CU2 Audio upgrade desperately needed for Accord Euro CU2 Luxury

[JustRight]

Howdy Warren,

It's alarming how the costs build up isn't it. I found exactly the same thing, when after spending what I thought was my budget on the Focal 165VR's and amplifier, to then realise I needed a DSP and a decent sub-woofer.

Anyway, it all worked out well. So, on to your questions:

Have you needed to upgrade your power connections from the battery? Did you need to drill through the firewall to allow larger cables through? Were the holes in the doors sufficient to get cables into them, or were the cables already of high enough quality and calibre for your focal speakers?

Yes I did indeed upgrade the power lines from the battery. I ran an additional 4AWG power cable from the + terminal to the input side of the standard fuse box. I clamped and soldered the additional cable to the factory connections. I then ran a 4AWG cable from the distrubution side of the fuse box, next to where the input from the battery comes in, to a large amperage circuit breaker which I mounter on the upper firewall on the passenger side. The 4AWG cable then crosses to the drivers side along the firewall and enters the car through the large rubber wiring loom seal just under the brake booster.

This is the only reasonably accessible place to pass the power cable through the firewall. From under the drivers dash you can get good access to the rear of the rubber wiring seal. I simply cut a small hole in the rubber and pushed the cable through. A quick squirt with some Silicone lubricant and I was able to pull the cable through the hole easily.

I then ran the cable along the drivers side of the car under the door sill trims. There is plenty of room under there. I also used black flexible plastic conduit for the entire length of the power cable right into the boot. The cable then makes its way up under the rear seat and up the drivers side of the boot to the parcel shelf where I have mounted the Focal Solid4 ampilifier.

The earth cable is also a 4AWG cable that goes from the amp, across the back of the boot to the passenger side where it is bolted to the cars frame. At the battery end I also replaced the short battery to body earth strap with one I made up also of 4AWG cable. I believe that the standard earth strap is only 8AWG, and so we need to also beef up the current return point as well.

When I eventually added the Focal powered sub-woofer I simply added a 'T' piece connecter to the 4AWG cables in the boot for both the power and earth and then connected them via an Anderson plug to the sub. The Anderson plug allows the sub to be easily and safely removed whilst being able to tolerate the kind of amperages that these amplifiers can require.

As for the speaker cables themselves, I simply used the original factory wiring. It is entirely adequate for the amount of power we are driving to the component speakers. I have had no issues with that at all.

How deep does your sub go? How deep do the focal splits go? Where did you set the cross-over between them - did you just allow the focal splits to naturally bottom out and let the sub take over, or did you fade out the splits somewhere above their lower limit?

I set the DSP to run the sub from 20 to 100Hz with a 24db/Octave slope. I effectively allow the 165VR's to run down to their rated bottom end. The 165VR's are rated to 70Hz so I have set the DSP to roll them off from 80Hz, also with a 24db slope. This seems to work pretty well, and I have not found myself wanting to 'fiddle' with it for some time. Initially I had set the 165VR's to roll off a lot higer, but I found that that seemed to leave a 'hole' in the sound around that area, so by running them down a bit lower the car seems to fill nicely with that mid-bass with the sub filling in the very bottom end.

Finally, have you needed to beef up your battery? With the massive amp I already have for my sub and the additional amp I'm about to get for my splits, plus the amp built into the JBL MS-8 DSP, I suspect that I'll be pushing the limits of a standard battery.

So, I see that a DSP has appeared in the mix. Have you been able to get the MS8 at a good price?
Anyway, no, I did not do anything about my battery, although I don't think I am drawing anywhere near the power that you might with the Schnieder Mono Block etc. However, I do take a few precautions, for example, I never play the stereo without the engine running.

All in all this worked out very well. I have had no real issues with alternator whine or ground loops etc. Although I do get a very slight hiss when the system is powered on but there is no signal. It's very minor and inaudible once any music is playing or the car is in motion.

Hope this little essay helps. You can use some of the pictures on my original threads to see just where I mounted the crossovers in the doors etc, etc.

All the best,
Trevor