[fabz77gp]

hey guys. i was wondering if its an easy procedure to install an amp ONLY on my car? i have bose speakers but they sound horrible. the emerson i had in my previous car (98gpgt) sounded WAY better. my bose speakers you can hear a pop every once in awhile when i turn the volume up and the sound quality is horrible and i have an equalizer so im not sure what the problem is. anyways, im wondering how hard it is to just screw it upside down in the trunk where the speakers are located and just wire it to the speakers and still be able to use my steering wheel controls? my stereo is stock except for the amp that i want to install cause my car is really loud. any info is appreciated.
thx and happy holiday

 

[03MonteSS]

your speakers are shot, that pop is the universal sign that the speaker has had better days, the bose system is actually pretty good for a stock stereo, if it's sounding bad it's time for a total overhaul of the stereo because finding a suitable replacement is not going to happen. any speaker can be tossed in and it will work, but the bose system was tuned by engineers to sound it's best with the original speakers that most likely haven't been made in years

 

[fabz77gp]

thats weird how it's shot because when i first bought the car, it had a head unit, remote control, 13" sub and amp all done up to a box and it was loud and it weighed alot so i took it out and put the stock head unit back in and used the steering wheel controls. i cant understand how they would be shot if it had an aftermarket system. but if thats what it is, then i guess its time. but im still wondering though, is it easy to install an amp for the time being and then i get my new speakers down the road? or should i get everything done at once?

 

[03MonteSS]

speakers are dying a slow painful death, i bet the coils are black, and the stock head unit is trash, get that other head unit out and put it in, deal with not having wheel controls or get a PAC-swi-ps or PAC swi-x i dont remember which is for the prix i think its swi-ps

and the equalizer likely has an amplifier built in as well, amplifying the dirty signal from the factory head unit, recipe for fried coils in the speakers, it's not always instant death, over time the dirty power kills the speaker and it sounds worse and worse til they completely stop working

 

[fabz77gp]

i wouldnt doubt it if the speakers are just about done. however id like to keep the stock head unit cause i want the car to look as factory as possible cause they dont make these anymore. plus the steering wheel controls are so convenient. i guess ill replace everything but down the road since xmas shopping really took a toll on me.

 

[03MonteSS]

the stock head unit is a serious bottleneck, there's no way to get a good clean signal out of it short of reverse engineering it, you could leave it in for looks and put the head unit in the glove box, use a PAC steering wheel control adapter, and run it with the steering wheel


OR you could get a 1.5din head unit that'll look right at home in there. here's one as an example

 

[fabz77gp]

sounds excellent. ill have to look into it though, sounds expensive. i mean i dont need it to be crazy boom boom loud, i just want to hear it above the car. great idea, thx man, i appreciate it.

 

[03MonteSS]

it's not so much expensive as it is a pain in the ass to make runs of wire from the stock harness to the glovebox

 

[fabz77gp]

well when i saw the guy i hired to take the system out and replace to the stock head unit, he removed wire from under the seat, in the door entry trim, up the passenger side foot area, through the firewall, then finally to the engine compartment. it does look like a pain in the ass but like i said i dont need anything crazy, i just want to hear the music as a basic common sense situation rather than blaring it to impress people.

 

[03MonteSS]

that was the power feed for the amplifier for the subs that the car had or probably had before you got it, there was probably a set of RCA's ran back too

honestly it was probably a bad idea to replace an aftermarket deck with a stocker, but that's already done. You should replace the speakers first and keep the stock deck and see how you like it, after that replace the deck and enjoy accurate sound reproduction. Stock decks butcher sound, and people have grown accustomed to it.

 

[fabz77gp]

yea ill give it a shot and see what happens. (with the aftermarket in the glovebox) only cause i go to shows with my car and ive won. so i want to keep the look. even if its just the clock thats going and not the audio.

 

[enslow]

I installed a double Dl N JVC head unit in mine. They make some nice conservative looking units. You can also get a module to use steering wheel controls for the JVC unit.

 

[fabz77gp]

i didnt think it was going to get this involved. i got this amp from a friend for free, and i figured hooking it up will improve the sound a little bit which was what i was looking for. the system i had when i first bought the car was just too big bulky and heavy and too much for me to handle. and for some odd reason i get alot of "wow you still have the original audio in here!" at shows. oh well, ill have to play it by ear.