[PacketPaul]

I wonder how hard it would be to upgrade the audio system in the LX to an EX version? Maybe get the radio economically from a salvage yard?

 

[insightfully]

I wonder how hard it would be to upgrade the audio system in the LX to an EX version? Maybe get the radio economically from a salvage yard?

Do you mean upgrading the LX "color audio" to the EX "display audio"? The LX color audio looks like it's built into the console and a different attachment configuration than the EX display audio. Placing the additional 2 EX speakers also seems difficult. Audio wattage difference seems manageable (LX = 160W, EX = 180W).

 

[johnkhaz]

Tried doing this with my Insight LX and it is almost near impossible. Contacting Crutchfield. Best Buy. And also chinese aftermarking ones like Joying, and none of them have it.

Hard for me to believe since the Civic does. Although the civic headunit is different dimensions.

 

[insightfully]

Is your goal to change out the Insight LX "color audio" head unit to match the Insight EX/Touring "display audio" one? Or are you wanting to replace it with something else (non-Honda/non-OEM)?

 

[six]

I am surprised a Honda Civic GPS/Radio Headunit doesn't work on an Insight. I wanted to install something like this so I can use android apps and install a front view camera on it.

https://www.phoenixautomotiveinc.com/collections/tesla-style-vertical-screen/products/10-4-tesla-style-android-navigation-radio-for-honda-civic-2016-2017

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000012577773.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.6fa27768Wabqhp&algo_pvid=ee64eeae-dc24-4926-888e-50e6146880b0&algo_expid=ee64eeae-dc24-4926-888e-50e6146880b0-17&btsid=5f58779c-d75c-4ac9-82c5-8570573c1d3c&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_5,searchweb201603_60

 

[insightfully]

I am surprised a Honda Civic GPS/Radio Headunit doesn't work on an Insight. I wanted to install something like this so I can use android apps and install a front view camera on it.

I don't think there are any physically-common head units across current Honda models.
- The Insight's head unit interface and standalone frame are like the Accord, but is narrower than the Accord's.
- The GenX Civic has the older generation interface and the head unit has 'shoulders' rather than being rectangular like the Insight's.

Not sure what to suggest as aftermarket alternative for the head unit, but wanted to flag the physical differences between Honda head units (attached).

 

[Verdier]

I think John k is trying to put an aftermarket Android unit into his lx model insight. In one of his videos he tried putting in an ex or touring screen in his lx but it didn't have the proper connections to work. I'm thinking with more research he'll have better luck with the aftermarket Android head unit in the lx since it doesn't start with the more complex color system unit so less proprietary stuff to bypass.

 

[insightfully]

If I'm reading the Japanese Insight press kit and spec sheets correctly, all Japanese trim levels (LX, EX, EX Black) come with 8" monitor and navigation standard.

The display controls are different (alternate buttons, opposite side, Japanese display, Japense navigation system), but maybe this suggests that US LX should be retrofit-able with the same display as the US EX and Touring...?

 

[Insightfu1]

Hello everyone..

So I just got an LX yesterday and am eager to upgrade the audio system.

Does anyone make have pictures of the Touring 10 speaker system?

I wanted to see if I could find a salvaged touring and possibly buy the components and put in aftermarket speakers.

I’m assuming the Touring setup is 4 speakers up front (same position as LX , 2 big speakers in door and 2 tweeters by A-pillar. 2 speakers in door panel of rear doors and possibly 2 tweeters up top somewhere and finally 2 full sized speakers in rear deck by rear glass?

Can this be done?

 

[insightfully]

The LX and EX systems are most similar. They only differ by 20W output and 2 rear tweeters, which are located inside the same 'space' as where the rear speakers are located. The Touring system requires more power and uses a center channel speaker.

LX trim = 6 PIONEER speakers, 160W output --> 2 front tweeters, 2 front door speakers, 2 rear speakers
EX trim = 8 PIONEER speakers 180W output --> +2 rear tweeters (inside the housing for the 2 rear speakers)
Touring = 10 FOSTER speakers 450W output --> +subwoofer in trunk and front center dash speaker

And while the EX or Touring sound systems would be upgrades to you, there are owners of those trims who have upgraded for better sound quality. If you're seeking better quality, you might prefer one of these overall upgrades - https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/290-2019-honda-insight-user-interface/

 

[Insightfu1]

do you mean you want to get an aftermarket headunit for the LX? if so, i want to as well.. i have a Pioneer 4500NEX touchscreen display that i want to put in its place, but not sure how that would work.. so if one were to remove the OEM headunit, will it just be a flat surface behind the unit or will there be an "opening" where you can fit in something? i figure, for my situation atleast, if there is an opening, its not going to be 7" ( which is roughly the size of the Pioneer unit) so i would probably have to make modifications to get it to fit..

