Honda Accord 9th Gen Hybrid Build

[kavaninho]

Starting of the Year with this Honda Accord 9th Gen Hybrid
This customer requested that the stock radio be retained, and the overall appearance of the vehicle be kept as oem as possible.
The system should be exciting to listen to , with elevated output levels in the sub-bass and high-frequency ranges. (his listening preference is a bit brighter than the usual)
The intention was to have a driver-focused listening experience, without compromising the functionality of the vehicle.
Here’s what we “Cooked Up”
Equipment List:
☑️ Headunit: Stock Honda Infotainment
☑️ OEM Integration/Signal Processor: Helix DSP Mini
☑️ Front Speakers: Audison APK 165 2 Ohm Component Set
☑️ Rear Dash: Audison APX 165 Coaxial Set
☑️ Amplifier: Audison SR 5.600 (5 Channel Amplifier)
☑️ Subwoofer: JL Audio 12TW3-D4
☑️ Sound Damping: XFIRE XMAT Pro
Wires:
Power Cable: DC Audio OFC 4 AWG
Speaker Cables: Install Bay Speed Wiring System
Subwoofer Cable: Stinger OFC 12 AWG
RCA Signal Cable: Stinger 4000 Series
Installation + Tuning:
By Yours Truly!
Let’s get into the Build!


1st: Front Door Speakers
Here we see the stock Honda speakers. These were worn, with poor low-end frequency response. They also lacked mid-range clarity once the system output level was increased.
It surely would have been annoying to listen to, especially for long commutes.


Funny enough, the doors didn’t have any sound damping material from the factory!
Perhaps it depended solely on its active noise cancellation system to create a quiet environment while driving!
However, the doors were stripped back, cleaned, and prepped for sound damping!


The XFIRE XMAT Pro series was the preferred choice, focusing on a 50-75% coverage.
The aim was to prevent any audible resonances on the outer door.


An OEM style ABS plastic speaker adapter was deployed to set a new home for the Audison AP 6.5” 2 Ohm Woofer.
Additionally, more XFIRE XMAT Pro material was added, focusing on the area where the speaker mounts to the vehicle.


The Audison APK Prima set was selected as it gives the balance between output, cost, and frequency response! And YES, they do get pretty loud!
The aftermarket speaker was secured in an OEM fashion to the door, utilizing all Stainless-Steel mounting hardware.


2nd: Sail Panel
The OEM tweeter was stylishly mounted within the vehicle, however, limited in its effective frequency response as it was a bit dull. This was quickly removed!


Conveniently enough, the Audison AP1 tweeter swapped into its place (joke!)


We had to develop a mini-adapter ring, to secure the aftermarket tweeter. This allowed the tweeter to clip into the sail pillar, just like the OEM! (look closely)
The 3D printer came to our rescue yet again!


Only a keen eye will notice that the system was upgraded, as the Audison Logo peeked through


3rd: Rear Dash
Under a huge OEM plastic trim (which was a pain to remove), revealed two OEM Honda Speakers!
Though they did a decent job in filling in the rear of the cabin, they also lacked clarity in the mid-range frequencies!


In an effort to reduce/eliminate the panel rattle, sourced from the energy of the speakers, more XFIRE XMAT Pro material was rolled on!


In a similar fashion to the front doors, the rear deck got OEM style ABS plastic speaker adapters, and the Audison APX 6.5” Coaxials were bolted into place!


4th: The Subwoofer
The customer wanted to maintain all space within the truck left, as the hybrid battery pack had already robbed him of some valuable space!


Under the floor, seem to have a nice storage cavity, that we thought could be better utilized!


We pulled out some MDF and we did a bit of this!!!!



And the result was a ported home for the subwoofer, bolted to the trunk via two rivnut installed on the Trunk Floor!
(and no, that isn’t the port firing up)
More XFIRE XMAT Pro material was also added to the trunk lid! This was later covered by the OEM carpet trim of the vehicle!


After some glue and carpet:


The JL Audio TW3 12” was selected since it doesn’t require much enclosure space to get deep, impactful, low bass


You can see the trim panel cover made which provides additional protection for the driver, along with its stock JL Audio grille!


So, in daily operation form, the trunk can be fully utilized for daily grocery shopping, etc.
One may ask, what was done?


5th: Amplifier
Three mounting points were created via rivnuts below the rear deck!


The amplifier mounting panel was drafted.


The amplifier secure points were added to the MDF panel!


The amplifier mounting plate was secured to the vehicle, tucked within the unused area, above the hybrid battery pack which was below the rear dash!


The 5 Channel Audison SR 5.600 amplifier was wired up!
DC Audio OFC 4 AWG wiring was used to supply this mini powerhouse


The Stinger 4000 series and Install Bay speed wiring were tucked neatly and away!
Once standing behind the vehicle’s trunk, the amplifier is practically invisible (due to the depth of the trunk).


6th: Power Wiring
The fuse was mounted to the vehicle via a 3D printed adapter bracket, which was secured to the car via another rivnut!
Due to the cramped area under the hood, locating an easily accessible spot near the battery possible terminal posed some difficulty.


The wiring was routed mainly along the factory wiring loom!


