Head Unit Q?? Experience Needed!

[Ju5t_B3at_Me2005]

ok i went by sound advice today and talked with a guy for a good hour or so about getting some stereo components for my car. i dont know much about stereo at all, only that i want a more clear sound and bass at this point. (i have the monsoon system now). bottom line is its gunna be too much money initially to do 4 speakers, a sub, the amps, plus a head unit. so i figured i would do it in stages. he said the first thing i should do is get a head unit. he recomended an awesome affordable alpine unit. he also said that 60% of sound and sound quality comes from the radio unit. he said that just getting the new unit will improve the sound real weel. my question for you guys is this: is this true? can anyone vouch for a change in sound? also, how hard would it be to wire around the stock amp myself, rather than pay them 150 bux to do it? thanks in advance guys ill add anything else i need to know, but right now i just want to know that, by itself, the alpine HU is a worthwhile purchase

[T-Punk]

Well here is the thing. if you want to do the HU first just because it makes upgrading easier. To add an amp to the stock HU you will have to buy more parts and it wont sound as good anyway. i would advise against alpine (ive had problems with their swing face and displays dying, not only in my car but my friends as well). Look into eclipse for the best in sound quality and clarion for a slightly cheaper brand. also there is no way in hell i would be 100+ dollars for an install. i just wired my hu in with a standard wiring harness and everything worked great. You wont hear a big difference if any in SQ with just the HU but it is the best place to start. After this i would recomend a high quality amp and component system upgrade and then finally add the subs and amp.

[CAMAROWIDBASS]

Yes getting an aftermarket radio will maje a major improvement over stock.

[T-Punk]

i dont think that upgrading just the hu makes that much of a difference on a car that was equiped with the monsoon system. The big improvements come later with the components with their own amp.

[96firebird311]

How much are they trying to charge you for everything? What would you like to spend for EVERYTHING? And there is no need to bypass the amp right now. Installing an aftermarket H/U with the monsoon system is the same as with any other normal audio system. Wiring harness, antenna adapter and dash kit (due to our 1.5din opening) You can install it yourself without ANY experience in under 30 minutes. I know I could do it in under 10 minutes now. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[user1101]

Originally posted by Ju5t_B3at_Me2005:
... he recomended an awesome affordable alpine unit. he also said that 60% of sound and sound quality comes from the radio unit...

Check this post out before you look at Alpine.

As an update, this same unit has a burnt out LED already and the radio reception is absolutely abysmal. Alpine quality has gone to shìt over the last few years. There's better, more affordable, head units out there.

If you want bells and whistles, look at pioneer and kenwood. If you want a clean look with top notch SQ, look at Clarion and Eclipse.

[ November 13, 2004, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: user1101 ]

[Ju5t_B3at_Me2005]

whoa, uyou guys have some real kick *** info. the alpine HU was gunna be 400, then he said he would have to re-wire around the stock amp for it to sound any good. said that would be like 125 bux because it is a PITA. as of right now im looking at going somewhere else, buying a clarion unit (i want the better sound quality) and then putting it in my self with help from friends...unless they have free installation on it because im not sure i could get it to look/work right. i can do engine part installs, but when it comes to wiring and electronics i get intimidated, plus, i want a clean install.

camarowidbass- thanks for giving me the simple answer i wanted to hear. i judge i can trust your knowledge ;)

i will keep u guys updated because im sure ill have more questions. thanks a lot though!

[FunkZ]

You'll need a head unit and speakers at a minimum because the Monsoon speakers have non-standard ohm ratings. And the guy was right, new wiring will need run to bypass the Monsoon amplifier. In the end you'll have a new deck and speakers that won't sound as good as the stock Monsoon because you won't have as much power running off the deck amp alone.

For audio on a budget, my suggestion would be to get a speaker-level to low-level RCA adapter and hook up an external amplifier in the hatch to power a single 10" sub in one of those solo boxes that fit in the hole on the driver's side of the hatch. You'll be surprised how much better the stock system sounds with more bass to compliment the rest of the speakers.

[Ju5t_B3at_Me2005]

this was what i originally planeed to do. sub, amp, and 4 speakers,. however, the guy said it would cost me about 2 grand, and 1500 for just a HU, amp, and sub/box. so i said, where should i start to get the most bang for the buck? he said get a quality head unit. now im getting conflicting viewpoints and am not sure what to beleive.

funkz- he said that a new HU would deliver more power to each speaker rather than the stock HU.

[FunkZ]

He's wrong. The Monsoon system only runs the front tweeters off the stock head unit. The rest of the system is run from an external amplifier that is behind your passenger-side rear side panel. I believe it is advertised at 500w. You will get nowhere near that kind of power from an aftermarket head unit alone.

