Newmanium

First of all, to give a little perspective - I'm coming from an older Civic, and a fairly recent BMW - both which had pretty poor audio systems (surprising how bad a 2003 BMW 5-series sounds). I actually liked the stock Civic speakers when paired with an Eclipse head-unit.

I wanted to make sure everyone knows I'm an audio-noob.

I just got a 2008 TSX (love it!), and I've noticed that everyone here says the stock system completely sucks. To my ears, it sounds incredible, sooooo much better than the Civic or BMW.

So my question is... if the stock system sounds great to me, and everybody here think's it is complete crap, what in the world am I missing out on!?!?! Am I missing out on a second level of nirvana that I didn't even know existed? Is there a platinum level now that I've gotten into the gold club?

By just upgrading the speakers and spending less than $400 or so, is there a huge-jump in quality to be had? Something that even an audiophile-noob like me could hear and appreciate?

I just got the car yesterday and I'm in tweak mode right now - going to get the backup camera, maybe a little dynamat in the doors, perhaps try that auto-lock/unlock thingy. I'm an engineer, stuff like this is mainly entertainment, along with the excuse that it's semi-practical.

Castles_Saloon

The 2008 may be better designed than earlier versions. I have the '04 and its stock was kind of painful. The upper frequencies were piercing and the whole eq was way off in the stock amp.

When i received loaners that were newer, i do recall an improvement in the audio. How does it compare to modified earlier systems? I don't know. If you enjoy the sound, that's all that counts!

If your into tweaking, go for a carputer.... or maybe just an ipod interface

If you dynamat, the doors help, but the floor yielded very minimal results. The firewall would probably be a big improvement, but i never made it that far.

Speakers.... remove a door speaker and test it out. The 04 speaker was easily surpassed by the dayton rs150 6". more detailed and open.

Osmodious

The stock audio system in the TSX is not 'crap', per se...it's just not fantastic (and not as good as they proclaim it to be, which is the bigger issue for some).

Basically, when you upgrade from a significantly poorer system, you will be amazed at the quality...over time, however, you will start to take note of the deficiencies. I thought the sound system in my '99 A4 was fantastic, then grew quite dissatisfied. Heard my buddy's '00 A4 with Bose and was somewhat impressed...for an hour. Thought the Harmon Kardon system in my MINI Cooper S was amazing...for about 3 months.

In each case, I started to find the 'holes' in the system. I loved the stock stereo in my TSX for the first couple of weeks, except the weak bass. So I recently added an Infiniti BassLink which I had lying around doing nothing...disconnected the 6x9's, hooked this in their place and my low-end improved dramatically! Of course, after a few weeks with that, I realized that my mid-bass is now completely AWOL. Oh well.

OK, enough rambling...bottom line: don't upgrade or rip out your system because some people think the stock one sucks. Listen to your ears...if you are happy with the system, why would you screw around with it? Of course, if your opinion changes over time, you can upgrade in pieces...that's what a lot of us do.

Personally, I am going to do my speakers next (JL's, probably the XR's which are a nice price/performance balance...heard them in a stereo shop and they sounded fantastic), then get an amp later (or do it at the same time, if I can find the extra money). I'll keep my BassLink for now and get a 'real' sub later, when I decide I'm lacking 'punch'.

Os.

mercman

Well like anything, one man’s trash in another man’s treasure. The stock TSX system is quite good but it depends on what you are comparing it to. Compared to the stock system in my wife’s subbie it rocks, compared to other systems, who knows. In any case, you have come to the right place if you want to upgrade the system. Most people replace the small factory amp and install a good set of components, the options are endless. Check out the FAQ sections for some ideas and info on how to do it.

I liked the TSX audio system until I upgraded, now I love it.

jeff

jiggaman

i love the system in my tsx now that i have replaced every stock component!

jlukja

Like Osmodious I too thought that my 04 TSX system was pretty good. Coming from a 91 Integra with a stock system the TSX was head-and-shoulders above that. It took a couple of months to find the same "holes" in the sound. It wasn't an overnight thing. I would listen to music and think, "if only the bass was a little tighter ... if only the cymbals weren't as harsh ... if only I could hear the voice a little clearer." Eventually, I started reading about possible upgrades and exchanged PMs with one of the vendors and, voila, replacement speakers were on the way. This was a little puzzling to my wife who thought "They sound fine to me ". Swapping out the speakers made a big difference in the sound to me. I still have the stock HU. My advice would be to see if you can go to a local meet, or PM someone with an upgraded system, to see if you can hear an upgraded system firsthand. Listen to see if you can hear what you've been missing. The ultimate judge and jury are your ears. Don't blindly go by what others have said/posted.

patlegend

I have a tsx too and the system is very good, but i'm would like to upgrade some component like you and add a sub with amp. Did someone know how and where I can buy the "Mercman" harness? I think I have to reply 5 time on this site to be able to write at Mercman is it true?

patlegend

Hi Mercman, I wrote all I can in this site about your harness to connect an aftermarket amp to my TSX HU without cutting or splicing the factory harness and i need this great cable in my car!! Can you tell my what is the procedure to buy it from you. I already have a payapl confirmed account.

THX for your time....

patlegend

Hi Mercman, I wrote all I can in this site about your harness to connect an aftermarket amp to my TSX HU without cutting or splicing the factory harness and i need this great cable in my car!! Can you tell me what is the procedure to buy it from you. I already have a paypal confirmed account.

THX for your time....

mercman

This is the post for the harness you can post your questions there.
https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/tsx-factory-amp-bypass-no-splice-adapter-harness-365854/
Make sure your PM is switched on and PM me your paypal and your zip code and I will send you an invoice.

Thanks
jeff

patlegend

Hi Mercman, Its the first time I went here (acurazine.com) and i'm not sure about the procedure to "PM" you for buying your fantastic harness. Is it possible to send me a e-mail at patlegend@videotron.ca and I will give you all my information for the transaction. Here my plan...do you think your harness is good for me?

I plan to buy (with your recomendation for balanced signal) JL AUDIO 300/4 driving:

front component: Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 (already have)
6.5 rear door Infinity 62.5 (already have)
6x9 rear deck Infinity 692.5 (already have)

And my Old Kenwood KAC-1020 (1 X 640w bridged in 4 ohm) for:
2 X Boston acoustics G510-44 (double voice coil) (already have)

My question is: do you think i will have noise (or other) problem to plug my old kenwood with your harness (its just for the sub) Or you think i have to buy your balun or getting another amp like rockford for the balanced signal. What do you think about my combination speaker/sub and system overall?