2018 Premium Audio System

[CivicBuff]

Another variable that shouldn't be overlooked... Was this system tuned IN the actual car?

Sponsored

 

[MrWaYne]

do we have a picture of the honda amp and its location in the car?
since we are talking about the "Premium Audio System", it would be helpful to gather all the information about it. :-D

 

[SCOPESYS]

Another variable that shouldn't be overlooked... Was this system tuned IN the actual car?

It would make sense if it was... At the moment I am just trying to see what the AMP and HU part of the Equation is, to better make a decision on what would be the most cost effective solution to fix what appears to be wrong with the system... but to do that, it helps to actually define what is bad .. not just "Sound is rubbish" !!

Forgetting about any Balance issues between the speakers, just playing Classic Rock through the SUB alone, at full volume, into a decent enclosed 12" Sub, there is hardly anything to hear.
Maybe I'd do better with the theme from JAWS !!!

 

[xenon04]

do we have a picture of the honda amp and its location in the car?

in this thread
https://www.civicx.com/threads/photos-of-touring-amp.5281/

 

[Nitroturtle]

do we have a picture of the honda amp and its location in the car?
since we are talking about the "Premium Audio System", it would be helpful to gather all the information about it. :-D

Pictures in the thread linked above. As for the location, it's behind the kick panel on the passenger side. I pulled off the inside molding by the seat and then just popped the kick panel cover off. It's very easy to access. I'll be wiring in the other front channel today, so I'll try to get some pics of it in the car.

 

[MrWaYne]

It's very easy to access. I'll be wiring in the other front channel today, so I'll try to get some pics of it in the car.

that would be very helpful!

 

[Nitroturtle]

Got this done last night. Tapping into both front speakers to feed the LC2i is definitely the way to go, sounds much better. I may have lost a little at the low end, but the punch is back and so much better. I think it's because it allows me to turn up the accubass a bit more to get back some of the missing range. It's still definitely not perfect and I wish the source was better, but it's at least acceptable now. Here's a few pics I took of the amp, wiring and the trim pieces that need removed. Included the trim so everyone could see where the clips are located.

 

[SCOPESYS]

Got this done last night. Tapping into both front speakers to feed the LC2i is definitely the way to go, sounds much better. I may have lost a little at the low end, but the punch is back and so much better. I think it's because it allows me to turn up the accubass a bit more to get back some of the missing range. It's still definitely not perfect and I wish the source was better, but it's at least acceptable now. Here's a few pics I took of the amp, wiring and the trim pieces that need removed. Included the trim so everyone could see where the clips are located.

Thanks Mike ...
If you want to get some more Bass back in, hold off a few days .. maybe not put all the trim back, unless it's easy to get back in again.

You should be able to wire BOTH the left & right front together, by resistor mixing, and feed that to left, and still then put Sub into right.

You would be adding back in the original Sub very low frequencies.

I think once is set up with the correct resistors, it would not NEED to be changed.
One could obviously wire in some sort of Purchased MIXER, but that probably is not necessary.

I'll be working on this over the coming weekend, and should have a recommended circuit by next Monday. All it will require is a few Resistors attached to the end of the speaker wires, before they input to the LCi2.

But I will be a little distracted for the next few days--- the Donated old 1018 si oem Speakers arrived in the mail today, and I just have to get them connected up and see how they run out of the car in my test fixture.

 

[Nitroturtle]

Do you think that would be much different than sub+front right I had setup earlier? So far front left/right definitely sounds better, but I thought it was due more to removing the sub input. I figured left/right would be close to the same for the frequency range of the sub.

I had to button it all up because the car went off for PPF and detailing today, won't get to play with it until late next week.

But everything is still easy to get to and I still have the wires to the sub output, so I may give it a shot when my car comes home. Thanks a ton for your efforts here. Kinda fun being on the cutting edge of this stuff, typically I've had older cars where all of this is figured out before I even own them

 

[SCOPESYS]

Do you think that would be much different than sub+front right I had setup earlier? So far front left/right definitely sounds better, but I thought it was due more to removing the sub input. I figured left/right would be close to the same for the frequency range of the sub.

I had to button it all up because the car went off for PPF and detailing today, won't get to play with it until late next week.

But everything is still easy to get to and I still have the wires to the sub output, so I may give it a shot when my car comes home. Thanks a ton for your efforts here. Kinda fun being on the cutting edge of this stuff, typically I've had older cars where all of this is figured out before I even own them

I think using Front Left/Righ as you have it is the key to great improvement, but why not add the option of adding in as much of the very Low Frequency "Honda Sub" and you want.

Imagine the sub feed extending the red area up to 160Hz-200Hz, by Modding the Lc2i.

One could even make it a switchable, controllable option from the drivers seat !!!
The "HYPER BASS" Switch !!!


That and being able to "MOD the Lci2 to extend it's SUB cutoff Frequency a little Higher" and I think the final result will be amazing.!!

