[Hotsauce1208]

I recently bought my first Ridgeline after test driving a 2017 model. I also looked at a 2012 and ended up buying it as I liked the interior better that the more car-like interior of the 2017. What a great vehicle! I like the way it drives and the space inside. The rear trunk is what really sold me though. After a month or two with the archaic Honda nav and infotainment system, I felt something needed to change. I had an amp and speakers left over from a prior vehicle that I removed prior to selling, so I had a head start- a JL Audio 400 x 4 channel amp, 4 Polk 2 way 6.5 inch speakers, and an 8 inch MB Quart DS1-204 subwoofer. I purchased the Kenwood DNX 893S head unit from my local dealer, PAC SWI-RC steering wheel interface, Tianle AMT 40 tweeters form Madisound, 2 Rydeen Miny HD cameras, and a Sirius module.
The subwoofer was a tough call as to build a box or modify the existing cabinet. I did not want to give up any floor space, so mounting behind the seat was my goal. After inspecting the factory box, I decided to mount the MB Quart driver, seal the port, and add Dynamat around the outside to add mass. It sounds pretty good I have to say, but I still may build a box in the future. I mounted the JL Audio amp under the drivers seat and it fit well where the former nav system disc drive resided. The Polk DB652's were mounted with the Scosche adapters. Adding a third screw at the bottom is important, but it has to be drilled. The Tianle AMT tweeters were installed in the stock dash location using PAC tweeter caps. I thought about using a cap that would crossover around 8k, but the PACs, which I had already, sound great around 5-6 k. I put a Rydeen camera in the stock tailgate handle, tapping power from the green positive switched wire that runs in the bundle along the driver's side of the bed. I utilized the lower hole in the left side cab wall that had a sealing grommet. Front camera was mounted in the Honda grill emblem, power tapped at the head unit. I really like the two camera setup. I used switched power rather than a backup light as sometime I like to look back without shifting. Reverse signal was from a green wire in an 8 pin harness under the driver's seat. Also installed a USB port in the center console near the 120V receptacle so I can have the phone connected and tucked away.
I'd like to thank all the posters here as I referred to this group quite a bit to study before I started. Little things like how to get the plastic bed trim pieces off (1 screw under a cap, then slide back) were a big help, as well as the tailgate trim (remove 5 screws, tap with rubber mallet to the right side of vehicle). Also, the PAC SWI-RC instructions referred to a pink wire in the civic24 connector, but my wire was green/red stripe with silver dots.

 

[coolbob]

Sounds like an awesome set-up, would love to see some photos!

 

[TommyDeVito]

Me too, please post photos. I really want to see how your sub enclosure looks. Your post reminded me that I may need to look at buying my 2nd Gen 1 instead of the Gen 2.

 

[Heli ATP]

Sounds like you have a well thought out system installed. I like some of your options... cameras, tweeters etc.

I love my DNX893S, it's Nav tells me how long its going to take to get to certain destinations without any inputs from me. I guess it refers to my history to decide where I am going? It's right most of the time too.

Did you get any of the engine performance data on the touchscreen? I noticed another poster has, and I plan to work on that soon. (iDatalink Maestro?)

 

[Hotsauce1208]

I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures, but I'll post some within the week. I didn't know until after I installed the PAC SWI-RC that the Datalink Maestro would do the functions that it does in the RL. I mistakenly thought that only vehicles with CAN-BUS would benefit. Evidently some of the features will work, just not all. Is that correct?
Also, I elected to start out with the JL amp driving the front 6.5 Polks with 2 channels and the sub in mono. The HU is driving the rear 6.5 Polks and the dash tweeters. I've noticed a crackling noise at half volume or higher from the dash tweets and the rears, even with the fader set almost all the way to the front. I added a better ground to the HU but the noise persists, although slightly better. I'm now thinking I'll drive the front 6.5's and the dash tweeters with 2 channels, rear 6.5's with the other 2 channels, and add a dedicated sub amp. This way I'm not using the HU amp at all. The reason I didn't do this to begin with is I was concerned that the dash tweeters would be too bright, but I'll know soon enough. I guess this will always be a work-in-progress! Here's a file pic of the tweeters- more to come.

