FAQ: Speaker/Sub/Amp Upgrades with Factory Head Unit

Well I don't think humans can hear sounds past 20khz anyway. But hey, your dog will appreciate it!

NO 4 EVR wrote:

Well I don't think humans can hear sounds past 20khz anyway. But hey, your dog will appreciate it!

true, that was kind of just the first example i thought of, not necessarily the best

Lol, I know, I'm just joshin ya.

Yes, you can connect an amp to your head unit. The amp must be able to take speaker level inputs. My first audio upgrade used a 40 watts x 4ch amp and 10" sub with upgraded door speakers. I had the head unit amp power the rear speakers. the amp had a channel for each door speaker and the other two channels were bridged to power the sub. A Pac adapter was used to get a signal off the sub. It was definitely an improvement. The advantage was that I kept the steering wheel controls and stock appearance.

I'm happy with the factory system, but want more, but dont want to lose the factory look, or hack a door panel or two to get everything to fit.

I'd bet a complete system overhaul would be an easy way to drop 3K in a hurry.

More things to consider.
Thanks

One of the first things I did to my Riv was upgrade the stereo system. I'm very picky with how my music sounds; I'm not so much a bass head, but a listener of music. Sound quality was my goal. What I wanted was to have a decent volume level, and for the response to be flat (even) over the entire range.

To start with, I liked the stock head. It looks good in the car, it uses the steering controls, and it plays CDs. Good enough for me. Also, I like the volume knob... better than those stupid up/down buttons. But how did it sound? Not good in stock form, that's for sure. The CSII system had limited quality, and didn't get very loud. And forget about bass... non-existent.

Step one was to listen to the stock head on my Sony MDR-V500 headphones. I just wired an adapter up the the door speakers and drove them directly. Not that bad! I was surprised at the clarity and bass I heard. So I knew the speakers had to be the problem, and looking at them was easy to see why. Cheap, paper, low power... good for listening to AM talk radio, not much else.

Later I learned that our OEM head is the same one used in many other GM vehicles, including the higher-end Monsoon system available in the Regal and GTP. The Monsoon set-up uses an external amp and better speakers (including subs) to get much better sound. I decided I could do the same thing, building my own system off the stock head. To see how I did it, check my Cardomain page: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/657082/7

For under a grand invested, I am now very happy with the system. With a little EQ, I like the sound of the stock head so much, I actually bought an OEM replacement when my first one died. Not a huge amount of bass from an 8" sub, but enough to jam while driving the freeway with all windows open. That's all I wanted, really. If I had wanted more, I could've used a bigger amp/subs. Good luck with your new system!

I can assure you that unless theres different equipment in different years, our factory amps are not remote, built into the stock deck. That's why it's got the heat sink on the side of it. That's the difference in the monsoon system you can't see. It is a much more interesting job putting in after market equipment when you have factory remote amps. And even if the rivs came with monsoon, i'd still change it. Typically, the reason why they use remote amps for OEM applications is because they have systems that are more complicated than the simple 4 channel and they need some extra power and can't risk your dash catching on fire from the heat if you blast it for a while.

Good point.

So, where does one wire in an external amp? I think that would help me with my problem - the stereo just doesn't get loud enough for me. By time I get the volume up, it is starting to lose bass or distort that part of the audio spectrum.

allfalldown wrote:

So, where does one wire in an external amp? I think that would help me with my problem - the stereo just doesn't get loud enough for me. By time I get the volume up, it is starting to lose bass or distort that part of the audio spectrum.

to wire an external amp to the factory deck, you will be using the "high level inputs" on the amp. (get a 4 channel amp that has that or buy a converter separately.) So you need to run the wires that go to your speakers to the amp instead then run the amp wires to the speakers. It seems kind of weird to do but thats the only practical way to preserve the OEM deck in this case. Then of course make sure to adjust the amp gains so that you get it as loud as you want before you turn the volume too far up on the deck and get the same THD problem. I'm not aware of any suitable place for an amp other than the trunk on this car, especially a average size decent 4 channel. If you get the amp, you definitely want new speakers though. the higher output of the after market amp will basically max out the OEM speakers as soon as you leave the ranges of the OEM deck so if you dont replace the speakers, you can expect to blow the old speakers. thats not to say you need the most expensive speakers on the market but keep in mind, OEM speakers usually operate at less than 10 watts while you'll notice that the aftermarket are considerably higher.

