SB Acoustic SB-65 & Honda Jazz 2015 Audio Installation

Lately it is quite rare for me have a spare time during weekends. I mostly spend it with my family. But today is a different story. A week before, one of my friends ask my suggestion to install a 3 way system on his new Honda Jazz. Instead of a 3 way system, I suggested him to look at a small full-range speakers that will be place on top of the dash-board. This could help for minimizing blind spot while driving compares to the 3 way speakers system.

On our discussion, he want to keep the head unit as stock as possible. He also don't want to adding extra power amplifier. He want to install small full-range speaker but on stock tweeter places inside the dashboard, which lately it is impossible to do.

The OEM Honda Jazz head unit is from JVC. Although this is not a good sounding head unit, then adding extra power amplifier can get an optimal result. So I help him to choose the speakers components then he go to my recommendation audio shop on the next day. Several day later he come to me and show his new audio system. A SB-65 2 inch full-range speaker from SB-Acoustic on the top of dash-board and 6 inch mid-bass installed on stock door trim covered with noise deadening. All installed without adding extra power amplifier.

I take my favorite CD and start the audition begin. I like the sound. It is better than the standard OEM car. The staging is wide, the depth of sound-stage is improved and the frequency response is also improve. This full-range from SB Acoustic is perform very well. The bass produce from the OEM speakers also punchy and tight even only using internal amplifier from that JVC head unit.

But the more you listen the more you notice about something is missing. I trying to setting the head unit equalizer and it help a bit, but something is still not right. At the end I could say that the sound is not coherent. Every speakers doesn't play like an orchestra. They are like playing each note by them self. There is also a gap between upper and lower frequency which in this case, the frequency on the full range speaker not blending with the mid-bass on the door panel.

This is how I settle this issue. I am using passive cross-over for mid-bass. Then adding a small power amplifier to drive the full-range speakers independently. Budget wise, I choose from my bin a classic car amplifier, the Nakamichi PA-100. It is a very small car amplifier that you can hide it anywhere in your car. You can find the internal of this tiny amplifier here.

I open the previous workshop installation and I could say it is a good installation. I also find the dividing network circuit consist of a capacitor and a coil for each channel. They are only -6db attenuation which I believe the cause of non coherency of the music. Then for the mid-bass section, I will upgrade it to -12db attenuation by adding another capacitor.

I should open the head unit to have audio line out to connect to the amplifier.

Tons of feature from this head unit, steering remote, USB reader, aux-in, parking camera, and 6 channel audio output. I only require the front channel line output only.

I also tidy up the wiring harness. I am using the reliable socket for easy installation and future upgrade. I take the speaker cable from the head-unit directly to the front door speaker.

The power cable for amplifier is taken directly to battery. Just like most amplifier installation, except the cable diameter is only 18 AWG. Every working on the engine bay, I never compromised for safety and tidiness. Power cable is shielding and extra fuse is installed. The power cable just like an OEM cable, it is camouflage with others.

The new capacitor for the full range is ready to install. The value is 65uF electrolytic capacitor.

This electrolytic capacitor is made Germany. If I am note mistaken, I take them from old MB Quartz cross over. The sound from this capacitor is smooth, far better than the cheap electrolytic Bennic capacitor.

The installation is all done and I do some initial set-up on amplifier gain. The benefit by adding extra amplifier for the full-range is the gain level can be adjust individually for each channel. This is could help me to obtain best balance gain level between right and left channel as well as full-range and low-range speakers.

With this new setup we surprise the improvement of the sound. The layers of music determined better. The mid-bass are dead silent, they only play low bass frequency. The full-range is sing perfectly. A very wide-band audio spectrum that feels the sound coming from the upper dash-board. Then we setting the head unit equalizer for more fine audio adjustment. With this new setup, all speaker play simultaneously, just like an orchestra.

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