 

[OhSix]

<snip> The Tianle AMT tweeters were installed in the stock dash location using PAC tweeter caps. I thought about using a cap that would crossover around 8k, but the PACs, which I had already, sound great around 5-6 k. <snip>

<snip> I've noticed a crackling noise at half volume or higher from the dash tweets and the rears, even with the fader set almost all the way to the front. I added a better ground to the HU but the noise persists, although slightly better. I'm now thinking I'll drive the front 6.5's and the dash tweeters with 2 channels, rear 6.5's with the other 2 channels, and add a dedicated sub amp. This way I'm not using the HU amp at all. The reason I didn't do this to begin with is I was concerned that the dash tweeters would be too bright, but I'll know soon enough. <snip>

Congratulations on a nice system. Always good to bump into a fellow air motion transformer fan. I've installed the AMT's in 2 vehicles and couldn't be more pleased.

FYI: they (AMT's) recently hit the market in a bunch of different iterations when Dr. Heil's folded ribbon patent expired. The drivers themselves are produced by Zhejiang Tianle Group Co based in China and are marketed under several brand names, including house brand "Dayton" @ Parts Express.

The 159mm (non-pod) version fit perfectly in the Ridgeline dash grills.



The pod version were mounted on the door of my beater 01 Accord coupe.



Couple of comments/questions/things to consider:

I'm not familiar with PAC filters, are they 1st order? If so, if the target x-over point is 6kHz @ 3db slope, there's significant energy @ 3kHz making its way to the AMT's. By design, small ribbon drivers don't handle low/hi or hi/mid freqs very well. After several experiments, I found the AMTs responded best with very steep x-overs. Some hobbyists have found these (smallest of all AMT designs) work well down to 4kHz but only 2nd order or steeper.

The popping noise you describe is indicative of a ribbon being fed frequencies it cannot reproduce. Have you absolutely confirmed the unpleasant noise you are hearing is also coming from the rear door speakers as well as the dash?

Two things here: it's possible the amp doesn't like the impedance and/or output it is being asked to achieve. What I mean is, its possible the amp is being asked to produce more than it can. Every amp will distort if its load and requested level exceeds limits. It might be worth your time to disconnect the rear speakers & drive the AMT's with the HU amp only, just to see if the popping you describe disappears.

I've found the 8Ω version of the AMT mini works fine with the 15W output most head units produce. But that is completely dependent on the x-over point/slope. So... upping the power isn't necessarily going to solve the problem - in fact, depending on your x-over, upping power might make the problem worse - or - even blow the diaphragm.

In my current Ridgeline config, the AMTs and door mid/woofs are fed by a dedicated front channel amp. Although there's no level adjust for the dash by fading to rear, they blend nicely, and I've never wished to raise or lower their level in relation to the doors. The HU amp powers rear door speakers, which are often faded all the way down because the front stage is so excellent when driving solo or w/front passenger only. So you may consider rewiring your AMTs to connect with the front doors and leave the rears connected to the HU amp.

I'm curious how you adopted the Pods to your dash grills. The AMT mini's I used are a perfect compression fit in the grill opening - requiring no modification or additional mounting support. They are 1.59" diameter while the Pod housing is 1.69" - how did you adapt them to the grill?

 

[Hotsauce1208]

I think the noise I was hearing was due to the Kenwood not having the power to drive the Polks. The noise was there before I hooked up the AMT's. I decided to install a dedicated sub amp mounted behind the back seat. This freed up 2 channels on the JL amp for the rear speakers. I also tied the AMT's in the dash to the front Polks and it sounds really good. I may want to lower the volume of the AMT's though, so I ordered some resistors to fabricate an in-line L pad. I took photos this time while I had the rear seat out. I'll post them soon.


