Mprotege92

Hello, I have a 2014 ILX 2.4. Is it worth it to replace the OEM Acura 8 Inch subwoofer with an ELS subwoofer or another 8 inch from other Acuras with no other changes?

Chrifff

The answer is... It depends. What are you trying to accomplish? The ELS system in the tech package (or in the Dynamic 2.4 L in the 2015 models) has pretty much the same subwoofer, however the amplifier has more power and there are 3 additional speakers - One up front and two on the rear deck shelf. Your stock amp runs the sub at a 2 ohm level to maximize the power, you would need at least a 2 ohm speaker to replace it (if you install a 4 ohm speaker you will lose performance). Ideally you should have one with a lower sensitivity.

I never really noticed the stock subwoofer even when changing the sub gain level on the stock deck. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to sound, I have installed systems in some of my previous vehicles inclusive of head units, component speakers and usually with a single 12" in a separate enclosure along with a separate amp. As I am getting older I find that I do not want the hassle of running an amp along with losing some of the trunk space to a separate box.

Now that being said I still wanted more from the system so I (like a few others) have changed out the stock speaker and installed a 8" Kicker Comp D 2 ohm speaker. This definitely made a difference and I do notice an increased level in the mid range, however this subwoofer along with any other you swap in there are still restricted to whatever frequency the stock amp has the sub crossed over at. Personally I think the stock stereo mid bass is not bad, and what I really want is a bit more lower end. If you are looking for a deeper sound you will need to either install an additional amp that can run the sub along with changing the cross over points, or install a proper separate amp and larger enclosed subwoofer.

I am looking at picking up a separate amp and running the 8" Kicker through high level inputs and crossing it over at a lower frequency - Just so I can get a bit more frequency range (not the crazy thump that will be the cause of my hearing loss).

Chrifff

One more point..... Do you notice that your stock stereo sounds better when the engine is not running? If the answer is yes, that is because there is an ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) Acura installs in the vehicles to drown out some of the road noise the vehicle makes.

There is two ways to defeat this:
1) Temporary button press - This requires you to do every time you turn off the car.
2) Disconnect the ANC mic (located behind the glove box). - This one is pretty much necessary if you install an aftermarket amp.

Mprotege92

Thanks Chrifff for the information.

I was just looking for deeper bass. I was afraid I would have to go with an aftermarket amp to get that but thought I would make sure.

Chrifff

Let me make myself clear on this one.... The Kicker Comp D 2 ohm 8" sub will provide a "bit" deeper bass without upgrading the amp I did noticed it along with a couple other people who did this mod, however what I noticed more was a louder mid range bass, more fuller mid bass punch. Now I did lower the treble gains down a tad and turned off the ANC, but there is a marked difference = You should notice a difference. The kicker is a free air speaker and not all speakers work well in an open trunk setup, that being said this speaker would do better if it was properly enclosed crossed over properly and running 250-300 RMS power. To remove this speaker you will need to access the rear deck lid by removing the C pillar covers and popping out the lid to lift out the stock speaker. This actually wasn't that difficult. 2nd you will need to wire the speaker for a 2 ohm load (instructions come with the speaker).

However there really is no replacement for displacement (I think I quoted that line elsewhere in a forum someplace), if you really want a deeper sound to really hit the lows, you will have to add a separate larger enclosed and powered sub woofer.

I am seriously considering adding a little more power just to the 8" and crossing it over at little lower frequency. The Kicker only cost approx. $60 USD and the amp I am looking at is about $100. I hope that will be enough for me, but to each their own....

Bchester6

I am seriously considering adding a little more power just to the 8" and crossing it over at little lower frequency. The Kicker only cost approx. $60 USD and the amp I am looking at is about $100. I hope that will be enough for me, but to each their own....[/QUOTE]

Yes to this. Do you know where the factory equalization takes place in your car (HU or amp)?.. because that will make a difference as to what you will have to acquire as well to make this all happen.

Chrifff

Yes to this. Do you know where the factory equalization takes place in your car (HU or amp)?.. because that will make a difference as to what you will have to acquire as well to make this all happen.[/QUOTE]
I finally installed a small cheap Hertz amp to power the 8" kicker (170 watts RMS at 4 ohms). However I received less response out of the sub. Good thing I picked up a Line out Converter which in my case did a huge difference in the sub output, unfortunately the net result is not much more base response in the lower/deeper frequencies. The mid punch is definitely significantly more, and I have the gains way down - But I am getting some rattling from the rear deck shelf (dynamat?).

I believe I need to go with a sealed enclosure or just go bigger on the sub if I want a deeper response. Also I have not played around (tuned) with the settings on the Line Out Converter, so I might be able to make this work a bit better.

Bchester6

If it seems like your missing all of the lower frequencies (20 - 50 hz) chances are the factory EQ is preventing any or very little low frequencies from being played. It's almost like a subsonic filter to protect their cheap subwoofer from being blown every 2 days. You will need a LOC with a bass restoration feature or a DSP which is really costly. I've used this one in the past and it worked well.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_161LC2...2iB-Black.html

Chrifff

Phew, that is the exact one I picked up. This is the first time I had tired using a Line Out Converter, so I am not sure how to tune it properly. It seems to me that the bass response is pretty even across the volume range (ie doesn't really taper off at higher volumes - I think that is what the AccuBASS Threshold is for? But I am not sure. What do you recommend I adjust to get the lower frequencies: The AccuBASS; Main; Bass; or AccuBASS Threshold?

Bchester6

Firstly, what wires did you tap into? If you tapped into the subwoofer wires you may want to consider trying the rear speaker wires instead just to eliminate the obvious which is whether your amp is actually seeing a full range signal. Once you wire it up this way and compare you will be able to notice if there's any difference in the frequency spectrum as you will be able to hear all of the low frequencies that you seem to be missing. Make sure to turn your Accu base threshold all the way to minimum and then slowly level match to your desired taste. Should this be the case and you decide to keep it configured like this you will need to acquire a bass knob as your subwoofer control on your head unit will no longer work. If you have anymore questions you can pm me and we can set up a phone call. Good luck.