Speakers only upgrade: Did I waste my money?
#1
09-20-2018, 10:24 PM
Speakers only upgrade: Did I waste my money?
So I got my 2015 purple Fit a week and a half ago. Love it, big upgrade from my previous car. Anyways, I noticed right off that one thing I wasn’t digging was the factory stereo. Far too flat sounding and distorted at high volumes, and I’m a big highway/windows down/volume up guy. So I decided to spend a couple hundred on some aftermarket speakers. As someone who knows virtually nothing about audio setups, I scoured the web for opinions on forums such as this, YouTube and car audio companies websites and got conflicting answers on whether or not upgrading just the speakers alone without an amp or new head unit would make a worthwhile difference in audio quality. I said to heck with it and picked up two pairs of 6.5 JBL coaxial speakers from a Best Buy and consulted with their installation man, who inferred that simply adding new speakers would yield noticeable results, with or without an amp and the costly headache of replacing the head unit. Well, when I got my car back I was disappointed. I believed I was hearing a slight difference in clarity and less of a muddy sound, but then noticed he had altered the touch screens treble and bass EQ settings. 8 hours from the installation and obsessively going through different styles of music in my playlist has me convinced that any difference I was hearing was simply a placebo and that I just threw away $200+. But on some songs, I seem to be noticing a decent improvement overall. I was informed that these have tweeters and the factory speakers did not, so perhaps that can explain the perceived slight difference? I would love for one of you to reassure me that in a few days the speakers will break in more and that I didn’t totally waste my money, but I also don’t want anyone to lie or let me down easy if I got ripped off/ripped myself off. Would adding an amp help or is that simply jacking up the volume without fixing any of the frequencies or lack thereof indelibly tied to the stock unit? I’m a man of modest means so I cannot afford to delve into the complexities of a total system rehaul. Thanks in advance!
#2
09-21-2018, 12:46 AM
^ No, you did not waste your money. Coax speakers do have an integrated tweeter. The difference you hear is not placebo; those speakers can handle anything your OE head unit throws at it, thus better sound after altering treble/bass/EQ. There is no break-in period; what you hear is what you get.
Personally, I'd replace the head unit before adding an amp.
Personally, I'd replace the head unit before adding an amp.
#4
09-21-2018, 01:56 AM
^ No, you did not waste your money. Coax speakers do have an integrated tweeter. The difference you hear is not placebo; those speakers can handle anything your OE head unit throws at it, thus better sound after altering treble/bass/EQ. There is no break-in period; what you hear is what you get.
Personally, I'd replace the head unit before adding an amp.
Personally, I'd replace the head unit before adding an amp.
I definitely do not have enough money to throw at a head unit and further installation costs right now, and from what I’ve read it messes some things up (such as being able to keep both the backup and right side cameras) so for the time being I think I’ll force myself to be content with what I have.
#5
09-21-2018, 05:17 AM
IMO speakers do have a break in period. I recently replaced the factory speakers myself and
at first I couldn't really tell the difference. After about a week of driving I could really tell the difference. I also bought a self powered subwoofer that I'll be installing in the future to add some much needed bass. You can click my sig picture to go to my upgrade thread.
If you're cheap like myself, consider doing some of the install yourself. There are a lot of good audio threads with lots of pictures for reference. The fit is pretty simple to work with. I bought my speakers from crutchfield and they included the speaker mounts and wiring harness as well as sending the instructions on how to replace them all for free.
at first I couldn't really tell the difference. After about a week of driving I could really tell the difference. I also bought a self powered subwoofer that I'll be installing in the future to add some much needed bass. You can click my sig picture to go to my upgrade thread.
If you're cheap like myself, consider doing some of the install yourself. There are a lot of good audio threads with lots of pictures for reference. The fit is pretty simple to work with. I bought my speakers from crutchfield and they included the speaker mounts and wiring harness as well as sending the instructions on how to replace them all for free.
#6
09-21-2018, 05:25 AM
I want to add that I think you have to design the audio package as a whole. Just adding expensive speakers but not having a head unit to properly power them would be a waste. Instead I picked some decent speakers with lower RMS ratings to match the stick head unit as I am not planning on replacing it. I'll be audio expert it audiophile, just passing along what I've learned.
Check out this link for some helpful info. Crutchfield FAQ
Check out this link for some helpful info. Crutchfield FAQ
#7
09-21-2018, 10:44 AM
I definitely do not have enough money to throw at a head unit and further installation costs right now, and from what I’ve read it messes some things up (such as being able to keep both the backup and right side cameras) so for the time being I think I’ll force myself to be content with what I have.
