5th Gen Stock Stereo Upgrade Options?

[WRH]

Were you able to figure out, what the extra harness was for? I just got my 2019, with base level stereo. I want to add a amp and sub, but worried about the ANC causing issues. Thanks!

This thread has tons of info and has answers to your questions! Scroll up and Check post 514 for a summary though!

 

[EJanx07]

This thread has tons of info and has answers to your questions! Scroll up and Check post 514 for a summary though!

Thanks! But I can’t seem to find the answer, for what the extra harness is fo, that’s not plugged into anything.. this truck is starting to drive me nuts!

 

[WRH]

Thanks! But I can’t seem to find the answer, for what the extra harness is fo, that’s not plugged into anything.. this truck is starting to drive me nuts!

Oh, the one behind the back seats? I think it is for eTorque, which I don't have.

 

[trevdawg]

TL;DR: Infinity Reference, CDT 6x9s & Hertz 3.5s, or CDT package?

I've been looking at the various speaker setups that people have posted in this thread and I'm trying to decide which way to go. In my 08 Pontiac Grand Prix I had several speaker setups that I was never happy with. No matter what I did I never felt like I got the full benefit of my front 6.5 components without compromising the sound from my rear 6x9 coaxials. lrobbi mentioned staging which I had heard of but never looked into, and it seems like that was the issue with my Grand Prix.

I'm leaning toward the setup lrobbi has or CDT's package, but what's kept me from pulling the trigger is price. I own an electronics store and have a distributor that carries Infinity, which means there is a substantial price difference between the two options. If I can get 80% of the CDT and Hertz or CDT only setup with the Infinity speakers I would go that route. One big difference is that I won't be installing a sub for a while after upgrading the speakers, so I'm worried about how the Infinity speakers sound without a sub to fill in the low end. lrobbi's setup seemed like you could live without a sub.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm willing to spend the money if the difference is worth it.

 

[grooves12]

TL;DR: Infinity Reference, CDT 6x9s & Hertz 3.5s, or CDT package?

I've been looking at the various speaker setups that people have posted in this thread and I'm trying to decide which way to go. In my 08 Pontiac Grand Prix I had several speaker setups that I was never happy with. No matter what I did I never felt like I got the full benefit of my front 6.5 components without compromising the sound from my rear 6x9 coaxials. lrobbi mentioned staging which I had heard of but never looked into, and it seems like that was the issue with my Grand Prix.

I'm leaning toward the setup lrobbi has or CDT's package, but what's kept me from pulling the trigger is price. I own an electronics store and have a distributor that carries Infinity, which means there is a substantial price difference between the two options. If I can get 80% of the CDT and Hertz or CDT only setup with the Infinity speakers I would go that route. One big difference is that I won't be installing a sub for a while after upgrading the speakers, so I'm worried about how the Infinity speakers sound without a sub to fill in the low end. lrobbi's setup seemed like you could live without a sub.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm willing to spend the money if the difference is worth it.

I have a similar setup, except I used the JL Audio c2-350x in the dash and CDT 6.9's in all 4 doors. I have plenty of bass in my system without a sub.

I actually ordered a JL audio 10" Powerwedge+ and got the dash and door speakers replaced before the sub arrived. I instantly started questioning whether I wanted the sub. I installed and ended up taking it out because I didn't feel the improvement was worth the cost and sacrificed space (it installed behind rear driver's side seat, but the seat hit if you folded it up.) I'll be honest, I didn't spend a lot of time trying to adjust the settings and get it perfectly matched to the rest of the system. I could have had a lot left in the sub before I gave up, but I didn't feel the effort was worth it because I was happy without it.

 

[trevdawg]

That sub is a step above what lrobbi has, if you didn't think it was worthwhile then I'm feeling a lot more comfortable going without a sub. Although coming from two 12" subs in my Pontiac is going to be a downgrade sub or not, but I care more about quality than loudness for this setup.

Several people had issues with the Hertz 3.5s being too shrill or harsh, didn't see many reviews mentioning that with the JL's. What's your opinion of them?

 

[YoAdrian]

Several people had issues with the Hertz 3.5s being too shrill or harsh, didn't see many reviews mentioning that with the JL's. What's your opinion of them?

BL I think they are both good choices. Tough to find helpful reviews since sound preference is so subjective.

I like Hertz and JL Audio speakers and own both - to my ears the JL Audio C2 highs are smoother/softer which I like. Hertz ECX are a tad brighter; others may prefer that. My wife preferred the Hertz so that’s what I installed in her car. EDIT: I just remembered I installed Hertz HCXs in my cabrio doors with Audison mid/highs. This combo sounds great, smooth highs.

 

[grooves12]

That sub is a step above what lrobbi has, if you didn't think it was worthwhile then I'm feeling a lot more comfortable going without a sub. Although coming from two 12" subs in my Pontiac is going to be a downgrade sub or not, but I care more about quality than loudness for this setup.

