'94 Civic CX rear speakers?

A friend needs a little help. She went into Best Buy to get some speakers for her 1994 Honda Civic CX hatchback and they told her that they couldn't install rear speakers in that car, and that she'd have to go to the Honda dealer.

I find this a little difficult to believe. Although her car was not originally outfitted with speakers, there are panels in the rear that look like pop-outs where some 6x9" or so speakers should mount.

Is there anything unusual about the '94 CX's rear speakers, or are the people at Best Buy totally incompetent? Has anyone here fitted new speakers into a CX? What size/depth would work?

Thanks for any and all help! :cool:

With a lot of civics (I don't know if this applies to the car you're talking about, specifically) I've heard complaints that replacing the rear deck speakers actually entails removing the entire rear interior, including the seats. I assume your CX is not a DX typo, and thus you have a hatchback. If you have interior pods that need pulled out before the speakers will go in, the Best Buy installers might be reluctant to pull at them, for whatever reason. Also, since your car didn't come with them from the factory, the wiring may not be in place. You could try removing the pods yourself and seeing if the wiring exists. If it does, just tell the installers that you had speakers in there before, but they cracked or something. They might be giving a knee-jerk response based on the non-hatch models installation process.

Hope that helps a little bit, and good luck!

Thanks CivicRacer. Yes, it is a CX hatchback. It didn't come with factory speakers, so I don't think there's any wiring - but I'll try to check it anyway.

I didn't know about other Civic rear-decks being such a pain in the a$$ - but that may well explain Best Buy's refusal!

Anyone with a CX around here?
:smoker2:

Originally posted by fritz_269
Thanks CivicRacer. Yes, it is a CX hatchback. It didn't come with factory speakers, so I don't think there's any wiring - but I'll try to check it anyway.

I didn't know about other Civic rear-decks being such a pain in the a$$ - but that may well explain Best Buy's refusal!

Anyone with a CX around here?
:smoker2:

No wiring? Yes they put the wiring in... when I had my 91 escort (ok stop laughing now) it was all wired up for power door locks and power windows... its just not connected, that way they can pick which cars get the badge and which dont ~ so the wiring should be there. But yes, it is a pain in the butt to do ~ but it isnt impossible. Not even close... so if she wants some speaks, take it to a REAL place not god damn best buy :) :devil:

The rear of a 5th gen hatch was never designed to have speakers. That's why there are no wires. Where are these pop outs that you talk about? The only pop outs that COULD be replaced with speaker holder are in the sides of the back seats where the armrest's are. And yeah, ony honda made those OE. You could custom but Best Buy wouldn't touch it.

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
The only pop outs that COULD be replaced with speaker holder are in the sides of the back seats where the armrest's are.
Exactly!!!!

Do you have any idea what size speaker might fit in there? Ever seen anyone do it? I'm still a little confused - you say "The rear of a 5th gen hatch was never designed to have speakers" and then "only honda made those OE". Did any CX come with rear speakers? If I looked hard enough at junkyards could I come up with a mounting panel?

I've got no problem running the wires myself, I'm sure I can figure that out. But I'm much more worried about the mounting issue.

Thanks for the help! :)

And sparq - just because Ford wastes all that money putting in wiring harneses that are never used certainly does not mean that Honda does too!
:smoker2:

Well I think you could split up an interior into three sections, front, middle and rear :) The front I would consider from the front seats foward. The middle is the rear seat area and the rear is behind the rear seats. So they were never designed to have speakers in the rear (Although I'm pretty sure they made a kit a while ago to fit 6X9's where the hatch cover would go like in the 6th gens but not anymore) But Honda defenitly did make replacement pods fr the back seats with a little vent in it and behind the pods you could mount a 5 1/4 I believe. They cost about $50 and could be still be purchased at online OEM honda parts stores. I've seen them and not only do they look stock but real cool if you know how rare they are. I myself took the stock pods and cut a hole in them, then fashioned a fiberglass and bondo "holder" so they point up a little then I painted it over. Looks real cool :)

Did any Cx come with mid speakers? No.
No model came with these things standard. They were optional equipment like the double din space that replaces the cup holders and OE foglights. So as you may know, finding optional equipment of ANY car at a junkyard is extremely rare because not many ppl ordered them in thier cars in the first place and second, they're highly sought after by aftermarket enthusiasts.

