After researching the plethora of information on S2kI, I once again find myself most appreciative of all who contribute. Thank you!

I installed rear speakers in my 2005 S today. I purchased the Kenwood 5.25" 2 way speakers. Everyone who stated that the space for the magnet was tight wasn't kidding. The lack of space behind the rear panels limits what speakers can be used due to the magnet size.

The install was smooth. Using a Dremel, I made the necessary holes in the rear panels with ease after doing measuring.
The wiring was also a breeze. The existing second channel wiring was located behind the driver's side panel that is sort of egg shaped and fastened to the center console. The harness itself was facing upward and taped with blue tape to another harness. Sure enough, the wire colors were exactly as indicated in other threads (this also helped a lot). After shopping it out, it seemed that no one (not even Honda) had the correct harness to attach to the existing rear harness. The dealership said that the needed harness only comes with the Honda Headrest speakers. No thanks!! So, I cut loose the rear speaker harness and spliced the speaker wires to them.
Then I gently pulled the leather console / carpet tabs and ran the wiring along each side of the center console to the rear. Again, this was relatively easy. Finally, I refastened what I had taken off or loosened. Done.

Impression: For about $70 bucks and a few hours of time, well worth it. Will it win car stereo awards? No. But is certainly is an improvement over what the factory offers by rounding out the OEM system. Good buck for the bank factor as well. Hope this helps another as other posts have helped me.

 

do you have stock front speakers? how would you compare the sound coming from the rear speakers and the front? I guess what i am tryign to say, is it more noticable that the rear speakers sound clearer than the front, or maybe muffled from the seats??

I have 6.0in speakers right now, not sure if i should try to sell them or put them in the rear??

 

[QUOTE=F20C_S2k,Dec 16 2004, 02:22 AM] do you have stock front speakers?

 

The 05 S2000 OEM stereo is actually pretty good for stock. I was told that the system is actually a Clarion and it performs at 20 watts. Not sure how true that is however.

What I do know for certain is the 05 door speakers are NOT cardboard and they actually do pretty good and make up the majority of the sound. The Kenwood 2 way rears added what one might call "fill" and that "fill" not only increases the overall loudness of the OEM system, but it also adds to the sound sensation. I should also mention that the sound is clean (without distortion).

With the top down at 80, what was achieved by say a "25" volume setting is now done with "15".

 

Hey, another word of advice. I put a set of S pods in gvesely's '04 the other night at work, and was pleasantly surprised. They don't look as bad as I thought they would and they sound better than I thought they would. Installation isn't bad (you HAVE to remove both seats though) and the directions Honda includes with them is maniacally detailed. They're a good choice if you don't want to cut panels and don't mind the extra cost for an OEM product. They would probably fit '03 and back but the speaker outputs aren't prewired like the new puppies, so a little wiring creativity would be necessary.

Phil.