Civic FD Integrated Head Unit

[Saving76ryan]

Hi Guys,

Still waiting to collect my Civic from KM, just wondering if the integrated Head Unit is has RCA out for 2 amps and sub.. Need the infos from existing FD owners. Thks

 

Cheers

[Ah_nam]

Yo bro,

 

Got this reply from my recent post..

 

"The integrated part means the head unit only. So changing speakers would be easy. But adding amp might be difficult if you don't have RCA out. My brother got a civic and his stock head unit doesn't support RCA out too. So in the end he change the whole headunit. Although it doesn't look as nice because the centre console doesn't match the car interior anymore, but it sure sound much nicer now."

[Headshok]

no one help u ah..

 

okok..

 

the new civic usin OEM hu. no RCAS.

 

so, normaly, wat installers do is add a "high low" convertor which will function as an RCA.

 

then voaa laa! RCA outs! haha..

 

if u wanna keep the "stock" look, get urself a preamp and hide it someehwere. with the preamp, this gives u some control over ur sound system.. hehh.

 

i'm sure KAH motor should sell the face plate for the new civic, check it out lah

 

have fun

 

cheers!

[Cmlee85]

yo guys, i just bought one of these too and was planning keep the headunit stock but have 2 amps sub n speakrs...

 

1) how much it the face roughly?

 

im studying in perth now...they dun have that thing here AT ALL!

 

cos like i know that the hi volt converter is damn expensive and it might be cheaper to just

get the face plate and a 3 preout headunit.

 

thanks!

[Watwheels]

I couldn't see any RCA out on mine.

 

I dunno how u will go about doing it but i suggest u enquire more from KM technical adviser on the warrenty issues if u want any changes to your HU.

 

Unlike single HU, the HU does not come with a seperate warrenty. It's packaged with the car's warrenty.

 

 

 

IMO the stock ICE is already excellent, no need any amps or sub-woofer. It's your car, u decide.

[Imuya]

Unlike single HU, the HU does not come with a seperate warrenty. It's packaged with the car's warrenty.

 

So how is the warranty affected? Void the whole car's warranty?!

 

Anyway, agree that the stock ICE is already not bad, but there is always room for improvement!

[Watwheels]

So how is the warranty affected? Void the whole car's warranty?!

 

Sorry I'm not KM's technical adviser. I only bought the car.

[Yanuk]

get amps that support hi level input then.. many amps have such features.

[Cmlee85]

Hi guys!

I just bought the base line VTI in Perth Australia...for singapore ppl..this is the baseline model offered in Australia..with 4 speaker sound stock system..and the integrated headunit with NO aux output...sian....

 

am into car audio so i've got the usual stuff

1) 4channel

2) monoblock

3) Sub

4) Splits

5) rear speakers...cos i like my passengers

 

I've been looking around for a way to keep the stock headunit, and the audio shops in perth all crap la..haha..no one can get in the Face plate to put in a headunit anyways, they import from US..and in the US its all LH drive...they are available in Singapore but not sure how much..and too ma-fan to bring back i say...but its still an option.

 

HOWEVER,

 

i wanted to keep the system as stock as possible. so with some help from a friend in singapore this is what i've done

 

wires from the rear of the stock headunit - get a high/low converter. $20 bucks..all it does is makes the bare wires to ur speakers into RCA outs. so voila! u got a pair of RCA's

 

next thing i did was pick up a PreAmp - DB Drive SPEQ 5 channel for me its still hell cheaper then getting a base line headunit...i paid S$160..what this does is change the output of the stock headunit into high voltage outputs...or 6-7volt ones. To give u a rough idea..the high end pioneer headunits only are up to about 5-6 volt and these cost S$600 upwards...but dun worry i find most ppl wont be able to tell the difference.

 

so with this preamp.. i am able to control the Sub, front , rear, and also have a 5channel EQ. is as good as getting a premium headunit. and its oh so sexy!! haha

this is the link...behind the knobs is a blue illuminating light..not too bright, so it has blue rings around the base of each of the control knobs.

http://kcautosound.com/store/image.php?productid=86

 

Pm Headshock about that DB Drive Preamp yeah..he's a really nice trustworthy guy..very good doing business with him

 

BEST OF ALL...it has an AUX input for all devices...just need to get a y adapter from 2 rca stereo to 3.5mm input jack where u stick the input for ur headphones...

 

so the system from the outside..will look TOTALLY stock...everythings hidden.

fantastic stuff...and it sounds great. with the control like an aftermarket headunit.

