Hi everyone, I'm new here but I've been lurking for the past week.. my new baby is a green 2001 Civic LX - it's a sedan (we have kids) and it's an automatic (I know, I know)... the only problem I have with it is the stereo is a plain radio/tape deck, and I haven't used a cassette tape in a car in about 5 years.. the stock speakers are ok, but sounds like almost all the sound is behind me.. if I fade it forward it doesn't sound much better..

Despite the fact I've never actually installed a car stereo or speakers, I'm looking at taking on that exciting project in the next few weeks hopefully... I've already found a receiver (Blaupunkt Brisbane SD48) that will fit my needs but as far as speakers that actually sound good, I'm in the dark as to what's good, not good, etc...

Looking for something that sounds better than the original speakers, that I can hear without having to blast them out on my daily 30-mile commute back and forth at rural highway speeds, and bass response would be great, but just enough for presence, not to send shockwaves through the asphalt and knock trees over if you get my drift.

Can anyone recommend anything?

TIA

 

You should have 6.5" in the front doors and in the rear deck. Neither of which are difficult to install for the beginner.

When you shop for speakers, pay attention to two things: RMS Wattage and Sensitivity.

Find aftermarket speakers that are no greater than 50 Watts RMS. Even more importantly, these speakers need to have a high sensitivity rating (92+ dB). High sensitivity speakers that are worth a damn are usually expensive.

Get these:

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...22SI&tp=95

Infinity is a wonderful maker of speakers. Don't buy anything from crutchfield though. You can snag these on ebay for half price, and money becomes not an issue

Good luck.

 

It's actually very important to first find fitting
Many civic fitting charts will say they fit 6.5 speakers but actually won't...
depth becomes an issue, so make sure you ask someone who has actually tried on your exact car as well

 

+1

I had to do some modifications to make my Alpine SPR-17S 6.5" door speakers fit properly. As long as you have access to some sort of precision cutting wheel it's not too bad. Also had to put in a spacer so that the back of the magnet didn't interfere with the window when lowered.

The tweeters from the SPR-17S fit PERFECTLY in the stock tweeter locations though. Just removed them from the housing, little dab of hot glue, and they sit perfectly in the stock location. No mods needed to the stock tweeter housings. Looks stock.

Just take your time - it's really not that tough.

 

Ah yes Imshirazy excellent point. Honda civic doors are notorious. I've had 3 sets of components in my civic, and I've had to build custom mounting applications for all of them.

The one speaker I know for sure fits without modification is the sony xplode 6.5. These are also high sensitivity and low wattage.

The infinitys I recommended are shallow mount, which is a step in the right direction, but if you don't want to mess around, get some xplodes.

Here's what I know for SURE fits in ALL civics:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-XS-R1641-Xp...QQcmdZViewItem

The newer models by sony should fit just fine as well. Make sure you check your rear deck and see if it fits 6x9 or 6.5. Crutchfield says you've got 6.5 back there, but just make sure anyway.

 

I appreciate the info - I realize I should have read the FAQ first before posting (found it later on that evening), especially such a generic question and all.

I'm looking forward to improving my sound environment though - as it is right now, having no sound is better than having it - I can barely turn the volume up and the distortion is awful. I've had second thoughts about getting the Blaupunkt HU - I'm thinking about the Panasonic CQ-RX400U - but haven't found much in the way of reviews yet so I'm not sure.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...00&tp=5684

Thanks again, and I'll probably be asking lots of questions especially once I get to the installation part.

 

with my 94 i just cut the basket out of it and made a new one out of fiberglass and i get more mid and bass b/c it doesnt have anywhere to go jsut a suggestion to throw out there once i get new door speakers ill do it again and post the pics on here

 

I have Kenwood 6.5's in the front, and JVC 6.5's in the back. The Kenwoods had a 3-hole group that lined right up easy. The JVC's had 3-hole slots that sort of fit. I bent the flanges down with pliers to make them flat, then put washers under the screws for a really solid fit. The Kenwoods are probably better speakers, but the combination of the two kinds sounds good to me. These are admittedly pretty inexpensive speakers but they sound good. If you want to do better then just take your car to a car stereo shop and get out your wallet.

BTW, you're going to have to crimp or solder on new terminals probably. I soldered mine on because I hate inconsistent audio connections. The speakers will come with wires, just clip the ends off and join them in to your Honda wires. Be sure to look up the wire color codes so you can get the speaker phase correct.

I put a Jensen HD5212 head unit into my ride, and its been working fine. Just solder *everything*

 

Ok, I was looking at the Sony XS-R1642's - only because I happened to be in Walmart and was curious...

The 1642's appear to be the successor to the 1641's. Sensitivity, frequency response and power are slightly higher/better.

I managed to find the spec sheet on Sony's website and it looks like the mounting depth is just a hair deeper on the 1642's - 1 3/4" instead lf 1 5/8". The rest of the speaker is 21/32" instead of 11/16".

My question is this - does anyone know what the max mounting depth is in a 2001 Civic Sedan? It doesn't seem like 1/8" would make much difference, but don't want to waste the time buying them to discover they won't fit, and the less modifications I have to do to the vehicle (or the speakers) the better. Could I just find a 1/8" spacer (if they exist?) and use that, and will that still fit within the door panel and deck panels in the back without having to cut holes?

Thanks for any advice or suggestions!