I pulled out all the audio components on my previous car before i sold it so i have a complete sound system (minus sub) ready for my car... i want to do an audio build thread but want to know if the headunit can be swapped out in place of aftermarket..

Since were on topic on aftermarket components for the Insight, does anyone know the effects of running an amp in this car with the hybrid system? will it affect it negatively? of course, nowadays you can get a super efficient class D amp and have peace of mind that theres not too much current being drawn from battery..

 

[andrew28]

@Verdier would probably be the best person to answer this. He has a Touring Insight with pretty much all of the Honda accessories along with new audio system. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2P8eg9StlnLHn81zwVpslw/videos

 

[insightfully]

do you mean you want to get an aftermarket headunit for the LX? if so, i want to as well.. i have a Pioneer 4500NEX touchscreen display that i want to put in its place, but not sure how that would work.. so if one were to remove the OEM headunit, will it just be a flat surface behind the unit or will there be an "opening" where you can fit in something? i figure, for my situation atleast, if there is an opening, its not going to be 7" ( which is roughly the size of the Pioneer unit) so i would probably have to make modifications to get it to fit..

I pulled out all the audio components on my previous car before i sold it so i have a complete sound system (minus sub) ready for my car... i want to do an audio build thread but want to know if the headunit can be swapped out in place of aftermarket..

@johnkhaz tried installing an EX/Touring head unit in the LX, but found the LX wiring wasn't sufficient for the connections. He's instead ordered an aftermarket head unit and plans to show how that install turns out.

(video has an abrupt ending, but see comments/replies below the video for context...)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=reaCKbhx6MY

 

[Insightfu1]

@johnkhaz tried installing an EX/Touring head unit in the LX, but found the LX wiring wasn't sufficient for the connections. He's instead ordered an aftermarket head unit and plans to show how that install turns out.

(video has an abrupt ending, but see comments/replies below the video for context...)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=reaCKbhx6MY

Worse comes to worse.. I can always sell my Pioneer and buy a model that tucks away and has a touch screen that “pops” out.

I rarely ever leave the stock head unit in any of my cars. In fact , on crutchfield , there are 3 units that they recommend for the Insight that pops out (which suggests it can be done). Only thing I’ll miss from the stock headunit is the back up camera view change, which most likely an aftermarket will not support (unless you start talking about reprogramming an aftermarket unit).

 

[Verdier]

do you mean you want to get an aftermarket headunit for the LX? if so, i want to as well.. i have a Pioneer 4500NEX touchscreen display that i want to put in its place, but not sure how that would work.. so if one were to remove the OEM headunit, will it just be a flat surface behind the unit or will there be an "opening" where you can fit in something? i figure, for my situation atleast, if there is an opening, its not going to be 7" ( which is roughly the size of the Pioneer unit) so i would probably have to make modifications to get it to fit..

I pulled out all the audio components on my previous car before i sold it so i have a complete sound system (minus sub) ready for my car... i want to do an audio build thread but want to know if the headunit can be swapped out in place of aftermarket..

Since were on topic on aftermarket components for the Insight, does anyone know the effects of running an amp in this car with the hybrid system? will it affect it negatively? of course, nowadays you can get a super efficient class D amp and have peace of mind that theres not too much current being drawn from battery..

I have seen no Ill effects of running amps on the insight. I currently run an 8 channel DSP/amp at 85 watts per channel and a sub amp running about 175 watts at 4 ohms with no loss of milage or any problems with power.

 

[Verdier]

Hello everyone..

So I just got an LX yesterday and am eager to upgrade the audio system.

Does anyone make have pictures of the Touring 10 speaker system?

I wanted to see if I could find a salvaged touring and possibly buy the components and put in aftermarket speakers.

I’m assuming the Touring setup is 4 speakers up front (same position as LX , 2 big speakers in door and 2 tweeters by A-pillar. 2 speakers in door panel of rear doors and possibly 2 tweeters up top somewhere and finally 2 full sized speakers in rear deck by rear glass?