But yeah either way, the wires would have to be run by the installer, not too difficult.

yep...rear speakers were only an option on the 5th gen hatchies...the guy before me had some wires and shit in there, but I could tell they were not stock...anyways..I ripped the entire stereo out along with the rear panels, seats, tire, jack, console, door panels, headliner, shift boot, carpet, etc

all that stuff does is add weight and take away sound:D

Hehe...I did that a few months ago and everytime I showed it to someone they'd be like :eek: Someone stole your interior!!!

Here's what I can tell you about from the stand point of a '95 DX coupe. The coupe uses "6½ all around, front and rear, the 5th gen DX's, came with NO radio (it was an option, 6th gens come with a standard AM/FM radio) but they were pre-wired for speakers. All we had to get was an antenna unit for the radio, and that was it. Oh yeah, also had to cut out holes in the rear shelf deck for the speaker grills, and for the sound to go through. So I don't see why her hatch wouldn't be pre-wired for speakers as well. :confused:

Ok, my Crutchfield catalog (providing they are correct) lists the speakers being in the "rear seat side panel" and should be a "5¼ size unit. Well they list the size for the 5th gen coupes being 5¼ as well, but we put "6½'s int my sis's car. :) Hope that helps you out, if not, just walk on over to Pasadena Honda on saturday, and ask them what's up with it. ;)

Originally posted by SilverY2KCivic
Here's what I can tell you about from the stand point of a '95 DX coupe. The coupe uses "6½ all around, front and rear, the 5th gen DX's, came with NO radio (it was an option, 6th gens come with a standard AM/FM radio) but they were pre-wired for speakers. All we had to get was an antenna unit for the radio, and that was it. Oh yeah, also had to cut out holes in the rear shelf deck for the speaker grills, and for the sound to go through. So I don't see why her hatch wouldn't be pre-wired for speakers as well. :confused:

Ok, my Crutchfield catalog (providing they are correct) lists the speakers being in the "rear seat side panel" and should be a "5¼ size unit. Well they list the size for the 5th gen coupes being 5¼ as well, but we put "6½'s int my sis's car. :) Hope that helps you out, if not, just walk on over to Pasadena Honda on saturday, and ask them what's up with it. ;)

yep, coupes are different...the eg hatchbacks had everything as an option basically....from ac to stereo...they didn't have power windows or any of those goodies

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
But Honda defenitly did make replacement pods fr the back seats with a little vent in it and behind the pods you could mount a 5 1/4 I believe. They cost about $50 and could be still be purchased at online OEM honda parts stores. YESSSS!!!! That would be precisely what I'm looking for. Thanks!!!!
:D Sounds pretty trick too!

I even found a picture of it at Majestic Honda:
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Civic&catcgry2=1994&catcgry3=3DR+CX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=SIDE+LINING
But it doesn't look like they have any in stock. Anyone have any idea where I can get a set (speaker holders + vented lids) either new or used?

Custom is always an option too, but since it isn't my car, I'm a little more hesitant about ripping up her interior - wiring's no big deal, but fiberglass is.

Thanks very much for the help everyone! Any more advice or experience is still appreciated though.
:smoker2:

You must've answered more than 10 questions I've had fully and with sites with additional info, this is the least I can do. I don't know exactly where to get it but I saw it like a month or two or ago when someone had posted that they bought it. I'll search for a bit and throw any links I find.

And that's the beauty of this part, it's not ripping out the whole interior. It's simply putting the back seat down and popping out this panel and doing whatever you need to do to it. Then run some wires and pop it back in. And you could probably make the whole thing out of bondo if glassing is a problem but it won't be as tough.

No Luck, all I can do I guess is be on the lookout whenever I see something. They're extremely rare but I've seen them.

ah....JDM units are great...I'll see if I can find you a picture...Gathers, JDM Honda audio stuff makes a piece that goes in where the USDM speakers would go...I think it adds 4 5.25" speakers, 2 on each side...not to mention it's JDM and it looks great:D

here's those pictures...stolen from ff-squad.com

http://tiiite.b16a.com/special/EG5+DB8/images/EG5_gathersspeakers_1.jpg

Originally posted by madtownhonda
here's those pictures...stolen from ff-squad.com


That looks like crap IMO...

Hey, that's pretty cool but... Why would you want 4 speakers in the back is beyond me. Maybe a pair of subs and a pair of coaxials...

