Think rsconsulting did a full out audio system mod in the Pilot and he said that anc was the trade off for the new sub.

 

I took a look at that thread. A bit beyond my budget me thinks. I also emailed one of the service guys at my local dealer to see if he could find out more information about the amp and the subwoofer, but he wasn't able to. His advice:

"If you were to replace subwoofer with a/m brand you will likely run into issue with ANC unit and system and honestly isn't worth the trouble."

 

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is designed to dramatically reduce low frequency noise in the interior. The system operates whenever the car is running, regardless of whether the audio system is on or off. Subwoofer is low frequency

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

So, is ANC the cause of the subwoofer consternation?

 

I suggest searching the threads in 2nd-gen area of the forum, as VCM and ANC were introduced for 2nd gen and there has been more time to mod those. I have not done anything with this, but there is a feedback system for ANC that involved microphones in the front and rear of the headliner, along with processing at the head unit that produces a low frequency signal that gets output to the speakers. If an aftermarket subwoofer isn't playing nicely with the feedback circuit ( maybe too much amplifier gain, for instance), you could get low frequency hum from the ANC signal. This could be much worse than the engine noise ANC is intended to mitigate, so that's why some guys look into turning off ANC in some way.

 

I suggest searching the threads...<snip>

Thanks. I did look at a couple of threads. It appears that the ANC was "tuned" for the installed speakers. It seems like it's going to be a real PITA changing out speakers and disabling ANC. I've lost that warm fuzzy feeling from when I first ordered the Pilot and I think I just need to walk away now before I end up with buyers remorse.

 

A simple way to think about the ANC: It tries to eliminate any unwanted noise, this includes the added bass from larger/aftermarket subs. It kind of like when you where a kid and your Mom keeps telling you to turn down the music.


Even though a added subs will suffer / not sound as good with the ANC, it can be defeated fairly easy (up-plug the mics)

 

Oh my god people ANC is going to cost you about 7 minutes of your time to grab a small flat bladed screwdriver (the shaft is @3mm thick), a small pair of wire cutters and a regular #2 Phillips screwdriver (the shaft is @5mm thick).

FRONT: Mic is located in the light/home-link/sunglasses console cluster. There are. 4 screws. Two behind the sunglasses, and one under each light cover. I show in one of the pictures where to push the tabs in with the small flat bladed screwdriver.

We are going to snip ONLY the WHITE wire....leave at least 2cm length from connector in case you want to repair in the future.


REAR: Mic is easy to find if you lift the tailgate. Take off the top trim piece that holds the 3rd-row center seatbelt buckle on the ceiling. There are several snap buttonhead fasteners and a screw. After the trim piece is down carefully reemove the 2~3 mushroom head fasteners holding the headliner in place, and gently pull down just enough to reach back and disconnect the slender green connector going into the microphone and leave it dangling. Put the stuff back together.

That is it.

 

ANC exists for a reason. VCM. If you don't expect to be drowning out the VCM drone with bass-heavy music all the time, it might be desirable to explore a more reversible solution.

 

What if you are not looking to spend $$$$ for aftermarket amp, enclosure and sub? What if you just want to give your factory sub a little more power? On another thread:

http://www.piloteers.org/forums/114...4-2016-third-generation-pilot/105361-stock-6-5in-speaker-pics-back-front-3.html

one of the posters added a small alpine 250 mono amp to give the factory sub more power. Would doing this help improve the weak bass? would it wreak havoc if the ANC is still connected? I have a Touring and really like the sound of the stereo and want to keep it as stock as possible but it needs a little more bass. I would love to get away with just spending $100 for a small mono amp and a couple hours of my time to get there. Any/all comments and suggestions would be appreciated, thanks

 

Thanks for the instructions. I had read on someone else forum that it was the RED WIRE to cut? Id like to still be able to use the phone but definitely want to permanently disable the Noise Cancellation.

 

I could not imaging cutting wires in a new car, its beyond my imagination. Wouldn't it be better to trade it in on something better, I could only imagine that this action would reduce the value of your Pilot, or you would have to hide the fact that you altered the circuitry of the car when you trade it in?

 

Simple fix to reattach wire. Since it is hidden in the liner it is not noticable. Value is reduced as soon as you drive off.

 

Late post but FYI, on MDXers, we used the 16 Pilot manual to find the ANC module behind the glove box compartment and removed that to disable the ANC. Just another method. No issues with using the mic after disabling the ANC.

 

When I added a sub, speakers and an amp it made a very loud hum. So, I cut the wires mentioned and it didn't work for me, so I found the little box mentioned and unplugged it. It went away. I didn't notice a real difference in cabin noise, but the stock speakers were terrible and I like my setup much better.

 

Does unplugging the ANC module trigger any codes?

 

Did it on my 2014 and no error codes. But placed it back on do to increase engine whine and reverberation in the rear.

 

So ANC does have a benefit on reducing engine noise. Did unplugging the ANC make any significant difference with stereo sound?

Thanks

 

Sound was slightly clearer at idle. But when driving above 35 mph. I had to raise the volume a little to drown some of the engine and road noise. I guess it all depends on your sensitivity to noise. Do you have a Gen 3 Pilot? If so you should have better noise insulation. I would test to see if it is a non issue for you

 

Hi,
Yes, I have a third generation Pilot. The cabin is really quiet. My wife and I noticed how quiet it was as soon as we took delivery. At the time, I had no idea the Pilot had ANC. I'm pretty sure my wife would miss this feature if I disconnected it. I have big plans for the stereo, so I thought I would ask. It's not bothering me, I just saw the discussion here on the forum so I figured I'd see what people had to say. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. If you had told me that the subwoofer sounds twice as powerful with the ANC disabled, I would probably investigate further, but now, I'm likely to leave the ANC enabled.

Best regards

 

Audiofan, if you go through all of the anc and sub threads, I think that several 3rd gen owners indicated that disabling anc made very little difference in noise.

Putting in your own sub will way more than double the stock sub.