[genjamon]

I don’t put a lot of emphasis on high end sound quality in my cars, but I do want to be able to listen comfortably for long time periods on road trips. To that end, something must be done about my new 2020 Accord Hybrid’s sound. It’s like ice picks drilling into my brain. A very crisp and fairly thin sound.

I’ve tried the built-in EQ setting in the head unit, but maybe not exhaustively.  I’ve reduced the thinness of the sound to a degree, but it’s still so crisp sounding as to be fatiguing.  On a 10 minute commute it’s acceptable, but not much longer than that.

It’s worse in the front than in the rear. While the stock component speakers are the same in both front and rear, in the front the tweeter is mounted in normal door location to point directly at driver/passenger, while the rear is mounted in the rear deck behind the seats, so not directly radiating at passengers.

I’m suspecting I need to swap out the drivers. Not interested in investing a ton, and hoping not to have to add new amps. The head unit can’t be replaced either, since it’s fancy and integrated into the entire electronic system of the car.

Any suggestions on good car audio speaker brands these days that won’t break the bank? I’m not looking to invest a lot of money here, just for an upgrade that will yield comfortable results for long listening sessions. User reviews on Crutchfield all seem to emphasize increased clarity over stock speakers, but I don’t need more clarity. I need to rectify a frequency/tonal imbalance.

And any other thoughts you guys might have? Anyone else have a 2018-2022 Accord out there who can share how you’ve adjusted the sound?

[dwmaggie]

genjamon,
As a veteran of the early days of car audio installation, 1970 to 1993, my suggestion would be look for front replacement speakers that are not co-axial.  Too many brands to suggest a specific model.  Best bet, find a car audio specialty shop with a large display of working speakers.  2nd suggestion, take a CD or other media with you when you listen to various speakers.  Skip the 2 or 3 way systems.  Last and cheapest suggestion, take various 8 inch by 8 inch cloth and tape it over the door speaker.  Various densities of cloth will knock down certain frequencies.  T shirt material will let the most sound thru, washcloth will muffle the most sound.  When you find the best material, take the door panels off and install the material directly over the speaker, using duct tape or hot glue to make semi permanent.  You can also try various resistors and inductors to limit the frequency response, however you will need help with finding the best values for this approach.  Hope this will give you some ideas to try.  Jerry 

[opnly bafld]

I would start with a good amplifier for the front speakers; don't know how difficult installation will be since I have not been involved with car audio for some time.

[Letitroll98]

I think he just said the offending tweeters are mounted high in the doors where taping some cloth might be difficult and that he can't replace the electronics.  I'd call one of the big suppliers of car stereo like Crutchfield and ask the customer service people what would be a specific plug in replacement for the stock speakers that will give a more relaxed sound.  They're pretty good at knowing what works with model specific applications.

[genjamon]

Yeah, I guess I could get off my butt and actually talk to the Crutchfield folks rather than lurking and reading customer reviews. The fabric suggestion is interesting, but not sure if there would be space within the tweeter mounts to insert some. Frankly, if I’m gonna open up the door, I’m potentially inclined to just replace the tweeter with a better unit while I’m doing so. But then again, that depends on the price for what would lead to a substantial improvement.

Thus far, it seems like the cost effective component speaker options on Crutchfield are all using Mylar/plastic for tweeter material, which is known to be on the brighter side of neutral. There are some soft dome options out there, but tend to be mid- to high-level cost wise.

[WGH]

Improving Audio Through Hidden Menus on Honda Accord 2018-2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6o0zHZt6KM

Found a bunch of videos and stuff by Googling "2020 Honda Accord speaker upgrade"

I like the one showing how to take the door apart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPJtUoAzcfk