I'm editing my original post after driving around today, giving the sound system another chance. It actually sounds OK, much better than I originally gave credit for.

My previous car was a 2002 Accord EX V6. I replaced the factory head unit with an Alpine CDE-HD149BT. That change alone was awesome, even with the factory speakers. I was in hog heaven.

So my comparison is between my old Alpine and this new system. I can tell there are some improvements that could be had. What can I do to get to equal or better quality audio?

I've read that the factory head has a DSP EQ that cannot be disabled that is killing the sound. It appears that this cannot be permanently disabled. Anyone know about this? Can you enlighten me on what this is for?

Since I can't replace the head unit and I can't disable the DSP permanently, what are my best options? Adding a new DSP and amp? Replacing speakers? More?

I'd like to stay within a $1000 budget and I'll probably have it done by pros, assuming I can find someone trustworthy in the Austin, TX area.

After some YouTube research, I'm wondering if an Audison BitTen by itself would yield the improvements I'm looking for. Anyone know if this would mate up with this new sound system?

Thanks!
Randoman

 

You can hold the Power + Display + Back buttons to enter the diagnostic mode. You can then hold the Select button to enter advanced mode. From there you can disable DSP and ANC.

But good news exists for those with the touchscreen. You can bypass the DSP and factory amp all together by simply adding an aftermarket 5 channel amp. You intercept the factory wires between the HU and amp and feed the amp. Note that these wires are balanced so it requires an amp capable of receiving balanced inputs.

Simply upgrading the amp and snagging the signals will be enough to make most happy. Adding DSP to allow tuning will take it one step further, all while using factory speakers.

The factory sub will rattle the rear deck by itself, so a standard sub upgrade is a nice step 2 after replacing the amp.