cu2 mods

[euRo_noob]

Hi guys, I would just like to know if anyone of you have installed a headunit into their Euros yet. I want this do this in the future but I don't know much (if anything) about taking the control panel and stuff so I'd obviously get some professional help. I'd want a touch screen headunit with a GPS in it as well, not just a headunit for music. I just wanted to know rough prices or something to do this and how hard is it etc etc. If someone could explain everything to me, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also Warren, would you say JL audio systems are good? Why did you go with what you chose? I'm noob with sound systems as well :S

Edit: Oh and, where did you get your window visors Warren!? I like those slim ones better than the OEM ones ): Are they the JDM ones?

Thank you,
Steven

[aussiebuddha]

Hi guys, I would just like to know if anyone of you have installed a headunit into their Euros yet. I want this do this in the future but I don't know much (if anything) about taking the control panel and stuff so I'd obviously get some professional help. I'd want a touch screen headunit with a GPS in it as well, not just a headunit for music. I just wanted to know rough prices or something to do this and how hard is it etc etc. If someone could explain everything to me, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also Warren, would you say JL audio systems are good? Why did you go with what you chose? I'm noob with sound systems as well :S

Edit: Oh and, where did you get your window visors Warren!? I like those slim ones better than the OEM ones ): Are they the JDM ones?

Thank you,
Steven

For the CU2 is very tricky.
I believe there are no fascia kits available yet, so it'd need to be a custom job.
I'd be happy of being corrected, as i'm looking to do the same here.

There are some GPS units being sold from china that fit on the information display, and where the pocket is. but I'm not sure about their quality, or whether they will display the information that screen has currently.

[WarrenM]

Hi guys, I would just like to know if anyone of you have installed a headunit into their Euros yet. I want this do this in the future but I don't know much (if anything) about taking the control panel and stuff so I'd obviously get some professional help. I'd want a touch screen headunit with a GPS in it as well, not just a headunit for music. I just wanted to know rough prices or something to do this and how hard is it etc etc. If someone could explain everything to me, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also Warren, would you say JL audio systems are good? Why did you go with what you chose? I'm noob with sound systems as well :S

Edit: Oh and, where did you get your window visors Warren!? I like those slim ones better than the OEM ones ): Are they the JDM ones?

Thank you,
Steven

Hi Steven.

AFAIK, these window visors are OEM. They look the same as those in the accessories brochure. I bought my CU2 2nd hand with all its current accessories already installed (Modulo, Elegance, Visors, Window Tinting).

I'll go through my thinking for each of the items which is being added in:

• Bury Bluetooth CC 9060 IQ
  
  • Choice was Bury or Parrott
  • Bury looks like the technology leader
  • Able to get it new for very good price on the web
  • Adding in the active cradle was a nicety, but makes a difference when I am driving long distances and need to answer lots of business calls on the way, drawing down my phone battery
• FullRiver Battery DC55-12
  
  • My amplifiers will draw a LOT of current
  • A standard starter battery only drains a tiny proportion of its capacity before it starts bottoming out as it is optimised for big short bursts (starting) rather than big constant drain (high-power amps). Typically bottoms out at about 90%-95% of capacity (i.e. after using just 5%-10% of capacity) - watch your headlights dim each time your subwoofer thumps!
  • Choice1 is a dual-purpose wet-cell battery of which the best-known is the Optima yellow-top range - typically bottoms out at about 70% of capacity - about $320
  • Choice2 is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) deep cycle battery of which the best known manufacturer is FullRiver - typically bottoms out at 15% of capacity - recharges MUCH faster than wet cell battery - price is about $220 - battery life is typically 5-to-10 years!
  • Choice3 is a separate deep-cycle battery - requires an upgrade to the alternator system - I don't need it.
• Power Capacitor
  
  • A power capacitor between the battery and the hi-fi amps will charge up and then release current as demanded by the instantaneous needs of the amp, putting less pressure on the battery.
  • If the power capacitor is too small for the purpose, it will regularly fully drain, and will in fact be a net drain on the battery instead of a help!
  • For small-to-moderate sound systems, a 1 Farad capacitor is likely to be sufficient
  • I found this 3.5 Farad capacitor at an excellent price on the web
• JBL MS-8 Digital Sound Processor
  