Can this be done?

For the lx you can always change your speakers to higher quality driver's as a start. I haven't heard the lx system, but I'm assuming Honda hasn't dsp'd the **** out of it like they did the touring model since they don't refer to it as a premium system. Not sure if the lx has a separate amp or not, but it might actually just be built into the head unit itself. Either way if you add external amps to the system you might need an additional item to trick the head into thinking the original amp in the car is still powering the system. In the touring I had to do this since the car head unit would not run without connection to the factory amp. I don't know what this device is called but the amp I bought was able to do this. I'm am trying to finalize an interview with my tuner to get a final answer to this and put it on my channel.

As for speakers, since you have 6 and most amps only supply for 4 channels you might have to get audio control line converters so you can sum some of the channels. You will definitely need an lc2i to add a sub to the trunk and a dedicated sub amp of some kind. Unless you can't live without it don't bother trying to make a center channel. If you choose an amp with a DSP in it you can align the sound so center is anywhere you like. Simple (but good quality) coaxial speakers in the rear are fine since the rear speakers are mostly used for fill. I don't recommend trying to switch to components in the rear for that reason. Also, don't install a sub in the back deck if the car like the touring has. This is a rattle nightmare and the most you can hope to fit is an 8 inch sub and it won't satisfy you in the end. You might want to consider dynamatting the car if you're really feeling ambitious. You can check out my YouTube channel verdier400 and I have a section on my stereo trial and tribulations with a lot of info for you. In fact tomorrow I go in for a ludicrous speaker upgrade. Good luck.

 

[Insightfu1]

For the lx you can always change your speakers to higher quality driver's as a start. I haven't heard the lx system, but I'm assuming Honda hasn't dsp'd the **** out of it like they did the touring model since they don't refer to it as a premium system. Not sure if the lx has a separate amp or not, but it might actually just be built into the head unit itself. Either way if you add external amps to the system you might need an additional item to trick the head into thinking the original amp in the car is still powering the system. In the touring I had to do this since the car head unit would not run without connection to the factory amp. I don't know what this device is called but the amp I bought was able to do this. I'm am trying to finalize an interview with my tuner to get a final answer to this and put it on my channel.

As for speakers, since you have 6 and most amps only supply for 4 channels you might have to get audio control line converters so you can sum some of the channels. You will definitely need an lc2i to add a sub to the trunk and a dedicated sub amp of some kind. Unless you can't live without it don't bother trying to make a center channel. If you choose an amp with a DSP in it you can align the sound so center is anywhere you like. Simple (but good quality) coaxial speakers in the rear are fine since the rear speakers are mostly used for fill. I don't recommend trying to switch to components in the rear for that reason. Also, don't install a sub in the back deck if the car like the touring has. This is a rattle nightmare and the most you can hope to fit is an 8 inch sub and it won't satisfy you in the end. You might want to consider dynamatting the car if you're really feeling ambitious. You can check out my YouTube channel verdier400 and I have a section on my stereo trial and tribulations with a lot of info for you. In fact tomorrow I go in for a ludicrous speaker upgrade. Good luck.

I really wanted to install a sub in trunk ( perhaps a custom enclosure that tucks away nicely). I’m assuming you didn’t have dynamat in trunk ( hence the rattling) .. if not, that can easily be remedied with a good dynamat install..

I have a set of component Focal speakers I took out of my previous car and plan to install in these.. they are a perfect fit and have a tweeter and crossover (If you’re not familiar with what a crossover is, it will sort of redistribute sound between the main speaker and tweeter so I don’t need a bigger amp).. Anyways, the speaker up top in front is just a tweeter anyways..My plan is if my tweeter doesn’t fit in the OEM pod, all I can do is dremel the grill to the tweeter pod and remove it and fit the tweeter over the pod so it sits exposed (I’ve done this in previous cars and looks very nice, especially when the cone is yellow). I’m just going to put a pair of decent Focal coaxial speakers in the rear and use my high end Focals upfront..or maybe wait for the Black Friday sales and buy another set of the high end Focals and run them all around..

I may get a good 5 channel class D digital amp..

 

[Insightfu1]

I just sat in the back and realized the rear speakers are up top and not in door panel..lol..

