BrewDay09

https://www.hendyeshop.co.uk/genuine...et-26740-p.asp

They are Honda OEM Euro mats. Hendy imports them to the UK and there was a waiting list when I got mine. You may have to wait a few months but they are worth it.

Only thing I don't like about them is that the pile catches my clutch heel sometimes on release. I'm installing a heel pad to correct this (and hopefully prolong their life).

Contact Si from Hendy on this forum for a schedule on when the next batch is coming in. He might also hook you up with a discount code.

datadr

Yep... that's them. Ordered from overseas. They are genuine Honda accessories and came in a Honda box. I really like them because the cover the cross brace and spruce up the interior. Haven't driven with them since it's dead winter here in NJ, but they aren't any thicker than the originals, but I agree the pile is a different texture.

HondaOwnerForLife

Thanks for the information of the matts. Appreciated. Today I emailed the original owner and thanked him again for allowing me to purchase this S-car...

datadr

This weekend I installed a new head unit and amp. I was overall satisfied with the quality of the OEM setup as it's just for background. However, toting CDs around is archaic, so I wanted something with Bluetooth and other options. I selected the Alpine UTE-62BT - it's CD-less, for the previously mentioned reason of archaism. I was on the fence over the UTE-62BT vs the newer UTE-73BT, but decided on the former since it has a 9-band EQ and a few other options. Both are good decks, but I opted for the extra $40 to have more tunability. I also added the Alpine 445-A plug-n-play amp, and the Modifry dash control (as well has his pre-wired harness to make things easy - worth every penny of $24.99.

It's a tight fit (in general) in the S2000 and not much room to work. I used the DIY's on this site to make disassembly easy. I placed the amp behind the passenger side dash shelf - there's actually plenty of room back there. Because of some sharp edges in side the dash, I wrapped any wires going between the passenger shelf area and the behind the radio with split loom tubing. It also made easy work of running the wires, but with three separate bundles, the small area to run wires was tight. Here's the wiring with the split loom and the Modifry dash control thingy:



And here it is tucked up in place. You can see the small gray wire used to tap the speed control circuit from the Modifry device to the top right of the amp.



I plan to put some foam feet on a few areas of the amp to prevent rattling once I close up this side of the dash. Here's the radio area all buttoned up (and yes, the door closes without hitting the Alpine unit):



The sound is outstanding. The 9-band EQ makes a world of difference and even the stock speakers sound much better. I have no plans to add a sub, but I am going to swap the factory doors for Polk DB6502s. Those are on order and will be here by next weekend.

While I didn't snag any pictures, I added sound-deadening in the drivers side door (Noico 80mil butyl and a bit of Noico 170mil closed cell foam insulation). I plan to do the passenger door, trunk and floor (if I get so inclined to pull the carpet to do it). I'm also reconsidering seat heaters. Last Sept I put some new Clazzio covers on the seats (they are exceptional, BTW), and I was on the fence of adding seat heaters while I had the seats out, but decided not. After spending the fall top-down, I am rethinking that. Plus, it gives me something else to do while I pass the winter. :-)

BrewDay09

Nice install. I installed the same head unit last year but minus the amp. I also installed Polk DB6501 speakers and sound deadening in the doors but I'm still not thrilled by the sound. The stock stereo in my truck sounds much better.

I'm wondering if the amp makes much of a difference or if I just need to tune the EQ. Thoughts?

datadr

The amp will make the sound production easier on the components, but it won't make a difference in the sound itself. I first tried just the HU with the built-in amp before adding the 445A to the mix. It sounded good, but there was a hint of strain once I topped 20 on the volume - just a bit of clipping. With the amp, I don't notice that at 20, but if I drove it much higher (say, 25) it will probably be back. The amp is only adding 45W per channel. The amp just makes the whole thing a bit more effective. It's a small amp and it does the job for what I wanted.

The stock speakers sound pretty good, but notice some mudding in the mids and it's just not quite as clear as it should be - I'm hoping that moving the Polks will help that. There's no real crossover on stock speakers, except for a small capacitor on the tweeter. No high-pass on the woofer, and the simple capacitor only is a -6db/octave drop. The crossover in the Polks (like most component speakers) is -12db/octave, so the fall off is much sharper (and therefore more effective for the speaker).

I'm not looking for stellar sound - just something decent, and honestly I would have been fine with the stock setup. But it's a small investment for a moderate improvement. The 9-band EQ allows a lot of tuning options - it's not just the bands, but the fact that's it's customizable for the frequency at those bands, and the width of the EQ function in each band. It allows you to better tailor the speaker output for the car/environment. But... once you hit 60MPH top-down, it's all out the window anyway. If I want to cruise with good sound, I hop in my TLX with the ELS sound system. That's simply sublime.

BrewDay09

Thanks, that makes sense. I will look into the amp, but maybe I just need to spend some time tuning first. I'm more interested in quality at low volume than ability to turn it up. Right now I'm getting too much from the tweeters and I know they have some variable attenuation settings on the crossover. Just sucks to have to remove the door panel to get to it. I may try dialing back the highs on the EQ first.

Do you use the Tuneit app? I haven't tried it yet.

datadr

I tried the TuneIt app yesterday as I was winding down, but it was a bit clunky and I get up on it for the time being - I will try again next weekend.

And yes, the Polks have two options for the tweeters: flat (0) and +3db, so you may have it on the +3 setting. Could make it a bit too bright. I usually run with a -2 fade to the rear to have the roll hoop speakers fill in a bit of space, so I keep the treble down a bit. While it's a PITA to open the doors to make the change, at least the S2K doors are quick to open - maybe 5 mins.

One time last year (early in my S2K ownership), I got home, put the roof up and went to raise the windows. Passenger window didn't go up, so the engineer in me immediately goes to troubleshooting the more complex stuff (since my car is older) - my window regulator and switch - opened the door, checked everything. Then it dawned on me... window lockout switch. It was on. Doh! But it gave me quick practice opening up the door panels. :-)

BrewDay09

IIRC there are three settings on the tweeter. I'm not sure which one I left them set on (obviously too high). Time to get back in there. My car is a MY03 so I don't have the extra speakers like you do. I just need to do some tweaking.

Funny about the troubleshooting story. I'm an engineer as well and I'm glad to hear it's not just me that immediately goes straight to full diagnosis mode.

sugarrush

wow, these are beautiful!