2017 EX-T Sedan stock speaker upgrade

I'm considering upgrading the stock speakers on my EX-T Sedan. I'm aiming for a simple upgrade. Here's what I would like to do:

-Keep stock HU
-Replace front door speakers with Component speakers (Kicker 43CSS674)
-Replace Rear deck speakers with 2-way speakers (Kicker 43DSC6704)
-No Amp or Sub installed

The speaker models were recommended by Crutchfield based on the fact that they will be powered only by the HU. My goal is to have cleaner sound than stock and I don't need a lot of bass. The stock setup seems to leave my music sounding a bit muddy. (Sadly, my previous 2006 Corolla with an aftermarket HU/stock speakers sounded cleaner than the stock Civic HU)

I've scanned through a ton of threads where opinions varied a lot whether or not the speakers will sound any better than stock without an amp or sub.
I'm not comfortable with any major re-wiring of my car, so a DIY install of an amp or sub aren't an option at this time.

Any thoughts on whether I'll notice a significant improvement with this setup?

Another question I had that I haven't seen addressed is in regards to the tweeters in the rear deck. If I have 2-way speakers going in, should I leave the stock tweeters connected or should I disconnect them and let the rear speakers get the tiny bit of extra power since they share the same channel? Should I maybe put in component speakers in the rear as well or maybe 3-way speaker like Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3?

Let us know how it goes. I don't really see a problem with the stock speakers but I understand you're wanting a cleaner sound. I wish the HU would support FLAC files. Wife gets annoyed when I play the music loud..

crimson-civic said:

The speaker models were recommended by Crutchfield based on the fact that they will be powered only by the HU. My goal is to have cleaner sound than stock and I don't need a lot of bass.

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I'd make a trip into your local car audio store and demo some speakers with some of your own music.
Everyone's ears are different ...

Let us know how they sound. I feel that the HU/DSP from Honda is really limiting the sound - I'm even more disappointed that I can't disable the EQ in the developer mode despite others being able to('17 EX-T Coupe). I wish I could send a proper signal to my RF P300-12.

IMO, most/all of the people saying "you need an amp" have not actually tried putting in new speakers without an amp in this car. The stock deck might well provide the volume level you want with those new speakers, especially if you won't be listening with the windows down at interstate speeds.

My recommendation would be to just replace the front speakers first. They're much easier to access than the rear deck speakers, and they'll make much more of a difference since they're closer to you. They may be all you need. And Crutchfield has great return policies, so if you put them in and you don't think the sound improvement was worth it, send them back and go back to stock.

The only annoying part of the front speaker install will be figuring out where to put the crossovers.

If you do the rear deck speakers, you definitely don't want two different sets of tweeters both playing. If you put in those Kickers, definitely disconnect the factory tweeters. And I think you'll be fine with the two-ways instead of components. The primary advantage of a component set is the fact that the tweeter can be aimed at the listeners, but in the rear deck, the tweeter will be bounced off the rear glass regardless of whether you do a two-way or component set.

How did the install go?

Bittle35 said:

How did the install go?

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Since this topic was from about 2 years ago, we'll probably never know.

gtman said:

Since this topic was from about 2 years ago, we'll probably never know.

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Thanks for the reply!