The key to getting great imaging in any vehicle is to get the imaging high (not vocals pointed towards your knees). I have found a 3-Way component set in the S2000 with the midrange driver and tweeter both mounted in the dash offer excellent top-down imaging (as well as can be expected from a convertable). Having the 3-Way keeps mid-bass in the doors and most (if not all) of the vocals high at ear level.

The modification is quite substantial to put 3" midranges and 1" tweeters in the dash but quite worth it (since I absolutely love a good sounding audio system).

I have a Dynaudio 3-Way set with the 7" woofer in the doors, 3"dome midrange and 1" tweeter in the dash + more power than I could ever need to drive the set (more power means I am less likely to clip the amp... running a high power amp at 1/3 or 1/2 its potential makes for very clean sound). Most people that see my install (I always do all my own work) think that the car came with the speakers this way... I am going one step further to make it look stock: I'm ordering an additional dashboard (only $350) to sacrifice just for the plush vinyl covering to cover my handmade fiberglass stereo pieces...

In case anyone has never heard of Dynaudio... I used to absolutely love Boston Acoustics Pro + MB Quart Q-series until I heard these Dyns. They are by far the most phenomenal speakers I have ever heard (they are exstremely expensive, available at a handful of dealers in the US, but absolutely stunning).

Just a few comments from an audiophile who "likes to buy nice cars to hold his stereo"

 

Most OEM Honda radios have the wiring diagram on the bottom of the unit -- or maybe they stopped doing that. In any case, you can pickup and adapter that plugs into the OEM plug that has labelled wiring coming out of it for about $7 or so (at local shops or maybe Crutchfield). This is a nice option if you ever think you might sell/trade the car -- it makes putting to stock radio much easier. With my other Hondas I've always gone that route, but with this one I might not bother since I never plan on getting rid of the car...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by shaner
[B]In case anyone has never heard of Dynaudio... I used to absolutely love Boston Acoustics Pro + MB Quart Q-series until I heard these Dyns.

 

Wow thats funny I haven't competed in IASCA since '91, good to see I'm not alone.

For Sime:

I saw a wiring diagram for head unit at http://www.s2000.org.uk in the info section

The S2000 is a challenge to get quality audio, and the car wasn't really designed for it. But...I have a list of some of the challenges that I feel face the audio upgrader.

I think either way if you want to hear good music(If you want great buy a van) with the top down on the freeway the stock speakers must go. Here again are a few choices, the baskets in the doors are not very deep, this prohibits use of some of the better speakers unless you want to cut the basket. But there are options out there. Also with the stock headunit pushing maybe 12W RMS buying top quality speakers without an amp is foolish. Speaking of the amp if you want to keep the stock head unit you need high/low line converter or an amp the accepts high inputs. A sub definately needs to be removable, A Center channel for left-right seperation?, wow that's tough. I'm not sure if you need more then 2 speakers in front (not including composites) plus some kind of rear fill. You could get by with 2 and a sub, I personally don't like it, but not crossing over the sub might give some rear low-midrange fill to the back of the car. I must admit I am interested in how a few people have gotten the dash controls to run a remote after market unit with a mute lead, sounds real cool. I mean those dash controls 10 years ago would have gotten a perfect for ergonomics score

Hopefully chatting with the people on the board will give me direction to push for this project as I'm still undecided, right now I just cut the basket and put in some Infinity reference series I had in the other car with the directional tweeter, at least you can point the sound at you, of course in doesn't do a damn thing when my leg is resting up against the speaker grill.

Either way I think an amp and new speakers in the front is a starting point.

And just to mess with ya guys...I don't like precision power. Orion

2001 Yellow/black

 

yo Shaner,
Post some pics.

 

Right now the car is on jack stands in my garage (my new wheels won't arrive for another 3 weeks or so) and I don't want to get into the car with them on the stands... pictures will definitely come (especially of my 6-disc changer in the factory head unit location)... maybe just for fun I will post my dashboard off fitting of my Alpine changer... it is ALWAYS a shocker!

 

Here you go, and intimate picture of my Stook during my install:

I will post pictures of the gorgeous end result (I'm only a little proud )

 

that is EXACTLY the way my stook looks now. i can't get the steering wheel back on, so i drive it with a vise grip.

 

Jason, where did you mount the tweeters, and what do you mean by "door solidification"? I installed a set of 165K's powered by a Nakamichi amp; while I'm really pleased with the midrange and bass, the high frequncys (tweeters pointing upwards into the windshield from the base of the "A" pillars) seems shrill and very loud, despite setting the crossovers to the lowest high frequency setting. No mods were made to the door panels. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Howard

 

gr8,
the shrill is probably from the material the tweeter is made from (either titanium or aluminum). try mounting the tweeters lower or replace them with tweets made of silk. as for door solidification, probably dynamat or some other kind of dampening material.