2017 Si Factory Sub - How does yours sound?

[CivicSi#38]

Would getting an aftermarket sub make a difference?

I test drove a coupe and then I ended up buying a sedan. The coupe sub and the sound system as a whole sounded way better. That may have also been because there was less space for the sound to fill.

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[zroger73]

I test drove a coupe and then I ended up buying a sedan. The coupe sub and the sound system as a whole sounded way better. That may have also been because there was less space for the sound to fill.

...or because the bass control was all the way up. Of the hundreds of new vehicles I've test driven in my life, I've found it rare that the bass and treble haven't been maxed out by salespeople or shoppers. For some reason, people instinctively max out every setting - including setting automatic climate controls to "Lo" or "Hi".

 

[WilsonSi17]

Just a quick follow up, I have continued to play around with the sub and I still feel, even with all the input here, there may be something wrong. If there isn't anything wrong then this is the absolute worst "sub" I have ever heard in car. I am going to go in to Honda this weekend and listen to another Si and see if it's the same.

 

[zroger73]

Since I bought my Si, I thought it sounded "okay". It certainly has better highs than my Ridgeline, but not near as much bass (of which the Ridgeline has too much of and it's exaggerated). So far, I've been listening to SXM. All controls are centered. Yesterday, I listened to songs from my higher-quality iTunes library via CarPlay. Wow. The bass, while not the type of boomy bass that makes the car fall apart, was certainly present and the system would play loudly enough to hurt my ears with plenty of highs, reasonably accurate mids, and tight bass that didn't "roll" or sound artificial.

 

[jakabony]

Would getting an aftermarket sub make a difference?

Putting in an aftermarket sub may help some, but you might as well power it with a separate amp. You will never get the sound you want out of a factory amp.

 

[zentry]

Just a quick follow up, I have continued to play around with the sub and I still feel, even with all the input here, there may be something wrong. If there isn't anything wrong then this is the absolute worst "sub" I have ever heard in car. I am going to go in to Honda this weekend and listen to another Si and see if it's the same.

You may be experiencing The subwoofer/rattle issue from the factory that's a known issue with this generation of civic. The dealerships try to fix it with shoving foam around the rear deck tray but in time the foam slips and compresses and the vibration returns. (It almost sounds like the subwoofer is blown or not attached with the slightest punchy bass or even certain frequencies of bass guitar.
The rattle is actually coming from the rear tray. I fixed it in my touring sedan by shoving a folded beanie between the rear windshield and above the brake light plastic housing (accessing from inside the car).
My buddy with an si sedan solved it by shoving a rubber grommet/tube into an opening from under the tray that was accessible from inside the trunk (if u r inside the trunk looking up you'll notice a few openings in the sheetmetal, he shoved it into the middle opening).

Both solutions do the same thing; stop the the rear plastic tray from rattling with punchy bass.
When it's tight and the rattle's gone the system sounds pretty good (For this segment of automobile anyways).

Hope this helps.

 

[mp2017]

The rattle is actually coming from the rear tray. I fixed it in my touring sedan by shoving a folded beanie between the rear windshield and above the brake light plastic housing (accessing from inside the car).
My buddy with an si sedan solved it by shoving a rubber grommet/tube into an opening from under the tray that was accessible from inside the trunk (if u r inside the trunk looking up you'll notice a few openings in the sheetmetal, he shoved it into the middle opening).

20 years later and it still rattles at the same spot.

 

[zroger73]

My Si has the rear sub rattle, but I haven't done anything about it...yet...because I rarely listen to music loud enough to reveal it. That may be a catch-22, though, since I know it'll rattle if I turn it up.

Unfortunately, my $42K Ridgeline is even worse - both front doors rattle with even the slightest amount of bass (it's done this since mile 0). It's a common problem that some have been able to fix by replacing parts, relocating wiring harness connectors, or covering everything with foam.

I think it's safe to say that the majority of Civics and Ridgelines rattle. Does Honda not actually listen for these things above volume 5 when they are designing the vehicles?

My '92 Grand Am did not rattle. My '98 Dodge Neon did not rattle. I can list dozens of other "crap" vehicles I've owned that didn't have bass rattle. My Hondas do, though.

 

[josby]

My Si has the rear sub rattle, but I haven't done anything about it...yet...because I rarely listen to music loud enough to reveal it. That may be a catch-22, though, since I know it'll rattle if I turn it up.

That was definitely the case for me - once I fixed the rattle, I realized I'd been listening at a lower volume than I would've really liked without being aware of it, just to avoid hearing the awful rattle.

 

[ne0guri]

Putting in an aftermarket sub may help some, but you might as well power it with a separate amp. You will never get the sound you want out of a factory amp.

So you recommend just getting an aftermarket amp and hook the stock speakers into it rather than getting an aftermarket subwoofer? If that's the case I'll be running to crutchfield to purchase one soon.

I stand by my previous comments. I think this system is great just lacking that extra oomph when driving around.

 

[jakabony]

So you recommend just getting an aftermarket amp and hook the stock speakers into it rather than getting an aftermarket subwoofer? If that's the case I'll be running to crutchfield to purchase one soon.

I stand by my previous comments. I think this system is great just lacking that extra oomph when driving around.

No the stock speakers couldn't handle an aftermarket amp, long term. If you want extra bass, your best solution is to put in a new sub and amp.

 

[ne0guri]

No the stock speakers couldn't handle an aftermarket amp, long term. If you want extra bass, your best solution is to put in a new sub and amp.

Would I be able to drop this to replace the stock subwoofer? If not, what could I use to replace it?

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13692079/JL-Audio-8W1v3-4.html

 

[jakabony]

Would I be able to drop this to replace the stock subwoofer? If not, what could I use to replace it?

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13692079/JL-Audio-8W1v3-4.html

Possibly. You would have to check the dimensions of the factory sub vs aftermarket. I'm not just talking about the size of the speaker itself, but the surround and the magnet. The magnet on a JL is much larger than factory, so you need to make sure that it will fit in the frame hole beneath the rear deck. Also, the rear deck has a plastic cup that the speaker surround fits into. You will likely have to trim that in order to fit a different sub in the factory location.

 

[Nozomi135]

So far I like the system in my Si coupe! Then again I'm coming from a 2007 Yaris with 4 paper speakers so pretty much anything is a solid upgrade! So far I'm not noticing any sub rattle or any issues and I'm just shy of 1000km on mine since I got it a little after the start of this month!

 

[Greencobra]

I dropped this in my Si this weekend. Night and day difference. I'm in love. I have the stock sub turned all the way down.

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