speaker volume controls?

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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 11:50 AM
  #1  
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speaker volume controls?

my friend told me that on a stock speaker system, its kinda dangerous to raise your volume over 20 in a way
he told me that since the stock system are pretty weak, they might bust...
so i was wondering if it was true or not
if not, whats the max volume i should raise up to?
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 12:23 PM
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Stop when ears start to bleed...
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 12:43 PM
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or when you hear the door panel rattles!
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 12:51 PM
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How loud do you need it? 20 is more than enough for me on the highway.
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 12:54 PM
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well cause i gotta system in my trunk too right so yea i was wondering if 25 would be ok for the stock speakers in the front
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 01:35 PM
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I would just listen to them how you like. If they blow, then just replace them because they probably were not performing as well as you wanted anyway.

Sounds like you only upgraded your bass, so that's why it's harder for you to hear the highs. You can also try turning the gain down on the bass amp or fading more to the front, if your sub amp gets it's signal from the rear 6x9's.

Good Luck!
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 04:06 PM
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As long as you are not distorting the sound, the speakers are fine. Your friend is on crack and must be driving a neon or cavalier. In that case I'd be concerned about using the radio at all.
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 05:38 PM
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dont ya'll TSX ppl have 360 watts? we accord coupes only have 120... and ya'll are complainin? I think mine soundz alright
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by SlayerGTR
dont ya'll TSX ppl have 360 watts? we accord coupes only have 120... and ya'll are complainin? I think mine soundz alright
Honestly, I don't think the stock system in the TSX sounds any better than the stock in my last Accord Coupe EX.
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by SlayerGTR
dont ya'll TSX ppl have 360 watts?
Yes, but through 8 speakers its only 45 watts/channel
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 08:08 PM
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Are you all going def?

I think I listen at around 8 or 10, it's one of the best Honda systems I've ever heard. Now it is winter in my area right now so with the windows down in the summer I usually crank a bit more but still, how def do you need to be.
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 09:50 PM
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The stereo isn't loud to me at all, even all the way up they still don't sound like they will blow. Then again, I had 500watts going to my 10" XTant sub, and about 800watts going to the other 8 speakers in my small VW Golf. ~1300 total watts, that system was NICE and $$
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Old Jan 19, 2005 | 11:24 PM
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i never go over 20..

10 in local

15 in highway

i kinda wish the volume goes up as the car speeds up
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 07:31 AM
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Wow, I must be deaf! I usually am at 35-36 for XM and radio and 25-26 for CD. No distortion and sounds clean.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 08:45 AM
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I can't even hear mine at 8-10. I find that it lacks midrange at anything under 20. Maybe the navi volume level is different. I have non-navi.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 09:23 AM
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The CD has a much higer volume then the XM. On the Interstate flirting with 80mph with the sunroof back an listening to XM I get close to 30, but I don't think I have ever had it up to 30. I think I have the Bass up 3 and treb up 2. I think the system is very good for a stock system. I love FL in the winter.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 09:57 AM
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I'm b/w 15-25 depending on city or highway
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 11:23 AM
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Yeah, the system in the TSX is hurting. I have had my TSX for about two months now, and I usually need to turn it up to 18 or 19 to get the mids up at all. I have the bass turned down to 2, as well as the treble. The bass turned up to three or higher just gets really muddy and distorted.

Plus, the 360 watt figure is not RMS. I believe the actual RMS reading for the TSX is around 120 to 140 watts. Not bad, but a far cry from a good system.

I currently have all the stereo equipment form my last car sitting in my house. Not sure if I want to tear apart the TSX and put it in, but this sound is killing me. I had my front components (MB Quart QSD's) biamped with 220 watts RMS to each side. Plus having another 400 RMS going to my 10W7 Prowedge helped the low end. Either I can sell it all and put the money towards performance stuff, or since I spend so much time in my TSX, have it installed professionally and actually be satisfied with the sound system.

I know that no stock system can compete with higher end aftermarket, but I was expecting more from Acura, maybe something along the lines of Nakamichi level stuff like in Lexus.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 11:29 AM
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Originally Posted by TommyJ25
I have had my TSX for about two months now, and I usually need to turn it up to 18 or 19 to get the mids up at all. I have the bass turned down to 2, as well as the treble. The bass turned up to three or higher just gets really muddy and distorted.


