Improving the stock stereo without replacing the HU

[chrispy]

Hello

Does anyone know how to improve the quality of the sound coming from the stock HU without going after market. I wanted to replace the stock HU with a aftermarket double din unit but with the Onstar and steering wheel controls it's just to expensive. Any suggestions would be very helpful thanks!

[twosaturns]

go to www.crutchfield.com and see what they recommend.

[Tom92SCm]

You need to send more power to the speakers. Even with the few watts of RMS increase I got by switching HU, I noticed a big improvement in SQ even with the stock speakers. I haven't done anything other than replace the HU.

If the factory HU doesn't have preouts for an amp input, there is another other way to obtain it (but I don't really know the details).

[FGCA_XRL]

I've never seen a true factory radio with pre-outs for amps.

You can use line-out converters to get the RCAs you will need for an external amp.

Or you could do the easy/economical way and get the Infinity Basslink 2 with the 4ch. amp add in and have a decent little system right there. Extra power to your factory speakers and a little sub action to fill out the lows.

[Vuedoo Child]

I inquired about the same thing at crutchfield, the advise I got was to change the speakers first, since that will most likely yeild the most improvement right away. It does make sense, especially if it's a older vehicle and they have been played loud for a long time.

[FGCA_XRL]

If the speakers aren't blown, they're actually OK in our cars. They sound much better on an aftermarket deck.

Dollar for dollar, swapping your HU will get you better gains than your speakers, problem is people tend to blow the stockies after getting new deck because they can(new equalizer adjsutments and volume levels). Stockies are designed to sound pretty good for xx years with little power running to them, you can make them sound better by giving them more power but it'll change their lifespan(lower).

I stand by my solution of the BassLink 2 with the 4ch. amp add-in, if you want to improve it even more throw in some new Infinity speakers as well.

[eRic 02sc2]

Hello

Does anyone know how to improve the quality of the sound coming from the stock HU without going after market. I wanted to replace the stock HU with a aftermarket double din unit but with the Onstar and steering wheel controls it's just to expensive. Any suggestions would be very helpful thanks!

replace the speakers. speakers are what you hear. I replaced the speakers in my Saturn and it made a notable difference. mine came from crutchfield. the stock speakers are cheesy in comparison. you can use this Crutchfield Referral Code: pkeqe-6j8e3-d2qqe) and save a buck

[Tom92SCm]

Except, running good speakers on too little power (factory HU) is about as bad as running too much power through bad speakers.

And the factory speakers on the VUE are better than the speakers in any of the S-series. They aren't great- but they are better.

[burnout]

replace the speakers. speakers are what you hear.

You can run crap through the best speakers in the world, and you've still got crap.

Change the HU. Our speakers aren't THAT bad.

[BobbyP]

You need to send more power to the speakers. Even with the few watts of RMS increase I got by switching HU, I noticed a big improvement in SQ even with the stock speakers. I haven't done anything other than replace the HU.

If the factory HU doesn't have preouts for an amp input, there is another other way to obtain it (but I don't really know the details).

I have the VUE's preminum system with the sub and the external amp. You'd figure you can upgrade the external amplifier. I'm amazed how GM has capped the audio levels. I can play a CD with the volume wide open and it plays relatively loud, and undistorted. It makes me believe GM has done this on purpose from a legal liability standpoint to prevent lawsuits from hearing damage.

Both the amp and speakers should be upgraded. The Boston Acoustics speakers in the Jeeps sound pretty good.

Are there any certain brands or model speakers that have worked well in the VUE?

The last car speakers I bought were 6.5" Kenwood, and Pioneer which I used in my SC. Both were fine.

[john95SW2]

You can run crap through the best speakers in the world, and you've still got crap.

Change the HU. Our speakers aren't THAT bad.

+1...

In my opinion, if you've got limited funds, the place to start is not with the speakers - as long as they're not toasted...I don't think the stock radio has enough juice to wipe them out anyway...

[FGCA_XRL]

The higher end Chrysler products(Grand Cherokees in particular) use 6x9s all the way around. They sacrifice the actual clarity for perceived "sounds good" from the extra bass, and our average consumer won't notice the difference in distortion. The older Libertys used the 7" Chrysler speaker, that delivers a little more bass than a conventional 6.5" speaker.

The OP didn't want to replace his HU because it would be too expensive to retain all his steering wheel controls and such, which is understandable as in total it'd probably be almost a $500 install(Steering wheel controls alone we got $200 for at my BBY, and it wasn't worth the hassle of doing them on 99% of cars).

As it stands though, to notice a difference you're looking at going to the next level of things in getting an amp. Most 4 channel amps that are decent start at $230ish retail, you can find tiny cheapo ones online sometimes, but do NOT go with an offbrand as you will most likely develop engine noise from the amp.

The basslink 2s used to be substantially cheaper, but I guess they were discontinued and so now with the 4ch amp add-in its like a $350 package. You're not gonna find a better deal for a little extra bass and a 4ch amp though, and your car will sound 500x better(if correctly installed).

[BobbyP]

An oval speaker while not having the aesthetics of a round speaker provides better sound quality than a round speaker. I'm certain a 10" driver will be superior to a 6x9" driver. The oval shape allows you to put a larger speaker in a smaller space.

Chrysler has been hiding the 6x9"s behind round grills... lol.. It's all about looks. The high end OEM Chryslers do have great bass. I didn't notice anything coming from the Boston Acoustic cargo area subwoofer in the Patriot last week. Really wimpy, wimpy wimpy...

[FGCA_XRL]

All the base model LX-platform cars have 6x9s unless you get the upgraded Boston System which has 8s. 69s have more surface area than a 6.5 or 7" circular speaker and as such produce more bass. However due to the fact that they're an oval they cause distortion to the sound as points a cetain degree from the center are not the same distance away from the center all around the speaker. This distortion is very slight and is hard to notice for the a verage consumer. Most people equate booming bass and crisp tweets to "good quality sound", hence why Bose sells stereos.

Yes, I too am a fan of the circular cover over the oval speaker. Mind over matter or something I guess?