You have no idea how much I appreciate this tip . I recently have gotten my 2025 b/e speakers upgraded because it was sounding very tinny from the original tweeters. So I purchased new speakers and amp ( the original tweeters were tinny but with better quality speakers it was sound worst and extra tinny) . The stereo shop has been trying to trouble shoot this with me for 3 weeks and we literally was gonna pull everything out of the truck tomorrow. When I saw this tip on the forum I said let me just try it with not much hope. it’s a night and day difference You Literally saved me 1300 bucks in losses!

so I can confirm all the steps worked even in a 2025 b/e and now my stereo sounds the way I envisioned!

thanks again!!!!!

 

Hell yeah man, glad I could help!! Good to know this works on the Black Edition too!

 

gmalkmus-
did you replace some or all of your speakers, and what brand did you go with??

 

I replaced all the speakers minus the front center dash speakers that come on the B/E

the original speakers weren’t terrible but i just wanted a little more volume and ummmf so here’s what i went with

Speakers-pioneers TS-Z65ch for all the doors and the tweeters…. ( super clear vocals and instruments now that you showed me how to access the hidden processor setting) was waiting to see how this sounded before adding a sub ( don’t need it now, now that processor setting is not enabled, the speakers have enough thump for me)

Amp-Audio MX280/4
Compact marine/powersports 4-channel amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4

Wāvtech link8 Line Output Converter


the biggest issue for me was the tweeters…. The original honda tweeters were very bright and harsh at higher volumes before any upgrades. I thought maybe it was because it was cheap set so that is why i went and upgraded all the speakers. with that “ps” enabled it made the aftermarket speakers sound even harsher but extremely clearer if that makes any sense at louder levels… it was driving me crazy because I just wanted literally another 2-3 notches up in volume from the factory sound but that process setting was not letting me crank it up with out killing my ears…. now with the setting not enabled its sounds better than i expected…..

Again, hand to god i was scheduled to drop my truck off in the morning to pull everything out and put all the factory equipment in… i am truly grateful to you and this forum! Thanks again!

 

Is there any reason to do this on a Black Edition with stock speakers?

 

Read my previous post…just here to share and help

 

thank you for finding this. tried this this morning, sounds a little better to my ears, but the sub seems so lacking. next step is to figure out how to get the bass back.

 

I want to know how to make my 2023 RTL sound better via a secret menu.

I'll wait and see if someone figures out the secret handshake required to do it.

 

This morning I poked around in my '23 double-secret-probation menu and didn't find anything that looked remotely like "PS Audio". I wonder what that setting actually does and if it was added as an "improvement" to the 2024+ head unit.

 

6.) Now deselect "PS Audio".

What actually is “PS Audio” ???

 

some sort of EQ

 

According to Google:

“The "PS" setting is a feature found in some Honda Ridgeline models, particularly those equipped with a Bose audio system.

It essentially bypasses the factory amplifier's DSP (Digital Signal Processing).

When the PS setting is enabled, the speakers will run as full-range, meaning they will reproduce a wider range of frequencies, including lower bass frequencies, without the bass rolloff that the DSP would normally apply.

Some people prefer the sound of their speakers when the PS setting is enabled, as it can provide a more natural and full sound, especially for bass frequencies.”

With all that said, I disabled the feature and think the sound quality is better.

 

I researched this when dealing with the factory dsp settings on my 22 rtl. It seemed this was an option on other Hondas. The PS audio setting changed the eq balance, usually for the better. I combed through the service menu on my 22 hoping to find such a setting. No luck. I went through it all again after reading this thread. Still nothing. Pretty much everything else is accessible. There is a menu for EQ settings, but does not seem to be about audio settings.

Wish this was available to us. 21-23. I will continue use the eq settings on my input device to balance the Honda settings.

 

So I just put in new speakers in my 2024 Trailsport and though I noticed an improvement, I felt that the difference should have been more pronounced. Suspecting that the stock head unit was likely applying some sort of EQ to the signal, I dug into the hidden menus of the stock radio to look for some sort of setting to make the EQ flat - and I found that setting! The sound system sounds MUCH better and it seems to remember the setting even after turning the truck off. Here are the steps, try it out and let me know if you notice an improvement. Unsure if this works on the Black Edition or on pre-2024 models.

1.) Turn ignition on in accessory mode. Don't start the engine.

2.) Hold down the Power, Home, and Previous Track ( <<| ) buttons simultaneously for around 5 seconds till you hear a beep.

3.) You will now see a white and orange menu screen. Select the bottom option, something like "diagnostic settings". Don't select the "self-test" option on the top half of the screen.

4.) Now, hold the Home button till you hear a beep.

5.) You'll be at another menu now. Select Audio Settings.

6.) Now deselect "PS Audio".

7.) Press "return" on the top right corner until you've exited the diagnostic menu.

8.) Test out the new, clearer audio!

Thank you for posting this.
I am no means any kind of audiophile but the stereo in my 1st Gen sounded better.
I just did the reset in my driveway and will be testing it out on the way in for my pm route.
Little Creeping Death turned up to 11!

 

Hi what are you trying to do? Just add an aftermarket amp and subwoofer?

 

The original speakers are pretty good.