7th: Last up! Factory Integration + System Tuning
The key was to grab the audio signal from the factory infotainment system and provide it to the aftermarket audio system!


We managed to land a plug-and-play interface harness and added on some more plugs to adapt to the install.


This allowed for the vehicle’s harness to be unbutchered, and our aftermarket system can be neatly integrated!


The system was processed via the Helix DSP Mini! Hidden beneath the driver’s seat!
This unit was selected as it provided us the tools to analyze the input from the radio and provide corrections to the speaker’s system, for a great sound quality result!
The tuning process is generally time-consuming
(it includes configuring the speaker crossovers, output levels, system EQ, speaker delays etc.)
Maybe in the future, we’ll get into the details of our processes!


All in all, this was a very enjoyable build as all the vehicle owner's requests were met. Hope you guys enjoy the build thread. Feel free to ask questions and stimulate conversation about the install.

[Rovin]

very nice ....

[Firewall]

Nice to see this level of work locally.
Well done!

[kavaninho]

Thanks. Love your builds as well man!

[Rovin]

not making bachanal but just to stimulate conversation like u said

its obvious owner clearly wants a SQ system, research was done, knows what high end equipment cost, gives installer sufficient time & willing to pay for his justified labor fee


if this went to a typical T&T hook up music shop this is how it might go :

preamp : that accepts hi level inputs or LOC for signal from factory HU

crossover : its a must have cause u know dats does clean up d music

amp : typical budget 5 chan that costs around & 1800-2000ish or if by chance amp accepts hi level inputs from speaker wires ... or separate mids\bass econo amps

mids : pro audio mids became d norm in T&T over past 15yrs - no need to name brands, high passed about 100hz or more, who knows\needs what midbass is & of course d infamous Nb1 tweeters with condenser & resistor

sound deadener : 50-50 chance cause who needs it, also ppl feel hard to pay for something that is not really audio equipment but for those of us who know it makes a ton of difference to even a none amped system

wiring : might be CCA cause ppl dont like paying for copper & use cheap rcas - this is how owner & installer cut costs, u might get normal pliers squeezed or hammer pounded terminals cause some dont even have crimpers .... insulated terminals, other terminals, ferrules, tesa tape\loom\expandable braided sleeve\heat shrink\zips ties etc - aint nobody got time\$ fo dat

sub box : whatever econo brand 8 or 10 d installer has a commissioned link with, tuned in a 40+hz loud box of course cause who want lows right

tuning : dd1\cc1\rta dem eh know wais dat, knobs turned however good\bad\taste of installer who might like it crips, mids\highs barking & 1tone bass banging, of course tuning done with zesser, chutney, reggae, hiphop songs cause nobody listens to other genres of music, dont be surprised if YT is used as a source too

install time : under a day [& i being generous if so much time] cause raj & he padnas want to lick up wuk fass & get paid fass too


hope ppl catch some of d sarcasm in between ... .......

[kavaninho]

^That sir is the unforgiving truth.

Most of guys that approach us has that same idea (I'm pretty sure they would check other shops for advice before as well), however, it is the installer's responsibility to let the owner know what it the bare minimum that he/she NEEDS for an aftermarket install as oppose to what can "just work" in the essence of reducing cost to capture a day job.

[Rovin]

when anybody asks me about a system very 1st question i ask is : u want it for inside car listening or to hear it d outside ? ... not judging anybody's taste\wants but d answer sets d path on how to continue d conversation

some wants to play smart on what to pick ur mind on what to use, after all d long explaining then u will hear "i will check u when ah ready"

have to bring in d dreaded budget part early too cause u dont want to be explaining everything customer is asking for which cud be a 10k figure of wants but only has a 3-4k budget ... like we say in T&T "Champaign taste but mauby budget" then u explain\guide accordingly ... dean of 5 star car stereo often talks about this

[timelapse]

I didn't see it mentioned.Was too busy admiring the work.
Is the spare tire still usable?

[kavaninho]

I didn't see it mentioned.Was too busy admiring the work.
Is the spare tire still usable?

These vehicles did not come with a spare from factory. There are those patch kits.

[nick639v2]

Question, have you had issues with using hi level inputs in Hondas or Nissan to dsps? I did in these vehicles with an audio control dm608 and helix DSP.2 and they both needed a line driver after or disgusting high input gain settings to get any usable output

[kavaninho]

Question, have you had issues with using hi level inputs in Hondas or Nissan to dsps? I did in these vehicles with an audio control dm608 and helix DSP.2 and they both needed a line driver after or disgusting high input gain settings to get any usable output

Hey, did not have those issues with this particular install. There is an input gain as well on the DSP, did you get any reprieve using that?

[nick639v2]

Question, have you had issues with using hi level inputs in Hondas or Nissan to dsps? I did in these vehicles with an audio control dm608 and helix DSP.2 and they both needed a line driver after or disgusting high input gain settings to get any usable output

Hey, did not have those issues with this particular install. There is an input gain as well on the DSP, did you get any reprieve using that?

I tried using the input gains but that is where the issue of distortion started to emerge heavily. I have a suspicion it’s literally the 2 installs I did that had such unbalanced outputs on the head units that I had to eq sparingly and give rise to the clipping