[CU2] Accord Euro - Focal speaker upgrade

[vorace]

GDay JustRight,

yep, nice install.

Where do you buy the PAC SOEM4? and roughly how much?

I have a CL9 I want to put it in, can you confirm it does not add any noise or hiss into the system when adding a Focal amp.

Thanks.

[JustRight]

Hi again mate,

When you installed your SOEM, is the remote wire (blue) connected to the remote input on your amplifier?

Does this bypass the need to run a wire from a 12v that turns on/off with the car?

Simply put, the SOEM takes care of pretty much everything? If so, it looks like it's worth that lil extra compared to other LOCs.

Correct! The SOEM4 uses 'signal sense' to determine when the factory system goes active and then provides 12v on the blue wire to use as the 'switch on' signal for the Focal amp.
It works very well. No pops or clicks when turning the head uint on or off.

The SOEM4 is the best LOC I have ever used. They are a bit more expensive than your average resistor based LOC's, but well worth the extra in my opinion.

Cheers.

[JustRight]

GDay JustRight,

yep, nice install.

Where do you buy the PAC SOEM4? and roughly how much?

I have a CL9 I want to put it in, can you confirm it does not add any noise or hiss into the system when adding a Focal amp.

Thanks.

Hi mate,

I can absolutely confirm that the SOEM4 introduces no noise whatsoever into the system. In fact it isolates the input to the Focal amplifier so that the signal to noise ratio is very high. As with all external amplifiers however it is possible to get a bit of hiss if you don't have your input gains set correctly. With the SOEM4 you can set the gains on the LOC itself and then also use the gains on the amplifier to ensure you get a perfect input signal.

I could not find this product at all in Australia. So I simply ordered on-line from one of the many American audio stores. If you Google "PAC SOEM-4" you will get plenty of hits. They are generally priced at around US$25. I actually got mine from these guys http://www.autosoundcentral.com/PAC_SOEM_4_p/soem4.htm They were well priced and shipped quickly. Be prepared to pay as much for US Postage as for the unit itself though!

Cheers.

[eurogo]

wow almost identical to my setup lol.
*clarion in-dash dvd player- removed stacker, used aftermarket fascia kit.
*Focal 165V30 6.5 inch splits
*Focal 690CVX 6x9's
*Focal solid 4 amp
*Kicker L7 square 12inch 750WRMS sub
*Kicker 750.1 amp
*Dynamat all 4 doors, parcel tray, dash in parts, and most of the boot also.

Focal kicks ass, i had Boston Acoustics before i got Focal, similar pricing but Focals better in my opinion

[oh_lol]

eurogo, how did you go with your parcel shelf?

I've found my parcel shelf vibrates like a bitch

[vorace]

Hi mate,

I can absolutely confirm that the SOEM4 introduces no noise whatsoever into the system. In fact it isolates the input to the Focal amplifier so that the signal to noise ratio is very high. As with all external amplifiers however it is possible to get a bit of hiss if you don't have your input gains set correctly. With the SOEM4 you can set the gains on the LOC itself and then also use the gains on the amplifier to ensure you get a perfect input signal.

I could not find this product at all in Australia. So I simply ordered on-line from one of the many American audio stores. If you Google "PAC SOEM-4" you will get plenty of hits. They are generally priced at around US$25. I actually got mine from these guys http://www.autosoundcentral.com/PAC_SOEM_4_p/soem4.htm They were well priced and shipped quickly. Be prepared to pay as much for US Postage as for the unit itself though!

Cheers.

Gday JustRight, thanks for that useful information and the website info.
Do you have any experience with the PAC AOEM-HON20 on that website? Is it similar to the SOEM4 and can it be used to add an amp to an existing factory headunit? Would it be of similar sound quality to the SOEM4?
Sorry for the questions...thanks in advance.

[eurogo]

oh_lol my parcel tray is sweet man, vibrates only when flogging the shit outta the system, with it up moderatly loud theres no rattles, but my parcel tray is fully sound deadened with dynamat. its easy enough to install yourself, just have to find the time and have patience haha

[oh_lol]

Parcel shelf is already deadened with a layer on top and bottom.
I think I may need to move onto bracing it.

[eurogo]

hmmm not sure to be honest, what sub are u running lol

[JustRight]

Gday JustRight, thanks for that useful information and the website info.
Do you have any experience with the PAC AOEM-HON20 on that website? Is it similar to the SOEM4 and can it be used to add an amp to an existing factory headunit? Would it be of similar sound quality to the SOEM4?
Sorry for the questions...thanks in advance.

No problem!

From what I understand the PAC AOEM-HON20 is an interface that connects directly to the rear of the Head Unit itself. I have never seen one of these and I was not game to try something like that. The system in my CU2 is effectively a 6 channel system (5.1) and I did not know just how well the Acura TSX actually matches our version of the Euro. With your CL9 you may find that the four channel AOEM-HON20 might do a better job if it will fit the connectors on the rear of your Head Unit.

In the end, using the SOEM4 was simpler for me and gave me more control over where I tapped into the wiring loom, specifically in the boot.

Cheers.

[JustRight]

wow almost identical to my setup lol.
*clarion in-dash dvd player- removed stacker, used aftermarket fascia kit.
*Focal 165V30 6.5 inch splits
*Focal 690CVX 6x9's
*Focal solid 4 amp
*Kicker L7 square 12inch 750WRMS sub
*Kicker 750.1 amp
*Dynamat all 4 doors, parcel tray, dash in parts, and most of the boot also.

Focal kicks ass, i had Boston Acoustics before i got Focal, similar pricing but Focals better in my opinion

Absolutely agree with you there!

Great choice of gear mate

[JustRight]

Hi again everyone,

Well after a lot of listening to lots of different types of music I came to the conclusion that despite spending a lot of $$$ on my Focal upgrade, the quality of the sound from the system just was not any where near as good as I was looking for. It was way better than original, with lots more power, but as I have explained in some other posts the EQ of the factory system seemed to leave a LOT to be desired.

To my ears there just was not enough bass, and the mid-range was just way too loud and harsh relative to the rest of the music. This was particularly a problem once the volume got up a bit and the factory system would roll off a fair bit of the bass, probably to save the crappy plastic factory speakers.

Anyway, I have now added a Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2 Digital Signal Processor to the system (Even more $$$) . This has been an absolute revalation! This has completely changed the factory system so that the the Equalisation is now under my control. Even after only a brief play with the installed unit it has completely transformed my system. Now the Focal drivers and Amplifier can really show their capabilities.

I will be posting details and some new pics in the coming days.

Cheers