Several people had issues with the Hertz 3.5s being too shrill or harsh, didn't see many reviews mentioning that with the JL's. What's your opinion of them?

I like the JL's a lot. They sound great without any harshness to them. I originally installed the JBL 3.5s and they were incredibly shrill, but I think that is partially because too much power was going to them when compared to the CDT 6x9s they were matched with. I had very little bass in that combination. The JLs are a good match to the 2-ohm CDTs in the base system (wired in parallel) IMO. Really good quality without harsh highs... even at high volumes. Good balance to the

My old truck had a JL Stealthbox that had some serious thump to it. The new setup is a definite step back without the sub, but it has excellent sound quality and "good enough" bass that I don't feel I am missing any notes. I'm just not rattling any doors with the new system. The only thing I MIGHT do, is some sound treatment in the doors/back wall which should clean up the audio even more and give it a bit better quality to the bass.

 

[trevdawg]

I like Hertz and JL Audio speakers and own both - to my ears the JL Audio C2 highs are smoother/softer which I like. Hertz ECX are a tad brighter; others may prefer that. My wife preferred the Hertz so that’s what I installed in her car. EDIT: I just remembered I installed Hertz HCXs in my cabrio doors with Audison mid/highs. This combo sounds great, smooth highs.

That's the comparison I was looking for, thank you. I missed that you had both in your previous posts.

I like the JL's a lot. They sound great without any harshness to them. I originally installed the JBL 3.5s and they were incredibly shrill, but I think that is partially because too much power was going to them when compared to the CDT 6x9s they were matched with. I had very little bass in that combination. The JLs are a good match to the 2-ohm CDTs in the base system (wired in parallel) IMO. Really good quality without harsh highs... even at high volumes.

Great, that's what I wanted. Never did like the Pioneer tweeters in my Pontiac.

My old truck had a JL Stealthbox that had some serious thump to it. The new setup is a definite step back without the sub, but it has excellent sound quality and "good enough" bass that I don't feel I am missing any notes. I'm just not rattling any doors with the new system. The only thing I MIGHT do, is some sound treatment in the doors/back wall which should clean up the audio even more and give it a bit better quality to the bass.

Good enough is all I'm looking for, I've damaged my hearing enough with my current setup. I'd lose too much potential cargo space with an under seat box and it seemed like a small self-powered sub didn't add much.

Thanks again to both of you. Going to go with the JL 3.5s and CDT 6x9s.

 

[C.AdamsMo.RAM]

Anyone have ideas on just upgrading the door speakers and adding a sub some how? It seems the door max out with clean volume around 28. Maybe upgraded doors and tweeters to get full potential out of factory stereo. Run separate traditional amp for small sub but splice into the signal? I'm just looking for a little bit more out of it, i dont need a competition system haha any ideas? Thoughts? Thanks guys

 

[cotonymopar]

Makes me glad I got the HK 19 speaker setup

 

[ksn240]

Anyone have ideas on just upgrading the door speakers and adding a sub some how? It seems the door max out with clean volume around 28. Maybe upgraded doors and tweeters to get full potential out of factory stereo. Run separate traditional amp for small sub but splice into the signal? I'm just looking for a little bit more out of it, i dont need a competition system haha any ideas? Thoughts? Thanks guys

The best thing you can do is upgrade the dash speakers. They don't have a true tweeter in them so they are definitely lacking. That will greatly improve your soundstage. As far as adding a sub and amp, it is possible but which method you do it by depends on how you feel about the ANC.

 

[DonsRam19]

The best thing you can do is upgrade the dash speakers. They don't have a true tweeter in them so they are definitely lacking. That will greatly improve your soundstage. As far as adding a sub and amp, it is possible but which method you do it by depends on how you feel about the ANC.

What upgraded dash speaker would you recommend?

 

[ksn240]

What upgraded dash speaker would you recommend?

Depends on which audio system you have. Base 6 speaker? Alpine? I forget how many ohms the base 6 speaker system 3.5s are. It is in this thread somewhere. The Alpine is 2 ohms all around and the JBL GX302s work nicely with it. Others have used some by JL and Hertz that they said sounded great in either system. Read through this thread some and everything has been included for either system.

 

[CMags]

Depends on which audio system you have. Base 6 speaker? Alpine? I forget how many ohms the base 6 speaker system 3.5s are. It is in this thread somewhere. .

Base is 8ohm 3.5’s. I just replaced them with club3020 - the replacement series for the 302s. Minor trimming of speaker mounting tab. They have a built in bass blocker which is nice. They are 3ohm. Even with the doors swapped to gx 963 (2.3 ohm) the dash speakers are noticeably louder than the doors. Hoping as the speakers break-in a bit the doors can produce more bass and fill to offset initial impressions. 3020s are a bit harsh as well, but for 35$ on amazon right now can’t complain.

