New Stereo for the Z
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Bose = Blows 
uke: chunks!
This has always been true on the Corvette since they started putting Blows systems in. The speakers in my 95 Suburban sound significantly better than the Bose speakers. In my 85 vette the Blows speakers are "full range" speakers. No tweeters.
By the sound of the 02 system, I am guessing it's also "full range" speakers in the Z06. Muddy base, poor trebble response.
Does anyone know of a good set of replacement speakers that will work with the stock head unit?
uke: chunks!This has always been true on the Corvette since they started putting Blows systems in. The speakers in my 95 Suburban sound significantly better than the Bose speakers. In my 85 vette the Blows speakers are "full range" speakers. No tweeters.
By the sound of the 02 system, I am guessing it's also "full range" speakers in the Z06. Muddy base, poor trebble response.
Does anyone know of a good set of replacement speakers that will work with the stock head unit?
I'm not sure about the Z's Bose system, but the Bose system in a Cadillac Seville I owned used amps for the speakers. This complicated the issue of "just replacing the head unit". The entire audio system had to be replaced: head unit speakers and if desired an amp. Now as far as replacing the speakers goes and keeping the factory head unit, it seems that that should be ok as long as they have the same Ohm load and can handle the same or greater amount of watts. Crossfire makes excellent speakers IMO.
www.crossfirecaraudio.com
Eric
www.crossfirecaraudio.com
Eric
Replace it all.
I'm putting in a Pioneer Premier DEH-P930R Headunit along with KICKER components in the fronts as well as the rears. I will also be adding a subwoofer and two external amplifiers.
I really leaning towards putting in a Pioneer 7" screen along with a DVD player, but...............I'm not sure, yet.
I'll keep you guys posted and I will definitely post pics when it's all done.
I'm putting in a Pioneer Premier DEH-P930R Headunit along with KICKER components in the fronts as well as the rears. I will also be adding a subwoofer and two external amplifiers.
I really leaning towards putting in a Pioneer 7" screen along with a DVD player, but...............I'm not sure, yet.
I'll keep you guys posted and I will definitely post pics when it's all done.
Here is a link to a good looking install. http://www.sounddomain.com/member_p...d_query=model=Corvette&tree=Chevrolet Corvett I have used JL Audio Woofers and MB Quart (pricey but worth it!) in my other rides and have always ran Alpine head units. I currently have a Alpine 7878 mp3 decoding head unit on order for my 300M and will consider putting one in my new Z when it arrives. (8 hours of tunes on one disk!) For all members who have not experienced the benifits of upgrading your stock POS system to a balanced (not boomy) aftermarket one, you do not know what you are missing! BTW: JL Audio makes a stealthbox for C5's including the Z06. You can view it at their website. http://www.jlaudio.com/stealthbox/c5.html I am considering adding one as well but must factor in additional weight of box and required amps. I had a stealthbox in my Blazer and currently have one in my truck and nothing can touch them IMHO. But to put it in perspective, I weigh 215 so I am already at a dissadvantage to someone weighing in at 175. So pick your poison. For me to add 5lbs., I need some HP bolt-on's to make up the difference.
MB Quart.....simply in a class all thier own.http://www.mbquart.com/main_mobile.asp
BTW: JL Audio makes a stealthbox for C5's including the Z06. You can view it at their website. http://www.jlaudio.com/stealthbox/c5.html I am considering adding one as well but must factor in additional weight of box and required amps. I had a stealthbox in my Blazer and currently have one in my truck and nothing can touch them IMHO. But to put it in perspective, I weigh 215 so I am already at a dissadvantage to someone weighing in at 175. So pick your poison. For me to add 5lbs., I need some HP bolt-on's to make up the difference.MB Quart.....simply in a class all thier own.http://www.mbquart.com/main_mobile.asp
Torchedx2,
Thanks for the links. The JL Audio stealthbox and JL Audio component speakers installed in the black Z look really nice (nice job by the installer).
But as far as the amps & the head units; I don't like the look. I want to retain a stock look - no exposed amps - no removal of the ash tray - no extra leds in the dash, etc.