  • The Accord Euro Luxury head unit is not bad at all. But the speakers are atrocious - all of them! The head unit has been hard-equalised to try to compensate for speakers which have no treble, boomy bass, peaks and troughs everywhere. As a result, if you simply replace the speakers or add amplification and speakers, the result will be terrible. The only way to keep the head unit and properly compensate for it (apart from modifying its electronics to bypass the equalisation completely), is to re-equalise the output of the head unit BEFORE feeding it to your amplifiers and speakers.
  • There are a few choices for pre-equalising DSPs, but most are limited to 4 channels, or 5 channels. There are a number of 8-channel DSPs being readied for release, but right now the choice is JBL MS-8 or ...wait.
  • The MS-8 takes the speaker output from the head unit and, using its own test CD, resets it to something very close to flat over the audible frequency range. WOW!
  • It also sets delays for each of the speakers so that the sound from each speaker reaches the listener at exactly the same time, so that you get a truly remarkable recreation of the sound stage
  • It also has a built-in amplifier which you can choose to use or bypass on each of the 8 channels
• Hertz HSK 165 splits
  
  • There are lots of excellent speakers out there. When it comes to splits, you start hearing REALLY good quality sound at about $500 retail - Hertz HSK 165s, equivalent Focals, etc.
  • With care and some luck, you can find non-fake high quality speakers on the web, for very very good prices
  • That's what I got, but not before going through the hassle of discovering and dealing with my first two pairs of HSK 165s which were fake!
• Infinity superseded coax speakers for front shelf centre and rear parcel shelf
  
  • Centre speaker is remarkably important for enhancing depth in the sound stage. As a result it needs to be pretty good. But it is still "fill" - unless you are trying to win a competition, you don't want to spend silly money on this speaker.
  • Rear shelf speakers are not that important for listeners at the front, but help manage music in the back. In contrast, rear door speakers are almost useless unless you have a chauffeur. You don't want the sound to be out of character with the rest of the system.
  • I like Infinity speakers - they are detailed but a little laid back compared to the Hertz HSKs, and these superseded speakers cost me a lot less than current model speakers of the same quality.
• Hertz HSK 165 splits
  
  • There are lots of excellent speakers out there. When it comes to splits, you start hearing REALLY good quality sound at about $500 retail - Hertz HSK 165s, equivalent Focals, etc.
  • With care and some luck, you can find non-fake high quality speakers on the web, for very very good prices
  • That's what I got, but not before going through the hassle of discovering and dealing with my first two pairs of HSK 165s which were fake!
• Infinity superseded coax speakers for front shelf centre and rear parcel shelf
  
  • Centre speaker is remarkably important for enhancing depth in the sound stage. As a result it needs to be pretty good. But it is still "fill" - unless you are trying to win a competition, you don't want to spend silly money on this speaker.
  • Rear shelf speakers are not that important for listeners at the front, but help manage music in the back. In contrast, rear door speakers are almost useless unless you have a chauffeur. You don't want the sound to be out of character with the rest of the system.
  • I like Infinity speakers - they are detailed but a little laid back compared to the Hertz HSKs, and these superseded speakers cost me a lot less than current model speakers of the same quality.
• Hertz HSK 165 splits
  
  • There are lots of excellent speakers out there. When it comes to splits, you start hearing REALLY good quality sound at about $500 retail - Hertz HSK 165s, equivalent Focals, etc.
  • With care and some luck, you can find non-fake high quality speakers on the web, for very very good prices
  • That's what I got, but not before going through the hassle of discovering and dealing with my first two pairs of HSK 165s which were fake!
• Infinity superseded coax speakers for front shelf centre and rear parcel shelf
  
  • Centre speaker is remarkably important for enhancing depth in the sound stage. As a result it needs to be pretty good. But it is still "fill" - unless you are trying to win a competition, you don't want to spend silly money on this speaker.
  • Rear shelf speakers are not that important for listeners at the front, but help manage music in the back. In contrast, rear door speakers are almost useless unless you have a chauffeur. You don't want the sound to be out of character with the rest of the system.
  • I like Infinity speakers - they are detailed but a little laid back compared to the Hertz HSKs, and these superseded speakers cost me a lot less than current model speakers of the same quality.
• Phase Linear 12" speaker
  
