Aftermarket speakers w/stock head unit

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As the title suggests, I want to replace the stock speakers in the Accord. One is blown and another is on it's way out. I realize that the stock head unit isn't anything to write home about, but I do not plan to upgrade to an aftermarket radio. With the dash configuration in the Accord, an aftermarket HU would look weird IMO.

From the sales brochure on the car, it states that it has a 160watt system. I can only imagine that this is at utmost peak. The system has 6 speakers. Two in the rear deck, two in the doors and two tweeters in the door sails. I would like to upgrade the two in the rear deck and two in the doors.

I can only imagine that each of those 4 speakers is receiving only 10watts.

What should I look for in an aftermarket speaker? Something with low RMS, in the 2-40watt range? Stock speakers are 4ohm Independence, so I'd assume to stick with the same? Any materials to avoid in speaker construction?
 
Also, it'd be nice if we had an auto electronics/audio forum section.
 
The sensitivity number is the what you want to look for, the lower it is the less power you need from your amp to drive the speaker, something in the 80s or low 90s would be good for a stock deck. I'd think that stock unit should be able to run any reasonable aftermarket speaker.

You should be able to get a really nice pair for well under $100 that will run circles around your stock speakers.
 
Crutchfield is a great resource to find out what fits and get some reviews. In my limited experience, the rear deck speakers are easy to change out and the in-door speakers are not easy to change out.
 
i agree shop crutchfield, they will advise you with no pressure and they wont try to upsell you also the amount of watts your oem unit claims to put out is very exagerated
i always liked alpine speakers
 
Crutchfield is fine, but very expensive. You also can't hear the sound quality, which for a speaker is uber important. This is a situation where you need to at least go to brick and mortar to hear the sound, forget about 'frequency response', or 'speaker construction' it's really all subjective to what your particular ear likes, and the numbers or materials don't tell that. And listen to the speakers in the combinations you're considering, have them play tweets and mids simultaneously, don't listen to them separately.

Stay with the same OHm rating. You're right that the stock head doesn't push much juice, so you also want a 'high efficiency' speaker.
 
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I like Alpine as a go to upgrade if I'm using the factory wiring and head unit, but in real listening tests I've never heard warmer or crisper tones, or more accurate reproduction, from a well set up pair of Rainbow. They are just the best
Back on topic -

To size the replacement speakers you want without blowing them up, or not having enough current to drive the magnet you need a multimeter with a peak hold function. Unplug the speaker, put your meter across the contacts and crank it up.

Say for example the meter reads 20 watts, you need a 20 watt speaker BUT be careful not to fall into the Max/RMS trap. You need to match the RMS of the speaker to the reading from your multimeter.
Max. Advertised speaker numbers are the absolute most they can take before they melt/pop/blow, whereas RMS advertised speaker numbers are the most the magnet/cone can handle before it starts to distort or clip frequencies..


Or just do it properly with Becker, Nakamich, Rainbow and lots of Dynamat throughout. You know it makes sense
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I would not spend much money on the rear deck speakers. I would just fix what's broken. Sounds like you have two that you should replace. I hope they are both either all front or both all rear.

If it's the rear, I would go with the cheapest Pioneers. You will be wasting alot of money trying to chase sound quality out of that location. If it's the fronts which means you'll need to go component and you'll have to replace both woofer and tweeter. If that were the case, if you were happy with the sound you got before, then I'd just replace with OEMs from Honda. That is the expensive route, but chances are it's just the woofer that's blown. I learned just recently that you can easily get 20% off by just asking. If you know of an auto mechanic they can get you 40% off.

Once you get your replacements, apply 303 aerospace protector or even sunscreen to the rubber surrounds. It won't last long, but it's better than nothing.
 
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I put a Visteon Mach MP3 which is a stock head unit for Mustangs which is 20 watts per channel in my F150. With stock speakers it was alright. With Infinity Reference (6x8 front, 6x9) rear, it sounds fantastic. The 01 Protege we have has a stock head unit at 16 watts a channel. They have Kicker (6" front, 6x9 rear) speakers and the difference is minimal.
Tip: I always cover the front of aftermarket speakers with acoustic fabric to shield them from UV and dust. Many OE speakers have a built in grille. I usually silicone the fabric to the door / back deck panel. It also covers the speaker so you wont entice thieves and it looks more OE.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
As the title suggests, I want to replace the stock speakers in the Accord. One is blown and another is on it's way out. I realize that the stock head unit isn't anything to write home about, but I do not plan to upgrade to an aftermarket radio. With the dash configuration in the Accord, an aftermarket HU would look weird IMO.

From the sales brochure on the car, it states that it has a 160watt system. I can only imagine that this is at utmost peak. The system has 6 speakers. Two in the rear deck, two in the doors and two tweeters in the door sails. I would like to upgrade the two in the rear deck and two in the doors.

