Help! - 2013 Si sedan needing a little more bump

RHelton10

RHelton10

Well-Known Member
41
20
Atlanta, GA
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
sedan
Hey guys, I have a 2013 4-door Si and I'm tired of the weak OEM sound system. I've "been there and done that" with full-blown competition systems in the past and have since outgrown the 170db wipers jumping off the windshield type of systems. But having said that, I still need a little more than the stock system. Sad thing is I also have a 2013 Ford Explorer w/ the premium sound and OEM 10" woofer and it's amazing; I wish Honda would invest a little more in their "premium" systems, but I digress.

Anyway, I'm actually happy with the mids and highs for what I typically listen to and don't want to dump that much money and effort into upgrading the entire system. What I'm looking to do is just add an amp and a single woofer in a smaller box against the back of one of the seats and I could use a little help and advice. I've been out of the game for awhile and the factory wiring has gotten more complicated since I was doing this in the past.

The amp I currently have is a Kicker ZX750.1. I have a Kicker L7 factory box and sub, but somehow I think I blew the sub in my last car. I could replace the sub, but my other options is just to go with a 10" sub in a smaller box for more trunk space. I'll run a 4 gauge amp kit for the setup. I've read that the Si model headunit has preamp outputs since the Si has a separate amp. I'm probably going to pay a stereo shop to run the amp kit since I don't have the time to do it myself, but I want to know this car's setup so I can give them clear direction on how I want it done.

Here's my questions:

1. What current 10" subs are you guys happy with? I'd like to stick to around a .75-1.25 sealed cubic inch sized box for trunk space.
2. (This is where I need the most help) Which wires are the positive and negative for the sub preamp output on the headunit side and on the OEM amp side? Are the preamp wires stereo (2 sets) or just 1 mono set? I'd like leave the factory sub hooked up and be able to use the OEM headunit's sublevel gains to control the aftermarket amp. Is it really as easy as I've read where you take the wires going into the OEM amp, attach a set of RCA connections, and then run it to the aftermarket amp? My amp has stereo RCA inputs, so if the OEM setup is mono, can I just attach a Y-connection to my amp and double the mono signal to the stereo inputs on my amp?
3. Have you guys found it easier to access and run the wires to the back of the car from the headunit or from the amp (oem) itself?

Thanks in advance for the help and advice!
 
webby said:
pinout diagrams -
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/2012-civic-audio-wiring-guide-pinouts-for-factory-radio.5916/

this post may help you some
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/2013-civic-premium-audio-system-navigation-stereo-upgrade.10207/

@Hillstones @Bulkybear @nat3d or some of the other audio guys may be able to help you more
Click to expand...


Thanks Webby - that does help!

I'd still like some feedback on the other questions from some of the site's stereo experts whenever you guys have time.
 
This should help you.

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/2013-civic-premium-audio-system-navigation-stereo-upgrade.10207/

It includes the wiring diagrams you need for locating the subwoofer input at the factory amp. The factory sub does absolutely nothing. Disconnect it. The sub is mono. If you are keeping the factory amp and speakers, you need to cut the sub wires before the factory amp. You can do it at the amp harness input, which is easier than behind the stereo. Splice the wires to an RCA plug and run it to your aftermarket amp. The stereo's sub control will control the sub level through the new amp. Your amp should recognize a mono input on one of the connectors, usually left. Check the manual. I think the factory amp is behind the glove box or passenger side kick panel in the sedan, you will have to do google searches to find out the location. I am really happy with the JL Audio 10" W3 sub, in a custom box built by the shop that did the install. It sounds great and gives me the amount of bass that I was looking for. I wanted clean solid bass you hear with rock and alternative music, not the boomy bass crap with rap music.
 
:yeahthat:

this is the entire reason i bought the lx on the lot not the ex with premium audio that was on the lot i hate dealing with factory crap. but @Hillstones nailed it the only thing i was gonna say thats different is i was going to suggest an 8th gen stealth box.
 
There are many more features to the EX than just the Premium system. I have the EX-L with Navi so I have leather seats, auto-on head lights, heated seats, heated side mirrors, fog lights, moonroof, XM radio, Navigation, premium wheels, etc. The added benefit of the premium system is the unpowered head unit with pre-amp outputs making a stereo upgrade very easy.
 
Hillstones said:
There are many more features to the EX than just the Premium system. I have the EX-L with Navi so I have leather seats, auto-on head lights, heated seats, heated side mirrors, fog lights, moonroof, XM radio, Navigation, premium wheels, etc. The added benefit of the premium system is the unpowered head unit with pre-amp outputs making a stereo upgrade very easy.
Click to expand...
i dont like the factory headunit at all so im ditching it and by doing that and not having the premo audio i dont have to worry about the factory amp to bypass. i like the lx as a blank canvas to make my own, the one thing i regret is the transmition as its automatic.
 
That's cool. I like the audio display on the i-MID screen, and I have the Navi system which I wanted to keep.
 
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