BUILT: Digital Factory Infotainment Integration for ELS Studio

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

5/4/26 Update
The following Honda and Acura models/years/trims are compatible with my digital integration device.

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NOTE: the original system plan was scrapped.

Click here for the FINAL plan.

Click here for a detailed breakdown of each component.

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[UWU-mancer]

These mf’s are building a bomb…..

 

[Cantrip]

Total est. cost?

 

[Cantrip]

Good luck. I wish I could hear it when you're done.

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

Have been really going down the rabbit hole with this system plan and it's changed quite a bit.

I listen to mostly prog metal/rock and while I like to crank it now and then, I tend to listen to moderate-high volume rather than concert levels. This is relevant in how I have chosen to design the system to prioritize the dynamics typically present in this genre. Sub-bass is there, but not in the levels you hear in electronic or hip-hop genres. So, the 8" sub in the factory enclosure works fine for my needs.

This is the probably final plan. I will be totally disabling or rerouting (i.e. center channel) the following factory speaker locations: center, roof, rear doors, rear C-pillars.


1. Component Hardware List

• DSP Amplifier: Arc Audio Blackbird(8-Channel)
  • Role: Main system processing + Front Stage + Rear Fill
  • Location: TBD.
• Sub Amplifier: Stinger MT-700.1(mono, 1 ohm stable)
  • Role: Subwoofer only
  • Location: TBD.
• Front Midbass: Audison AP 6.5P(6.5" Woofer)
  • Location: Front Doors (Sealed/Deadened + hard baffle to replace vapor barrier).
• Front Midrange: OneAudio WB3.e(3" wideband)
  • Location: Dash Corners (Sealed Pods ~0.4L).
• Front Tweeter: Helix Ci5 T25FM-CA(1" soft dome)
  • Location: A Pillars (included angle mounts).
• Rear Fill: CDT Audio 4" BMW-specific midranges, repurposed
  • Location: Rear Lower Door opening
• Subwoofer: Dayton Audio SS8-22(8" high excursion, low distortion)
  • Wiring: DVC in parallel (final Load: 1 ohm).
  • Location: 0.45 cubic foot external enclosure.

2. DSP Configuration (Crossovers & Routing)

Driver	Headroom	High Pass Filter	Low Pass Filter	Slope (dB/Oct)
F Midbass	75W	70 Hz	175 Hz	24 dB
F Midrange	75W	175 Hz	2,000 Hz	24 dB
F Tweeter	75W	2,000 Hz	—	24 dB
Center Mid	75W	150 Hz	—	24 dB
Rear Fill (series)	~30W	200 Hz	4,000 Hz	24 dB
Sub	700W (1 ohm mono)	25 Hz	70 Hz	24 dB

System hardware cost (not including materials) is around $2,200.

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

Pics of the final hardware choices below

 

[ABPDE5]

Take some time to treat the factory sub box when installing the RF woofer. It helps tame resonances, etc. (same with the doors, but that's far more time consuming).

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

Yeah, should have stated that will be done too. I'll be applying mass-loading deadening to the *outside* of the enclosure (to prevent reducing internal volume) and adding fill to the interior to aid in harmonic distortion and Q control.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I feel in the last couple weeks my Rockford has finally fully softened up and "broken in". Even without an amp right now it's driving really well and has plenty of bass. Once I sorted the source more and tuned eq more I've been decently happy. Still not the best mids in the business and they can sometimes still be a bit bright but eq took care of most of it.

I like what you're going after and I'm excited to see the progress. Are you planning on doing it in stages? I'm really curious what will be the biggest difference maker, but I suspect the larger door driver and the center will be key.

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

That's good to hear about your sub. How much power are you throwing at it, and did you go with 2 or 4ohm "seen" impedance? What amp?

