Complete Audio Upgrade

[kpohanka]

So as the title suggests I am having Unique Audio out of Lorton VA do an audio system upgrade on my Type R. The speakers will go, deadener will be applied, 2 subs will be added, 2 amps and a sound processor (also with some other custom molds for undisclosed goodies). The subs will go in the 2 recessed compartments in the trunk, the carpet will be cut to allow 1 cubic foot(ish) on either side. The factory sub and enclosure will be removed entirely and 2 fiberglass/MDF enclosures will be built to ported specs of each subwoofer < 1 cubic foot (@35hz). The doors will be sealed and deadener applied to the doors, passenger rear floor, and behind both of the subs. The amps and processor will go under the flap in the trunk (spare tire) - replacing the useless foam insert. I will be keeping the factory radio for integration issues and a factory look. The sound processor will address all amplified and LOC issues from the factory system.

I will update this thread when everything is complete but for now I will list the parts going in.

AudioFrog component speakers
Sundown Audio 8" subwoofers
DD amplifiers
Alpine sound processor
Second Skin sound deadener

All said and done we should be looking at about 1 kilowatt of rated (RMS) sub output and 560 watts rated to the mids and highs for a total system output of, you guessed it, 1,560 watts.

Enjoy!

 

[few35t]

So much yes. ( West from fb xD )

Can't wait for more, desperately want something similar in my car. I have a 2 way active setup with 2 12" subs I installed in my 2010 Si but for the CTR I want it to look factory. Would definitely leave this one to the pros!

 

[kpohanka]

Agreed ^ I have worked in the mobile audio industry and know my way around a system but the level of fabrication I wanted I cannot meet. Theyre going for a nice blend between custom and factory looking on the subs. They will sit flush with the panels inside, have a grill, but have some accents to make them pop. We're talking about wrapping the enclosures in red suede like the seats, still shooting around ideas.

 

[17CivicTypeR_Brian]

I definitely want to see how this turns out!
I want your feedback on going with 8" subs instead of 10 or 12". I've always felt 10" was the minimum, but I haven't had subs since 2009 and things may have changed since then...

 

[kpohanka]

I definitely want to see how this turns out!
I want your feedback on going with 8" subs instead of 10 or 12". I've always felt 10" was the minimum, but I haven't had subs since 2009 and things may have changed since then...

I had 1 x8 in my CR-Z and it was plenty of bass. They play down to 32hz+/- (depending on application) with the threshold of human hearing being 20hz+/-. Sub bass frequency chilling in between 12-100hz (12-20hz is felt not heard). So deep notes wise they play very well, punchy AND boomy when need be.

As for power output they're rated at 750w but can handle a solid kilowatt. When using one or two they will definitely exceed your expectations. For reference, I had 2 Sound Solutions Audio 10" DCONs @300w each. They played a little lower and boomier but not as tight and punchy (better for rap, worse for electronic/rock/metal). Output wise the 750w on the single 8" sundown was audibly equivalent to the 600w on the dual 10" ssa DCONs. Alternatively, my prior system had 2 sony xplod 12" subs and the 8" sundown outperforms that system by miles. WAAAAY more musical and louder and boomier and punchier.

If you are going with a 10" there are options: SSA GCON (750w) / SSA ICON (1250w) for musical subs with great output OR DC Audio level 3 (900w) / level 4 (1400w) for bass heavy destruction OR Sundown SA10 (600w) / Sound Cubed HDC310 (1500w with modified components - customizable) for a nice combo of musical/bass heavy balance.

There are tons of other brands but these are the ones I have had experience with. You cannot go wrong with Sound Solutions Audio.

 

[Dr_Drache]

I had 1 x8 in my CR-Z and it was plenty of bass. They play down to 32hz+/- (depending on application) with the threshold of human hearing being 20hz+/-. Sub bass frequency chilling in between 12-100hz (12-20hz is felt not heard). So deep notes wise they play very well, punchy AND boomy when need be.

As for power output they're rated at 750w but can handle a solid kilowatt. When using one or two they will definitely exceed your expectations. For reference, I had 2 Sound Solutions Audio 10" DCONs @300w each. They played a little lower and boomier but not as tight and punchy (better for rap, worse for electronic/rock/metal). Output wise the 750w on the single 8" sundown was audibly equivalent to the 600w on the dual 10" ssa DCONs. Alternatively, my prior system had 2 sony xplod 12" subs and the 8" sundown outperforms that system by miles. WAAAAY more musical and louder and boomier and punchier.

If you are going with a 10" there are options: SSA GCON (750w) / SSA ICON (1250w) for musical subs with great output OR DC Audio level 3 (900w) / level 4 (1400w) for bass heavy destruction OR Sundown SA10 (600w) / Sound Cubed HDC310 (1500w with modified components - customizable) for a nice combo of musical/bass heavy balance.

There are tons of other brands but these are the ones I have had experience with. You cannot go wrong with Sound Solutions Audio.

real question on your audio processor, can/or will it be able to do all (12) channels from the the head-unit? will you lose the center channel as it's designed? every other processor I've seen used, you lose channels/resolution as well as the center speaker as designed (audio directions, smart phone intergration, etc)
so that you get a nice 8 channel system, but you lose features. any plans around that?

EDIT :
I got carried away - I was mixing up channels with # of speakers. but with that - the question mostly still stands.

 

[kpohanka]

real question on your audio processor, can/or will it be able to do all (12) channels from the the head-unit? will you lose the center channel as it's designed? every other processor I've seen used, you lose channels/resolution as well as the center speaker as designed (audio directions, smart phone intergration, etc)
so that you get a nice 8 channel system, but you lose features. any plans around that?

EDIT :
I got carried away - I was mixing up channels with # of speakers. but with that - the question mostly still stands.

