2004 Accord EX Suggestions Please

I have a 2004 Honda Accord EX.  I want to improve the sound quality, but on a budget.  I want to keep the factory head unit.  I am wondering if an amp using the factory speakers would get me what I need.  I'd like to see what suggestions everyone has.

You should start by changing out your factory speakers. Look for some that have a high sensitivity rating, such as Infinity. Your factory speakers won't handle a big amount of power, so I wouldn't amplify them. You will get better sound with aftermarket speakers, and if you want, you can add an amp to those later for even better sound.

Yeah just buy speakers first, i always recoment buying an aftermarket unit aswell but even just changing the speakers will be good too. (dont amp factoryu speakers, they will blow in no time)

Thank you for the suggestions.  I will look at speakers first.  I'm not looking for a whole lot.  My last car was a '97 Maxima with the Nissan Bose system.  That was perfect for what I needed.  I am sure that replacing the unit will help, but I like the looks of the factory and really don't want to put a whole lot of money into the stereo.  What do you recommend on speaker upgrades?  Also, when you say low sensitivity are you talking about ohms?

For that car, it looks like without going to component speakers, you are limited to 5-1/4 in the front and 6x9's in the back.

For the front, CF recommends the Sony GT1325A or Kenwood KFC-1361S.  The Kenwoods have slightly better sensitivity, but the Sony have slightly better bass and power handling.  I would likely go with the Sony's in this case, but it's not a bad decision either way.

For the Rears, you have either the Sony GT6935A's, Pioneer TS-A6962R, or Polk DB690's.  I would go with the Sony's here also for basically the same reasons.

As far as replacing the speakers or the amp first, it depends a bit on the current system.  I have a Ford Focus, and most of the owner's groups said the stock speakers weren't bad, but the internal HU amp was terrible.

Ask yourself this - Is the current system okay at low volume, but the bass sounds "muddy" and distorted at mid to high volume, (or good at all volume), but just not as loud as you like?  In this case an amp will help.  Is the current system lacking bass at low volume as well?  Then speakers will help.

It can be tough to tell the difference, and in my case most HU's now have about a 20W per channel amp and a new HU was the same price or less than a replacement amp.  Also, as others said, your stock speakers can't handle an aftermarket amp at full power anyway, so eventually you will probably end up with both anyhow.

Thanks again for the great suggetsions.  This has proven to be a good forum.  After your input I will definitely look at speakers.  For the front doors, what words of wisdom do you all have against 2-way, 3-way and component.  A direct replacement for my car is a 5.25 without doing a whole lot of work. 

Well, I already recommended the 5-1/4 Sony's, but I'll try to give you some info on why:

First, you might want to also check out the info in this thread on selecting speakers.

Personally, I don't like component speakers.  Reason - they are usually twice the price of standard size speakers, for marginally (if that) better sound, and - they don't fit in the stock location, so you have to cut additional holes or drill screws into the door panels, which can be a real problem if you ever want to replace the speakers down the line, upgrade them, or re-sell the car and have it look stock.

As far as 2-way/3-way/4-way - I tend to not pay much attention to it, and just look at the Frequency Response, Power Handling, and Sensitivity Specs.  In general, 2-ways tend to have better bass response and higher power handling, and 3-way/4-way tend to have better, cleaner, and more defined treble response, and that is just what we see between the Sony and the Kenwoods.

As mentioned in other threads also - the best way to pick speakers is to get a CD you are familiar with and find a local shop that carries both of the ones you might be considering and actually LISTEN to them back to back, but this is easier to say than to arrange, sometimes.

• I used to own a 2005 ex v6 6speed accord so I know the problem you are encountering .  What I did was use a JL audio Clean Sweep to run the amplifiers and improve sound quality.  In the front doors I used a 61/2" component speaker.  In the factory 6x9 openings I used Infinity Kappa's but was not happy with the sound quality so I switched them to 6 1/2" polk momo component set but you could very easily use a 2 way 6 1/2" speaker for better sound quality.  For an amp I used a polk momo C400.4 which worked excellent and provided plenty of power for the four speakers.  I would stay away from using the factory speakers because when I took mine out and saw the quality of them it was very funny.  Anything would sound better than the factory speakers.  To run the amp off of the factory deck you could simply run a line out converter from the factory deck to the amp.  Good luck

I have a 2005 Accord EX coupe and was reading online that many come with a 180 watt amp (which is weak) but I was wondering if its easier for me to use the existing wires for a new powerful amp. I dont feel like I can wire the whole car myself properly.

Magna:

I have a 2005 Accord EX coupe and was reading online that many come with a 180 watt amp (which is weak) but I was wondering if its easier for me to use the existing wires for a new powerful amp. I dont feel like I can wire the whole car myself properly.

Depends how the 180W breaks down.  If that is 45Wx4 Peak, then you might have better luck, an easier install, and more features just replacing the HU.

If you just want to upgrade the amp, you can probably get away with using the existing input wires (to a LOC if your amp doesn't have speaker level inputs) and existing speaker wires, but you might need to run a new remote turn-on from the fuse box, and I definitely would recommend running new power and ground wiring.

Hope This Helps!!!