Recommendations appreciated: $800 budget for 2018 Honda Accord

[bdaabat]

Morning all! I'm a car audio newb who is coming here looking for advice/recommendations. With a budget limited to a max of $800 (and, I'm going to have to outsource the installation because I'm a chowderhead, so that $800 includes installation), what would be your ideal setup for getting clean audio in a 2018 Honda Accord?

Musical preferences: rock, metal

Sonic reference: My favorite headphones are Etymotic ER4. Clean, absolutely clear detail monsters. I have no expectation of getting that type of sound quality from the above budget, but I thought that reference might provide some perspective.

Thank you in advance!

Bruce

Click to read more...

 

[Kickstand Premium Member]

You are going to have to do it in stages if you need to have someone install it.
Bare minimum is
LOC (something that will put out at least 4 volts to the RCA's)
Front components
Sub
Mono amp
multi channel amp
Wires
Box
For $800 you might be able to find all the equipment but you won't have the $ for an install or the box
It's tempting to get a prefab box but its not the best way to go

 

[bdaabat]

You are going to have to do it in stages if you need to have someone install it.
Bare minimum is
LOC (something that will put out at least 4 volts to the RCA's)
Front components
Sub
Mono amp
multi channel amp
Wires
Box
For $800 you might be able to find all the equipment but you won't have the $ for an install or the box
It's tempting to get a prefab box but its not the best way to go

Thanks Kickstand!

Understood that this will be a challenge. Please note: I'm not shooting for audio nirvana. I'm just looking for a modest upgrade over stock. Any recommendations for what those components might be? And, what sort of strategy would you recommend for going down this path if it's going to be a journey rather than a one shot deal (e.g., get the component speakers and multi channel amp first, then add the mono amps sub/box or spend the money on power and bass first and add the components later)?

BTW: Honda, if you're out there and listening, I love the reliability of your cars! I'm a loyal customer. Would it hurt to spend just a LITTLE more to make the audio experience at least not painful?

Thanks!

 

[Kickstand Premium Member]

From what i can tell about your car I don't think you can replace the HU
So you will need an LOC to start
The Audio Control LC6i is a good unit for reasonable price
Then I would start with the subs
You don't want anything too crazy just some bass.
You could do 1 10" or 2 8" but you would have run a fair amount of power into them
1 12" would probably do the trick
Bang for buck I would look into Soundqubed
https://soundqubed.com/product/hds2-2-series-600w-subwoofer/
https://soundqubed.com/product/s1-850-monoblock-amplifier/
You could the 15" version but they need a bigger box and take up a lot of space plus you said you listen to rock so IMO the 12 is better suited
The sub should be a dual 2 ohm to get the most from the amp
The box is the most important part here
I'm taking it you can't build it yourself?
The sub, amp and LOC combined are about $450-500

 

[bdaabat]

Thanks for the response Kickstand!

Bah! Not sure where I could place a decent sized sub without taking a chunk of space out of the trunk.

Bruce