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Omnifi DMP1 in the 2005 Honda Accord

Introduction

I needed an install that looked as good as possible in my brand new car and didn't want to shell out the bucks for a professional install. This install uses an Aux adapter to connect the DMP1 RCA to the radio. Having used FM modulators before, I was bound and determined to not use one here. The sound through the stock radio with the AUX converter is amazingly good - clear highs, great midtones and a sharp bass.

I am not very mechanically inclined and so it took me forever (several hours). I have never done a car audio project before. If I can do it, anyone can. The only thing that I did not do myself was pry the AC unit off the top of the radio. I was in at the dealership shop for something else and they pried it loose for me for free. The dealership has a tool to do it and you run the risk of scratching or denting it if you try to do it yourself with a screwdriver. There are better looking installs but this is good enough for me. The face-plate is accessible while driving and the hard-drive never skips. I also upgraded the hard-drive to 40 Gb.

Please note that my vehicle is the '05 Accord LX with Manual Transmission. I wouldn't know how things would be different for a different trim line, but I suspect not by much.

Locations

The face-plate went in the center underneath the radio, in place of the large pocket on the bottom. The hard-drive is under the passenger seat, and the Wi-fi has not been installed yet.

Others have reported that their trunk-installed hard-drive skips. I believe the trunk to be a bad place for two reasons:

The trunk is the most bumpy location in the vehicle (like sitting behind the rear wheel well in a school bus).
The trunk is not climate controlled like the passenger cabin is, and the hard-drive is temperature sensitive.

Generally, I believe that it is a good idea to mount the hard-drive in a position to the front of the rear wheel well. In addition, contrary to the manual's instruction, survey reports have found the horizontal position best for the hard-drive.

General tips

Be very careful to not scratch or dent the finish of the car. The install takes a while and it is hard to work in the limited space under the radio. Be patient and take your time.
If your radio has a security code, make sure that you have the code available before starting work. My LX did not need a code. If you don't have it, you'll have to contact the dealer.

Needed

Materials

Rockford Fosgate Omnifimedia DMP1 ($99 from Woot)
HON03/PC-SON Audio Auxiliary Converter ($84.99 from My Radio Store - have a no hassle return policy)
Honda accessory to attach tape deck (Part #08B06-SDA-100) ($69 from Honda dealership)
Note: this is the part that I used to get the result that you see in the picture. There are 3rd party products that are cheaper and might work fine for you. Check out your local independent car audio install store (not Bestbuy).
Electric tape
Ties to secure harness and cables

Tools

Voltmeter
Soldering Iron & electrical solder (optional)
Philips screwdriver
Flat screwdriver
Needle-nosed pliers
Combination wrench
14mm Socket
Wire cutter, stripper

Installation

Uninstall the radio

Follow the detailed instructions that come with the Honda part. If you didn't get them with the Honda part, ask for them. Alternatively, buy the $5 instructions from CarStereoRemoval.com Tip: Don't forget to reconnect the harnesses behind the radio, and the antenna before you put it back in.

The steps are below if you don't get either set of instructions, and want to go with mine.

Remove the shift-knob

Unscrew the shift-knob, and using a flat-head screwdriver, gently pry up the trim ring.

Remove the dashboard center holder

First remove the coin pocket by prying it off.

Remove the two screws and gently pull out the dashboard center holder to release the two retaining clips, unplug the power connector, and remove the dashboard center holder.

Remove the pocket

Remove the two screws. Push in on the bottom of the pocket, then pull on the top to release the two retaining clips. Remember, you have to pull from the top.

Remove the plastic inner covers on the right and left that cover the attachment clips.

Remove the top AC unit

This I asked the dealership to do and they did it for free. It can be done yourself if you are very careful and are patient.

Remove the radio

Remove the screws on the top and bottom. Use the needle-nosed pliers to remove the harnesses, pull the radio out, and remove the connectors and antenna.

Run your cables

I ran the hard-drive cable underneath the kickplate and under the carpet in front of the front passenger seat to the hard-drive underneath the seat. This took a while as the carpet is tacky underneath and it takes a while to push the cable through and route it so that it does not get pressed against a corner or an edge.

I did take the seat off to do this, which is why I needed the wrench and socket. Be careful to not disconnect the airbag sensors and other electronics under the seat.

Connect the Auxiliary Converter and DMP1

I connected the DMP1 harness power cables to the cables that went to the radio. I used the voltmeter to determine which cables to plug into. I cut each cable, connected the appropriate DMP1 cable, soldered them together and wrapped them in electric tape. Be careful to not drip solder. I used a newspaper underneath while I did the soldering and used the solder sparingly. Others have recommended using wiretaps that tap into the line so you don't need to cut, and solder it. Apparently, these are available at Radioshack and you need to get the right gauge.

Install the Honda Audio Accessory

The thing to keep in mind here is that if you did not remove the inner plastic covers when removing the pocket (above), you will not see the metal chassis parts to which you'd connect the right and left player sub-brackets.

I connected the DMP1 brackets to small metal extenders so as to have the face-plate extend out. Without the extenders, the DMP1 face-plate bracket was recessed and hard to attach the face-plate.

After I put the face-plate controller into the bracket in the Honda part, there was an unsightly gap around the controller. To fill that gap, I tried to use a face-plate trim that I bought from a car audio store. The trim was a part of an aftermarket face replacement for the Honda, and they fortunately sold me just the trim. The trim was too big, so I have to cut off the bottom edge. I incrementally shaved off the bottom of the side edges to have the trim fit above the small pocket. It took me a couple of tries before everything fit.

Put everything back in

Easiest part. Don't rush it and be careful not to scratch the finish. My problem was that I was tired and kept losing my screws down the center console.

Before	After

Addendum

I tried to use an RCA-splitter, the HON-AUX, which takes two RCA inputs. I connected the DMP1 to the primary input and my hand-held GPS through a headphone to RCA adapter to the second input. The switch interrupts the primary RCA input (DMP1) when it receives a signal on the secondary input (GPS). My idea was that my GPS would interrupt the music when a spoken driving direction came up, and the switch would return to the music. Unfortunately, the sound quality suffered going through the switch. I spoke with the PIE technicians, and even tried a second HON-AUX in case the first one was defective but the result was the same - a distinct drop in the sound quality. I wanted the music to sound crystal clear so I chucked the switch idea. A pity.

Comments/questions - click on the "discussion" tab at the top of this page or e-mail me at autridutta<at>gmail.com

Accord (2005)