Part of the problem IMHO is that the cabin is relatively noisy, particularly from the OEM tires. I think the tire noise really competes with the mid freq. and you have to crank the volume up a bit more just to hear the mids. I would be curious to hear from folks who have swapped out the OEM tires but kept the sound system stock if quieter tires made for a better listening experience.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 02:05 PM
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audio setting

what's the best setting to avoid the rattle? Bass: i am currently set (+4) tremb: (+4), and my volume is usually no more than 20.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 02:39 PM
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Have you noticed that the HU automatically reduces the lower frequencies when you turn it up past a certain point? I don't think you have to worry about blowing the stock speakers. They are rated for the stock HU. There is a crossover on the back deck speakers that sends most of the lower register back there. If you screwed with that crossover then you might be sending too many lows to the front, and THAT would potentially be something to worry about.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 02:42 PM
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And another thing. I think that the system in the TSX is balanced very well. It is definitely not as definitive as an aftermarket system, but respectable for stock. I spent thousands of dollars on the system in my 350Z, and I can honestly say that I am almost as happy with the system in my TSX. Could use a little more low frequency response, but the highs are crisp and never harsh.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 04:42 PM
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I disagree with the last reply. I hav a few thousand dollars worth of stuff sitting in my house right now from my old car. The highs and mids on them were night and day compared to the Acura TSX. The problem is that the drivers are very poor quality drivers, and with any power sent to them (or volume) the quality quickly degrades. Now, there is no reason to go out and buy comps like that cost between $600 and $800 just for the front speakers, but a simple replacement with a some better speakers will probably do wonders. Plus, the little notebook sized amp under the console is a joke.

My biggest worry is making sure that if I decide to install all my stuff, that it doesn't look any different than stock (ie the mb quart tweeters fit in the same stock tweeter location). If they do, i will go ahead and do that.

The low end of the sound spectrum in any stock system, whether its Acura or a Rolls has always been below par. That is just something that everyone would have to upgrade to get good response for the whole sound spectrum (something that is capable of creating a 20-25Hz tone).

If and when I do put all of this in my car, I will be sure to take pics and let everyone know the results and how much it cost or how long it took to do.

The whole stock tire thing brings upa good point. Has anyone changed the tires, but not the system? I bet it helps out a lot.
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 05:54 PM
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Well, MY ears like what they hear most of the time. Perhaps we are listening to different forms of music...
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Old Jan 20, 2005 | 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by jlukja


Part of the problem IMHO is that the cabin is relatively noisy, particularly from the OEM tires. I think the tire noise really competes with the mid freq. and you have to crank the volume up a bit more just to hear the mids. I would be curious to hear from folks who have swapped out the OEM tires but kept the sound system stock if quieter tires made for a better listening experience.
There's also a lot of wind noise at higher freeway speeds (80+). Even w/the cabin sealed, I've got to turn CDs up to 16-20 to be able to hear them properly. It's a longtime design problem for HondaAcura, but a pretty forgiveable one.

Anyone know if/how extra aftermarket sound deadening materials can be installed? It's crossed my mind once or twice, and I'm seriously considering picking up a low-miles Vigor so the TSX has an older sister to play with ....
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Old Jan 22, 2005 | 07:56 AM
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I usually listen to mine cranked as loud as it can go...no distortion...actually wish sometimes it was louder. could be due to the faqct that the phone was ringing once and i answered the iron :gheywave:
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Old Jan 22, 2005 | 11:29 AM
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:Tomato: I usually listen to it around 15-17, although as others have said, this is wintertime, so everything is bundled up tight. Most of my driving is at highway speeds. It is rare that I can be satisfied listening when the volume is below 12, and the max I typically set it to is about 23 or so (also rare).

Part of the problem is the lack of any dynamic compression on the stock system - the ability to press a switch and enhance the quiet passages and simultaneously slightly trim the very loud passages. For certain classical music pieces especially, this is quite handy, as otherwise, you either have it too low for the quiet stuff to ber audible, or too high and the really forceful parts blast you out.

That being said, for a stock system, and for a normal human being who doesn't need to share his musical tastes with strangers three blocks away (hint hint), the TSX sound is pretty good. Or should I say, the fidelity and separation, the clarity are very good, while the punch (think Tina Turner/the Fixx "You better be good to me") is somewhat lacking to adequate.
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