Phase 1 of my audio upgrade. (Updated, phase 3) 18HB Sport

[Rycomm]

I picked up an Audio Control ACM 1.300 mini mono amp last week for my Civic Hatchback Sport. It has speaker level inputs and AccuBass much like many of the processors and line converters/drivers. I haven't decided on which sub to run, but I had an older Polk Momo (now called Mobile Monitor) 8" SVC in a vented box from my Outback. I went out to check for some mounting locations and future planning. 2 1/2 hours later I was all done with the installation and had the amp settings at my best guess. I really like the amp, as I do all Audio Control products. It fit perfectly on the ledge between the seat and the spare tire well. I did cut down one of the foam spacers the height of the amp, so everything sits level. There is room on the other side to mount the identically sized 2 or 4 channel ACM amp. I ran 4 gauge from the battery to the amp. It will probably eventually go to a terminal block and run 8 ga to the two amps and a rear power / USB oultet. 8 gauge is more than adequate for these amps. The ground is 8 gauge, and terminated in a factory bolt hole. I scraped the paint off around the hole and used a star washer to ensure good contact. I ran the 4 ga power wire and 2 pair of 16 ga speaker wire up the drivers side floor. After removing the battery, I was able to pull the power wire through the large grommet between the clutch and brake pedals. ( Little hint, use some hand sanitizer on the cable to help it slide through the grommet easily). I had to route the cable up near the hood release, around / along a factory harness to clear the pedals and steering column. I secured it with several wire ties. (See photos).
It was fairly easy to run the speaker wire up to the head unit. I connected to the rear speaker wires. I considered the front, but decided all four should have the same output. It will be easier to remember to fade to front for less sub. I put everything back together and made some minor adjustments and went for a drive. Bass is definitely more solid. Makes the fronts sound better, without the bass being overpowering. I was actually expecting a little more bass, and was wondering if it was going to be too much. This older Polk sub isn't as efficient as the current models, and a dual voice coil model would get me 2 ohms where the amp is more efficient. But if I upgrade the sub, it may be to a 10". I'm planning on replacing the front speakers with the current Polk MM652. They're supposed to be pretty efficient. I installed some MM6502 for a customer in an S2000 and I was happy with the sound, so hopefully they'll sound good in the Civic. Just so everyone knows, I mostly listen to rock/ blues, along with a variety of acoustic music. This setup probably wouldn't impress people that prefer bass heavy music. My goal is to to have a full, rich sound that the system is as unobtrusive as possible.

 

[Rycomm]

Today I had some time to swap out the older Polk MM 8" for a current model MM1 10" DVC. The difference is not subtle. I knew going for 8 to 10", and single to dual voice coil would both be an improvement. It also gave the amp a 2 ohm load which increased the power. Both speakers are in vented J-port enclosures. I'm probably going to have to adjust the AccuBass on the amp. This was the result I was hoping for when I installed the amplifier .

 

[Swank]

My biggest hurdle so far is getting my 4AWG wire through the firewall, your pics are very helpful. I'm hoping to give it a shot this weekend, maybe even get my subwoofer wall built.

 

[Rycomm]

It was fairly easy with the battery removed. Glad the pics helped.
Should be even easier if you don't have a manual transmission. There's probably an empty grommet there where the clutch pedal goes through.

 

[M1KL83]

It was fairly easy with the battery removed. Glad the pics helped.
Should be even easier if you don't have a manual transmission. There's probably an empty grommet there where the clutch pedal goes through.

Am I crazy or does it look as tho your power wire is connected to the engine bay fuse box and not directly to battery Pos terminal??
Also curious if you or anyone has had any trouble with the head unit after the battery has been disconnected for a while?
We don't need a code or anything upon reboot for the head unit to be unlocked I hope?

Looks good man! Congrats

 

[Rycomm]

I did run cable to the fuse box. There is a short 4ga ( maybe 2?) Oem Cable that comes off the battery and goes straight to the fuse box input. That is where I connected it. It allowed for a slightly cleaner installation, and for fewer teminals on the battery.

When the radio powers up, it says something about a code or security, but it goes away and works fine after a bit. I can't remember if powering the radio or cycling the key made any difference in it working more quickly. I assume it unlocks itself through the canbus.

 

[jakabony]

( Little hint, use some hand sanitizer on the cable to help it slide through the grommet easily)

This cracked me up. A good tip, but any lubricant would do. I’m guessing hand sanitizer was what was within reach lol.

 

[M1KL83]

I did run cable to the fuse box. There is a short 4ga ( maybe 2?) Oem Cable that comes off the battery and goes straight to the fuse box input. That is where I connected it. It allowed for a slightly cleaner installation, and for fewer teminals on the battery.

When the radio powers up, it says something about a code or security, but it goes away and works fine after a bit. I can't remember if powering the radio or cycling the key made any difference in it working more quickly. I assume it unlocks itself through the canbus.

Cool! I didn't know that was even an option to wire to fuse box connection point instead of battery terminal.
It does look clean!

 

[Rycomm]

This cracked me up. A good tip, but any lubricant would do. I’m guessing hand sanitizer was what was within reach lol.

Hand sanitizer evaporates quickly, and there's no residue afterwards. There is commercially available wire lube available from electrical suppliers, or even Home Depot. But hand sanitizer is cheap, available, and works great.

 

[Rycomm]

Cool! I didn't know that was even an option to wire to fuse box connection point instead of battery terminal.
It does look clean!

Doesn't work out in every vehicle, but was the best option to me in the Civic. The OEM cable is only about a foot long, and is of heavy enough gauge to not affect the performance. Especially since my amp is a low current digital amp. I'm pretty sure 10 ga would have been plenty, but current trends mandate the ability to accept 4 gauge.

 

[Swank]

How does the fuse box cover fit on after connecting that cable there? Mine has a long plastic piece that would intersect the cable, I can't imagine it fitting without cutting the plastic off.

Edit: Never mind, I see the other pic now where you did cut into it.

 

[Rycomm]

Finally did a little more of the upgrade today. I've been collecting parts all winter when I got a deal on something. I think I have everything now to finish the project. I was going to go with some fairly premium speakers. Couldn't decide between Hertz, Audison, Dynaudio, or possibly Polk MM (which is what the sub is, and what's in my 4Runner). Somehow I stumbled upon a deal on some Alpine type R/RS coaxs and components. Today I did the rear door speakers, along with a little sound dampening. I used the Metra speaker rings and speaker adaptors. I also had to use the included Alpine plate/ spacer to clear the crossover components. I screwed the spacer to the mounting ring, then glued it for good measure. These are a definite upgrade in sound and build quality. There is no tweeter, or even a dual cone for the rear doors from Honda.

 

[Rycomm]

Hopefully I'll have time in the next week or so to get the front speakers, amp, and DSP/EQ installed.

 

[jrschultz]

Bring this thread back to the top. I'm doing the same thing as your phase 1 this weekend. I like your idea of using the fade as a way to control subwoofer volume. How did this work for you?
What was your initial fade setting when you tuned the sub amp gain? Was it at the middle setting? Thanks for the pictures as well. They will help me out.

 

[Rycomm]

Yes, everything centered for initial set up. I think I'm faded +2 to the front now. I used the front speakers for the sub source.
I still haven't gotten around to adding the second amp and DSP. I did play around with some mounting options last night. I thought about putting the DSP in the glove box or under the seat, but think it will end up under one of the flaps of the hatch floor.