[dsly]

I just bought a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L. The stock speakers sound decent except for the subwoofer. I had a car audio shop to add an amp and an external subwoofer. The subwoofer sounded great if not all the doors were closed. The problem was that when all the doors were closed, the subwoofer output a mono-tone at max power, and the whole car was shaking. According to the installation tech, he thought the car radio signal feedbacked to the amp. He fiddled with the wiring for an hour and finally gave up and refunded me the parts and labor.

1. Is there any fix to the 'feedback' problem if I still like to have an amp and external subwoofer?

2. If adding an amp is out of question because of the 'feedback', how do I remove rear side panel (like a pdf file) so that I can either replace a better subwoofer or hook up to an external subwoofer?

3. Any other better options is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Dsly

 

[nicomtl]

Congratulations on your new car!

The 2005-2010 models with active noise cancellation(ANC) had a problem when the audio system was fiddled with in certain ways. I think 2011s have a similar system, so it could be that it was causing that sound.

There is a radio diagnostic mode on the 05-10 models that let's you temporarily disable the ANC to test. Don't know what it is for the 2011...

If you search for ANC noise you will see that some folks found a way to permanently disable the ANC to prevent it, buy again for 05-10 models.

Nicolas

 

[bsmith203]

I Just went through a three week nightmare with the same problem as you. It is indeed the ANC system kicking in with all the doors closed. There is a special plug on the back of the radio that disconnects the ANC system and does not throw any engine codes. Have your installer disassemble your center stack find the plug, unplug it, and you will be back in subwoofer bliss!

 

[pvp]

Just curious, what size of external sub did you add and where did you put it (before it was removed)?

 

[bsmith203]

I Have three infinity reference tens in a custom made box in the cargo area. Its not made to be heard several blocks away however its as loud as ill ever need in my van and adds depth to the overall sound that was definitely was missing before.

 

[nicomtl]

If it can help, here is the 2011 audio system self diagnostic PDF. It shows how to temporarily disable the ANC.

2011 ODYSSEY - Audio System Self-Diagnostic Function

Nicolas

 

[bsmith203]

If it can help, here is the 2011 audio system self diagnostic PDF. It shows how to temporarily disable the ANC.

2011 ODYSSEY - Audio System Self-Diagnostic Function

Nicolas

This will not help with aftermarket equipment. it will still make the loud rumble through the subwoofer even when you disable anc system through the radio. Im no expert in all things but having recently gone through this same problem with my odessey, I know for a fact the only way he will enjoy an aftermarket sub in his ride with all the doors closed is to remove the plug from the back of the radio or take down the headliner and disconnect both anc mics that are hidden up there. I chose the first option and have been enjoying my tunes ever since.

 

[nicomtl]

This will not help with aftermarket equipment. it will still make the loud rumble through the subwoofer even when you disable anc system through the radio.

I was just offering as a way to troubleshoot it...

Nicolas

 

[pvp]

... three infinity reference tens in a custom made box in the cargo area...

Three 10's has to be wicked. I had 2-10's (in a previous sedan) and I could feel them in the front seats.

I was thinking of at least one 10 or 12 in the lazy-susan area (currently empty) or a box with two 10's in the cargo, but I wasn't sure of the sound coming all the way from the cargo end. Thanks for the description.

I'm also considering type-r's or JL C2's for the front doors

 

[dsly]

nicomtl,
I tried the self-diagnostic function (press '1' and '6'....) and turn the ANC 'off'. A low frequency tone emitted from the speakers lasted for around 3minutes and then disappeared. I couldn't tell any difference in engine noise levels when I toggled the ANC between 'off' and 'on' at different RPM's, speeds and with 'ECO' dis/enabled.

bsmith203,
1. Is your Odyssey a 2011 EX-L?
2. Is your stock subwoofer (appeared to be a powered sub-woofer in 2011 Ody) disconnected after you installed the external amp/sub?
3. Do you have more detail about the plug (assuming it is the plug for the ANC) like position, label, shape, size and color?
4. Do you feel any difference in background noise level after removing the plug when the sound system is off?
5. Where is the headliner with the ANC mic? It sound like this is easier to remove than unplugging from the back of the head unit. However, I am not sure if the same mic is also used for conversation thru the bluetooth...
6. Can you still use your voice to activate the bluetooth and do conversation after you unplugged the ANC?
7. Assuming you have the 2011 Ody and haven't change the head unit, are you happy with the stock front/rear speakers? If not, have you changed them?