To your question: I will likely do it in stages, but I'm not yet sure in what order because it will depend on time, funds and logistics. If I have to do it in phases, I will do all the sound deadening first, as that will move the needle even on the stock setup, which is a boomy, rattly nasty mess. Then I'll likely do the front stage and sub, and if I decide to do rear fill and a dedicated amplified center channel, that will come last (because I may decide I don't need it).

I've made three further tweaks to the design:

1. Midrange selection: instead of the AudioFrog GS25 I will use the OneAudio WB3.e wideband transducer. The Qts and inductance make it a much better choice for use in pods. It is larger by 1/2" so it will beam sooner, but are the 4,000 Hz 2,500 Hz lowpass it will still be omnidirectional. Highpass will be 350Hz.
2. Tweeter selection: I am reverting back to the Peerless OX20SC00-04 dome tweeter instead of the Peerless ring radiator above. The dome variant matches the efficiency of the OneAudio wideband better, and the beaming frequency will be higher than the ring radiator as well. Mechanically they have very similar, if not identical motor structures. Scratch that, lol. Going up in size to 1" diameter via the Seas Prestige 27TFFNC/G (H1396)
3. Subwoofer amplifier selection: I think the Rockford will benefit from more power headroom so I'm upping the RMS power supply to 250W (4 ohm nominal load), probably via an AudioControl EPIC1000.

Other than that, the system design remains. I think this is a good recipe for a near studio-quality result for a not-obscene cost of parts (somewhere in the $2,200 range).

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

I'm really curious what will be the biggest difference maker, but I suspect the larger door driver and the center will be key.

Honestly, I think DSP and deadening would be the biggest contributors. If I was going real cheapo I would do just those two things, with the factory speakers. As you say, EQ (and time delay) can get you a very long way.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Honestly, I think DSP and deadening would be the biggest contributors. If I was going real cheapo I would do just those two things, with the factory speakers. As you say, EQ (and time delay) can get you a very long way.

I don't even have an amp on my sub. Just the factory lines to some high quality wire I had to finish. I did do fill, deadening the box, covering the box in closed cell, and all of my doors, hatch, rear wells, and under rear seats is 30% strategic deadening with 150-200% 4mm closed cell layers.

Stock exhaust even in sport basically doesn't exist. Borla in comfort can be heard but it sounds "refined and underneath you" since my floor isn't deadened. Tightening all the bolts for the speaker surrounds also made a difference to its rattling. I still get an occasional harmonic buzz, but it's super hard to pinpoint and occurs rarely.

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

Yeah I plan to do this too - maybe not as hardcore as you did but who knows!

Made yet another strategic change to the plan: upping to 1" tweeter from 3/4" so I can push the crossover frequency down below the midrange beam point (will go with 2.5kHz), which will massively aid in image stability. I'll lose some top end (>13kHz) image stability for the same beaming reason, but our ears are WAY more sensitive at 2-4kHz than >10kHz. Good tradeoff.

Will go with the venerable Seas Prestige, and will use a pod for it instead of the stock inside the A pillar location.

https://www.seas.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87:h1396-04-27tffncg&catid=45:seas-prestige-tweeters&Itemid=462

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

I think I found a subwoofer (Audiofrog GS8ND2) that will work even better than the Rockford in our little factory enclosure, and likely won't hit the grille. The mounting depth is only 3.125" and the basket diameter is smaller than the Rockford, so it may not require the same trimming (or at least a simple trim ring to adapt the mounting holes). Xmax is higher (10mm vs 8.3mm) and the efficiency is much much higher (91dB vs 82dB). This would make it a much better sub choice for those who are using the factory amplification too.

 

[Ash @ S2i Audio]

Changing strategies on the mids - going with true midrange and a larger 4" diameter in order to better match the midbass to midrange integration. Beaming is simply not an issue given the low crossover capability of the Seas tweeter, so it makes sense to do this for many reasons. And it makes sense to move away from a wideband as I just don't need one, and widebands introduce compromises in the frequency and impedance response of the midrange band.

Going with Scan Speak 10F/4424G, still in pods

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