I would also like a head unit that handled MP3/WMA, but I would want one that fit the factory opening like a glove. I think the trick to keeping the stock look will be to retain the stock head unit or figuring out how to hide the amps for a new head unit and to get a head unit that fills the stock opening.
I'm hoping some nice factory looking C5 audio system installs will be at the Fun Fest next week. I'll bring my digital camera and report back if I find any.
Thanks for the links. The JL Audio stealthbox and JL Audio component speakers installed in the black Z look really nice (nice job by the installer).
But as far as the amps & the head units; I don't like the look. I want to retain a stock look - no exposed amps - no removal of the ash tray - no extra leds in the dash, etc.
I would also like a head unit that handled MP3/WMA, but I would want one that fit the factory opening like a glove. I think the trick to keeping the stock look will be to retain the stock head unit or figuring out how to hide the amps for a new head unit and to get a head unit that fills the stock opening.
I'm hoping some nice factory looking C5 audio system installs will be at the Fun Fest next week. I'll bring my digital camera and report back if I find any.
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I recently changed out just the head unit in my Z06. I went with a Sony Xplode system. It's one of those that flips open to allow access to the CD opening.
The shop that I used installed some sort of cross-over wiring that allowed it to be installed using the stock speakers. It also splits the sound out to the various speakers better than the stock unit did. This was a plug and play wiring harness so I can revert back to stock whenever I like.
This unit is a single DIN unit so the shop fabricated a black acrylic plate that surrounds the unit and fills the opening in very nicely. It matches my carbon fiber console perfectly.
Custom shops can do some amazing work. The unit + installation only ran me $550. The sound is not home stereo quality, but it's much better than stock.
The shop that I used installed some sort of cross-over wiring that allowed it to be installed using the stock speakers. It also splits the sound out to the various speakers better than the stock unit did. This was a plug and play wiring harness so I can revert back to stock whenever I like.
This unit is a single DIN unit so the shop fabricated a black acrylic plate that surrounds the unit and fills the opening in very nicely. It matches my carbon fiber console perfectly.
Custom shops can do some amazing work. The unit + installation only ran me $550. The sound is not home stereo quality, but it's much better than stock.
I am very intrigued by the Rio Car MPEG player.
The base unit ($1000) has 10GB of space for MP3's and includes ethernet for transferring music and managing playlists. No more messing with CD's.
It is currently expandable to 40 GB using standard laptop hard drives.
Though I expect I'll be satisfied with the sound from the pipes and the standard stereo for quite some time
The base unit ($1000) has 10GB of space for MP3's and includes ethernet for transferring music and managing playlists. No more messing with CD's.
It is currently expandable to 40 GB using standard laptop hard drives.
Though I expect I'll be satisfied with the sound from the pipes and the standard stereo for quite some time
Pioneer is the only manufacturer that I know of that makes a DIN and a half receiver (of any value) that fits the Chevy opening like a glove. Why Chevrolet has insisted for years on the big stereos is beyond me, and any normal DIN sized unit looks *wrong* in its place...
Here's the Pioneer DEH-P47DH CD Receiver with changer control
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And here's the DEH-P77DH, same difference...
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Both are 22W RMS x 4, Front Image Enhancer, etc.
Now, if I thought either of these would sound good connected to the stock speakers (and you should *always* leave the stock speakers in place until you're *sure* you need to replace them... sometimes they can sound incredible with quality amplification... learned this working in a stereo shop in college, but of course those were the "macaroni & cheese" days...) I'd buy one. $249 for the first (through Crutchfield, there are better deals to be had, but that does come with an installation harness and whatever else is required to put it in the dash) and $299 for the other.
But I (like a lot of you) have my entire collection of music on mp3. I converted all my CDs (several hundred) and pretty much gave them away to friends and family, and while I can burn anything I want, I like to leave them in .mp3 format, and I had a Kenwood KDC-MP8017 mp3 player in the Supra (and still have the head unit) which I was considering putting in the Z. The problem with that, obviously, is that it'll look bad stuck there in the rounded dash. It is, however, a lot more low-key than the Pioneer units shown above...
