Stereo Upgrade - Has anyone upgraded their speakers?

67723 Views 56 Replies 23 Participants Last post by Insightfu1, Dec 6, 2020

Teedubb

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2019

Hi, I once had Pioneer speakers installed in the front door panels of my 2003 Accord and they made a huge difference in sound quality. Can anyone recommend a similar, simple (or maybe not so simple) speaker upgrade for an Insight EX?

Thanks very much!

1 - 20 of 57 Posts

Verdier

· #2 · Mar 28, 2019

I'm in the final stages of getting the info I need to change the speakers. I will probably be ordering a set of kicker speakers to replace all but the center speaker once I have verified the ohm ratings of the rear deck woofer. I will also be dynamatting the car and eventually changing the center speaker. If I'm not satisfied after that I will connect an audio control module to the amp and run my own amps instead.

My car had terrible rattling when I bought it, but the dealer did a good job quieting it down after I brought it back.

Reactions: 1

insightfully

· #3 · Mar 28, 2019

@Proforce, @tylers65, and @Verdier are great resources for all-things audio. There are some helpful suggestions in this thread on 'SoundSkins Pro' on how to upgrade speakers without cutting, and how deadening material might improve your sound enough to eliminate the need for upgrade. Haven't yet seen specific brand/type suggestions for speaker upgrade here yet, so hopefully you get some other good responses here to add to your info.

Reactions: 2

Teedubb

Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 28, 2019

Thank you all very much for your quick replies to my question.

Mobilcams

· #5 · Apr 18, 2019

Verdier said:
I'm in the final stages of getting the info I need to change the speakers. I will probably be ordering a set of kicker speakers to replace all but the center speaker once I have verified the ohm ratings of the rear deck woofer. I will also be dynamatting the car and eventually changing the center speaker. If I'm not satisfied after that I will connect an audio control module to the amp and run my own amps instead.

My car had terrible rattling when I bought it, but the dealer did a good job quieting it down after I brought it back.

Still never got my dealer to do anything about the rattles I had in my doors.. I fixed it myself without having to take the doors off but still - that low level of commitment by my dealer was a little disturbing.

On another note, I remember you were talking about how the highs were too much and that you listen to the system with a USB stick.. I have the EX, and it's still a powerful system - and I've been more than satisfied with the sound from apple music.. Yesterday however, my co-worker wanted to listen to some of his music on it and had his USB stick.. The second he started up the music, I noticed EXACTLY what you were talking about.. The equalization in this mode is completely different from the way my i-phone sounds (Bluetooth or connected through the USB port). The highs were def boosted as well as the bass.. I'm not sure what kind of phone you have - but I wonder if it would sound better to your ears than the USB stick..

Verdier

· #6 · Apr 18, 2019

Mobilcams said:
Verdier said:

I'm in the final stages of getting the info I need to change the speakers. I will probably be ordering a set of kicker speakers to replace all but the center speaker once I have verified the ohm ratings of the rear deck woofer. I will also be dynamatting the car and eventually changing the center speaker. If I'm not satisfied after that I will connect an audio control module to the amp and run my own amps instead.

My car had terrible rattling when I bought it, but the dealer did a good job quieting it down after I brought it back.

Click to expand...

Still never got my dealer to do anything about the rattles I had in my doors.. I fixed it myself without having to take the doors off but still - that low level of commitment by my dealer was a little disturbing.

On another note, I remember you were talking about how the highs were too much and that you listen to the system with a USB stick.. I have the EX, and it's still a powerful system - and I've been more than satisfied with the sound from apple music.. Yesterday however, my co-worker wanted to listen to some of his music on it and had his USB stick.. The second he started up the music, I noticed EXACTLY what you were talking about.. The equalization in this mode is completely different from the way my i-phone sounds (Bluetooth or connected through the USB port). The highs were def boosted as well as the bass.. I'm not sure what kind of phone you have - but I wonder if it would sound better to your ears than the USB stick..

Interesting idea. Phones tend to have a lot of sound settings that change highs and lows as a normal setting without equalisation. I might try this out of curiosity, however, I find it hard to run the music from my phone without using some app through Android auto. I'd rather have full control using Honda's built in system and I've had trouble in the past doing this. I will look further into it. Another caveat is I'm running about 500 watts and I have the center channel which makes a tremendous amount of difference in sound. Honda's DSP seems intent on pushing all voice and as much highs it can into that center making it blare like a banshee in heat. I listened to an ex model and it was way less intrusive without the dang center channel but much less detailed considering the tweeters were different. I'm hoping the new speakers with sound dampening will help this problem. If not, I can slave off the amp with an audio control unit and maybe sum the center into the left right front speakers using a new amp. The only problem I might run into is the fact the GPS and voice control run through this speaker and by summing it the music volume may not drop enough when the GPS speaks. Sheesh. What a pain.

Final note. You should complain to Honda about your dealer. They sold you a new car with rattles in it. They should darn well fix it!

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tightywhitey

· #7 · Apr 29, 2019

Tweeters

Anybody replaced the tweeters? I recently replaced my center 3.5” speaker on my truck with 2 JL tweeters and it really cleaned up the sound. I am wondering if replacing the tweeters on the Insight would improve the sound quality.

insightfully

· #8 · Apr 29, 2019

@romeoog posted here about replacing tweeters and other components, along with video post. @Verdier is in the process of stereo upgrade and is an additional helpful resource.