Here are the specs on the processor. Remember that it is wired like this 1. Radio to factory amp 2. factory amp to sound processor 3. sound processor to aftermarket amps/factory amplified rear+center speakers. It will clean the signal (strip it of as much amplification as possible) and expand the signal going to the front doors and the subwoofers, and it will only expand the signal going to the rear doors and center channel. This gives me the ability to create a sound stage and tune all of the speakers while only adding juice to the ones that matter (90%+ of your listening pleasure comes from the front doors).

• 6-channel speaker-level and RCA inputs (front, rear, center, sub)
• 8-channel high-power preamp outputs (4-volt, configurable)

As you can see I can even add speakers to my sound stage/ it has more than enough to accommodate my needs. Here is the processor linked, it is pretty incredible.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500PXAH800/Alpine-PXA-H800.html?tp=61671&awcp=1t1&awcr=105374375363&awdv=c&awkw=+alpine++pxa++h800&awmt=b&awnw=g&awug=9007754

EDIT: so to answer your question, I will not lose any features because the head unit (the brain) remains unaltered. If you were to replace the stereo you would lose tons of features without additional converters. The nav/android auto will still send audio signal from the head unit to the factory amp to the processor to the speakers/ aftermarket amps then speakers - just like it would if I were playing radio or bluetooth.

 

[asiandeity]

I have an Alpine PXA-H800 too that will be going into my Type R when it arrives. Will you be using the optical out to the DSP? If so, is the optical located on the head unit, factory amp, or both?

 

[Trey]

I have an Alpine PXA-H800 too that will be going into my Type R when it arrives. Will you be using the optical out to the DSP? If so, is the optical located on the head unit, factory amp, or both?

The factory radio connects to the factory amp (built in DSP) via a coaxial digital connector that is not standards-based. The only way to do it is to cut/ tap the speaker level wires coming out of the amp as inputs to an aftermarket DSP, then from there connect aftermarket amps and speakers.

 

[Trey]

real question on your audio processor, can/or will it be able to do all (12) channels from the the head-unit? will you lose the center channel as it's designed? every other processor I've seen used, you lose channels/resolution as well as the center speaker as designed (audio directions, smart phone intergration, etc)
so that you get a nice 8 channel system, but you lose features. any plans around that?

EDIT :
I got carried away - I was mixing up channels with # of speakers. but with that - the question mostly still stands.

If you tap just the speaker wires for the front tweeters, front mids and the sub as six channels input to your new DSP, sum those then send that combined signal to aftermarket amps as full range or Low pass for a sub. The center channel is still connected to the factory amp and will still work.

 

[Dr_Drache]

If you tap just the speaker wires for the front tweeters, front mids and the sub as six channels input to your new DSP, sum those then send that combined signal to aftermarket amps as full range or Low pass for a sub. The center channel is still connected to the factory amp and will still work.

seem to remember someone doing that, and it didn't work.
- and that cutting into speak level to another DSP/AMP you lose full headunit volume control.

have we verified it's not standards based Optical?

 

[Trey]

seem to remember someone doing that, and it didn't work.
- and that cutting into speak level to another DSP/AMP you lose full headunit volume control.

have we verified it's not standards based Optical?

Fact: You have to keep the factory amp to continue to use the steering wheel volume and center channel.

By tapping into the speaker wires coming out of the amp, you are basically still using the factory amp so nothing "breaks". All you are doing is sending a new DSP the signal coming out of the factory amp.

There are diagrams here on civic x showing the plugs on the factory amp and radio and the digital plugs are not RCA (coaxial) or Toslink (fiber).

 

[kpohanka]

seem to remember someone doing that, and it didn't work.
- and that cutting into speak level to another DSP/AMP you lose full headunit volume control.

have we verified it's not standards based Optical?

I should be able to answer this on/by friday

 

[kpohanka]

Fact: You have to keep the factory amp to continue to use the steering wheel volume and center channel.

By tapping into the speaker wires coming out of the amp, you are basically still using the factory amp so nothing "breaks". All you are doing is sending a new DSP the signal coming out of the factory amp.

There are diagrams here on civic x showing the plugs on the factory amp and radio and the digital plugs are not RCA (coaxial) or Toslink (fiber).

This

 

[Dr_Drache]

Fact: You have to keep the factory amp to continue to use the steering wheel volume and center channel.

By tapping into the speaker wires coming out of the amp, you are basically still using the factory amp so nothing "breaks". All you are doing is sending a new DSP the signal coming out of the factory amp.

There are diagrams here on civic x showing the plugs on the factory amp and radio and the digital plugs are not RCA (coaxial) or Toslink (fiber).

the audio connector is a semi custom S/PDIF, but obviously :
The service manual says:

The stereo amplifier is a separated power amplifier interface. Digital audio signal (SPDIF2) that is received from the audio unit is
processed on the DSP, and sent to each speaker after amplified by the AMP IC.

The stereo amplifier communicates with the audio unit using the dedicated serial bus (RS485). This communication includes the
vehicle speed (for SVC) information, audio settings, and the MUTE commands. The stereo amplifier adjusts the speaker outputs by
oneself which is based on the received information.

The stereo amplifier receives the guidance signal and the system beep signal via independent lines, and mix them to applicable
audio lines.

I have seen the pictures - and the connector is very obviously a SPDIF. bitcode could be custom, etc.
saying all this - I too would love a better DSP - and even a slightly better soundscape.
but I'm not willing to increase usage difficulties (multiple volume controls, BT volume, AA volume, carplay volume, automute for calls/etc ) or lose functionality of any of those or of the speakers.


there is very little information of "after installs" of how the system is after - other than "it sounds better"; did we lose functionality? does everything "work as stock"? does the DSP fix the low bass at low volumes? do we get to keep a better curve at all volumes?

Sponsored