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?