DSP Fix

cvum

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Hey all, very new to civicx so cut me some slack;)

I am getting a subwoofer and amp installed on my civic sport 2019 and i'm very curious if the built in EQ on the headunit is going to limit the power of my subwoofer. I was looking into things and found that the DSP issue has been common on basically every civic. I was wondering what i could do to fix this.

I educated myself on a bunch of things.
- I could go into the detailed settings menu everytime i start up the car and put the DSP to flat.
- I could get an aftermarket EQ fix (like the Fix86 or the LC7i) and even if i wanted to do this, it would be expensive.

Now this is where i don't understand much.
- I read some posts on people doing the hondahack pro, and installing viper4android. I was wondering if this is the ultimate fix to the problem that most people are having or if i will need to drop some cash on an aftermarket fix such as the Fix86.

Or am i just freaking out/overthinking and the setup im running with is going to sound crystal clear:spaz:

Thanks in advance - shiv
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kperalta

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Hey all, very new to civicx so cut me some slack;)

I am getting a subwoofer and amp installed on my civic sport 2019 and i'm very curious if the built in EQ on the headunit is going to limit the power of my subwoofer. I was looking into things and found that the DSP issue has been common on basically every civic. I was wondering what i could do to fix this.

I educated myself on a bunch of things.
- I could go into the detailed settings menu everytime i start up the car and put the DSP to flat.
- I could get an aftermarket EQ fix (like the Fix86 or the LC7i) and even if i wanted to do this, it would be expensive.

Now this is where i don't understand much.
- I read some posts on people doing the hondahack pro, and installing viper4android. I was wondering if this is the ultimate fix to the problem that most people are having or if i will need to drop some cash on an aftermarket fix such as the Fix86.

Thanks in advance - shiv
I believe honda hack pro has a setting that will automatically set the DSP to flat every time the car turns. From what I understand there is no way to permanently set it to that.

A fix86 is rather unnecessary unless you plan on amplifying all the channels of your car as dropping 400+ on that device just for a sub is a bit overkill but will allow for more headroom for future audio upgrades.

A simple start would be to use an LC2i, which will help with bass roll off but won't give you all of the frequencies only the ones present in the channels you tap. An LC7i is most likely your best bet as it will allow you to sum all the channels within in your car to get the maximum sub-mid bass frequencies that your car outputs as well as accubass for when they roll off at higher volumes. Though, usually in cars bass rolloff affects rear channels more than front (at lower volumes) but it won't matter since you'll be getting all channels summed into one nice little output for your sub as well as accubass fixing it. An LC7i is half the price of Fix 86.

I'm not too sure if Honda Hack Pro does auto dsp flat, I couldn't find it on their website.

I personally recommend starting off with just an LC2i and setting the accubass right and seeing if that gets your sub to play the way you like. Tap the front channels for sure. If you don't wanna take that risk then go straight for an LC7i and see if that works for ya. If it doesn't, then I'd say consider a DSP, but a DSP in my opinion isn't worth it if you plan on sticking with factory speakers and while the Fix86 is a great device it's complete overkill for just a sub. There are so many just as good DSP/Amp combos out there that will allow you adjust the factory signal as you like it as well as give you amplified channels for the speakers in your car as well as a sub but then you just go down the rabbit hole of car audio upgrades. Especially considering when it comes to subwoofers the less you spend that even if they're built to hit those lower frequencies not present in the current factory dsp it's gonna be nothing but entry level SPL.

There's a thread by SCOPESYS that goes into detail of the curves in the eq from a Touring and I'm unaware of how similar it is to a sports output which doesn't have an amp in it. The lower frequencies are present, they're just lowered badly which is horrible. I have a touring and while I enjoy the sound more than the lower trims (I owned a hatch ex) I've been dying to upgrade. I work in car audio so I have a bit of an advantage when it comes to learning about exactly how to get the bass I want in my car but with my audio taste it isn't cheap so that's the only reason why I haven't done it.

My personal recommendation is that if your sub/amp/box combo costs less than 600 get an LC2i or an LC7i. If you're going for a full on SQ build regardless of it's price get yourself an amp w/ a built in DSP. AudioControl has their D-Series amps but my biggest gripe with them is that matching speakers (even subs) with their RMS @ impedence ratings is annoying. I had these great Focals in mind but that 125W @ 4 ohms for their reg speaker channels on the D6.1200/D4.800 is 45w over their RMS rating and its not something I want going to 1000 dollar speakers.

Lastly, if I've made it too complicated, in the end to me a DSP for just a sub is overkill. At least do it with a plan to upgrade/amp your speakers in the future. The best part about a fix 86 is its correcting process which happens super fast and easy. Sticking with my obvious love for AudioControl, I like their DM608/810 just as much as the Fix86.
 
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cvum

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You basically just clarified everything for me I understand that the fix86 would be overkill. It was my last resort anyways

I think for me (someone starting out in the car audio world), i would probably go with a cheaper option which would probably be the honda hack. I really dont have much room right now in my budget to get an after market solution, but i think giving honda hack a try would be my best bet.

I wish i could look more further into it’s features but theres little content on it on youtube and such, if someone has got it and has done the DSP fix, it would be greatly appreciated if you got back to me!

Also don’t get why honda implemented such a BS thing in their headunits. It may be a common thing with other car manufacturers too but who knows‍
 

kperalta

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You basically just clarified everything for me I understand that the fix86 would be overkill. It was my last resort anyways

I think for me (someone starting out in the car audio world), i would probably go with a cheaper option which would probably be the honda hack. I really dont have much room right now in my budget to get an after market solution, but i think giving honda hack a try would be my best bet.

I wish i could look more further into it’s features but theres little content on it on youtube and such, if someone has got it and has done the DSP fix, it would be greatly appreciated if you got back to me!

Also don’t get why honda implemented such a BS thing in their headunits. It may be a common thing with other car manufacturers too but who knows‍
Factory tuning/time alignment is super common which is why products like the fix 86 exist. It's specifically for intergrating into factory radios. You gotta think of the common car consumer. Most people equate loud music to good music. You don't roll off the bass, the cheap speakers they use are gonna be destroyed at higher volumes which people commonly use. I don't, as I prefer sound quality to loud, but for the average music people I've met I damn near went deaf in their cars. Speakers destroyed=bad reviews companies can't risk that, nor will they give up profit by including better speakers in lower trim (aka more commonly purchased) cars. Even then the factory touring speakers are so cheap it's laughable. As far as tuning and time alignment goes, they do it to maximize the components they do use. I'm hoping they take into account the sound stage of the car as well as driver position (in regards to time alignment) just to make what they got sound the best it can. Aftermarket car audio doesn't mix well with that. As it ranges from simple factory replacement to full on purist catering.

Just don't get caught up in it. While having a flat dsp is great and all, it changes everything. Even when I used an aftermarket stereo in my old car I never ever set the eq to flat. Why? Because it didn't sound good. A flat output is amazing for setting your own EQ curve in regards to all the frequencies. Think of it as a clean signal, whereas the signal currently is modified. It's primarily beneficial if you plan changing it yourself, which with factory units you can't do (because of the common consumer remember to them if it doesn't work right without having to personalize it its bad) so despite the obvious money they save on not making custom tuning software within the headunit it's a huge factor as to why they don't allow it.

If you only dislike the fact that it lacks bass, just use an LC2i only because of its accubass feature. It's all you need for just a sub. I won't delve further into the whole frequency thing, but I gaurantee it'll be just enough for you.
 

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I'd do it one step at a time. It's easy to get overwhelmed.

The signal that gets sent to the rear speakers on that system (I used to have a 2019 Sport Coupe) is not very flattering to the ear. But summing the L+R into a powered sub in the trunk seems to be a good way to make lemonade out of lemons. You can then use the fader as a volume control for the sub. It may be enough to give you what ya' want without going nuts trying to tame the Honda DSP.

Additionally... you should be able to wire something like this up temporarily with a external power source. You could audition the thing before you go all out with installation. And you could return it in a timely fashion if it wasn't up to the task.

And you could easily reconnect the factory speakers and disconnect the power source if you ever have to go in for service. Honda gave me such a hard time for my stuff when the Sensing camera failed.

Just my thoughts. I hope you get what you want.
 
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cvum

wish i got a manual:(
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For anyone still wondering about the "no bass issue" read below:

One solution, get a subwoofer! I can't express it enough, getting a subwoofer and amp in my car changed the whole sound system.
I was getting worried that the EQ would allow much bass through but damn, it hits like a bitch!
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