I was contemplating what to do with the factory sound system for a while, and I realized that my best option would be to replace all 4 speakers. I had no plans to add a sub or an amp, and I didn't want to replace the head unit. It's pretty capable, and i like the blinking light. So, I ordered 2 pairs of Blaupunkt PCxi652s and it took me about 30 minutes to put them on the car. I was surprised to see that the factory speakers are made of cheap paper cones. And man, the sound in my car has been transformed. Very clear overall sound, clean and loud treble and bass, and almost no distortion. I would highly recommend this simple and inexpensive upgrade to anyone. It's all you need to make a big difference in your sound system.

 

i agree...i love my MB Quart's...hopefully i can get me an amp and decent head unit to get the best out of em.

 

The factory speakers are very very light, though......

 

Now I have not replaced the fronts but I did replace the rear speakers with 6 1/2's and it was a royal pain in the *** I think it was because of the bracket needed to mount the speakers. I've installed plenty of speakers in several cars and trucks but none took this much effort I do plan on doing the front speakers as well hopefully it won't be near the same ordeal
If you guys have any tips to save time and sanity please reply with it!

 

what size did you get ? looking at replacing my speakers and heard they are a pain also

 

Front speakers on the R are SO SIMPLE it's a walk in the park, the rears I just though maybe I would be able to get them out by just pullin gthem out of the grill opening.. but NO... the 01 R has some Styrofoam in there that makes it impossible. So the back still has the AMAZING Acura Speakers... I ahve never seen such crap before. The magnet is so pathetic I don't even think it could pick up a paperclip. How sad is it that a 1996 Honda Civic DX has an amazing sounding system (no tape or cd mind you) but bass that you can hear and feel. I know the R was for racing etc etc, but hell if they can make a DX Civic sound good why not an Acura Type R!?

how did you get the rear speakers in? Without removing the panels in the back?

 

[QUOTE]i agree...i love my MB Quart'sQUOTE]


Me too.


Boba- who has the Q-seris MB's in his 2k, soon to be going in the 97

 

i've got infinty kappas all around, with a '00 civic si head unit (sorry, but the stock head unit, made by panasonic is a POS . . . the si head unit is made by alpine, and is a MUCH better unit).

the sound is, well, about 1000% better! of course, it really had nowhere to go but up.

 

fso BamBam...Where did you order the speakers from? I might go the same route. How did you replace the rear speakers?

Type Goch or Boba-Fett... How is the low end with the MB Quarts and stock head unit? I am looking for more bass.

 

All MB Quarts are good. The lower level line is a big improvement over stock. Personally, for the money you are going to spend on the lower line of MB's, get a set of Kappa's or Kenwood's. Dollar for Dollar Kenwood makes a very nice 6 1/2 speaker for cheap that will give you good crisp bass. In order to get the most out MB's your going to need a amp.


Boba- who loves the crisp clear highs of his MB's

 

I agree, I have Mb Quart components up front and 2 way's in the rear, all 6 1/2's

excellent sound, definitely recommended, but as boba said, you really should use an amp w/them.

 

I was looking at MB Quarts. But I don't want to do the amp thing. Would you guys reccomend just disconnecting the back and hooking up some 6 1/2 inch MB Quarts in the front? How good would the sound quality be?

 

MB Quarts RULE! I love mine!!!!!! I have never owned a car so far that I haven't redone the stereo in....... and I always use quarts!! Damn I love a harsh tweeter!!

 

I have Polks, and they sound really goos as well.

 

I replaced mine with dangling wires.

In my S4, I use Focals up front, removed the rears to improve front staging, put in a 12" a/d/s/ wired at 8 ohms for better damping factor, and a Xtant 603x for juice off the stock head. Not hard hitting, but way clean sound, plus the weight is negligable in the S4.

Warren

 

Not recommended. The MB Quarts are not overly sensitive and really require some power and a clean signal to deliver what they promise. Do yourself a favor and get a small amp instead of running them off of the stock head unit's amp. You can use line level converters or buy an amp with speaker level inputs. While this is not an ideal configuration, it allows you to keep everything looking stock and saves you money on buying a new head unit. Look for an amp that will fit under the driver's or passenger side seat if you do not want to sacrifice trunk space. My amp (Sounstream S405) is too big so I had to mount it on the back of the rear seat.

 

Putting High end speakers with a stock head unit never does the speakers justice. You need to amp the speakers to get the best sound out of the. All stock head units never put out enough power to push high end speakers. They are designed to work well with the stock. I replaced all of mine with eclipes component speakers and amp. them with a majestic amp. Man... it sounds awesome. I have a KDC-815 head unit which has a built in crossover. No lows going to my speakers just to sub and once you get a good sounding system in your car...you can't go back! I use a bazooka sub because it only weights 9lbs. don't notice any difference if performance. My 2 cents. Amp them and you will really get a great sound

 

R-Adrenaline has the right idea - you would actually be surprised at how decent the stock speakers sound with no low frequencies going to them. When they are not trying to reproduce bass, they do decent. I really don't like the stock polycarbonate tweeters though. Though not great, they are decent. I found a decent deal on MBQs, but I think I will go with some Kappa's all around, because they sound just fine and cost a lot less. Right now I have the stocks hooked to a Sony EQX404, which allows me to filter low frequencies to them, while upping the power. Most people immediately ask what aftermarket speakers I am running, and are surprised when I tell them they are stock. I suspect it also has to do with using a better head unit: Sony ES CD.

I am also using, and very impressed with the Infinity Basslink. This thing is amazing! (and I was using 2 10" in a sealed enclosure fed with 300W bridged into 2ohms) This is the smallest unit I have heard put out this much sound, and is only about 9-10lbs. It's about 1/2 the size of the smallest Bazooka and has 200W. It claims 20Hz, but it has some trouble doing it. The mid to low is very tight though. I have it crossed over about 100hz, and I am quite pleased with it.


[Modified by FBP_1171, 8:17 AM 6/29/2001]

 

my set-up adds a bit more weight but sounds good. I have an Alpine Head, Kenwood Amp, and 2 12-inch Rockford Fosgate Punch XLCs in the back. Although now with all that power, the stock speakers are holding everything back.

 

I ordered from http://www.crutchfield.com. Excellent service, and I got everything in 2 days. They included 4 harnesses as well, so I just snapped them on, and I was set. As for the rears, it was easy for me. I pulled the grills out and put the new speakers in the factory locations. I got 6 1/2s, and all four speakers were good fits. They weren't perfect fits, but not too difficult.

 

6 1/2s for all 4. Crutchfield provides wiring harnesses and full instructions, and it honestly wasn't that hard for me to install them. I took me about 30 minutes. They recommend you pull out the entire door panels for the front, but I was able to do it by simply pulling the grills out.

 

Agreed, however these Blaupunkts are just right. They don't need a huge amount of power fed to them, and they really provide crisp and clear sound. I was initially going to go with Infinity Kappas, but the salesman on the phone told me that if I wasn't going to use an amp, then the Kappas would be a waste. So, as long as you replace the factory ones with decent aftermarket speakers that don't need too much power, I think you're fine.

 

I had blau separates in my Civic, and I was very happy with them.


[Modified by FBP_1171, 11:35 AM 6/29/2001]

 

I am using my stock speakers as astrays...

 

lol...it'll burn...id rather use them as paper weights. Or just another magnet to go on my fridge