This will be my first post to the forum so please be easy on me. I just wanted to take a minute to do a quick write up on my experience enhancing the sound on my 2016 RDX base.

The challenges:
After reading the other associated forum posts and seeing what others had done, I was inspired to tackle the job.The things that stuck out to me in these posts were that the general consensus was that a drop-in replacement would not give any substantial returns based on the fact that the factory amp doesn't really put out enough power (~40 Watts) to really drive a sub and that the factory speaker is more of a mid-bass than a true sub. I wasn't looking for anything too crazy and figured I would just start with a drop-in replacement for the factory sub which lead me to look at the Kicker and Fosgate subs that others had mentioned in their posts. The problem with most of these subs was that their power ratings were a little low for what I was looking for. Most of the shallow mounts were designed for 100-200 watts of power RMS and I was really looking for something in the 300-400 RMS range. The other challenge was mounting depth and internal volume of the factory enclosure. There are a few differences between the RDX Base and Tech versions as it relates to the enclosure. The Base version has a cutout on the back that actually further reduces the internal volume and a screw that attaches to the sub from the back. This just wasn't going to work.

The setup:
Given the challenges above, I found a "shallow mount" sub from Skar Audio that had better RMS numbers and was designed for small enclosures. All of the reviews I saw on it said it was good and the price was right ($65) so I jumped on it. I am glad I did. That sub is a beast. Additionally, to avoid any issues with the factory enclosure, I picked up the factory enclosure from a Tech model of the same year that didn't have the cutout and screw I mentioned above ($50 on ebay). To power it, I went with an AudioControl ACM 1.300 amplifier. This fit the RMS power profile of the sub perfectly and had all the features I was looking for in a sub amp. Added bonus, it fit nicely where I wanted to install it (Spare Tire Well). The other thing I did was reach out to Jesse over at Phantom Audio because I had seen and heard from multiple people that the best way to maximize the sound from the factory amplifier was to have them upgrade it. I got his number from the website and gave him a call. Jesse was great, talking me through several of the decisions around what to buy and what more he could do to help the install go smoothly. I can honestly say that it was one of the best customer service experiences i have ever had. He was extremely helpful and at times it seemed like he was as excited to see the finished product as I was. I absolutely recommend anyone looking to upgrade their factory Acura system reach out to them. You will not regret it!

The Parts:
As mentioned above, here is the list of parts I purchased for this install -

• Skar Audio VD 8 D4
• Used factory subwoofer enclosure from a 2016 RDX Tech
• AudioControl ACM 1.300
• Phantom Audio RDX Base Tuned Amplifier
• Stinger 8ga. Amp Wiring Kit

Tools required:

• #1 and #2 Phillips Screwdrivers
• Flathead screwdriver(s)
• Cordless Drill and Drill bits
• T20 and T15 Torx bits
• Metric Socket wrench set with 10 and 9mm sockets (Minimum)
• 10mm deep socket
• 10 and 9mm box wrenches
• Panel tools (Plastic)
• Wire Stripper
• Razor Knife
• Electrical tape
• Crimp connectors for 12 and 8ga. wire.
• Ring Terminals for ground and power wires
• 1 small bag of poly-fill

The Experience:
One thing that I often see missing from posts like this is what the install experience is like for those that choose to do the job themselves. So I figure I will give you guys a few words on what it was like to install everything. Getting access to the subwoofer is relatively easy. I didn't have much trouble there following steps detailed in some of the other posts here. My only recommendation here is DON'T Try to remove the grill from the outside. It is screwed in from the inside and you are just going to mess it up if you try to pry it off. Remove the panel to access the subwoofer. The sub is bolted in with a handfull of 10mm bolts and 2 nuts that attach to posts from the body. Make sure you have a deep socket to remove these as they like to fall out and will be a pain if the fall into the body recess once removed. Because I had purchased the other sub enclosure, I was able to stage it outside the vehicle before installing it. This saved a ton of time and meant that until I was ready I could continue to have the factory "sub" installed.

Prepping the sub and box was pretty straight forward. Once I removed the grill and screws from the sub it came out with minimal effort. There is a small gasket around the sub that you will need to either use a flathead screwdriver or panel pry tool to get the sub to pull away from the enclosure. In my case the gasket came away clean and stayed attached to the sub after removal. There was a small square nub on the box that was used to key the factory subwoofer to the enclosure so I need to trim that with a razor knife as well to ensure it fit flush. If you look closely in the pictures you will see the trimmed area in the second picture (Mounted in the car) just above the sub. The inside of the box has a set of fins in the molding that create these small square recesses within it and when I test fit the new sub I found that some of them were hitting the magnet on the Skar sub. The Skar sub has a pretty large magnet for a shallow mount so this was to be expected. I used a razor knife to trim them up a bit until the sub sat nice and flush. After that I added a little bit of poly fill (about 2 handfuls spread out across the base and the little pocket at the bottom) to give the sub the impression of being in a slightly larger enclosure. Here is the finished product of the sub install:




Once the sub was good, I moved on to the Amp(s).