I have the optional Delco 10 speaker system in my Firebird. This is the predecessor to the Monsoon system. I used the adapter, an amp and 2 12" subs and added that to the rest of the stock system and it sounds great.

[FunkZ]

See info at bottom of this page:
http://www.tacreationsusa.com/stereo_systems.htm

The Monsoon system is really quite good. As I said, just add on another amp and a sub or two and you've got a perfect system.

[FunkZ]

Here's a decent start if you want to spend just a little money and get more bass.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-LChhTlj...0&I=236CF1AT45

That's a single 10" sub, enclosure and amplifier with crossover all in one. You'll need an amp wiring kit and possibly a level adapter but that should be it. It fits in that hole on the left of the hatch and won't interfere with T-top storage (if you've got those).

[96firebird311]

Originally posted by FunkZ:
You'll need a head unit and speakers at a minimum because the Monsoon speakers have non-standard ohm ratings. And the guy was right, new wiring will need run to bypass the Monsoon amplifier. In the end you'll have a new deck and speakers that won't sound as good as the stock Monsoon because you won't have as much power running off the deck amp alone.

This is incorrect. You DO NOT have to bypass the factory amp to install an aftermarket headunit. It will sounds the same if not better. Ju5T_B3at, you should have no worries. Great decision installing it yourself. Or with friends. Although, I hope you're not paying them. Any friend that won't install a headunit for free....probably isin't too much of a friend. I say this because any car audio hobbiest likes working with the gear. I help all my friends install entire systems for free. Why? Because I like doing it. It's fun. I enjoy it. I know some of you out there know where I'm coming from on this... ;) [img]tongue.gif[/img]

$400 for an Alpine huh? Gotta ask what model was that? I think you're paying full MSRP. And chances are you're doing the same for the subs/amps as well. We could easily build you a full system for well under $2k. And the Thunderform that FunkZ recommended is overpriced for what it is. Even for $350. That's too much. It includes a very low line sub, low power amp and a plastic box. Great for those that don't really know a lot about car audio and want an all-in-one package.... but better gear can be had for the same amount of money. How much thump you looking to add? Just more then the monsoon? Or are you wanting some bass? [img]tongue.gif[/img] :D

[Ju5t_B3at_Me2005]

hmmmm funkz i dont want to sound ungrateful, because i really appreciate your help, but i think im gunna stick to someone that has the monsoon in their car. thanks though, i know a little about what your talking about because that seems to be the same i was hearing up until now, though its starting to look like all the excuses the sound guys i talk to are providing are just to get me to spend more money....duh, i almost got taken lol.

96firebird311- no doubt my friends would help me for free. i would never think to pay them for sumn like this lol. only because as you said, it's really about having fun and doing it for the love of the hobby.
now to answer you,the unit is the CDA9831. priced at 399 at the moment, at both places i have been to. however, due to recent info (alpine quality supposedly going to ****), i'd really appreciate it if you could reccomend a good eclipse HU, (cant find their website) as i havent liked any of the clarion units i've seen.
obviously, at this point in time im going for clarity. i love the bass in my system, but it kind of blends in with the rumble from my Rumbler, and i want to hear a bit more treble/mid range. of course if the bass hits harder im all for it [img]smile.gif[/img] in the future i would like to add a box and 10 inch sub in the back (probably whenever i see a combo in one of the for sale sections on ls2.com or here). actually, at first all i wanted was a sub, but now i got drawn into this whole head unit predicament. so my mind right now is on that. so to sum it all up, i would like my stereo to sound clearer now.

sorry for the essay but there's one more thing: my front driver side speaker is weaker than my front passenger side when i have the doors closed and im cruising along. i have played with the balance and fade to determine this. the guy i have been talking to at sound advice says its not blown, its probably just how the stock HU is distributing the sound/signal....make any sense? when prompted he said they could fix that when they were wiring up the new head unit...can i do that if i were to install it myself?? thanks again to everyone. im def not an audiophile, just want to hear a bit more of my music ;) never knew it would get this complicated

[FunkZ]

Originally posted by 96firebird311:
You DO NOT have to bypass the factory amp to install an aftermarket headunit. It will sounds the same if not better.

Right, but if you just put a new head unit in and don't change anything else, the only difference is going to be the sound coming from the front door tweeters. As you admitted, it's going to sound nearly the same. Not worth it IMO unless you've currently got a cassette and you want CD. If you change the speakers then you've got to bypass the Monsoon amp because the resistances are much different.

Ju5t, I recommended that box because you come across as someone who didn't have a lot of experience installing audio gear, and that box would be a very simple install. And I don't think it's as overpriced as you say, 96. By the time you add up an enclosure, amplifier and sub you're going to have that much in it anyway.

I'm not trying to discourage you from trying something more involved. If you have knowledgeable friends who can help out that's great. Just didn't want to see you give your money to some shop to install something that wouldn't sound any better than your current system.