Hey guys.....I have a fairly new 2019 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E, and the OEM sound system is somewhat less than stellar. I'm not very educated when it comes to things audio, but I do have excellent mechanical/electrical abilities, and was wanting to upgrade my system over some of the factory pieces for improved sound, and will likely do the upgrades/wiring myself. I'm fairly OCD, and will take the time to do things correctly.
Also, it's probably worth mentioning that I'm on a Ridgeline-specific forum, and others there have already upgraded their vehicles, so I will likely take a lead from some of the successes of those guys, instead of trying to "reinvent the wheel".
I'm still in the planning stages of what I want to do, and which specific components I want to buy. What I do know is that I want to retain the OEM head unit. I'm used to it and like the features of it, and I'm kind of old and set in my ways....
Because I'm keeping the HU, I'll likely need to run some type of DSP, like maybe a JL Audio Fix86, and then an amp, or maybe an "all in one unit" like an Audiocontrol d-4.800 or d-6.1200. At least that's what has worked well for some of the guys on the Ridge forum.
But where I'm getting hung-up is my general lack of knowledge of some of the basics. Like for instance, the wattage output of the d-4.800 or d-6.1200 is 125, either 4X125 or 6X125. But many of the speakers I'm looking at are 70 watts RMS. Isn't that an excess amount of wattage for the speakers I'm looking at or am I missing something? Is the 125 watt output rating a peak maximum or continuous?
Another area where I'm getting confused is with the selection of front door speakers. My system from the factory has tweeters mounted in the a-pillars, a single center dash speaker, a 6.5" speaker in each of the 4 doors, and a sub behind the rear seat. In addition, there are 2 speakers in the bed that switch on through the HU for tailgating. Not sure what to do about those (if anything) yet.
So, do I buy front component speakers and mount the cones in the doors, along with the crossovers supplied, and then the tweeters into the a-pillars? Do I even need the crossovers or are they redundant if I run the Audiocontrol unit? Then just some 6.5 cones (no coaxials) in the rear doors? Was looking at some Audison Prima speakers for the rear doors, and a JL Audio 8" (CP108) sub for under the rear seat.
I realize I'm a bit lost, and some would say I should leave it to the pros, but I want to learn and tackle this project, and be smarter and wiser later for having done it myself (with a little help .
Any help/guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Also, it's probably worth mentioning that I'm on a Ridgeline-specific forum, and others there have already upgraded their vehicles, so I will likely take a lead from some of the successes of those guys, instead of trying to "reinvent the wheel".
I'm still in the planning stages of what I want to do, and which specific components I want to buy. What I do know is that I want to retain the OEM head unit. I'm used to it and like the features of it, and I'm kind of old and set in my ways....
Because I'm keeping the HU, I'll likely need to run some type of DSP, like maybe a JL Audio Fix86, and then an amp, or maybe an "all in one unit" like an Audiocontrol d-4.800 or d-6.1200. At least that's what has worked well for some of the guys on the Ridge forum.
But where I'm getting hung-up is my general lack of knowledge of some of the basics. Like for instance, the wattage output of the d-4.800 or d-6.1200 is 125, either 4X125 or 6X125. But many of the speakers I'm looking at are 70 watts RMS. Isn't that an excess amount of wattage for the speakers I'm looking at or am I missing something? Is the 125 watt output rating a peak maximum or continuous?
Another area where I'm getting confused is with the selection of front door speakers. My system from the factory has tweeters mounted in the a-pillars, a single center dash speaker, a 6.5" speaker in each of the 4 doors, and a sub behind the rear seat. In addition, there are 2 speakers in the bed that switch on through the HU for tailgating. Not sure what to do about those (if anything) yet.
So, do I buy front component speakers and mount the cones in the doors, along with the crossovers supplied, and then the tweeters into the a-pillars? Do I even need the crossovers or are they redundant if I run the Audiocontrol unit? Then just some 6.5 cones (no coaxials) in the rear doors? Was looking at some Audison Prima speakers for the rear doors, and a JL Audio 8" (CP108) sub for under the rear seat.
I realize I'm a bit lost, and some would say I should leave it to the pros, but I want to learn and tackle this project, and be smarter and wiser later for having done it myself (with a little help .
Any help/guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.