2013 Civic "Premium Audio System" Navigation Stereo Upgrade

QCFranky said:
Thank you for your answers. I think im ready to begin now lol
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I would recommend making a build thread for your car and sound system progress. Im sure others would be interested and could use it as future reference. If theres problem and need help, we can chime in.
 
anyone actually taken an oscilloscope or distortion detector and know exactly the volume our oem HU clips at? I have an idea where it clips only by ear.
 
Bulkybear said:
According to my really basic tests I get clipping around vol 32. I set my max vol at 30.
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awesome, I hard clipping at 31-32 as well, for the subs anyways (60hz+0db) and I think the mids/highs clip at 26-27 (1khz+0db)? Unless you mean you heard over all clipping at 32... then I would need to test it again :(
 
My amp has a clip light. I tested with 30 - 60 hz 0db tones and got inconsistent results. Sometimes clip and sometimes it wouldn't. Probably the quality of signal. Setting my max at vol 30 was safe and got no clipping. I didnt test the mids and highs though.
 
Bulkybear said:
My amp has a clip light. I tested with 30 - 60 hz 0db tones and got inconsistent results. Sometimes clip and sometimes it wouldn't. Probably the quality of signal. Setting my max at vol 30 was safe and got no clipping. I didnt test the mids and highs though.
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@Bulkybear what's "clipping" Just curious cuz I don't know a lot about car stereo's.
I'm intrigued by this post though. Lots of really good information about upgrading the sound system.
 
@Hillstones here's another question for you.
What do you think about just replacing the amp (same on as you used) and upgrading the factory speakers using all of the factory positions. I would like to keep the car looking as factory as possible. I'm sure you must be able to buy a better 8" sub that will fit into the factory position.
Would this give similar results as your system? Obviously the sub wouldn't sound quite as good as yours but I'm wondering if this type of setup would be worth doing?
I really like the idea of keeping the stock head unit. I totally agree with you that keeping the stock look would help from having thieves want to take your stereo.
 
JonnyRotten said:
@Hillstones here's another question for you.
What do you think about just replacing the amp (same on as you used) and upgrading the factory speakers using all of the factory positions. I would like to keep the car looking as factory as possible. I'm sure you must be able to buy a better 8" sub that will fit into the factory position.
Would this give similar results as your system? Obviously the sub wouldn't sound quite as good as yours but I'm wondering if this type of setup would be worth doing?
I really like the idea of keeping the stock head unit. I totally agree with you that keeping the stock look would help from having thieves want to take your stereo.
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I have heard there are very few aftermarket subs that will fit in the rear deck because it must be a shallow mount sub because the tension bars for the trunk lid are in the way. I think Rockford Fosgate might make one shallow enough. I have read many posts on various boards that replacing the factory sub with another free-air aftermarket sub will not provide any improvement. The problem is not the sub, the problem is the free-air design. The Focal speakers in my rear deck are shallow mount because of the tension bars. The only change in appearance in my system are the aftermarket tweeter grilles in the A-pillars. The speakers in the doors and rear deck are obviously covered by the door panels and rear deck panel. I am glad JL Audio makes an amp that is compatible with differential balanced inputs, and that it works perfectly with the OEM Premium head unit without any converters. That was what I was going for in my system upgrade. I like having the audio and navi information on the i-MID screen, as well as the main stereo screen. If someone wants to go completely aftermarket, that is good too. But it is nice to know that the Premium system can be upgraded by replacing the OEM amp and speakers without replacing the head unit, if that is what they desire. This would apply to other Honda models as well, with Premium systems. They are all using differential balanced outputs now. With the JL Audio amp driving all the speakers and the sub, my system is loud at 15-20 on the volume dial, depending on older recordings vs. newer recordings and remastered recordings. I have the fader bumped up two notches to the front so I can hear the component speakers slightly more than the rear speakers. The sub level is set at the mid-point which gives me clean solid bass with a good thump, without being boomy. None of the body panels vibrate, as you sometimes hear with cheap installations.
 
Hillstones said:
I have heard there are very few aftermarket subs that will fit in the rear deck because it must be a shallow mount sub because the tension bars for the trunk lid are in the way. I think Rockford Fosgate might make one shallow enough. I have read many posts on various boards that replacing the factory sub with another free-air aftermarket sub will not provide any improvement. The problem is not the sub, the problem is the free-air design. The Focal speakers in my rear deck are shallow mount because of the tension bars. The only change in appearance in my system are the aftermarket tweeter grilles in the A-pillars. The speakers in the doors and rear deck are obviously covered by the door panels and rear deck panel. I am glad JL Audio makes an amp that is compatible with differential balanced inputs, and that it works perfectly with the OEM Premium head unit without any converters. That was what I was going for in my system upgrade. I like having the audio and navi information on the i-MID screen, as well as the main stereo screen. If someone wants to go completely aftermarket, that is good too. But it is nice to know that the Premium system can be upgraded by replacing the OEM amp and speakers without replacing the head unit, if that is what they desire. This would apply to other Honda models as well, with Premium systems. They are all using differential balanced outputs now. With the JL Audio amp driving all the speakers and the sub, my system is loud at 15-20 on the volume dial, depending on older recordings vs. newer recordings and remastered recordings. I have the fader bumped up two notches to the front so I can hear the component speakers slightly more than the rear speakers. The sub level is set at the mid-point which gives me clean solid bass with a good thump, without being boomy. None of the body panels vibrate, as you sometimes hear with cheap installations.
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Great feedback @Hillstones. I didn't realize that the tension bars getting in the way was the reason that you are limited to what sub you use. Thanks so much for answering my question :thumbsup:
 
nice and clean. good job.. my 2012 ex coupe has all four speakers with small magnet.. i guess they tried to upgrade the 2013 alittle.. guess it didnt help..lol
 