Thanks,

Dsly
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haven't seen a single 2011 Ody but plenty of 2011 Sienna's in the streets/freeways after driving my new Ody more than 1K miles. Make me wonder if this model is a miss instead of a hit.

 

[bsmith203]

nicomtl,
I tried the self-diagnostic function (press '1' and '6'....) and turn the ANC 'off'. A low frequency tone emitted from the speakers lasted for around 3minutes and then disappeared. I couldn't tell any difference in engine noise levels when I toggled the ANC between 'off' and 'on' at different RPM's, speeds and with 'ECO' dis/enabled.

bsmith203,
1. Is your Odyssey a 2011 EX-L?
2. Is your stock subwoofer (appeared to be a powered sub-woofer in 2011 Ody) disconnected after you installed the external amp/sub?
3. Do you have more detail about the plug (assuming it is the plug for the ANC) like position, label, shape, size and color?
4. Do you feel any difference in background noise level after removing the plug when the sound system is off?
5. Where is the headliner with the ANC mic? It sound like this is easier to remove than unplugging from the back of the head unit. However, I am not sure if the same mic is also used for conversation thru the bluetooth...
6. Can you still use your voice to activate the bluetooth and do conversation after you unplugged the ANC?
7. Assuming you have the 2011 Ody and haven't change the head unit, are you happy with the stock front/rear speakers? If not, have you changed them?

Thanks,

Dsly
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haven't seen a single 2011 Ody but plenty of 2011 Sienna's in the streets/freeways after driving my new Ody more than 1K miles. Make me wonder if this model is a miss instead of a hit.

No its an 05 the first year the ANC system was introduced in the odessey van, however its the same exact source of the humming drone (goggle it) with all honda cars with leather interior: any model higher than LX. i thought the same as you that unplugging the mics in the headliner would be easier than taking apart the dash to get to a plug however without literally taking the whole headliner down you will not be able to find them. I am a DIY and took apart my center stack myself. Now granted I have only seen the 2011 in pictures basically its still the same interior. If above your pull out cup holder is your radio you should be able to access the plug granted you use a mirror to see behind the radio ( you have to remove that pull out cup holder first). My nav and voice controls work fine. Any audio guy should be able to look at the back of the radio and find the plug with five wires going to it. Thats the one that controls the ANC system. All the other plugs have at least ten to sixteen smaller wires on there harnesses. once unplugged it does not throw any codes or cause the check engine light to come on. My dealership was absolutely no help so I wouldnt suggest you go to them because thier response to me was honda specifically designed the audio system that way and it cant be disabled. B*ll S#it! my vehicle is living proof it can be done and Im just sharing my knowledge to help others. By the way with the subs installed the factory speakers sound ten times better to me as the arent trying to produce frequencies they cant play effectively

 

[dsly]

Finally the ANC was sucessfully disabled

I got some useful information from a Honda associate when I brought my car for oil change recently regarding disabling the ANC. The solution depends on the stock radio options.

The radio that comes with the NAV involves disconnecting the ANC unit connector behind the left side of the glove box:
1. Open the glove box
2. Squeeze the left and right sides of the glove box toward each other to disengage the clips so that the glove box can fall down further and expose the cavity behind
3. Pull the lever arm ( behind the left side of the glove box ) down to unlatch the hinge in the back of the glove box. The glove box should fall down even more
4. Look toward the left side of the exposed cavity for a rectangular box positioned below the right side of the stock radio. The box is the ANC unit
5. Remove the screw at the upper center of the box
6. Remove the connector behind the box