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What to do, what to do... Crutchfield says the door speakers are 3.5"... WHAT??? And the mid-rear speakers fit 6 3/4", so no wonder all the sound comes from the back. Not sure what to do about that situation. I don't want to cut the doors, and in fact, I'd rather disassemble as little as possible in the car, if at all possible. Saves on the wear and tear and potential breakage of clips, introduction of rattles, and so on...
So right now I'm at a loss. I can use the stock CD player without spending a dime, and some people say that the partition really helps the imaging of the Bose system, but I've never met a Bose system that I liked, and I'm sure the Corvette's is no exception. Any ideas are more than welcome...
Here's the Pioneer DEH-P47DH CD Receiver with changer control
And here's the DEH-P77DH, same difference...
Both are 22W RMS x 4, Front Image Enhancer, etc.
Now, if I thought either of these would sound good connected to the stock speakers (and you should *always* leave the stock speakers in place until you're *sure* you need to replace them... sometimes they can sound incredible with quality amplification... learned this working in a stereo shop in college, but of course those were the "macaroni & cheese" days...) I'd buy one. $249 for the first (through Crutchfield, there are better deals to be had, but that does come with an installation harness and whatever else is required to put it in the dash) and $299 for the other.
But I (like a lot of you) have my entire collection of music on mp3. I converted all my CDs (several hundred) and pretty much gave them away to friends and family, and while I can burn anything I want, I like to leave them in .mp3 format, and I had a Kenwood KDC-MP8017 mp3 player in the Supra (and still have the head unit) which I was considering putting in the Z. The problem with that, obviously, is that it'll look bad stuck there in the rounded dash. It is, however, a lot more low-key than the Pioneer units shown above...
What to do, what to do... Crutchfield says the door speakers are 3.5"... WHAT??? And the mid-rear speakers fit 6 3/4", so no wonder all the sound comes from the back. Not sure what to do about that situation. I don't want to cut the doors, and in fact, I'd rather disassemble as little as possible in the car, if at all possible. Saves on the wear and tear and potential breakage of clips, introduction of rattles, and so on...
So right now I'm at a loss. I can use the stock CD player without spending a dime, and some people say that the partition really helps the imaging of the Bose system, but I've never met a Bose system that I liked, and I'm sure the Corvette's is no exception. Any ideas are more than welcome...
I ordered the Alpine 7878 MP3/CD-RW/R head unit 2 months ago for installation in the 300M. IT IS AWESOME. Could not be happier with ease of use, etc. Screw the DIN+1/2 decks (although the Alpine unit I use to run the stereo in my truck is excellent) - they do not have the features of their DIN-sized brothern. I have yet to see one that fits flush with the rest of the dash. Another 7878 is the only deck I would place in the Vette. It is pricey but well worth it.
Here is the link for the specs:
http://www.alpine1.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html
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You can divide a disk into 8 folder and have around 200 songs (depending on size) on one disk!
p.s. Factory radios suck!!!
Here is the link for the specs:
http://www.alpine1.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html
You can divide a disk into 8 folder and have around 200 songs (depending on size) on one disk!
p.s. Factory radios suck!!!
replace entire system
I gutted entire system.Bose speakers are amplified and rear speakers are in such small space,its hard to find quality speakers that fit.I installed a Kenwood Exceleron head unit[which flips when car started],Cerwin vega speakers in doors,2 -10 inch MTX Blue Thunder subs, MTX Blue Thunder amplifier[4 channel 400 watts]and a Kenwood 10 cd changer.If you put in a new system your car will have to be rewired.Make sure installer knows what he is doing because door panels,dash,and carpet has to be removed.My car rocks and not a single rattle.Save factory equipment so you can reinstall when car is sold.
I gutted entire system.Bose speakers are amplified and rear speakers are in such small space,its hard to find quality speakers that fit.I installed a Kenwood Exceleron head unit[which flips when car started],Cerwin vega speakers in doors,2 -10 inch MTX Blue Thunder subs, MTX Blue Thunder amplifier[4 channel 400 watts]and a Kenwood 10 cd changer.If you put in a new system your car will have to be rewired.Make sure installer knows what he is doing because door panels,dash,and carpet has to be removed.My car rocks and not a single rattle.Save factory equipment so you can reinstall when car is sold.
