This install was done for one of our very regular customer. Initially, the car that was supposed to come was the Mini Cooper. However, before it could make it to our shop, the owner was facing some troubles with the car. In the end, he decided to give up the Mini in exchange for the Honda Civic FN2R. It would seem that he is destined to be with Civic’s as this is his 2nd Honda Civic now. This entire install was done over 2 days. We first did the speakers then did the head unit about a week or so later.
For this install, the JBL stage 2 was chosen because of its great performance without the need of an amplifier and also, more importantly because the tweeter can fit in the factory location. Do take note, minor cutting needs to be made to fit, easy stuff, nothing to be too worried about. Being a Type R, the owner wanted to keep the audio system simple and light. Wisdom at work it seems…
The speaker install went along pretty smoothly. Speaker adapters and such are readily available for this model. We didn’t face any clearance nor mounting issues given the passive crossovers are tiny and there were no amps to deal with. The fit of the tweeters also really pleased us as it looks like it came with it from the factory.
The head unit install, on the other hand… Not that its super difficult or anything, but the entire center console needs to be removed for the radio to come out. Manufacturers should make their designers remove the radio to understand how silly it is. Other than the silly design, the rest of the install was pretty easy. The wiring is pretty straight forward and even the steering wheel controls are still analog, so you just need to wire up ground and input one only. Simple really.
The Kenwood performed superbly as always. Wireless connections were fast and easy. Super stable too. We highly recommend the Kenwood DMX8521S if you want wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On top of that, the support for LDAC and Hi Res Audio makes this Kenwood model a bargain really.
Overall, really satisfied with this install but the interior designer needs a scolding, seriously.
Featured:
Kenwood DMX8521S – https://www.fasmoto.com/kenwood-dmx8521s
JBL Stage 2 604C – https://www.fasmoto.com/jbl-stage2-604c
JBL Stage 2 634 – https://www.fasmoto.com/jbl-stage2-634
Honda Speaker Adapter – https://www.fasmoto.com/speaker-adapter-mount-spacer-honda-jazz-civic-city-accord-stream-1-pair
Honda Speaker Harness Adapter – https://www.fasmoto.com/spk-wh-honda-a