Happs

I am a neophyte when it comes to car stereos and
would like some assistance on my options for adding CD
playing capabilities to a 1992 Honda Accord EX. I have the
stock am/fm cassette tape player and ideally, I'd like to
leave this in place since I have a bunch of tapes, and add a
CD changer housed in the trunk to the factory radio. Is this
possible? If it is, will I have to change the factory speakers
too? If I don't change the speakers, how much better will a
CD sound than a tape? If I can't add a CD changer, is it possible
to add a CD player in the void space below the factory stereo? Was that
void space meant for a CD player that was an option that year?

SumAccordGuy94

I believe a 92 EX cassette deck was capable of controlling a changer... do you have a picture of the stock deck? That way I can tell if it is capable. Your best bet if it is changer capable, is to get an alpine M-Bus changer and an alpine to honda adapter cable... that will just plug into the rear of your honda radio and the changer controls will be operated through the buttons on the stock deck. Does your honda cassette deck say "CD" on it anywhere, like on or above a button? That would indicate it is changer capable.

you will not have to replace your speakers, only if you want better overall sound from all your sources. There will be a noticable difference in sound quality from cassette to CD.

There is also a single CD player that will fit in the lower portion of the dash opening... crutchfield sells them, for around $200... or you can find the Honda OEM units on ebay for a lot cheaper... this is also assuming your cassette deck is changer capable. If it is not, you can upgrade to a 94-97 accord OEM cassette deck, it will mount and fit just like your oem unit, and is changer capable. They can be found for pretty cheap... I'll sell you one for $20, they can also be found on ebay. They will also just plug into your factory wirring harness in the dash... so there is NO compatibility issues.

Happs

SumAccordguy94,
Thanks for your informative reply. My factory stereo does not have any label for CD and it looks identical to the one in the following picture:

http://carconnections10.com/ebay/92ha/a028.JPG

SumAccordGuy94

the 94-97 EX radio looks exactly like that, only the "AM" button is also labeled "CD" for a changer or in dash player. If you want to maintain a factory look and functionality, i'd say to go with one of those decks and an add-on changer in the trunk. The cassette deck will look exactly the same and the changer will be out of view, so there will be no real temptation for theifs, if you're concerned about that.

Any Alpine changer with a "M" in the model number (CHM-XXXX) will work with a honda radio, with the use of a readily available Honda to Alpine adapter... then everything just plugs in and is ready to go. The adapters run anywhere from $5 to $60... any generic one is fine, as it just alters the configuration of the wirring to the pins in the plug. This adapter can also be made if you have some electronics and soldering ability.

This would be ideal for you if you have no real car stereo knowledge, as everything would just plug in. The stock radio is pretty easy to remove. If you want better sound quality, you can always upgrade the low quality stock speakers with something better, powered by the OEM headunit.

SumAccordGuy94

In this eBay auction, you'll see on the back of the radio, the changer plug... its the DIN style plug on the right hand side of the speaker/power connector in the middle.

Search on eBay, if you want, for "Alpine CHM" and you'll find something that'll work well... sometimes you'll find them with the honda adapter included, as it is a popular choice.

r2k2d2

go to crutchfield.com and check out one of their add on CD players. the 92 is a double din size (i think, either double or one and a half). if it is double, u can add on a sony cd player from crutchfield to ur stock casette player. if not, u can always get a CD changer and run an FM modulator and use a cd changer that way.

r2k2d2

here is the link to it:

Single Disk CD-Player (No Tuner) 94-98 honda w. stock deck

r2k2d2

Universal Add on CD Player

neither this nor the other one in my last post have tuners. thus just for CD playing .