Great Post and awesome install. I would love to drop a few hundred on a speaker upgrade but low on funds at the moment because of this vehicle purchase. <--- not complaining, I love it!
The post has many great facts on installing upgraded speakers with the Amplifier that you've purchased.
The problem I need to fix is that I own a older model amplifier. I'm sure it doesn't accept the "differential balanced outputs" <--- what ever that is. What is the solution to this problem when upgrading the sub woofer only?
I want to follow the same route and splice pre-amp, and convert the line to an RCA. However I'm concerned that this wont work with the amplifier that I own.
AMP - Kenwood KAC-744 <---- Don't laugh.
I have two 10" subs. Its a four channel amp, I'm bridging two channels per sub. I'm using a y-adapter to split the single RCA jack from the pre-amp splice, and inserting them in both mono inputs.

Basically, what do I need to install between the Pre-amp splice and old amplifier?
 
Not sure if my amp accepts differential balanced input but I used an Alpine MRV-M500 mono amp just fine from the sub preamp.
 
nickalen said:
Great Post and awesome install. I would love to drop a few hundred on a speaker upgrade but low on funds at the moment because of this vehicle purchase. <--- not complaining, I love it!
The post has many great facts on installing upgraded speakers with the Amplifier that you've purchased.
The problem I need to fix is that I own a older model amplifier. I'm sure it doesn't accept the "differential balanced outputs" <--- what ever that is. What is the solution to this problem when upgrading the sub woofer only?
I want to follow the same route and splice pre-amp, and convert the line to an RCA. However I'm concerned that this wont work with the amplifier that I own.
AMP - Kenwood KAC-744 <---- Don't laugh.
I have two 10" subs. Its a four channel amp, I'm bridging two channels per sub. I'm using a y-adapter to split the single RCA jack from the pre-amp splice, and inserting them in both mono inputs.

Basically, what do I need to install between the Pre-amp splice and old amplifier?
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In your case you would be better served by splicing in a line out converter post amp or saving up for a little bit and either replace the head unit or using an amp that accepts balanced differential inputs.
 
Hillstones: Excellent post. Thank you for taking so much time and explaining everything so thoroughly. I recently purchased a used 2013 Civic EX sedan (without Navi), which as you've mentioned has a different stereo setup. I would like to do a similar upgrade to my vehicle. I understand that I'm going to need a different amp or a Line Out Converter for my setup. Do you have any specific recommendations about a model to use? How did you choose the speakers that you used, and which model of Focal were they, the ISC 165 & ISN 165? I'm interested in quality, accurate sound rather than pure volume, which I've gathered you are as well. I don't know if the type of music that I listen to will influence your recommendations, but in case it does, I mostly listen to classic rock, blues & jazz. Any recommendations that you have for specific hardware would be greatly appreciated. I'm also curious as to how much your setup cost, including the parts/labor breakdown. I'd like to have the wiring info available for the people that will be doing the work. Do you know where I can find a wiring diagram for my vehicle?
 
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Thanks. The amp is the JL Audio XD700/5. They now have a version 2 model for this year, just an updated version. I would recommend it for your Civic because you could use a line-out converter to connect the amp, or use the high-level speaker outputs converted to RCA. The amp accepts low level pre-amp, high level speaker, and differential balanced inputs without any converters necessary. I love how versatile the amp is for any type of head unit. Crutchfield sells RCA plugs to splice into factory wiring. I like the amp because it is high power, can run up to 5 channels (front/rear/sub), and can easily fit under the passenger seat. Crutchfield has a very detailed description of the amp. I bought it through the audio shop I used. In 5 channel mode, it is 75w RMS for four channels and 300w RMS for the single channel for the sub. Plenty of power. I have the Focal Integration Components 6.5" (ISS 170) in front and the Focal Integration 6.5" two-way in the rear deck (IC 165). The sub is the JL Audio 10W3v3 in the custom built sub box. The shop recommended the Focal Integration series and they sounded really good. I prefer high quality sound, not booming annoyance. I listen to 80s alternative, classic rock, rock, jazz, etc. I will message you the cost and breakdown of my system. I am very happy with the stereo upgrade I did. It sounds amazing, and it is loud at 15-20 on the volume dial. The sub really rocks and it is not boomy at all, just solid bass. I would recommend dynamat on the rear deck and throughout the trunk, as I did. They also did dynamat around the front door speaker openings too. For wiring diagrams, check out the very first post in the audio forum. It has the wiring diagrams for 2012 Civics, which are the same for the 2013 models. Post number 6 in that thread has an image of a wiring diagram and the lower half is the non-premium wiring diagram with wire colors.
 
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