I was looking at rear door panel and noticed there is an opening at bottom of panel to hold items.. I think I may be able to make a custom enclosure and maybe cut away some of the door panel in that area to fit a mid 3 1/2 inch to 4in midrange driver..

That way I could have an 8 speaker system with sub..

Btw: I’m changing out my headunit for the “pop-out” Pioneer 3500nex.. stock headunits always are under powered ( reason I always change out my stock units on all my cars )..

 

[Insightfu1]

I just rethought about the headunit replacement and realized that if I get a really good amp , I won’t need to replace headunit.. probably best to save my money for a good amp..

But I will be running 10-12 gauge speaker wire from amp directly to speakers..

I’m debating on doing the install myself or letting a shop do it .

I’ve never done a complete sound system install on a car but have installed a head unit and speakers .. I don’t think the addition of an amp and sub would be that difficult , just more work obviously and running lots of wire..

 

[Verdier]

For the lx you can always change your speakers to higher quality driver's as a start. I haven't heard the lx system, but I'm assuming Honda hasn't dsp'd the **** out of it like they did the touring model since they don't refer to it as a premium system. Not sure if the lx has a separate amp or not, but it might actually just be built into the head unit itself. Either way if you add external amps to the system you might need an additional item to trick the head into thinking the original amp in the car is still powering the system. In the touring I had to do this since the car head unit would not run without connection to the factory amp. I don't know what this device is called but the amp I bought was able to do this. I'm am trying to finalize an interview with my tuner to get a final answer to this and put it on my channel.

As for speakers, since you have 6 and most amps only supply for 4 channels you might have to get audio control line converters so you can sum some of the channels. You will definitely need an lc2i to add a sub to the trunk and a dedicated sub amp of some kind. Unless you can't live without it don't bother trying to make a center channel. If you choose an amp with a DSP in it you can align the sound so center is anywhere you like. Simple (but good quality) coaxial speakers in the rear are fine since the rear speakers are mostly used for fill. I don't recommend trying to switch to components in the rear for that reason. Also, don't install a sub in the back deck if the car like the touring has. This is a rattle nightmare and the most you can hope to fit is an 8 inch sub and it won't satisfy you in the end. You might want to consider dynamatting the car if you're really feeling ambitious. You can check out my YouTube channel verdier400 and I have a section on my stereo trial and tribulations with a lot of info for you. In fact tomorrow I go in for a ludicrous speaker upgrade. Good luck.

I really wanted to install a sub in trunk ( perhaps a custom enclosure that tucks away nicely). I’m assuming you didn’t have dynamat in trunk ( hence the rattling) .. if not, that can easily be remedied with a good dynamat install..

I have a set of component Focal speakers I took out of my previous car and plan to install in these.. they are a perfect fit and have a tweeter and crossover (If you’re not familiar with what a crossover is, it will sort of redistribute sound between the main speaker and tweeter so I don’t need a bigger amp).. Anyways, the speaker up top in front is just a tweeter anyways..My plan is if my tweeter doesn’t fit in the OEM pod, all I can do is dremel the grill to the tweeter pod and remove it and fit the tweeter over the pod so it sits exposed (I’ve done this in previous cars and looks very nice, especially when the cone is yellow). I’m just going to put a pair of decent Focal coaxial speakers in the rear and use my high end Focals upfront..or maybe wait for the Black Friday sales and buy another set of the high end Focals and run them all around..

I may get a good 5 channel class D digital amp..

The rattle problem I was referring to was if you try to drill a sub into the back deck not the trunk. I have dynamatted most of the car already.

Personally I think you should keep the speakers on the deck rather than try to install them in the rear doors. Since the rears are mostly for fill I think you'll get a better spread if sound from the deck rather than the doors.

Unless the focals have unusually large tweeters you should find they go into the door pods without trouble. The coaxials might be a problem if the tweeters in the cone are too high. The rear deck grill has very limited space for protruding tweeters.

I am aware of what crossovers are. I have opted out of them and have gone the dangerous active route. I wanted a fully time aligned system since I'm going all out. I'm currently switching to the Herz mille legend components in the front (mlk 165.3). And the Herz mille pro coaxials (mpx 165.3) in the rear. Using an Audison 8 channel amp pushing 85 watts a channel with DSP and the system should be great. Unfortunately the kicker qss component speakers couldn't handle the overall power and the front tweeters blew, so super expensive speakers here I come.

How large a sub were you going to do? What were you going to drive it with?