It looks nice but you need to stuff some non-oem polks behind there :)

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
It looks nice but you need to stuff some non-oem polks behind there :)

Polk, oh man screw you... let me hook you up with some Rainbows :D

What's the big deal with Gathers'? :confused:

Originally posted by sparq
Polk, oh man screw you... let me hook you up with some Rainbows :D

Rainbows? Yu one of dem, gay fellows? :finger:

Originally posted by xivera
What's the big deal with Gathers'? :confused:

Three words: Jay Dee and Emm :cool:

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
Rainbows? Yu one of dem, gay fellows?
Rainbows are like... competition SQ speakers. ;)
Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
Three words: Jay Dee and Emm
Ok... So, they're only available in the JDM. AND!?
Do they share the same quality as aftermarket brands? Or, are they like Bose audio systems? :rolleyes:

Originally posted by xivera

Rainbows are like... competition SQ speakers. ;)

Who manufactuers them? I don't compete, so sue me :)

Originally posted by xivera
Ok... So, they're only available in the JDM. AND!?
Do they share the same quality as aftermarket brands? Or, are they like Bose audio systems? :rolleyes:

Gathers is the company that honda hires to take care of honda audio systems. I believe in the US, Alpine takes care of them. So getting gathers systems is like having Vision corners.

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
Who manufactuers them? I don't compete, so sue me :)
www.arcaudio.com
Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
Gathers is the company that honda hires to take care of honda audio systems. I believe in the US, Alpine takes care of them. So getting gathers systems is like having Vision corners.
Oh, I see... it's strictly a JDM thing then...
I get it.

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer


Who manufactuers them? I don't compete, so sue me :)



Gathers is the company that honda hires to take care of honda audio systems. I believe in the US, Alpine takes care of them. So getting gathers systems is like having Vision corners.

visions are cool:lol2:

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/007/mk/1g/35/ip68902.jpg

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer

Gathers is the company that honda hires to take care of honda audio systems. I believe in the US, Alpine takes care of them. So getting gathers systems is like having Vision corners.

Sort of, Alpine AND Pioneer. ;) All the OEM headunits on Hondas are Alpine, while the speakers (at least the ones in my '00Civic DX coupe) are Pioneer at all corners. They aren't too bad speakers either, for OEM standards of course, they can hit with hard bass, and sound pretty decent. ;)

Originally posted by madtownhonda
visions are cool:lol2:

Dude, you keep giving subtle hints about this JDM thing you're doing. pictures, pictures :)

Originally posted by SilverY2KCivic
Sort of, Alpine AND Pioneer. ;) All the OEM headunits on Hondas are Alpine, while the speakers (at least the ones in my '00Civic DX coupe) are Pioneer at all corners. They aren't too bad speakers either, for OEM standards of course, they can hit with hard bass, and sound pretty decent. ;)

Well I had 2 way alpines stock on my 95 Dx so :p

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer


Dude, you keep giving subtle hints about this JDM thing you're doing. pictures, pictures :)



I got some real good JDM goodies already, but more are coming...pictures will be up after winter...maybe a progress of how the hatch is coming along every now and then...until then, it's a secret...but I will tell you this car will be built to handle and Autocross and it will be a hellish sleeper...CX badge is still in tact:lol2:

Originally posted by SilverY2KCivic


Sort of, Alpine AND Pioneer. ;) All the OEM headunits on Hondas are Alpine, while the speakers (at least the ones in my '00Civic DX coupe) are Pioneer at all corners. They aren't too bad speakers either, for OEM standards of course, they can hit with hard bass, and sound pretty decent. ;)


Are you joking? The stock speakers in the Civics are absolutely terrible. You can't even hear the stereo if you're driving over 45 and have windows down. Running the stock head unit, one of the tweeters in my Civic already blew, and you must be punching yourself in the head when you hear the 6-string because the stockers deliver about as much bass as a castrated choir boy. No offense, and if you enjoy your Civic's stereo then I'm happy for you, but my grandma's 92 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme stock laughs at my Civic so loud you can't even hear the muffled buzz of fake bass from the 20w rears, or the crackle and chirp of the blown tweeter. My new speakers are on the way via UPS, thank god. :)

just so you know....the SI came STOCK with rear speaker panels...and the wiring is already there in every hatch....look for a junked SI and they have them stock

Well, I purchased mine from a woman that bought it new and it HAS rear panel with speakers. What more! It's a CX !?!??! Stock .. it fits 5 1/4" but you can custom fit 6 1/2. I did it but it wasnt sounding too good because the hole in the panel is the same dimension as a 5 1/4".
I'll take pics and post it if you want!

LOK out.