 

now im looking for a place to put this half din unit..haha....im thinking in the glove compartment...will screw it to the higher side ....

suggestions?

 

hope this helped a bit....for those looking to upgrade their system

 

cheers!

chris

[Simonwoo]

Bro I also collected my FD1 a few days ago. Ok lah think the front speakers are still not too bad, but staging of course is a bit pathetic since the speakers are placed at the feet :P

 

Bass is not enough loh.. So definitely need to a woofer. From my old ride, I have a 2ch amp, an active subwoofer and the CDT CL61 component speakers. Going to bring them down to the shop to see if they can put all that into my new ride :)

[Simonwoo]

Bro sorry I made a mistake. I just realised that actually, at the dashboard way in front, there are two small speakers, if I am not wrong the tweeters. So the front sound doesn't just come from the 5" (or 6"?) speakers at the bottom of the front doors. Actually it's not too bad, and now I'm even wondering if I should put in my CDT CL61 component speakers or just stick with the stock ones (since it also has tweeters).

 

Any other civic drivers can provide more details on the stock front speakers??

[Imuya]

Firstly I declare i am totally lost about ICE.

But just to give you a first hand opinion.

 

The stock ICE in the FD is actually not that bad.

I have changed my front component (Dragster brand )with amp, Alpine 9855, and added a sub. When my sis got her FD, I compared my "upgraded" system with her stock one.

 

I was expecting a heaven-and-earth difference but I found that the stock ICE is also "buay su seh" , also due to my upgrade is very budget.

Only thing is the lack of bass and clarity from the stock components speakers. And also no advanced features like EQ and TA. But you get the clean integrated look, 6 disc changer and crystal clear radio reception.

 

If you already have the component speakers on hand, why not install and see if there is any diff? Bet there will be at least a minor improvement.

 

Hope that helps...

[Simonwoo]

Wah bro, you claim to be lost but you already changed so many things :P

 

Yeah the reason why I'm hesitating to change my front component is that the stock doesn't seem too bad, plus I dunno if there will be cosmetic issues (the tweeter now sit very nicely hidden leh)... But you are right, if I can confirm that the CDT CL61 will still be better, I will probably get it changed anyway.

 

Totally agree, need to put in an amp cos the bass is not sufficient. I read somewhere that got issues got the HU doesn't have any more outputs... How did your installer set yours up?? Or is the Alpine 9855 a HU which you replaced with?

[Imuya]

The Alpine 9855 is a HU.

Like other bros mentioned earlier in this thread, the integrated HU has no RCA out for amps. But for your case if you only want to change speakers it's not an issue.

 

How much is your CDT CL61?

I would rate the stock speakers worth (in terms of sound) at around $150-200. If your CDT is more ex, then change! Most layman's method!

[Simonwoo]

Oh actually I have a 2ch amp which I always use with the component speakers. Does this mean it would be a problem for me? I'm also not sure how they are going to connect the active sub since I don't think there's an output for sub?

[Simonwoo]

Actually the stock front speakers come with quite decent clean bass, something which I didn't use to get with my CDT CL61 component speakers. So I have decided to keep the front speakers, just add my 2ch amp to give it a boost, plus the active subwoofer for a bit more thump when listening to fast songs.

 

So anybody wants to buy over my CDT CL61? :P

[The_young_once]

guys, either going with a hi-lo converter then to a pre-amp (which is more economical way to do it) like cmlee85 did, another way is to get the alpine 701 processor and its control unit

 

a bit overkill, but the processor can integrate with stock HU with no RCA outs, through it can play with time-alignment, equaliser (much like a pre-amp) and digital crossover (should you want to do an active setup) but either way, the crossover is good, bass go to sub, and cut off whatever the sub cant take, go to your speakers, so you wont have the 'overlap' overly boomy sound

 

the processor unit is about the size of a small amp, can place under seat or in boot, and the control is a 1DIN size HU-like thing (ha its not a HU, just an interface for you to play all the above mentioned functions), can install on spare space in the dash

 

personally i trust alpine products alot, short of getting their F#1 status products or brands like mcintosh, nakamichi, mark levinson (like in some lexus) i believe alpine bang for buck, good sound, myself im using an alpine HU using the crossover and time-alignment functions, thumbs up

 

oh why i mentioned overkill is that the 701 processor (701 is the model number) can support dts, and i believe even optical inputs and 'decode' into 5 discrete channels, for those inclined to do a dts 5.1 dvd setup in future, otherwise for stereo L/R only listening it works just great too

[Kwongwing]

Take note that you will still need a hi-lo converter even if you geta 701