i have a question.

i drive an 03 honda accord ex 4cyl. right now i have the stock system and head unit. it sounds OK. better than some stock, but nothing special. it is a little rattly. i want to get all new speakers put in, but here-in lies the problem.

my head unit also has a 6 disc changer, and displays all my airconditioning/heat information. for the money i want to pay, i wouldnt be able to get a head unit to match the features needed.

would it be worth reaplacing all the speakers, without changing the head unit?

any help or input would be greatly appreciated

 

Yes! New speakers will make a huge difference.

Also, you can eventually add an amplifier to the mix and run it off the stock HU as well. A lot of amps nowadays have speaker level inputs so it will work off the factory speaker wires.

 

I am thinking of doing the same to my 07. MacLeod, since you seem to have a lot of experience in this area, what are your thoughts on

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_c...php?page_id=94

Is this needed for a 7th gen? Or is the deck that good?

 

"This is BIG"...cleansweep is awsome!!! I installed one of these in a friends car and it made everything sound as if I was really listening to a really good aftermarket head unit. I would put it in in a heart beat.

 

That's good to know, but is it worth the $300 or $400?

I guess when you start comparing it to the cost of a good head unit (200-250), steering wheel control adapter (80), new center face-plate / bezel with climate controls (100-150), and install for all of it (100), its probably not a bad idea.

 

I am picking up my 03 Accord EX this weekend and have the same question. I was told by a place I called today that he thinks I would have engine noise if I installed an amp (im looking at a old PPI a404.2). It gives me pause as I dont want to replace the head unit and do not want to spend the $$$ needed to do an install and have freaking road noise.
Does anyone think im going to have the road noise issue?
btw, im going to buy MB Quart components whether I run an amp or not. It would have to be better than the old speakers regardless of amp/no amp.
Arex

 

MB Quart speakers are awesome! A little bright for some's taste due to the titanium tweeters but with some tweaking, they can be made to sound unreal. Just be prepared for them to be a little harsh when you first fire them up.

The CleanSweep is a masterpiece!!!

Most OEM head units have some kind of equlaization in its output to make up for the crappy speakers and late model Accords have this.

What the CS does is take the input signal from the speaker wires, uses digital signal processing to equalize a response that is very close to being perfectly flat, then to get over the noise floor it boosts the signal by 8 volts (!) and sends it out as a low level signal to the amp. It also has current sensing circuit so it doesnt require a turn on lead AND it has a turn out output so you can use if for your amps.

This is the ONLY way to keep the OEM head unit and have close to zero noise.

The CS has a master volume **** and you should use it for the best signal to noise ratio but you CAN continue to use the OEM volume control but may get a little hiss. The reason for this is that the CS uses a calibration disc played at 3/4 volume on the HU and it equalizes the curve with this. So if you use the CS volume, youll have a noise free and flat response. If you use the OEM volume, it wont suck but it could introduce a few noise issues.

There are other options like the Audiocontrol LCi6 but it doesnt EQ the input signal and it doesnt have a line driver.

The JL Audio CleanSweep is a great investment and is easily worth every penny ($299 retail) if youre wanting the best and cleanest sound possible.

If youre just a casual listener and just want some tunes to listen to while driving to work or only car about loud bass and not so much about mids/highs, then this probably wouldnt be a worthwhile purchase.

As for what kind of noise you would have using cheap converters, it would likely be nothing more than an underlying hiss. It wouldnt be huge probably but it would be audible especially at quiet parts of the music. Kinda like the hiss you get from listening to cassette tapes.

 

Thanks MacLeod!
So, would you think I would be safe to go ahead and do the amp and not have very noticeable road noise?

 

there's some good info posted in this thread, but my questions still havent been answered.

i understand, if i replace speakers, i should replace the head unit.

BUT.

where will i be able to view my climate controls, if i replace my head unit?
AND
i dont want to lose the 6 disc changer feature, is this part of the car, or part of the head unit itself?

 

If by road noise you mean the noise that comes in from the tires, wind and engine then there isnt much you can do about that.

If youre talking about a hiss or alternator whine, thats different. The hiss will be there because the noise floor is so low. Thats what the 8 volt line driver is for in the CleanSweep. As for an alternator whine, if your amp is installed properly you wont have any road noise either.