P.S. I'm so proud to have something RARE and unique AND OEM at that!! :P Well ... I have my tail lights too but I don't want to ruin it's rarity by posting it here with millions ...... millions of fans! Oops .. sorry .. just watch The Rock today in The Mummy Returns :P

that lady prolly was some stupid lady and they talked her into the "full 4 speaker premium sound" as an option, cuz almost every CX out there doesnt have those panels, and no cx would come with them stock.

wanna know whats cool about the SI hatch, that most probably dont know....this is some of the stuff they come with stock...

a trunk light, yes, trunk light, better quality seats, map pockets in the doors, brighter dome light, foot rest pedal, a little flap between the sunvisors for that annoying spot of sun that always gets you right above the mirror, 4 speakers, painted mirrors and handles (only the 92 had just painted handles) 4 wheel disc brakes, tach...cruise, power steering, see, this is why i dont buy a DX and add all this crap, it would take a ton of money just to get a DX or CX to look like a stock SI, and even then, i would still be just a DX or CX or VX

eh...they were only an option on all hatchbacks....I have seen DX's with rear speakers, I have seen Si's without rear speakers

Hey, I have a cx that didn't come with rear speakers or even a rear shelf. I went to the Honda dealership and purchased a rear shelf. The shelf has an indentation molded in it. I wondered if I could put 6x9's in it so I tried... and it works! The thing is, the space molded in the shelf will accept the 6x9 speakers only... meaning that the grill pieces won't fit if you want the speaker to stay flush on the shelf. I bought Memphis Audio 6x9's and they rested in cardboard cut-outs in the box. The cut-outs were the perfect size for the 6x9's to fit in so I used the cut-out as a stencil. I took a sharp screwdriver and traced along the inside of the oval shaped "stencil" roughing up the fabric as I went along so that it would be visible when the cut-out was removed. I did this to both sides for the 2 speakers and used the electric jig saw to cut the ovals out. I then placed the speakers in the holes as I wanted them to sit, screwed the screws in, then used the supplied nuts/clamps to hold the speaker in place. The look isn't the prettiest thing from the bottom, but it works. You will have screws sticking out through the bottom and wires hanging down... not to mention the entire bottom end of the speaker sticking out of the bottom of the shelf, but it works.... so do it! Haha! :D

I just went outside to take some pics for you and I will attach them here and in the following posts. Hope this helps you out! I appologize for the blurriness, my camera isn't the best quality and it's cold outside... so I was probably shaking... haha.

This is a pic of the left speaker in the shelf... sorry for the bluriness, but the point is... it fits!

This picture shows you the mess you'll get underneath the shelf. As you can see, the sharp screws are exposed as well as the wires and under part of the speaker. With my additional sub box, you can see there's not much clearance.

This is the last (and very blurry) pic. It shows the entire setup top and bottom in my car. Remember though... when the lower tailgate is put up, nobody can see under the shelf and it will look just fine (refer to first pic).

Note: When wiring up the speakers, you may want to allow enough wires so that the shelf can be removed and placed outside of the vehicle on the ground w/out ever disconnecting the speakers. I find this a lot easier than disconnecting the wires and reconnecting them allt he time.

hmmmmmm.........my cx had stock rear speakers, stock wiring going back to the speaker mounts. thats kinda weird...tho i do remember my friend Drewcipher sayin he didnt have rears, so he put some 6x9s in a couple boxes in the back.....his is a DX, mine a CX (tho my CX has some DX trim features, which is kinda weird)

Originally posted by fritz_269
Thanks CivicRacer. Yes, it is a CX hatchback. It didn't come with factory speakers, so I don't think there's any wiring - but I'll try to check it anyway.

I didn't know about other Civic rear-decks being such a pain in the a$$ - but that may well explain Best Buy's refusal!

Anyone with a CX around here?
:smoker2:

Hello,

I have a 95 VX hatchback and I am looking to install rear speakers.

Checking out the radio connector on the harness, it looks as if there are wires for the rear speakers wired up to the connector pins. I don't recall the colors right now, but the wires to the front doors work fine.

If the wires attached to the left/right +/- rear pins are not run to the rear sides (I have not pulled the side liners yet) then where would they typically end?

Regards,
Jochen

They have the spot in the harness to upgrade to rear speakers in the future, but they don't actually have the wires heading out from the head unit to the back. It would be a waste of money for honda as they would never be used.

hmmmmmm.........my CX came with rear speakers, factory wiring, and speaker bezel.....