#8
09-21-2018, 01:39 PM
I did it in steps. I started out with:
-Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3 6-1/2" 3-way Speakers
-Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675X2 6-3/4" 2-way Speakers
I didnt like the sound of "just speakers", so I added an amp, and a powered sub, and the difference was life changing. I did not bother changing out the oem hu.
After I settled on the right amp, and sub, I was most happy with these speakers:
-Rockford Fosgate Punch P1675 6-3/4" 3-way Speakers
-Rockford Fosgate Punch P165-SE 6.5" 2-way Component Speakers W External Crossovers
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...ml#post1399083
-Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3 6-1/2" 3-way Speakers
-Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675X2 6-3/4" 2-way Speakers
I didnt like the sound of "just speakers", so I added an amp, and a powered sub, and the difference was life changing. I did not bother changing out the oem hu.
After I settled on the right amp, and sub, I was most happy with these speakers:
-Rockford Fosgate Punch P1675 6-3/4" 3-way Speakers
-Rockford Fosgate Punch P165-SE 6.5" 2-way Component Speakers W External Crossovers
AUDIO
Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3 6-1/2" 3-way Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675X2 6-3/4" 2-way Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P1675 6-3/4" 3-way Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P165-SE 6.5" 2-way Component Speakers W External Crossovers
Rockford Fosgate Prime R250X4 4-Channel Amplifier
Rockford Fosgate Prime R300X4 4-Channel Amplifier
Rockford Fosgate P300-10 Punch Powered Loaded 10-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure
Rockford Fosgate P300-12 Punch Powered Loaded 12-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure
Rockford Fosgate Punch P1675 6-3/4" 3-way Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P165-SE 6.5" 2-way Component Speakers W External Crossovers
Rockford Fosgate Prime R300X4 4-Channel Amplifier
Rockford Fosgate P300-12 Punch Powered Loaded 12-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure
#9
09-21-2018, 01:40 PM
TL;DR = just buy some stuff from amazon or crutchfield, slap it in, and let your ears be the judge for what "sounds good". for the ones that do not meet your criteria, return those, rinse and repeat. sooner or later, you'll find that right one that you'll be happy with
#10
09-30-2018, 06:07 PM
Not sure if the Fit has the hidden menu settings but it's really worth it to investigate if you are a fan of sound quality. As most of you know, the factory head units are designed with eq curves that reduce bass and overall sound quality, especially as you crank up the volume. This is probably due to the manufacturer reducing all chances of having blown speakers for warranty repairs. Installing new speakers will not correct the signal. Adding another DSP device or head unit can be expensive.
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
#11
09-30-2018, 08:02 PM
Not sure if the Fit has the hidden menu settings but it's really worth it to investigate if you are a fan of sound quality. As most of you know, the factory head units are designed with eq curves that reduce bass and overall sound quality, especially as you crank up the volume. This is probably due to the manufacturer reducing all chances of having blown speakers for warranty repairs. Installing new speakers will not correct the signal. Adding another DSP device or head unit can be expensive.
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUTrf9N665s
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUTrf9N665s
#12
10-01-2018, 03:10 PM
There's definitely a break in period for the speakers. I feel like they're sounding so much better after a few weeks since I installed mine. I'm hoping to get the self powered sub installed soon. The new sisters have more bass but I think it still needs a subwoofer
#14
10-01-2018, 07:50 PM
Not sure if the Fit has the hidden menu settings but it's really worth it to investigate if you are a fan of sound quality. As most of you know, the factory head units are designed with eq curves that reduce bass and overall sound quality, especially as you crank up the volume. This is probably due to the manufacturer reducing all chances of having blown speakers for warranty repairs. Installing new speakers will not correct the signal. Adding another DSP device or head unit can be expensive.
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUTrf9N665s
What's been found on the accord, cr-v, civic, cr-z etc is if you set the EQ to FLAT it turns OFF the factory curve and really brings the speakers to life. You will notice immediate improvements in sound quality even with the stock speakers. If you have after market speakers and sound deadening it will sound even better. Video below on CR-Z. Plenty of other information available online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUTrf9N665s
#15
10-02-2018, 08:35 AM
Good to know, I think I have the same KSC-SW11. The new Rockford Fosgate speakers I installed do have more bass, but I need more lol
#16
10-03-2018, 10:15 AM
#17
10-03-2018, 12:40 PM
I bought mine on Amazon for about the same price too. I have to find the time to install it. It's challenging with a newborn and toddler at home 😂
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