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[Hotsauce1208]

I think the noise I was hearing was due to the Kenwood not having the power to drive the Polks. The noise was there before I hooked up the AMT's. I decided to install a dedicated sub amp mounted behind the back seat. This freed up 2 channels on the JL amp for the rear speakers. I also tied the AMT's in the dash to the front Polks and it sounds really good. I also added a better quality cap and it will also x-over higher! Making the AMT's essentially super tweeters. I may want to lower the volume of the AMT's though, so I ordered some resistors to fabricate an in-line L pad. I took photos this time while I had the rear seat out. I'll post them soon.


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[Hotsauce1208]

Congratulations on a nice system. Always good to bump into a fellow air motion transformer fan. I've installed the AMT's in 2 vehicles and couldn't be more pleased.



FYI: they (AMT's) recently hit the market in a bunch of different iterations when Dr. Heil's folded ribbon patent expired. The drivers themselves are produced by Zhejiang Tianle Group Co based in China and are marketed under several brand names, including house brand "Dayton" @ Parts Express.



The 159mm (non-pod) version fit perfectly in the Ridgeline dash grills.



View attachment 274138



The pod version were mounted on the door of my beater 01 Accord coupe.



View attachment 274146



Couple of comments/questions/things to consider:



I'm not familiar with PAC filters, are they 1st order? If so, if the target x-over point is 6kHz @ 3db slope, there's significant energy @ 3kHz making its way to the AMT's. By design, small ribbon drivers don't handle low/hi or hi/mid freqs very well. After several experiments, I found the AMTs responded best with very steep x-overs. Some hobbyists have found these (smallest of all AMT designs) work well down to 4kHz but only 2nd order or steeper.



The popping noise you describe is indicative of a ribbon being fed frequencies it cannot reproduce. Have you absolutely confirmed the unpleasant noise you are hearing is also coming from the rear door speakers as well as the dash?



Two things here: it's possible the amp doesn't like the impedance and/or output it is being asked to achieve. What I mean is, its possible the amp is being asked to produce more than it can. Every amp will distort if its load and requested level exceeds limits. It might be worth your time to disconnect the rear speakers & drive the AMT's with the HU amp only, just to see if the popping you describe disappears.



I've found the 8Ω version of the AMT mini works fine with the 15W output most head units produce. But that is completely dependent on the x-over point/slope. So... upping the power isn't necessarily going to solve the problem - in fact, depending on your x-over, upping power might make the problem worse - or - even blow the diaphragm.



In my current Ridgeline config, the AMTs and door mid/woofs are fed by a dedicated front channel amp. Although there's no level adjust for the dash by fading to rear, they blend nicely, and I've never wished to raise or lower their level in relation to the doors. The HU amp powers rear door speakers, which are often faded all the way down because the front stage is so excellent when driving solo or w/front passenger only. So you may consider rewiring your AMTs to connect with the front doors and leave the rears connected to the HU amp.



I'm curious how you adopted the Pods to your dash grills. The AMT mini's I used are a perfect compression fit in the grill opening - requiring no modification or additional mounting support. They are 1.59" diameter while the Pod housing is 1.69" - how did you adapt them to the grill?

I ended up using hot melt glue. Doesn't look great from the back but it has worked so far. I may fabricate a bracket or strap now that I have more time to focus on the details.


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[smufguy]

MG Quart MS1-204 with the 8" driver, which appears to what you have, needs to be in a box with the dimensions of 12.5" x 17.5" x 5.5" x 7.5" (H x W x Top x Bottom). The stock box is much smaller than that and will not be sufficient to properly drive the Subwoofer. The minimum dimensions that is needed to drive that sub far exceeds the available space behind the back-rest of the rear seat. I have a RockfordFosgate R2S-1X10 (Sub+Enclosure) and it was a very tight squeeze. The dimensions on mine was 3.25" on Top and 5.25" on the bottom. I wonder how the sound quality is.

 

[Hotsauce1208]

I'd like some suggestions of the best sub driver for the stock box. Any ideas? Sealed or vented?

 

[Hotsauce1208]

I recently sold my RV and removed the JL Audio Micro Sub, so I installed it in the RL. Sounds much better than the MB Quart in the stock box. I do not want to give up the floor space, so I guess I will build a box. Seems to be lots of info on that topic here.


