I recently purchased a 2002 Honda S2K and LOVE her!!! My (non stock) stereo was stolen and I want to replace it with one I can play loud (not obnoxious) and has a little bass etc, and not too much junk in the trunk. The current speakers are pretty good, but scratchy if I go full volume. I'm clueless in this dept... Please help!!

Thanks & Aloha

 

my speakers is my engine at 9k. lol

 

There is an electronics subforum. Best to post there.

My suggestion:

Get a digital media receiver (no CD, much shorter, no mechanical stuff to break. You can put CD's on a usb stick or stream music from your phone). Expect to spend around $80.

Since its so short, leaves room for a tiny, class D amp to sit behind it. No need for mega watts just to hear music. Expect to oay around $100.

An audiophile would scoff at this system, but its plenty loud, and plenty decent sound, for everyone else.

If you need new speakers, get decent ones that fit in stock door location. Male sure they can handle the watts your amp puts out.

If you need more bass, I recommend an underseat subwoofer. This is a small box with amp and woofer, that can fit under many car seats. It goes inside cabin, so a little goes a long way. Some are small enough to fit in front of seat, behind floor brace. Others would need to be propped up behimd seat (which isn't an option if you're tall and need seat pushed back). Expect to pay $150.

You can get some good deals on Amazon, but if you want customer service to help put things together, you can't beat www.crutchfield.com. they will even build your wiring harness for the components you buy, so its all plug and play.

The name brands all sell good stuff. Of looking to save cash, a lesser known brand that makes decent stuff is Sound Storm.

 

I agree with post above. I have an 02 s2k as well. I am generally fairly picky when it comes to music and cars etc. I have a decent ear. But, in this car, which is inherently fairly noisy, (in a good way mind you), the advice to resist the temptation to spend gazillions searching for a true audiophile experience is good advice.

Go slow. One thing at a time. I agree that a decent digital head unit works fine and they are very convenient. (I use the Alpine UTE 62-BT and I am happy with it). I was originaly planning to swap out the speakers for something higher end - but so far I have been satisfied with the stock speakers in my car which are still in good shape. Amp and sub-woofer are also worth considering. So far I have resisted. But, I may add a small inexpensive under dash amp this season just for the heck of it, mostly as an experiment. I may go with this little amp - Alpine KTP-445A.

Honestly though - unless your speakers are damaged - I would recommend getting a decent digital head unit installed first and see what you think after that is done. Be sure to do what needs to be done to keep the dash controls working properly. Modifry.com makes and sells the necessary harnesses to make that all happen. Others do as well.

Enjoy your new s2k. Nice looking car you have. What is the color?

 

Thanks! Yea I was thinking to get a digital head unit first before switching speakers and spending $$ if not necessary. Color is battleship gray. I bought from a guy who put a lot in and maintained her very well! I want to learn how to keep her in good shape- happy I found this forum.

 

Yea mine had extremely loud exhaust so I switched back to the original when purchasing. It was waaaay to loud!

 

I have Alpine Bluetooth head unit and replacement 6-inch/tweeters in door. Plus, Focal plate subwoofer (with built-in amp). The Focal SW made the biggest difference.

Good luck, with your new car!

 

Take a look at Crutchfields site, they have a "what fits in your car" feature. I recommend a good Sony unit. Why? The have good amps built in (45 watts) so you don't need an extra amplifier. Cost is $200-250. I got the $250 one. I like I can make the lighting match although I rarely open the door now. I stream most of the time from my phone. I wound up keeping the stock speakers because the sound improved so much. Saved $ and hassle.

The other thing you need is an adapter for the radio. Modifry makes S2000 specific plug and play harnesses and Dash control interface (DCI) so you can use your dash controls. It is a little more than off brand harness and DCI but his stuff just works great; it is just for the S2000/

My 2 cents. Good luck.

 

Aside from the stereo question, two suggestions:
1) Make a strong effort to locate a shop which Is highly recommended respected respected for their expertise in working on the S2000; and
2) Research on S2KI the recommendations of Billman250 who seems to be the "High Priest" of S2000 wrenches. There will be things he recommends as regular maintenance items as well as others which are generally speaking preventive measures which can avoid future problems.

 

Has anyone used the Crutchfield steering wheel control adapter as opposed to the Modifry one? If so, what is your opinion of this product? Thanks.