  • This is an experiment! Phase Linear were are top-of-market manufacturer of audiophile-oriented car hi-fi a decade ago, but their parent company went bust in 2003 and they are no more.
  • I got two of these subs, brand new (yet close to 10 years old) on eBay
  • They are very flexible in how you box them, which was attractive to me. I've decided to put one in a sealed enclosure, which I have modified by smothering almost all internal sound reflections, which makes it behave a little like an open air environment (which the Phase Linear can handle but many other subs can not).
  • If it does not work as I want it to, I have a JL Audio 12" sub as a fall-back
• Amplifiers
  
  • I've bought all my amplifiers 2nd-hand to save money
  • I got the Schneider mono block amp, for the sub, for a fraction of its realistic value - it's a good amp and a good match for the Phase Linear sub
  • The Alpine amp is an old but excellent work-horse and provides very clean power for the front splits, which are the most important speakers.
  • I have picked up a couple of other amplifiers on eBay, but I don't know yet what their sound quality is like, so I do not yet know which I shall be using. The others will either be used in my wife's car or sold again on eBay (for more than I bought them).

[WarrenM]

Hi guys, I would just like to know if anyone of you have installed a headunit into their Euros yet. I want this do this in the future but I don't know much (if anything) about taking the control panel and stuff so I'd obviously get some professional help. I'd want a touch screen headunit with a GPS in it as well, not just a headunit for music. I just wanted to know rough prices or something to do this and how hard is it etc etc. If someone could explain everything to me, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also Warren, would you say JL audio systems are good? Why did you go with what you chose? I'm noob with sound systems as well :S

Edit: Oh and, where did you get your window visors Warren!? I like those slim ones better than the OEM ones ): Are they the JDM ones?

Thank you,
Steven

Hi Steven.

AFAIK, these window visors are OEM. They look the same as those in the accessories brochure. I bought my CU2 2nd hand with all its current accessories already installed (Modulo, Elegance, Visors, Window Tinting).

I'll go through my thinking for each of the items which is being added in:

• Bury Bluetooth CC 9060 IQ
  
  • Choice was Bury or Parrott
  • Bury looks like the technology leader
  • Able to get it new for very good price on the web
  • Adding in the active cradle was a nicety, but makes a difference when I am driving long distances and need to answer lots of business calls on the way, drawing down my phone battery
• FullRiver Battery DC55-12
  
  • My amplifiers will draw a LOT of current
  • A standard starter battery only drains a tiny proportion of its capacity before it starts bottoming out as it is optimised for big short bursts (starting) rather than big constant drain (high-power amps). Typically bottoms out at about 90%-95% of capacity (i.e. after using just 5%-10% of capacity) - watch your headlights dim each time your subwoofer thumps!
  • Choice1 is a dual-purpose wet-cell battery of which the best-known is the Optima yellow-top range - typically bottoms out at about 70% of capacity - about $320
  • Choice2 is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) deep cycle battery of which the best known manufacturer is FullRiver - typically bottoms out at 15% of capacity - recharges MUCH faster than wet cell battery - price is about $220 - battery life is typically 5-to-10 years! Warning: these batteries do not come standard with automotive terminals - you need to specifically request them and they may cost you an extra $10
  • Choice3 is a separate deep-cycle battery - requires an upgrade to the alternator system - I don't need it.
• Power Capacitor
  
  • A power capacitor between the battery and the hi-fi amps will charge up and then release current as demanded by the instantaneous needs of the amp, putting less pressure on the battery.
  • If the power capacitor is too small for the purpose, it will regularly fully drain, and will in fact be a net drain on the battery instead of a help!
  • For small-to-moderate sound systems, a 1 Farad capacitor is likely to be sufficient
  • I found this 3.5 Farad capacitor at an excellent price on the web
• JBL MS-8 Digital Sound Processor
  
  • The Accord Euro Luxury head unit is not bad at all. But the speakers are atrocious - all of them! The head unit has been hard-equalised to try to compensate for speakers which have no treble, boomy bass, peaks and troughs everywhere. As a result, if you simply replace the speakers or add amplification and speakers, the result will be terrible. The only way to keep the head unit and properly compensate for it (apart from modifying its electronics to bypass the equalisation completely), is to re-equalise the output of the head unit BEFORE feeding it to your amplifiers and speakers.
  • There are a few choices for pre-equalising DSPs, but most are limited to 4 channels, or 5 channels. There are a number of 8-channel DSPs being readied for release, but right now the choice is JBL MS-8 or ...wait.
  • The MS-8 takes the speaker output from the head unit and, using its own test CD, resets it to something very close to flat over the audible frequency range. WOW!
  • It also sets delays for each of the speakers so that the sound from each speaker reaches the listener at exactly the same time, so that you get a truly remarkable recreation of the sound stage
  • It also has a built-in amplifier which you can choose to use or bypass on each of the 8 channels
• Hertz HSK 165 splits
  
