2016 Accord Sport. Sound processor needed?
 

Hello all. I have been doing A LOT of research into my vehicles audio after installing some new rear speakers (JBL GX602) yesterday. I have a 2016 Honda Accord Sport sedan. After i had installed the new rear speakers they actually sounded worse (less power) than the factory speakers. The highs sound good, but virtually no bass. I shut off the ANC option in the diagnostics menu to see if it made a difference before disconnecting it permanently, but no difference at all. I attribute the cause to be the speakers just needing more power.

So that brings me to where i am now. I am planning on getting an amp for the 4 speakers (Alpine MRV-F300) along with 2 additional speakers for the front doors and a LOC (NVX XFLOC4) so i can retain the factory head unit. My question is this, I have heard the general statement thrown around that factory head units sometimes have terrible EQ settings so you sometimes have to get a sound processing unit to flatten the signal out and adjust to correct levels before going into the amp. Is this really needed? Or would i have enough control with the amp to be able to make the speakers sound decent enough (better than stock). I don't know how much further i want to go as i don't feel like purchasing a sound processor on top of everything else being they are expensive. Since i only have 2 speakers upgraded at the moment, its not too late to back out.

I have also seen that some Honda's with the "premium sound" options have the ability to change the EQ to flat in the head unit. I don't believe i have that option in my car, at least i have not been able to find any instructions for my vehicle.

Anyways, would i need a sound processing unit to make it all worth it? Or would putting new speakers and a LOC with an amp be all for nothing? Any input/advice is appreciated.

Welcome!

The common reason why aftermarket speakers seem to have less bass than factory is due to the lack of proper seals. We need to recreate the seal between the speaker and the door panel to get bass. The door panel is the front of the speaker enclosure and any gaps cause the rear wave to cancel.

I have measured the electrical output from the factory head unit and I can confirm it has an 80Hz high pass filter on it. This filter is primarily used to allow the ANC system to work properly. It cannot be undone in the HU settings. A bass restoration processor, AudioControl LC2i is the most cost effective way to regain some of the lost bass response, and it functions as a good LOC.

You can see examples of what I've done to the 2014 Sport here: https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...q-build-58960/