Wasabi

· #9 · May 6, 2019

Good info in this thread. I don't want to do a total overhaul to the Touring's system but will I see substantial gains from just replacing the door speakers with upgraded component speakers? I'd leave the sub, center and amp stock. Will using the speakers crossover of the stock amp provide good results. I actually have 4 NIB Polk Audio DB6501s (6.5" component) that I was going to install in another car that I sold. Instead of them collecting dust in the garage, I may have them installed in the Insight if it's not a hack job/hassle/$$ to install them.

Thanks for any input.

Verdier

· #10 · May 7, 2019

Well I'll start the upgrade on my car Wednesday with kicker qs series components and then all the speakers. I will report the difference in a video if any. I still think the amp DSP will have to be bypassed to truly fix this system.

mgldan

· #11 · May 7, 2019

Excited to see it! I’m thinking of bringing mine out to a shop in Paramus this weekend to sample someone of the options and get some quotes. For me the issue is not rattling but the muddy quality of the trebles and mids. I only turn mine up to 11 (seriously).

Verdier

· #12 · May 7, 2019

mgldan said:
Excited to see it! I’m thinking of bringing mine out to a shop in Paramus this weekend to sample someone of the options and get some quotes. For me the issue is not rattling but the muddy quality of the trebles and mids. I only turn mine up to 11 (seriously).

Ahhh. Then you don't get loud enough to hear the overly bright DSP peel the paint from the car. I'm figuring you have an ex not a touring either. I would recommend you also use sound dampening stuff like dynamat in the car if you change the speakers. This will help A LOT with mids and muddy highs. Can get very pricey though.

mgldan

· #13 · May 8, 2019

Verdier said:
Ahhh. Then you don't get loud enough to hear the overly bright DSP peel the paint from the car. I'm figuring you have an ex not a touring either. I would recommend you also use sound dampening stuff like dynamat in the car if you change the speakers. This will help A LOT with mids and muddy highs. Can get very pricey though.

I have a Touring. I’m willing to throw down a lot. These are the worst speakers I use every day and I want the car to last for a decade, like my beloved Passat...

Thanks fo the tip on the dampening material. I’ll bring it up when I go to the shop this weekend.

tightywhitey

· #14 · May 12, 2019

Are the speakers from crutchfield plug and play? I need a little more bass and clarity. At 20, the ex speakers sound like they about to blow.

tightywhitey

· #15 · May 12, 2019

@Verdier...what do you think about jbl gx600?
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109GX600C/JBL-GX600C.html

Verdier

· #16 · May 12, 2019

As far as I know as long as you get the right size and ohm rating along with the speaker wire adapters and rings most speakers should go right in and play without too much trouble.

Reactions: 1

Verdier

· #17 · May 12, 2019

tightywhitey said:
@Verdier...what do you think about jbl gx600?
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109GX600C/JBL-GX600C.html

Dude, just about anything is going to improve this system. I heard JBLs are good for high volume without blowing but as far as fidelity is concerned I would try to get on a car stereo forum or do a search on ratings. I'm trying to get my thoughts together and stop coughing for five minutes so I can review the difference I have heard in my system so far with only the front speakers replaced.

Reactions: 1

mgldan

· #18 · May 12, 2019

4

I talked to Crutchfield yesterday to seek advice on a Touring speaker replacement. I said I like neutral sound (I use Sennheiser headphones, Marshall earbuds, and Apple HomePod), and I needed crisper, better clarity. I also gave them the names of some alternative rock bands I like. For what it is worth, here is the system they recommended. It comes out to $1052.

I really wish I were more comfortable doing this replacement. It's just a bit of naive fear, is all--I've never really opened up a car's paneling before. I just think it will take so much time and care to find the right points to encourage the panels to come out without breaking any tabs.

I also went to a car audio shop yesterday in Paramus, where they quoted me $900 just to install and tune an amplifier (no speaker replacement, no line converter). I really think the money would be better spent on a total speaker replacement.

I'm still probably going to do it, but any pointers beyond those given already would be greatly appreciated. (Does anyone have good links for opening up the interior of the car? Or suggestions for where to mount the amp?)

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mgldan

· #19 · May 12, 2019

The Amazon prices for these components are way cheaper, and there may be even lower pricing elsewhere on the internet. I can use the price matching on my credit card to buy from Crutchfield (locking in the help of their tech support) while still effectively obtaining the lower prices. Buying through Amazon brings this bundle down by $265, so ~$800 in total.

Verdier

· #20 · May 12, 2019

mgldan said:
I talked to Crutchfield yesterday to seek advice on a Touring speaker replacement. I said I like neutral sound (I use Sennheiser headphones, Marshall earbuds, and Apple HomePod), and I needed crisper, better clarity. I also gave them the names of some alternative rock bands I like. For what it is worth, here is the system they recommended. It comes out to $1052.

I really wish I were more comfortable doing this replacement. It's just a bit of naive fear, is all--I've never really opened up a car's paneling before. I just think it will take so much time and care to find the right points to encourage the panels to come out without breaking any tabs.

I also went to a car audio shop yesterday in Paramus, where they quoted me $900 just to install and tune an amplifier (no speaker replacement, no line converter). I really think the money would be better spent on a total speaker replacement.

I'm still probably going to do it, but any pointers beyond those given already would be greatly appreciated. (Does anyone have good links for opening up the interior of the car? Or suggestions for where to mount the amp?)

Check out the video I put out. Opening these door panels is very simple and the speaker replacement is very simple. I also recommend dynamating the car to help with the vibrations and bring out the overall clarity of the sound.

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