2006 Civic LX - Stereo system question

Hi,

I usually buy a car (every 10 years or so), and customize it by adding
floor mats. I know, pretty boring.

I am not crazy about the sound quality of the stereo that came with
the car, and was wondering as to what my options are.
I guess that I got spoiled by the sound system in my Pathfinder (Bose
system, which sounds great).

My wife asked/told me to look into improving the sound system in my
car. I am not sure if the reason for the "not great" sound is because
of the stereo system itself, the speakers or both.

Also, I am not sure as to where to start looking in regards to
changing/upgrading the stereo system, as the dash is made for that
specific system. Putting a new system would (most likely) require a
new part for the dash too, and I would prefer to not spend an arm and
a leg on this.

Any suggestions/comments as to what my options are?

In case this is relevant, I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Thanks

André

 

Check out www.crutchfield.com, they have a wide assortment of stuff,
including dash kits for installing standard head units in the dash of
most popular cars.

I don't know what you have in there, but I find a pair of 6x9s in the
rear shelf of my car, and 5.25"s in the front doors all running off a
basic aftermarket CD player sound quite satisfactory. Usually speakers
are the weak point in OEM installs.

 

Crutchfield tends to be slightly expensive, unless you happen upon a
sale. That said, they are probably worth it. You tell them what car
you have, they tell you what will work, and they send it to you with
all required dash kits and cable sets. In most cases, the application
is pretty much plug-n-play.

One downside will probably be the alarm system, which is usually a
part of the stereo, meaning that the old stereo will need to be left
in the car, possibly shoved back behind the new one. Without the
stereo, good luck starting the car... ;-)

 

I haven't found them to be particularly expensive, sure they may not be
the absolute cheapest, but they have great customer service, or did the
last time I ordered from them and they're still cheaper than any retail
shop I know of.

The stereo and alarm system are integrated? That would be a first for
me! What on earth would they be thinking to require the stereo be
present for the car to start? That makes no sense at all. Do people
still rip off ordinary car stereos? They cost a fraction of what they
used to, and OEM head units are nearly worthless with half decent
aftermarket units under $150.

 

Just looked over the info for the Si, and the alarm does not seem to
be integrated, but the climate controls are... ;-)

So, you need to purchase a dash kit to do the replacement. The dash
kit will allow for the installation of most standard stereos,
though...

 

Crutchfield tends to be slightly expensive[/QUOTE]

Crutchfield has VALUE. It's not all about the price, and it sounds like
the OP could use the value that Crutchfield brings.

VALUE does not equal "low price". Crutchfield brings A LOT to the table
for many, many people.

 

Since the OP is in Canada, he would want to visit
http://www.crutchfieldcanada.com instead.

 

I don't know about the current models, but I recall a lot of anguish about
Civic alarm systems somewhere around the 2000 model year being integrated
into the radio. The usual approach was to remount the radio under the dash
so the alarm system was still operative.

Mike

 

Thanks for the information. I will look them up.

André

 

Crutchfield has VALUE. It's not all about the price, and it sounds like
the OP could use the value that Crutchfield brings.

VALUE does not equal "low price". Crutchfield brings A LOT to the table
for many, many people.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't complaining about their price. AAMOF, I explained why their
price is often higher, yet I continue to buy from them. No other
online dealer offers better service.