  • There are lots of excellent speakers out there. When it comes to splits, you start hearing REALLY good quality sound at about $500 retail - Hertz HSK 165s, equivalent Focals, etc.
  • With care and some luck, you can find non-fake high quality speakers on the web, for very very good prices
  • That's what I got, but not before going through the hassle of discovering and dealing with my first two pairs of HSK 165s which were fake!
• Infinity superseded coax speakers for front shelf centre and rear parcel shelf
  
  • Centre speaker is remarkably important for enhancing depth in the sound stage. As a result it needs to be pretty good. But it is still "fill" - unless you are trying to win a competition, you don't want to spend silly money on this speaker.
  • Rear shelf speakers are not that important for listeners at the front, but help manage music in the back. In contrast, rear door speakers are almost useless unless you have a chauffeur. You don't want the sound to be out of character with the rest of the system.
  • I like Infinity speakers - they are detailed but a little laid back compared to the Hertz HSKs, and these superseded speakers cost me a lot less than current model speakers of the same quality.
• Phase Linear 12" speaker
  
  • This is an experiment! Phase Linear were are top-of-market manufacturer of audiophile-oriented car hi-fi a decade ago, but their parent company went bust in 2003 and they are no more.
  • I got two of these subs, brand new (yet close to 10 years old) on eBay
  • They are very flexible in how you box them, which was attractive to me. I've decided to put one in a sealed enclosure, which I have modified by smothering almost all internal sound reflections, which makes the box behave a little like a "free-air" environment (which the Phase Linear can handle but many other subs can not).
  • If it does not work as I want it to, I have a JL Audio 12" sub as a fall-back
• Amplifiers
  
  • I've bought all my amplifiers 2nd-hand to save money
  • I got the Schneider mono block amp, for the sub, for a fraction of its realistic value - it's a good amp and a good match for the Phase Linear sub
  • The Alpine amp is an old but excellent work-horse and provides very clean power for the front splits, which are the most important speakers.
  • I have picked up a few other amplifiers on eBay, but I don't know yet what their sound quality is like, so I do not yet know which I shall be using. The others will either be used in my wife's car or sold again on eBay (for more than I bought them).

Hope that helps

Warren

[Fredoops]

@ Warren

Just out of interest, how much more weight are you adding to the car this all those?

[WarrenM]

@ Warren

Just out of interest, how much more weight are you adding to the car this all those?

I'd guess about 25Kg (after removing the existing speakers and battery) but there would be another 15Kg in sound deadening. I've been driving around with everything in my boot to get a feel for the additional sluggishness - not too bad.

It's a bit like having my wife in the boot.

[euRo_noob]

Whoa Warren, that is a very detailed replied, thank you for that! Though I don't even know most of those stuff are but I get the gist of it. If I were to replace all my speakers, I would also need to add in something like a sound processor? Pretty much like a computer yeah? Can't just have a new set of 7.1 speakers if the sound card can't be compatiable/can't produce all the proper sounds of those speakers?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, roughly how much did you spend on the sound system? If I were to do anything to the stock sound system, it'd probably be one of my later mods. I want to do some cosmetics first

Oh and really? Those are OEM ones? Mine one are fat as.. I like the JDM ones, they're slimmer. Here are my visors, sorry about the photo, it's the only one I have showing them 'properly'.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/058py.jpg/


Cheers man!

P.S. CAN SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO POST PICS AGAIN? I've forgotten how to, it's been years lol

[WarrenM]

Whoa Warren, that is a very detailed replied, thank you for that! Though I don't even know most of those stuff are but I get the gist of it. If I were to replace all my speakers, I would also need to add in something like a sound processor? Pretty much like a computer yeah? Can't just have a new set of 7.1 speakers if the sound card can't be compatible/can't produce all the proper sounds of those speakers?

