2000 Accord Sound...
 

Just got a 2000 Accord LX and I was wondering if I should switch my sound system out of my old car or not and what the capabilities are of my new system in the Accord. I didn't do anything fancy to my old car, just bought some Pioneer speakers and Head unit and a 200 watt amp. No subs or anything, just hooked the amp into the normal speakers which actually sounded pretty nice. The problem is that I don't think the old speakers will fit into the Accord speakers places. Would there be any benefit for me to hook the 200 watt amp I have into the Accord's sound system or should I wait to get better speakers? Also, how good is the Accord's head unit compared to a Pioneer (its not a really fancy one)?

Any help/suggestions appreciated...

well the accord sound system is pretty good. i don't know about new models but on mine the tape player was made by alpine which is pretty good

I'm not sure who makes the 6th gen head unit, but the '01 speakers are Pioneer. I find the system to be reasonable. I'm not so sure it'll sound any better with just an amp, I don't think the speakers can really handle too much more power than what the head unit can already pump out. Bear in mind that many factory systems are already tuned, thus changing an element of it could make the system sound much worse.

Now how you like Pioneer is a different matter, but obviously you do. :)

b

I'm not a sound sytem expert, but it seems that you want better sound from your car. Start by replacing the deck with something nicer. Sound systems are expensive, so if you don't have the cash to do everything at once, either start with a new deck, or new speakers. Factory speakers are "decent", but they don't even compare to nice aftermarket models.

I too have a 2000 accord lx. Here's what I've done in regards to the stereo:

Alpine 6-disk changer in the trunk,
Performance Technique amp,
Two kenwood 12's,

All connected to the stock headunit with stock interior speakers. The system sounds great and pumps out some nice bass. In addition, somebody walking by my car in a parking lot has no way of knowing what my car has inside. It lookes completely stock. The only thing is that the speakers pop when you turn the radio on and off.

That's an important consideration if you're worried about your car's security....keeping it discreet is good. My '88 Volvo (Bertha) has an aftermarket head unit, nothing fancy looking, and some nice MB Quart speakers in the rear deck, but they have old Audiovox grills on them....so it doesn't really look like anything fancy to a passer-by.

If...well, probably when, I start replacing the stuff in the Honda, I'll keep the factory grills, and maybe even the factory head unit. That way nobody will be able to tell by looking in.

b

i don't know about the new car stereos... they seem to be getting better. but the speakers still suck.

if i were you i'd replace the factory speakers (hopefully some of your speakers will fit) with new/used aftermarket speakers. that will do amazing things. you don't hafta replace your head unit to get good sound... just plug the amp inline with the speaker outputs on your stereo (or by some grace of god it will have RCA jacks which will sound better) then run your amp to your speakers that way you have more power... and more power means cleaner sound and when you turn it up really loud the distortion will be much less than with the factory deck powering the speakers.

then if you want... add some subs and a decent amp to power them. you can get the signal the same way as before.

the cd changers are nice cause they transmit on a preset radio station usually in the 88-90 range since that's the limit for public radio bandwidth. you just plug in your fav cd and tune your radio to that station and you'll have FM quality cd music in your car without having a fancy deck someone would like to deprive you of.

wow. long. sorry.

>>Later>>

Yeah, but you just pointed out a huge problem with them....FM quality sound, especially if it uses 88-90, which is on the lower end and gives you worse sound than higher frequencies.

I'd rather have CD quality sound.

b

hey wassup dude.. aite I've been doing audio my whole car enthusist life (just statring on performance)... I have a 02 accord coupe and the first thing I noticed when I got my factory was... head unit. Horrible. If you wanted to keep your factory, I would take you amp, hook it up to the spaekers.

Next... The speaker magnet is SO small that you'd be surprised that somnething even came out. I have 6.5" for my mid in my car (managed to fiti with some little custom work) and tweets mounted on my door panel. Getting component and replacing speaker is completely different too

Next... if you don't want subs then I would replace your rear fill with some nice 6x9 but use the preout from deck.. not from your amp. rear fill is nice to have but if you put too much power into them, the center of music shifts more to a point between you and the back seat. kinda sucks.

Here is a list of what you would start off with. if you want to go high end then just add a couple more to each price and you can shop like that

Head unit: $3-400
speakers (component): $400
rear fill : $150
amp: $300 ($1 per 1 watt)

If you have any othe questions feel free to IM me or e-mail me

IM: Junersun
E-mail: aznsampras@msn.com

start with a $400 HU and $400 front set??? jeez louise!
unless you got cash layin around thats a bit steep.
you can get a very solid pioneer deck for 250-300.
spending more is just bells and whistles for the most part. (until you get to the real pro stuff)

front speakers... you don't hafta go with components to get good sound. a good set of coaxial 6.5's could be 170-200. however the kappa components seem to be on sale every time i turn around so keep an eye out for those to be 200-300.

Hey, thanks for all the reponses. Two questions though. 1. So it would be beneficial for me to just hook my 200watt amp directly into the factory speakers? 2. How hard would it be to hook up two head units? (probably a dumb question:) One thing I hate about the factory head unit I have is that they put the 6 disc changer in the trunk so to ever be able to change the music I have to go to the trunk. I don't even have any casette tapes so why couldn't they just put it all in the front.. heh.

don't put the amp on factory speakers!!!! they can't handle that kinda power!

two head units... doable but a mess of wires.

just go and trade your head unit for a cd player.