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[Hotsauce1208]

Well I built a box this weekend and used a Kenwood KFC XW800F 8 inch driver. It only calls for .5 cu ft in a sealed or vented enclosure and the reviews were good. Now I've been using a JL Audio Micro Sub and it performs very well, but I wanted my floor space back. I have to say, this box with the Kenwood driver is pretty close to the JL. It doesn't seem to go quite as low, which I expected, but it is very smooth and strong, and it sounds great with the music I usually listen to. I used .5 inch MDF, glued and screwed, with a brace mid-box for support. I also found my router and put a nice round edge all the way around to help with fitment as I haven't cut away the sound deadener behind the seat. I'm going to put a coat of paint on it tomorrow and reinstall the seat. Dimensions are 18.5 W, 11.5 H, 4 deep on the top and 5.5 on the bottom. Here are some photos:

 

[pickup1]

Looks good...but i think I'll need more and do the 2 10s under the seat.

 

[decoy562]

I recently sold my RV and removed the JL Audio Micro Sub, so I installed it in the RL. Sounds much better than the MB Quart in the stock box. I do not want to give up the floor space, so I guess I will build a box. Seems to be lots of info on that topic here.


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How did the MB Quart sound in the stock box, compared to the factory sub?

Reason I ask, is my current setup is a new stereo, and I've replaced all the factory speakers in the doors and dash, but I kept the factory sub. I'm debating about replacing it with the MB quart, or buying something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fos...3-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

[Hotsauce1208]

The MB Quart driver needs considerably more volume than will fit behind the seat. It didn't sound very good in my setup. I ended up building a box (above), but it didn't fit behind the seat until I modified it. I had to make the bottom depth the same as the top. I stuffed a good bit of pillow stuffing in it and made sure it was air tight. That Kenwood KFC XW800F driver sounds great in this box! I read in reviews that it is very forgiving as far as box volume, and I now agree. My box is about .35 cf, sealed. The MB Quart did fit in the factory box, but the Kenwood would not fit.


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[decoy562]

The MB Quart driver needs considerably more volume than will fit behind the seat. It didn't sound very good in my setup. I ended up building a box (above), but it didn't fit behind the seat until I modified it. I had to make the bottom depth the same as the top. I stuffed a good bit of pillow stuffing in it and made sure it was air tight. That Kenwood KFC XW800F driver sounds great in this box! I read in reviews that it is very forgiving as far as box volume, and I now agree. My box is about .35 cf, sealed. The MB Quart did fit in the factory box, but the Kenwood would not fit.


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Got it, thanks!

 

[smufguy]

How did the MB Quart sound in the stock box, compared to the factory sub?

Reason I ask, is my current setup is a new stereo, and I've replaced all the factory speakers in the doors and dash, but I kept the factory sub. I'm debating about replacing it with the MB quart, or buying something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fos...3-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

I have the RF R2S 10" since 2014 and is driven by a Boss R1100M amp. The Sub is rated for 200 Watt-RMS at 2-Ohm while the Amp is rated at 825 watt-RMS at 2-Ohm. I have an inline level controller (not the remote volume adjuster that comes with the sub) to adjust the base. It fits behind the rear seat.

I would recommend using speaker grill (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K8KUZW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) when installing the sub behind the seat.

 

[NYStyle]

Hotsauce, do you know if your box dimensions would work with a 10" sub? I have two RF Punch P3's laying around and want to use one of those. OR, can anyone lead me in the right direction to find this answer?? thanks.

 

[Hotsauce1208]

Hotsauce, do you know if your box dimensions would work with a 10" sub? I have two RF Punch P3's laying around and want to use one of those. OR, can anyone lead me in the right direction to find this answer?? thanks.

You'll need to look at the specs for the drivers, specifically the recommended sealed box volume. If it's close to .35 cf, then plan on stuffing the box with lots of pillow stuffing. I doubt if a 10 would work though- this is a small box. The Kenwood I used is shallow and designed for small box applications, and it sounds great.

Update- I just googled the Punch P3 10 and it's definitely too big to fit behind the seat in a box. I found the Kenwood I used on eBay pretty cheap.


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