The radio without the NAV involves disconnecting 2 ANC microphones (One ahead of the overhead rear light modules and one behind the front overhead console):1. Open the back door
2. Remove the rear overhead light cover
3. Remove the back plastic panels on the roof top to expose the wiring in the gap between the car's metal roof and the soft furnishing
4. Remove the connector connected to the rear ANC microphone located at the center of the roof in front of the rear overhead light
5. Open the sunglass compartment cover to expose the inside compartment
6. Remove the 2 screws at the top of the compartment
7. Remove the 2 covers of the front overhead lights (need to use small flat head screwdriver to work around the edges of the shorter ends of the covers. Be careful of not breaking any clips on the cover)
8. Remove the screw on the top of each overhead light compartment
9. Remove the whole overhead console carefully
10. Remove the tape that wrap around the cables to the 7 wire connector located at the left center edge at the back of the console
11. Cut the red wire, the one at the center (pin 4 from either side) of the connector. This is the wire from the microphone to the ANC unit
12. Put some electrical tapes at both ends of the cut wire for protection

Note: There are 2 microphones inside the microphone unit in the console, both microphones are used for ANC and Bluetooth. Disconnecting the 7 wire connector will also disable the microphone for the Bluetooth. Cutting the red wire will allow you to still enjoy the Bluetooth without the annoying ANC rumbling.

My car doesn't have NAV, so I did the more complicated way. There may be a way to disconnect the connector going to the ANC unit at the back of the radio. I don't have any information regarding that approach for 2011 Ody. I tried to remove the cup holder as bsmith203 suggested without success.

I can enjoy a fuller bass response from aftermarket amp and subwoofer now. The input to the aftermarket amp comes from the stock radio subwoofer output. One thing I notice is that the subwoofer settings on the stock radio must be set to lowest or 2nd to lowest volume; otherwise, the bass would sound very boomy and irritating. I am not sure if this is due to my amp (Rockford Fosgate Punch 200-2 installed underneath the front passenger seat) quality or the distortions of the bass from the stock amp and the aftermarket amp. The front stock speakers and tweeters actually sound pretty adequate for me at this moment. I would like to know if any 2011 EX-L owner had changed the speakers with better sound quality.

Honda engineer should come out an easier way to disable ANC :nothappy:

 

[richysh]

i think honda engineers should have came out with better speakers instead.

we are talking about 30-45 thousand dollar cars here and they shouldve done better

than this imo. For example, we have an elite, and i was very excited about the 600w

sound system with a sub in the trunk. Well at first, i thought it was great because it

sounded better than our old 05 we traded in. But now im thinking like our 07 cr-v was

more than 10 thousand dollars cheaper than our elite but still gives out better output,

even though the power output rating is far behind from the odyssey. Even freaking

mitsubishis have optional subwoofer thats ten times better than our odys subwoofer!!

BTW, no offense to any mitsubishi owners

 

[ChaseMe]

Thought only the Touring had ANC for the 2011's?

 

[Leopold]

Thought only the Touring had ANC for the 2011's?

all 2011-up Odyssey trim levels now have Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM[SUP]®[/SUP])

ANC (automatic noise cancellation) is packaged aa part of the over-all VCM management system, where 2 or 3 cyclinder's are shut off at times to improve fuel economy. Apparently there is a slight rumble that is produced from this function which Honda felt some compelling need to cancel out. It's probably barely noticeable if not cancelled but cancelling /reducing it helps achieve some lower cabin decible noise level as measured in tests which looks better on paper. It may also help buyers feel like the stock sound systems are worthy.

 

[EmbraceTheOdy]

bsmith203 - thank you for your "find the plug with five wires going to it" description! You made my ANC disconnect on my 2010 Touring easy!

 

[bsmith203]

No problem. Glad you found the info useful and can now enjoy your aftermarket sub.

 

[hobby10k]

where do you get your feed for the aftermarket amp from? is there RCA jacks on the factory radio? I have NAV if that makes a difference. I want to keep the factory radio. I want to disable the factory sub amp, add my aftermarket amp and then hook it to my aftermarket sub I'm going to put in the factory sub box. I just need to figure out where to hook up my aftermarket amp.

 

[ARM]

Custom Audio Installation in 2010 Honda Odyssey Touring

www.odyclub.com