[Dy2_Str33t_King]

Like the title says, I'm surprised at how bad the factory stereo is in the new Accord sport. I figured a $31k car would have a little bit better system but I was wrong. My 2 prior Si's had factory Subs and pretty good stereo's right out of the box and thats on a $23k car. I guess this will be my first area to upgrade and that sucks because I NEVER do stereo upgrades.

Would have been nice to at least have the option to upgrade it to the Touring's system

 

[RagerX]

It sounds fine to me. I am coming from a 8th Gen Civic Si though. But is it the functions or the speaker's quality that is bothering you?

 

[Dy2_Str33t_King]

It sounds fine to me. I am coming from a 8th Gen Civic Si though. But is it the functions or the speaker's quality that is bothering you?

Speakers for sure. I had a 9th gen Si which had a premium sound system with factory sub that was pretty good. Then I traded that for a 2018 Civic Si which I only had 34 days until I seen this, and it had a 10 speaker 480w stereo with factory sub. Then this has 180w system with no sub which is a complete downgrade BUT now I have a much better car. I never liked installing aftermarket speakers or subs and never wanted too, but I guess if I want a better sound then it's going to be mandatory in this one. Not looking to rattle the trunk or anything crazy so I don't want a box and amp, but I would definitely like a little more power. maybe an all in one under the seat kind of thing. Gonna be a lot of looking around as I've never done it before.

 

[Xtreme]

Aftermarket may be the only option if you really can't stand the factory speaker's quality. Would replacing the existing system instead of adding a whole new under seat unit not be easier?

 

[BoostedAccord]

From experience I noticed that Pioneer makes some great speakers even on an entry-level, the type you would find at best buy, walmart and similar stores. Often they are a bit better than OEM speakers.
If you do go aftermarket let us know which brand and model of speaker you get... it might help someone else here.

 

[Dy2_Str33t_King]

I'm not sure if I plan to replace them all yet or not. I definitely am going to get an under the seat system first because from what I've read they add depth and a little bass but wont rattle you or the car. That's all I'm really looking for honestly. I've never been a bass head but a good mixture of high and low is the key to great sound as everyone knows and this base Accord system just doesn't have good mid and low level sound. It will take a few weeks to read reviews, product specs, quality and feature info and everything else but when I decide I will leave feedback and pictures to what I decided on and the results.

 

[Scotty]

I've put sound systems in many of the different cars I've owned, but I would say in recent years that most new cars pack a pretty decent OEM sound system. I suppose this is likely due to the fact that Honda views this model as a more of a family sedan. I'd have to agree with others on here though that simply replacing several of the factory speakers with something of a higher performance, should satisfy your concerns. Pioneer is a fantastic brand as mentioned above.

 

[BoostedAccord]

Some of it also depends on what you want. Someone I know who often listens to a lot of talk shows find that stock tweeters don't do enough to highlight on the vocals so he often just upgrades the tweeters.

 

[Max32790]

Does anyone know what size speakers are in the Sport model? The overall sound is a little flat. I’m looking to upgrade but I can’t seem to find much information about what sizes to be looking for yet

 

[Scotty]

I'm surprised to find so many people complaining about the lack of performance from the stock sound system but after doing a little research I can see why. The audio system seems to range from 160 watts in the base model, to 450 watts in the higher end trims. I'm not sure why the discrepancy is so huge.

 

[BoostedAccord]

That might vary depending on who you ask and for all we know tuning the audio by adjusting bass and treble could make it sound ideal to a certain type of person. I would rather see what a large number of owners have to say.

 

[Scotty]

Tuning the bass and treble can help with distortion and vibration, but it certainly wont help with overall performance. Those who went with the lower end trims aren't going to be able to tweak much with only 160 watts. I'm pretty confident that down the line we'll see people going the route of aftermarket speakers and amps.

 

[Billy]

I just picked up my 2018 accord sport sound system sucks is there any way to upgrade the factory sub with out adding a sub box

 

[Scotty]

You could always try wiring in an amplifier to boost the performance of the stock sub. I'm not sure if the problem is more related to a lack of power, or restrictive/low quality speakers themselves. You'd be surprised with the bass levels than can be found from aftermarket trunk speakers. In the past I've swapped out OEM ones for Pioneers and the difference was night and day.

 

[Accordian]

Maybe you can replace a few of the stock speakers with an aftermarket one of the same size? I assume they're not all that unique once you take off the speaker cover.

 

[Scotty]

There's really not much to swapping them from the OEM, but depending on what you get, it might be necessary to amp them. And if you get something of higher performance it can be a good idea to insulate the door/trunk with sound dampening material. All depends on how loud you want to go.

 

[Xtreme]

Could always buy the speakers and have someone more knowledgeable install them to make sure the wires are spliced correctly, etc. I most cases, the aftermarket systems aren't simply plug-and-play speakers.

 

[pcrazy]

The "upgraded" 450 watt system in the Touring isn't much better. I've heard it and it's quite disappointing. Its like a cacophony of sound. Highs sound too scratchy, mids are non existent and lows are noticeably lacking. Before you get any decent bass out the system, you have to crank it to 90% volume and by that time, distortion becomes an issue. I wish Honda would just let the real pros like JBL, BOSE, Harman Kardon etc. handle their sound systems like 98% of automakers because this is terrible. I've been eying the 2018 Accord for a while now, went to a dealer to test drive it and all, but the ONE thing that keeps me away is the sound system. I don't want to drop 35k on a vehicle then spend another grand out of pocket upgrading the system (and possibly voiding my warranty).

 

[pcrazy]

To make matters worse, i'm waiting on the Hybrid, so I don't know what kind of effect adding a more powerful system / sub/ amp will have on the car. I DEFINITELY don't want to screw with my electrical system on the Hybrid, but I can't sacrifice having a good sound system.

 

[Scotty]

Provided you have a powerful enough amp, there shouldn't be any electrical strain on the rest of the vehicle. But when it comes to hybrids I know there are a lot more restrictions in terms of the warranty. I've heard that even getting the car oil sprayed can void the powertrain warranty. Seeing as how the sound system has been a complaint by most owners, hopefully Honda makes improvements to upcoming models.