Hello all:

I want to upgrade the audio system in my 2008 TSX. I have factory navigation, and have added a Alpine Type R in the trunk, but I am not really satisfied with the results of just adding a subwoofer. I want to replace the whole system.

I have done some reading on this forum and others, but most of the posts are outdated, and most of the people upgrading do not have factory navigation.

I am unsure as the route to take to upgrade my audio system. I think I need the correct wire harness so that I can get my 4 RCA outputs from the navi. I would like to run them to a 4 or 5 channel amp. I still want to run my sub, but I think maybe I should run 2 since I am upgrading.

I have heard good things about Alpine component speakers for the front doors and tweeters, but am unsure about what I should put in the back. I am guessing I will not be running the rear 6x9s.

I have a few questions:

What type of equipment do you guys recommend? I plan on trying to buy most of the equipment off Craigslist and ebay so that I can get some good deals.

Would you recommend getting an audio processor?

Will I have to rerun wires to all the doors, or can I use the existing wiring?

This should not cause me to lose my bluetooth/handsfree as I am just bypassing the factory amp, and not replacing the head unit?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I just bought all new speakers and a 5 channel amp from crutchfield.com This is what I got:

-alpine spr-17c for the 4 door speakers
-infinity tweeters
-kicker 5 channel amp model 10zx7005 bc the alpine R's need some extra juice going to them to sound good stock amp cant power them fully

If your going to spend a good chunk of change, please avoid ebay and craigslist. you get what you pay for and you dont know what kind of condition it will be in. get all your stuff from crutchfield.com they automatically include free shipping, and free install accessories like wiring harnesses and speaker brackets for our cars. if you want to save some money you could get the alpine type s's (sps-600) but since the r's werent much more i just got them. i didnt replace the rear deck speakers as these new door speakers will have plenty of power, and since i have 2 12in subs in the trunk i thought that would be sufficent. it says on crutchfield that the type Rs dont fit but they do they just have updated their system ive read reviews and posts on other sites. it cost me $750 for all my stuff but that included everything and now i have a baller system. check it out and do your homework. and as far as the audio processor goes, thats pretty advanced for the majority of people. i think for you and most of us simply replacing your speakers will do miracles.

 

thanks for the input.

I forgot to add, I already have an Alpine MRP-M1000, which is a 1000 watt rms mono channel amp, would it be easier to just add a 4 channel amp? Thanks again.

 

You should get a JBL MS8 and see if you really need to change your speakers...

 

check out this link
http://www.crutchfield.com/m_100/Car...ers.html?tp=14

it talks about which amp would best suit your needs. 2 of my stock speakers blew out, and by reading posts by other users, although our stock system is better compared to other stock systems, a simple speaker upgrade has been praised by all who have done it. check out this pictures showing the difference in the magnet sizes on the back of the stock speaker compared to the alpines


this thread should also help you out
http://www..com/forums/1st-gen-elect...-upgrades.html

since acurazine filters out other tsx competitor websites, in your address bar replace the blank space between the 2 periods with t$xclub (obviously use an s instead of the dollar sign)

if you want to do feuss' route, that jbl system is supposed to get the most out of your existing stock system. but since getting a whole new system (speakers, amp, etc) was only a a few hundred more, i opted to replace everything. most of the stuff on this car is junk (ie speakers, the header, the ginourmous catalytic converter) but to be honest if honda put all nice after market stuff on their cars from the factory then the sticker price would be around $7-10k higher and that would scare alot of middle aged buyers away since they really dont care alot about this stuff

 

jl ms8's way too expensive. try focal speakers or morel,

 

The MS8 has the potential to get a much greater sound quality increase than changing speakers alone.

The speaker itself is only one limitation. Other challenges to overcome include the placement/orientation of the speakers, resonance (within door panels and overall in cabin) and efficiency differences just to name a few.

For example, I found that the crossover frequency of the tweeter on both the OEM amp and in a set of components included a range in which there was resonance or acoustic amplification that made the system fatiguing to listen to after a while. If the tweeter and woofer in the component set were installed close to each other facing the same direction, the overall response would be quite flat. When the woofer was installed in the door, it pointed at the driver or passenger's feet, where the tweeters faced straight up, were closer to the driver's ear and could catch a reflection of the windshield. With just the upgrade to an amp + components, there was a sound quality improvement, however, that resonance in the treble persisted and remained annoying.

The MS8 did a few things to help. First, I was able to change the crossover frequency between the woofers and tweeters. Setting the crossover frequency above the resonance took care of that issue almost on it's own. The MS8 does a frequency sweep of every channel individually and does an auto-eq to flatten the response. It also corrects the phase/timing as the binaural mic (that looks like headphones) makes adjustments according to what the driver hears.

The subwoofer also benefited greatly, in terms of quality and clarity of bass. My amp had a variable high and low pass, as well as boost, but never sounded as good until compensated by the MS8. With the tweeters, front/rear doors and subs all time aligned, the result is clearer and more balanced than ever. Basically, you can go from any kind of music to the next without readjusting anything. It all sounds good!

IMO if you are going to do one thing, get the MS8. Or, if you can, do both

 

you can find some Alpine Type S's for next to nothing shipped on Amazon right now. Free two day shipping if you have prime too.

 

i am looking at getting the alpine spr-17s' for my front door speakers. they do not list as fitting, and the chat person said that they touch the panel/grille, have you had any better luck with them? thanks again

 

what do you recommend for the rear door speakers? the alipine srp-17c's?

 

As far as upgrading speakers, is it best to look for a quality 6x9" set that have good low-frequency capability since they're meant to be subwoofers in the stock setup? Other speakers wouldn't require as low of frequency capability.

 

I'm planning on getting the ms8 and replacing all the speakers with either the alpines I mentioned above or infinity kappas, I don't know if I will even use the 6x9s since I have an alpine type r sub