp sends a very light signal to the sub. The sub could potentially be capable of much louder and fuller sound, but it won't happen with the stock eq coming from the amp. I wouldn't bother upgrading the sub only, it is only worth upgrading if you also add an amp, sub and LC2i.
 


123sillyboy123

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I am new to audio,
looking to upgrade the speaker and sub in the car. I am not picky nor do I know about sound quality. I just want better clarity, what should I do?
I bought jl audio c2-350x for the centre dash already.. and also Apline SPR-10TW for front tweeters already
looking for advice on rear tweeters and door speakers.. is there any drop in replace for the sub in the trunk. I dont want to lose my trunk space..
thank you
 

ebatr24

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I am new to audio,
looking to upgrade the speaker and sub in the car. I am not picky nor do I know about sound quality. I just want better clarity, what should I do?
I bought jl audio c2-350x for the centre dash already.. and also Apline SPR-10TW for front tweeters already
looking for advice on rear tweeters and door speakers.. is there any drop in replace for the sub in the trunk. I dont want to lose my trunk space..
thank you
If clarity is what you are looking for, some JL C2 650 speakers go great in the doors along with some dynamat. They are 4ohm which match the stock impedance and will sound very nice. As for the sub, there are some shallow mount subs that you could drop in but they will not sound very good unless you actually put an amp to them. You will barely notice the difference when you raise the volume without an amp and LC2i.
 

SlasherX

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It is not the sub's fault in reality, the stock amp sends a very light signal to the sub. The sub could potentially be capable of much louder and fuller sound, but it won't happen with the stock eq coming from the amp. I wouldn't bother upgrading the sub only, it is only worth upgrading if you also add an amp, sub and LC2i.
Has anyone experience upgrading the sub with no amp that you know?
 

123sillyboy123

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If clarity is what you are looking for, some JL C2 650 speakers go great in the doors along with some dynamat. They are 4ohm which match the stock impedance and will sound very nice. As for the sub, there are some shallow mount subs that you could drop in but they will not sound very good unless you actually put an amp to them. You will barely notice the difference when you raise the volume without an amp and LC2i.
thanks.
i will look into JL C2 650 definitely, most likely wait for valentine sale and buy it. for Amp, which one should I get? I dont have a clue.
and do I need to buy LC2i seperately? or is it something that integrate in an AMP?

is JBL club 6500c any good? it comes with two tweeters as well.
 


ebatr24

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Has anyone experience upgrading the sub with no amp that you know?
The write up on Facebook described it as about 25% more bass, I think that is a generous estimate though. I installed a bigger sub and amp tapping into the sub output from the stock amp for signal and the bass was disappointing. Adding the LC7i allowed me to add some bass back into the signal the stock amp puts out giving me the best results. You'd be better off running the hondahack and using Viper4Android to give your stock headunit more bass over upgrading the sub without an amp to power it.
 

ebatr24

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thanks.
i will look into JL C2 650 definitely, most likely wait for valentine sale and buy it. for Amp, which one should I get? I dont have a clue.
and do I need to buy LC2i seperately? or is it something that integrate in an AMP?

is JBL club 6500c any good? it comes with two tweeters as well.
Those appear to be 3ohm speakers, I am sure they will sound great and potentially be louder than the stock speakers because of the lower impedance. Just make sure you add some dynamat to the speaker mounts to at least cut some resonance and get better sound. At higher volumes there might be slight distortion because of them being 3ohm but you might not even play them that loud so it likely won't be an issue. I would just buy the LC2i separately, it is not too expensive. I believe some of the more spendy amps can clean up the signal like an LC2i but you will usually pay more money. You can't fit a super big sub in the stock enclosure even with a spacer though, so I don't think you need too much power. I went with the Kicker CompR 8 inch and a spacer I got from Amazon to mount it, my amp is really powerful but I have it turned down because it is way too much power for that little sub. I also went with the JL audio C2 650 components and running them off a small Kicker Key amp under the seat for the front speakers.

Honda Civic 10th gen full review, writeup, and installation steps: ctr subs, amp, center channel, and door speakers IMG_20191121_195717
 

123sillyboy123

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Those appear to be 3ohm speakers, I am sure they will sound great and potentially be louder than the stock speakers because of the lower impedance. Just make sure you add some dynamat to the speaker mounts to at least cut some resonance and get better sound. At higher volumes there might be slight distortion because of them being 3ohm but you might not even play them that loud so it likely won't be an issue. I would just buy the LC2i separately, it is not too expensive. I believe some of the more spendy amps can clean up the signal like an LC2i but you will usually pay more money. You can't fit a super big sub in the stock enclosure even with a spacer though, so I don't think you need too much power. I went with the Kicker CompR 8 inch and a spacer I got from Amazon to mount it, my amp is really powerful but I have it turned down because it is way too much power for that little sub. I also went with the JL audio C2 650 components and running them off a small Kicker Key amp under the seat for the front speakers.

IMG_20191121_195717.jpg
thanks.
i didnt know the sub can light up. again, I am completely new to audio. can it be red?
should I bother to change the trunk sub if I dont get an amp?

could yo suggest me a simple set up.. for all speakers front and rear, also trunk sub with amp & LC2i..
I already bought JL C2 350x and a pair of Apline tweeters.. I dont know what I am doing and buying to be honest.
 

ebatr24

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thanks.
i didnt know the sub can light up. again, I am completely new to audio. can it be red?
should I bother to change the trunk sub if I dont get an amp?

could yo suggest me a simple set up.. for all speakers front and rear, also trunk sub with amp & LC2i..
I already bought JL C2 350x and a pair of Apline tweeters.. I dont know what I am doing and buying to be honest.
In my opinion changing the stock sub is not worth it if you do not get an aftermarket amp for it or plan to get one in the future. I think you might be best to look into a good stereo shop in your area with good reviews, they can likely let you hear some speakers and you can decide what sounds the best to you while being within your budget. If you go through this thread you will find links to the facebook posts ctrmofo made to his upgrades. Those are probably the simplest and one of the best sounding upgrades you can make. Sound can get very expensive really quick and what you expect out of the sound system might be totally different than what I do.

Edit: Also the led inside the speaker is something I added, yes it can be red it can be whatever color you want. :)
 

SlasherX

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The write up on Facebook described it as about 25% more bass, I think that is a generous estimate though. I installed a bigger sub and amp tapping into the sub output from the stock amp for signal and the bass was disappointing. Adding the LC7i allowed me to add some bass back into the signal the stock amp puts out giving me the best results. You'd be better off running the hondahack and using Viper4Android to give your stock headunit more bass over upgrading the sub without an amp to power it.
So Viper4Andriod is kind of like an amp? You can adjust the Equalizer settings? You've used it before?
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