Here is the Amp I received from Phantom Audio:



It was identical to the one in the vehicle and came with the familiar Phantom Audio Sticker on it. The process of accessing the factory amplifier is also well documented on the forums so I won't spell it out here but what I will say is that it is a HUGE pain to remove the factory one. My recommendation is not to try to remove the whole bracket and focus on removing the 2 10mm bolts on the front that cover the plugs and then the 4 9mm bolts on the sides to get the amplifier out. This is best done with a combination of box wrenches and low profile ratchet. You may have to remove the center console lower panel on the passenger side to get access to the ones on that side a little easier. The other thing that is worth doing while you are there is removing the harness from the ANC module that sits right below the factory amp. This will prevent any noise coming through the sub after everything is hooked back up. Once everything was plugged back in and mounted in place I tested the new amp to make sure everything was working as expected. All I can say is WOW what a difference! The factory radio was not only louder but much clearer. With mids and highs that I never realized I was missing. It literally is night and day difference from factory. This is the way this amp should have been built originally. Thanks again Jesse!

Installing the sub amp was relatively straight forward as well with a few things I wanted to call out. I have read on a few posts that people have had some challenges getting through the firewall on their vehicles and I can say, based on where the grommets are it is not the easiest task. basically what I did was to locate the grommets behind the front strut towers and use a #1 Phillips screwdriver with my power cable taped to it about 1" from the tip to punch a small hole in the Grommet and push the cable through. I was then able to reach under the dash on the driver's side and grab the cable and pull it free of the tape and feed it through into the drivers foot well area. I ran the power cable around the strut tower and factory airbox to line it up the fuse in a good spot to mount it. Using a panel tool, I fed the power cable along the door sill and all the way back to the spare tire well. It took a little convincing at times with a panel pry tool but I was able to do it without any major issues. Remember to keep the power disconnected until everything is wired up properly to avoid shorts. There are a few places in the tire well that make good grounding spots and I chose one that was about 6" from where I wanted to install the amp. As far as the line input is concerned, I cut the lead just before the connector going to the factory sub enclosure and tapped into the wires coming from the factory amplifier. The AudioControl amp does a good job handling high level inputs so I was not going to need a line input converter. Once I ran these to the channel 1 input of the amp, I ran a set of 12ga speaker wires back to the enclosure. I cut out the factory harness and tapped into the 12Ga leads that came off the new enclosure and made sure to use some wire ties and tape to get the wiring out of the way so it wouldn't interfere with the subwoofer.

The Results:
After setting the gain on the amp (The AudioControl amp has a small light that helps you to set the gain properly for your system) I was blown away. That little 8" sub pounds. And it is super clean with a good kick and No Rattles! I set the LPF to 80hz and tuned the sound output of the factory speakers to get a little kick from the door speakers but the sound is deep and rich. Lots of highs/mids and that solid thump when required. Because I am using the high level inputs from the factory sub, I can control the bass right from the factory receiver without having to have a bass knob or any additional controls. This makes it simple for me to adjust the sound to my preference using the familiar controls and keep everything looking factory. Overall, I am ecstatic with how the job turned out and if you are willing to fight through some of the challenges you will be rewarded with a system that sounds great and doesn't eat up any of that precious trunk space!

I just want to thank Jesse from Phantom Audio for all his help again with this project and am open to any questions you all may have!

Thanks!

-Bryon

 

After reading through I wanted to post a clarification on the differences between the Base and Tech enclosures. Here are some images that clarify what I meant:

RDX Base enclosure (rear):

As you can see there is a post that extends up into the enclosure with a screw that mounts to the back of the subwoofer.

Here is the Tech version:


That post and screw are not present and make for a much easier install of the upgraded sub. If you choose to use the base version, you would need to get a sub that is more shallow and you would need to plug that screw hole to prevent any air leaks.

I hope that helps!

-Bryon

 

Thanks for the write up. I don't see the RDX as an option on Phantom Audio. Was it an issue to get him to build one for you? Around $400 for the amp?

 

I noticed that as well and that is why I decided to just pick up the phone and give him a call. I figured it was worth a shot. Jesse was great about the whole process and sourced a donor amp for me so I didn't even have to pull out the stock one until the replacement arrived.

I'll be sending him back mine as a "core" so if you are interested, he will have mine in a few days. It would be nice to know it's going to a good home.

 

Yeah, it was in the 400 range. He also sent me the sub amp install kit and a harness which I turned out not to need but it was a nice touch.