I can only imagine that each of those 4 speakers is receiving only 10watts.

What should I look for in an aftermarket speaker? Something with low RMS, in the 2-40watt range? Stock speakers are 4ohm Independence, so I'd assume to stick with the same? Any materials to avoid in speaker construction?

Go with the same impedance, as different impedance may not be compatible with your output amplifier stage of your stereo, possibly causing distortion, low power, and/our burnout. Materials don't mean anything.

Don't go too low on watts. 160 W might well be RMS watts. Most stereos these days have switching power supplies and Class D MOSFET output amplifier stages, easily and cheaply obtaining hundreds of RMS watts. If you go low on watts, you will blow out the speaker or cause distortion.

If you don't like the stereo, why not replace it as well? You may even replace it with an aftermarket in-dash navigation unit. They sell good Pioneer stereos for as little as $100. This Pioneer AVH-X2600BT Bluetooth navigation unit is selling for only $250 new and $100 used:

x130X2600BT-F.jpg


You may also go to a specialized shop and get free installation, saving yourself many hours of work.
 
Crutchfield in car audio is like Tirerack in tire, they are great sources for research, but their price is a little high compares with other online vendors. Narrow down to few choices then go to brick and mortar to test hear the sound. After you choose 1 or 2 brands go online to find the best deal.

I replaced the S2000 OEM head unit with Nakamichi about 10 years ago, it's styling is almost the same as OEM. I also added 240W amp to drive the main speakers and used the Nakamichi amp to drive second speaker pair. If you like to keep stock appearance then Nakamichi is your best choice.
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Crutchfield is a great resource to find out what fits and get some reviews. In my limited experience, the rear deck speakers are easy to change out and the in-door speakers are not easy to change out.
+1 Also check the Parts Express master catalog which is free if you google them and go to the site.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Crutchfield is a great resource to find out what fits and get some reviews. In my limited experience, the rear deck speakers are easy to change out and the in-door speakers are not easy to change out.
+1 Also check the Parts Express master catalog which is free if you google them and go to the site.
There is a big diffeence between baffed out OEMs with paper cones and a "whizzer" for the highs and actual two or three way sppeakers.
 
Replacing the speakers is easy as long as you don't have stupid [censored] like Bose.

Almost everybody, stock and aftermarket, uses 4-ohm impedance, except the aforementioned Bose and some other specialty setup is that your Accord doesn't have.

Any name brand speaker will do. I like to go for the higher tier lines if they exist (eg Kenwood Excelon, Pioneer Premier, etc).
 
Two of my cars came with Bose 2 ohm systems. Infinity has some two ohm replacement speakers that sounded better than OE, but spacers were required to mount them in the OE locations.

My issue with the built in amplifier/head unit combo is weird equalization at low and high volumes. They were OK in the middle.
 
Look for a set of Rockford Fosgate Punch Series that fit. Great speakers for the money. I've had them and Kenwood in the F150 and the RF sets were MUCH better
 
Originally Posted By: renegade_987
Look for a set of Rockford Fosgate Punch Series that fit. Great speakers for the money.


That was my experience as well.
 
I am somewhat opposed to put an aftermarket head unit in the Accord due to it's dash layout. That and I would loose the functionality of the upper display. I enjoy a quick peek at the clock where it is.

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Thanks for all of the information on what to look for in speakers. I am considering a set of Polk db651s.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat


Thanks for all of the information on what to look for in speakers. I am considering a set of Polk db651s.


I put Polk db570s in my old truck and liked them a lot. Very clean crisp sound. They replaced a set of Sony Xplods that sounded awful.

In my current truck, I put some Alpines up front at first (I think SPS line, but maybe under an earlier name? They were coaxials), because I bought an Alpine head unit after the factory CD player began randomly holding CDs hostage. Unfortunately, within a matter of months, BOTH Alpines blew. I got all sorts of popping and rattling from them. It was really disappointing because they were supposed to be quality speakers and they sounded great at first. I replaced those with a set of Pioneer direct fit 6x8 coaxials, and those have been great for over 5 years now. The USB port is dead on the Alpine head unit now too, so I may look into a Pioneer head unit.

My truck still has the factory speakers in the back of the cab, with only a slight fade bias towards the front on the output from the head unit. Reason being, the factory speakers actually have deeper bass than the aftermarket speakers I have tried. The 13 year old OEM speakers in the back are still good. Might want to consider only replacing some of your speakers to start.

As long as your factory sound system does not utilize an external amp or anything like that, coaxial speakers are generally super easy to install.

Crutchfield is great as far as service/"what will fit?" type help, but you do pay for their expertise. I have made my own homemade speaker harnesses using the supplied pigtail with the aftermarket speakers and removing the connector from the OE speakers and soldering things together.
 
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