I have to agree 'bout the 7878, my friend Tim just put one in his truck and it totally rocks. After some of the go fast mods, I think I need to put one in.Torchedx2 said:I ordered the Alpine 7878 MP3/CD-RW/R head unit 2 months ago for installation in the 300M. IT IS AWESOME. Could not be happier with ease of use, etc. Screw the DIN+1/2 decks (although the Alpine unit I use to run the stereo in my truck is excellent) - they do not have the features of their DIN-sized brothern. I have yet to see one that fits flush with the rest of the dash. Another 7878 is the only deck I would place in the Vette. It is pricey but well worth it.
Here is the link for the specs:
http://www.alpine1.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html
![]()
You can divide a disk into 8 folder and have around 200 songs (depending on size) on one disk!
p.s. Factory radios suck!!!
just another vote for the Alpine HU. I got the CDA-7977 for my 99 Cobra and loved it. I've since gotten rid of the Cobra and don't think the Silver faceplate would blend in right with my mod black so I haven't installed it in the Z. If anybody is interested, I guess it's for sale now. Probably look good in a grey interior.
Torched, I'd really like to see pics of the 7878 instelled when you get it done.
-Dugan
Torched, I'd really like to see pics of the 7878 instelled when you get it done.
-Dugan
New Sound System installed 12/24/01
Check out my new sound system.........
Kenwood KDC-X817 head unit
Kenwood KDC-CX78 10 CD Changer
Alpine MRDF752 Class T Power Amp
2 6.5" Boston Acoustic front in doors
2 2" Boston Acoustic tweeters in doors
2 Boston Acoustic RX57 Rear speakers (pillar)
2 10" 10W08 JL Audio subs for wells in trunk
All parts used are Pheonix Gold. Roadkill (sound insulation) will not be added due to additional weight gain. Therfore sound system can be heard very plainly from outside the car with all types of accompanying vibration noise--inside however, the sound is very good with no hint of rattle or reverb.
All work in the trunk is custom fiberglass built, the boxes for the 10" subs. The face of the head unit flips over whenever keys are removed from ignition. I also hard wired my Passport 8500 to the ignition, so it comes on automatically when the key is turned. Satellite radio (Sirius not XM)is included @ $9.00 per month.
The system has turned out to be very balanced and somewhat bright, although front pillar tweeters would really be nice. Can it rock your socks off?---Do you need all that bass?---- You betcha!
Total price installed $4059.38
I just got finished with this before Christmas. Check out my website of the install.
http://www.chantalray.homestead.com/z06stereo.html
Check out my new sound system.........
Kenwood KDC-X817 head unit
Kenwood KDC-CX78 10 CD Changer
Alpine MRDF752 Class T Power Amp
2 6.5" Boston Acoustic front in doors
2 2" Boston Acoustic tweeters in doors
2 Boston Acoustic RX57 Rear speakers (pillar)
2 10" 10W08 JL Audio subs for wells in trunk
All parts used are Pheonix Gold. Roadkill (sound insulation) will not be added due to additional weight gain. Therfore sound system can be heard very plainly from outside the car with all types of accompanying vibration noise--inside however, the sound is very good with no hint of rattle or reverb.
All work in the trunk is custom fiberglass built, the boxes for the 10" subs. The face of the head unit flips over whenever keys are removed from ignition. I also hard wired my Passport 8500 to the ignition, so it comes on automatically when the key is turned. Satellite radio (Sirius not XM)is included @ $9.00 per month.
The system has turned out to be very balanced and somewhat bright, although front pillar tweeters would really be nice. Can it rock your socks off?---Do you need all that bass?---- You betcha!
Total price installed $4059.38
I just got finished with this before Christmas. Check out my website of the install.
http://www.chantalray.homestead.com/z06stereo.html
What series JL subs are those....W6, W3......? Some of them seem to get pretty heavy b/c the magnet gets bigger. What really helps distribute the highs are Image Dynamics Compression Horns. The sound is crisp and louder than ive heard any regular tweeter put out. They're great.
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