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
The rear of a 5th gen hatch was never designed to have speakers. That's why there are no wires. Where are these pop outs that you talk about? The only pop outs that COULD be replaced with speaker holder are in the sides of the back seats where the armrest's are. And yeah, ony honda made those OE. You could custom but Best Buy wouldn't touch it.

i know this is an old topic but its something i can actually respond too. I got my system preatty much custom done completly. I got alpines in the front with tweters, then i got 6X9's put in by the armrests near the door, i had a rockford 800 x 4 amp and a 800 x 2 watt amp installed behind the seat where it folds down. Then i had the shop i went to make a "hidden" box, meaning they sunk my subs into where my spair tire usually is, and built a box around that. then they installed covers so it looks like a regualr trunk except for the fact that when you open my trunk all you see is a cd change sunk into the take off panels. its hard to explain but if you really want me to show you i can take a picture, all that custom work cost me about 500 just for laber for a full system install which isnt bad and it looks nice, and thiefs wont be able to see your subs since they are completly hidden.. if you want ill take some pictures to show you want i mean

Originally posted by dreemkill
hmmmmmm.........my CX came with rear speakers, factory wiring, and speaker bezel.....



factory option is different from factory standard. what you got you paid for.

Originally posted by OGRED
if you want ill take some pictures to show you want i mean

Go for it, I'd like to see some pics.

Hi, I have a 92 Civic Hatchback and I did find factory wires taped to the bottem of the well behind the pop out pods. I have the VX so it came with nothing!! A tape player and 2 speakers in the front doors is all. SO if mine had wireing -they all have the wireing. I too seek the speaker pods, but for now I have cut into my pods and put in component speakers (sparate tweeter and sub). And like I said the wireing was already there just reach in and give it feel- it's your car man if anyone should its you. ;) Good luck dude.

i have a 93 civic cx hatch....... i have speakers in the back of my hatch u cut a hole in the panel where the arm rest is for a 51/4 speaker the wire is already there from honda it took like 10 min at the most........ u just have to look really hard but it is there .if u have an aftermarket radio look at the wire harness u can see where the rear speaker wire is........ good luck

For those of your without speakers in the rear of ur Hatch, this is what you need. Not my auction, but if you didnt know, now your know

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1809404660

Originally posted by shawoo2
For those of your without speakers in the rear of ur Hatch, this is what you need. Not my auction, but if you didnt know, now your know

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1809404660 $152???? OMG :eek:

I didnt know you guys wanted that stuff so bad -- ill be making kits outta fiberglass once I get back to NY and they sure as hell wont be costing $152.50... eek!

I know that this is an old topic, but my 92 SI did not have the rear speaker panels although you can get some Majestic Honda. I found them using Google.com and searched. They are the side panels with the one speaker in each side. And they are very reasonably priced. Once I get my pics I will post them.

Damn, wish I wold've saw this thread when it was new. I can guarantee www.ahmotor.com will have them cheaper.

I've got 'em and love them. They fit 6" speakers.

http://helios.acomp.usf.edu/~reade/angelo/sidepanel1.JPG
http://helios.acomp.usf.edu/~reade/angelo/sidepanel2.JPG

Hey Fritz, where in SOcal are you at?

Hey, how did u get those speakers to fit with the black plastic "cup like" things that keep the speakers from ratteling? My hatchback had speakers when i bought it, but i bought new speakers and i drilled 4 holes in the metal for the 4 screws, all good there, but then theplastic part that goes around the speaker stuck out too far.not the actual gray cover). How did yours fit? Please let me know. Thanks!

Not sure, mine fit perfectly. Are they 6" or 6.5"?

Thank you CXHatchback for posting the link for ahmotor.com. I have been looking for a rear speaker install kit off and on for a year now with no luck. Thank you!:)

An audio shop where I live told me they'd sell me the 5 1/4" Clarion speakers, cut a custom hole and mount the speakers, run the wiring, and then cover it with black mesh that you see on house speakers. I thought this would look good since I cannot find the grill inserts and do not want to pay an arm and a leg for it. Anyway, all this will cost me $125. Not bad at all!

Originally posted by nemesls_2000
An audio shop where I live told me they'd sell me the 5 1/4" Clarion speakers, cut a custom hole and mount the speakers, run the wiring, and then cover it with black mesh that you see on house speakers. I thought this would look good since I cannot find the grill inserts and do not want to pay an arm and a leg for it. Anyway, all this will cost me $125. Not bad at all!
Sounds like a damn good price to me especially since it includes speakers. I am almost afraid to ask my fav. local stereo shop how much it will cost to do the same thing for me. I have a feeling with this place I won't get out of there without spending at least 150$ without speakers! :(

haha diggin up old posts again but my 93 civic HB doesnt have rear speakers, and i cant find the wires that should? be there. if they are supposed to be there, were exactly should i look or 'feel' for them??

thanks guys, u've already helped sooo much.