 

[YoAdrian]

Base is 8ohm 3.5’s. I just replaced them with club3020 - the replacement series for the 302s. Minor trimming of speaker mounting tab. They have a built in bass blocker which is nice. They are 3ohm. Even with the doors swapped to gx 963 (2.3 ohm) the dash speakers are noticeably louder than the doors. Hoping as the speakers break-in a bit the doors can produce more bass and fill to offset initial impressions. 3020s are a bit harsh as well, but for 35$ on amazon right now can’t complain.

Built in blockers - nice - and cheap too.

Yep stock dash 3.5”s are 8 ohms, so I too was worried about getting overbearing high frequencies. I figured I could use sensitivity ratings when shopping to predict how to balance the sound. It worked.

I selected a low sensitivity (4 ohm) replacement speaker for the dash to offset the impedance difference (in theory -3dB will offset the halving of impedance, though the original sensitivity is not published so I had to guess). Also went with relatively high sensitivity 4 ohm speakers for the doors. I’m happy with the balance. (JL Audio C2s all around if you are wondering)

Based on discussions/debates I’ve read regarding speaker break-in, I might depend more on your ears getting accustomed to the sound vs any significant speaker sound change. If you get used to it great, if not then consider switching ‘em. Just my 2 cents, whatever you choose good luck finding the sound you like.

 

[grooves12]

Base is 8ohm 3.5’s. I just replaced them with club3020 - the replacement series for the 302s. Minor trimming of speaker mounting tab. They have a built in bass blocker which is nice. They are 3ohm. Even with the doors swapped to gx 963 (2.3 ohm) the dash speakers are noticeably louder than the doors. Hoping as the speakers break-in a bit the doors can produce more bass and fill to offset initial impressions. 3020s are a bit harsh as well, but for 35$ on amazon right now can’t complain.

You can look back at my posts. I experienced the same problems when I tried the gx302s with CDL 6x9s. The dash overpowered everything else, they sounded shrill, and there was little to no bass from the system. It only got worse the more volume was raised. I swapped dash speakers out with JL c2-350s and everything sounds great now. The 2/3 ohm dash speakers are just too sensitive and IMO are not a good match for the base 6-speaker system with them wired in parallel with the door speakers.

 

[C.AdamsMo.RAM]

The best thing you can do is upgrade the dash speakers. They don't have a true tweeter in them so they are definitely lacking. That will greatly improve your soundstage. As far as adding a sub and amp, it is possible but which method you do it by depends on how you feel about the ANC.

Thanks for the input! Will def replace dash speakers, want to do 6×9 in doors. Is there anything particular in ohms i should be looking at for greatest potential/quality? And was thinking about doing one of those self powered drop in thin sub boxes behind back seats. Run power to battery and splice off one of the rear 6×9 for speaker signal. See any issues with that? Or better ideas? What should i tag on to for remote turn on wire?

 

[Patsy1099]

Thanks for the input! Will def replace dash speakers, want to do 6×9 in doors. Is there anything particular in ohms i should be looking at for greatest potential/quality? And was thinking about doing one of those self powered drop in thin sub boxes behind back seats. Run power to battery and splice off one of the rear 6×9 for speaker signal. See any issues with that? Or better ideas? What should i tag on to for remote turn on wire?

Unfortunately there is a lot to unpack with these stereos. You would think it would be more straightforward. There are differences in wiring/amp depending on your stock setup (6 speaker vs alpine 9 vs hk 19). As far as swapping speakers, it’s fairly straightforward but you have to check polarity of each speaker coming out and decide whether to put the new speaker in to match the phase of stock (which might be out of phase) OR make sure all new speakers are in phase. The ohms are also diff depending on which system you have stock. My opinion is you’re safe sticking 3ohm all around on the new ones. That’s just my opinion.
The sub issue is where it gets dicey. Lots to consider there as far as getting a clean signal (amp pro, Maestro, etc) and that will also depend on what your existing stock looks like. If you don’t do it right you might have anc issue.
There is a lot of good info in the “upgrade stock stereo” threads. Spend time reading them all. Good luck.

 

[C.AdamsMo.RAM]

Unfortunately there is a lot to unpack with these stereos. You would think it would be more straightforward. There are differences in wiring/amp depending on your stock setup (6 speaker vs alpine 9 vs hk 19). As far as swapping speakers, it’s fairly straightforward but you have to check polarity of each speaker coming out and decide whether to put the new speaker in to match the phase of stock (which might be out of phase) OR make sure all new speakers are in phase. The ohms are also diff depending on which system you have stock. My opinion is you’re safe sticking 3ohm all around on the new ones. That’s just my opinion.
The sub issue is where it gets dicey. Lots to consider there as far as getting a clean signal (amp pro, Maestro, etc) and that will also depend on what your existing stock looks like. If you don’t do it right you might have anc issue.
There is a lot of good info in the “upgrade stock stereo” threads. Spend time reading them all. Good luck.

Quality info friend! Really appreciate your input!