I'll try to give you the picture. Imagine there is only one pair of speakers. If you test the existing speakers in your car you might get a graph which is 10dB down at 50Hz (bass), 3dB down at 150Hz (mid-bass), flattish from 500Hz to 3KHz (midrange), flattish from 4Hz to 7Hz (treble) and then 3dB down at 10Khz and gradually drop from there. Not great but OK - probably about the same as the replacement speakers. BUT, that is after the head unit has ramped up the bass to get ANY bass or treble at all. So, when you replace the speaker with the good one, the head unit is STILL ramping up the bass and treble, so the bass ends up boomy and unpleasant, mid-bass dominates over midrange, making voices sound unnaturally deep, and treble sounds unpleasantly harsh. You can try to adjust for it, but, at best you will get something a little better than what you started with.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, roughly how much did you spend on the sound system? If I were to do anything to the stock sound system, it'd probably be one of my later mods. I want to do some cosmetics first

Ask me after it has all gone in! Hardware I think has come to about $3000 (including the Bluetooth etc). I would not suggest that everyone wants to commit that sort of money for their music, but on the other hand, paying full retail for an equivalent system would easily exceed twice that. The retail price of the JBL MS-8 alone is $1400 though I am certain you can do much better than that in Australia (I've seen it for $1000), let alone from the US which is how I bought it.

Oh and really? Those are OEM ones? Mine one are fat as.. I like the JDM ones, they're slimmer. Here are my visors, sorry about the photo, it's the only one I have showing them 'properly'.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/058py.jpg/

They do look different - maybe mine are NOT OEM. I'll follow it up with the original dealer.

Regards
Warren

[natnat]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

it has been tempting me for a week...

[Kwangstuhhh]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

it has been tempting me for a week...

Oh nice! Pretty cheap ...Let us know how you go

FYI Everyone...
Replica Mugen Wings are now in stock! They're very good quality and come with Mugen Badges that have been cut with 3D Lasers.







Price: P.O.A (Don't want to disclose price just in case it's against forum rules)

Oh and if anyone is interested in the Carbon Fiber Mugen Grill let me know!

Message me if interested!

[WarrenM]

Hardware I think has come to about $3000 (including the Bluetooth etc). I would not suggest that everyone wants to commit that sort of money for their music, but on the other hand, paying full retail for an equivalent system would easily exceed twice that. The retail price of the JBL MS-8 alone is $1400 though I am certain you can do much better than that in Australia (I've seen it for $1000), let alone from the US which is how I bought it.

I just reviewed what everything cost and it is quite enlightening:

Battery $210 - new from distributor
Capacitor $60 - new on eBay - retail would be about $120
JBL MS-8 DSP $660 - new on US eBay - retail is $1400 but realistically $1000
Hertz HSK 165 splits $145 - new from Malaysia - retail is $485 but street price varies widely from about $200 up (anything cheaper is likely to be fake - I was incredibly lucky)
Infinity 652i coax speakers $79 - new (superseded) on eBay - replacement retail about $130
Infinity 452i coax speaker $59 (pair) - new (superseded) on eBay - replacement retail about $100
Phase Linear HC-12 sub $52 - new (ancient stock) on eBay - replacement would be something like a Boston Acoustics G512-4 which is around $700 I think
VFM Audio sealed sub enclosure $68 - new on eBay - replacement would be the same price (includes postage Brisbane to Sydney)
Schneider SPA-6000x mono block amp (500W RMS @ 4Ohms, 1Ohm stable) $142 - 2nd-hand on eBay - replacement would be say an Alpine MRP-M1000 $700
Alpine MRV-F405 $152 - 2nd hand on eBay - replacement MRP-F300 $400
Alpine MRP-F200, Kenwood KAC-742, Axis AX505A 5-channel, Formula Mach 9000 - each bought for between $20 and $60 on eBay - one of these will be my other amp with the rest being cleaned up, tested, documentation provided if possible, and resold on eBay. The Alpine should get about $100, the Kenwood should get $70, the Axis should get $100, the Formula Mach 9000 could get up to $200 - it is a reasonably big competition amp. I have not yet listened to any of them. The Alpine will sound very good but is a little short on power. The Kenwood has about the same power. I have no idea about the Axis. The Formula has heaps of grunt but could either sound great or terrible.

More later.

[furythree]

i need to know if thosscrew holes will align with my existing wing's holes... i dun wanna drill more