 

[cameljockey1]

As i am partial colorblind. Could you please show detail pictures of where you tapped the wires to the amp? Only if you are able to and have time. It looks like you have it all nice though. Again only if you can/want to. thank you.

Got this done last night. Tapping into both front speakers to feed the LC2i is definitely the way to go, sounds much better. I may have lost a little at the low end, but the punch is back and so much better. I think it's because it allows me to turn up the accubass a bit more to get back some of the missing range. It's still definitely not perfect and I wish the source was better, but it's at least acceptable now. Here's a few pics I took of the amp, wiring and the trim pieces that need removed. Included the trim so everyone could see where the clips are located.

 

[Nitroturtle]

As i am partial colorblind. Could you please show detail pictures of where you tapped the wires to the amp? Only if you are able to and have time. It looks like you have it all nice though. Again only if you can/want to. thank you.

No problem at all. I do have it all back together now, but I can probably help explain which wires to tap.

I used the images in the first post here: https://www.civicx.com/threads/photos-of-touring-amp.5281/

Except, there is a typo for the front left speaker, so to resolve that, I used the wiring diagrams found here:

Based on that, I tapped in as follows:
Front Right + = Gray A13
Front Right - = Purple A12
Front Left + = Light Green A5
Front Left - = Light Blue A6

Here's a pic I have with only the right side spliced in, hopefully using the pin locations and this info you can work out where to tap in. Let me know if you need more help.

I'll also add, this is for a Type R, I don't know if it's different for other trims.

 

[SCOPESYS]

No problem at all. I do have it all back together now, but I can probably help explain which wires to tap.

I used the images in the first post here: https://www.civicx.com/threads/photos-of-touring-amp.5281/

Except, there is a typo for the front left speaker, so to resolve that, I used the wiring diagrams found here:

Based on that, I tapped in as follows:
Front Right + = Gray A13
Front Right - = Purple A12
Front Left + = Light Green A5
Front Left - = Light Blue A6

Here's a pic I have with only the right side spliced in, hopefully using the pin locations and this info you can work out where to tap in. Let me know if you need more help.

I'll also add, this is for a Type R, I don't know if it's different for other trims.

One thing to add.
While the wires from the AMP to the Speaker need to be heavy gauge to allow most of tamp power to reach the speakers, the wires from the amp to the Lc2i can be quite thin :- 22 gauge is fine. Makes for far easier wiring.

 

[SCOPESYS]

Currently working on extending the Lc2i's Bass Cuttoff to like 150Hz - 200Hz, to get more low frequency output to the SUB from the Front Left/Right speaker inputs.

It's painfully time consuming to plot of modifed frequency responses, by taking manual reading at multiple frequencies. Hope to be able to use some "Room Equalization Wizard" on a PC to do this automatically, but need an analogue AUX input to the HU, something Honda did away with a few years ago. Hoping I can get a USB sound card to run on the HU, and then I can input the analogue sweep frequency through that sounds card's line/mic input.

Open to suggestion on how to get a analogue audio signal into the HU, that will come out on all the unit's speakers, which will be needed to use "Room Equalization WIzard: to measure the overall "Premium Audio" system in the car, listening to the speakers with the calibrated Mic.

https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

Calibrated Mic for Speaker measurements

 

[SCOPESYS]

For those interested in this thread ---

I am continuing to explore Increasing the SUB cut off, to a higher higher end cut-offfrequency that it is currently at, even when using the Lci2.

Most encouraged by some "You Tube video" by Paul McGowan, CEO of PS Audio, who seems to be very knowledgeable,

PS Audio - YouTube

https://www.google.com/search?ei=GyN6XLPcNa2m5wLb97HIDg&q=ps+audio+subwoofer+youtube

If you are interested in Sub Woofers, he is a great person to learn from -- watch some of his Youtube Videos on "Sub Woofers"

He says that he believes, for good Musical reproduction, that the SUB cut-off should be at least 100HZ, or maybe a little higher (120Hz - 160 Hz) ( -3db point)..


Currently, the Honda sub has a -3db cut off of a low 40Hz, !! and even with the Lci2, it is only 75Hz, even with the original Honda sub "added" in.

This encourages me to continue to peruse the possibility of a "simple mod" to the relatively inexpensive Lc2i, to increase its high frequency cut-off to 100Hz +, while keeping it's low freq cutoff to its existing 50Hz, that combines ideally with the existing Honda Sub, and produces a nice flat response during their cross over.

While MODDING the LCi2 is not ideal, and would void any warranty, if the mod is relatively simple for anyone to do, the small risking of damaging a sub $100 device, to get a better sound would seem worth it, especially when one consider the money and time one is already spending to get better audio, with an additional sub amps and replacement speakers.

Should have some results in about a week . waiting on a USB sound card to help automate the generation of Frequency response measurement .. a MUST if I am continually tweaking filter component values and needing to re-plot, to get the flattest response up to the desire 100Hz + cut off.

Sponsored