If u put in aftermarket speakers they are 4 ohm, factory are 10 ohm, so u have250% more power through the A M speakers!

comanche221 wrote:

If u put in aftermarket speakers they are 4 ohm, factory are 10 ohm, so u have250% more power through the A M speakers!

yes and no. when you bring the 10 ohm native amp down to 4 ohms, you get more current out of it, but with that you get more THD and the danger of amp failure. people do it all the time not knowing and usually it doesn't break so i'd say thats probably ok. the other thing is that that type of amp is very inefficient outside of the operating range of 9-12 ohms and will put out only very slightly more power and that small increase in power is the only reason why the after market speakers being used are even as loud as the OEM speakers. otherwise the more power efficient OEM speakers would actually be louder. (thats also why the original speakers are very easy to blow using an any after market amp - the amp wants to feed way more power than those speakers can use)

Only the rear 6X9"s work at 10 ohms. The fronts are rated 4 ohms, so you won't get any more output with aftermarket speakers unless they are very sensitive (have a high SPL/1M/1W). Unfortunately, most speakers are less sensitive than our stock drivers.

If you want to get loud, get an amp(s). If your amp doesn't have high-level inputs, a high-to-low level converter can be used. They don't cost that much.

Aaron, I never bother to check this since I pulled the unit out but what is the combined resistance of the two front speakers? I saw the tweeter was 4ohm and I never had the original 5.1/4 to check.

It's still 4 ohms because the mid and tweeter play different musical bands.

When you wire two identical drivers (4 ohms ea) in parallel, you'll see 2 ohms, but since the tweeter is crossed over with a cap, it plays only the highs. The mids naturally play only the midrange sounds, so the impedance should be fairly consistent across the frequency range with both speakers wired together.

Keep in mind you can't measure DC resistance (ohms) with a meter to get true speaker impedance. Since audio signal is AC, speakers are rated in nominal impedance. The typical 4 ohm speaker actually measures about 3 ohms DC.

The 6x9"s on the other hand, are 1-way drivers rated at 10 ohms each. I believe is to reduce output from the rear channels, as most systems tend to sound better set-up that way.

OK - so I replaced my front speakers with a set of two-way coaxial units.

Am I missing any freq range on these because of any stock cross over to the old ones?

Such as the highs missing because I used the mid's wiring for my new speakers?

No, you're okay. The "crossover" is just that little cap inline with the tweeter. As long as you tap in at the midrange, you're fine.

AA wrote:

The 6x9"s on the other hand, are 1-way drivers rated at 10 ohms each. I believe is to reduce output from the rear channels, as most systems tend to sound better set-up that way.

You are right on that the reason they are is to stage the sound since the 6x9's can handle alot more power. The stocks are ohmed up to keep an equal sound.

Agreed. My system sounds best with the 6x9"s turned all the way down. I only fade to the rears when people are in the back seat. Most people won't do this, but when they hear mine they wonder how it sounds good. The secret is a combo of good quality front speakers, decent/clean power, proper EQ/crossover, tweeter angle, and a properly tuned sub. If you get it right, there's no need for rears at all.

I wouldnt say you dont need rears you still need it for stagging if you have dirrectonal 6x9 with the tweeter that moves try angleing each at the other a pilla i dont fade my 6x9s. On my aftermarket deck they still dont over power it with the great front speakers no matter front or back they clear. That was a trick my friend who owned a audio shop taught me. Oh and as for the sub i put the base controll right infront the gas release its hiden and its there at a snap . Long as you pair your speakers correctly even a cheap system can sound great.

I once heard a SQ competition system that had a guitar pedal used as a delay - not an audible echo - but a variable delay that made the interior sound larger. As a listener you couldn't detect it, it just made the cabin sound more spacious, like a hall. After that, I shut my rears off and promised myself I'd never turn them up unless employing delay. Some heads have this feature built in now, but I like my stock head, so no rears. Sound stage seems right in front of me, and the Riv's flat dash provides a psychological stage as well.

I know AA has this but I am wondering how hard is it to a hook a amp up if you have a stock head unit.

I'm not sure if there is a stock sub/amp or not but if there is you can get a special something and run your setup. I could help you further if I wenret drunk.

I am looking at getting what AA has for his. I am curious to how well it works and how excatly you hook it up.

riviera2454 wrote:

I am looking at getting what AA has for his. I am curious to how well it works and how excatly you hook it up.

you can hook up your reference wires to the rear speakers..... that how i had my subs/amp hooked up before i got a deck!