speaker question!

[gmcyukondriver]

You can wire up any speakers to the factory unit. It's just a matter of connecting the existing speaker wires to the terminals on the new speakers and putting them where they go.

Here's the problem. I don't know if you can run an amplifier with the stock head unit. Most people think that an amp is just for volume, but it also helps with sound quality, believe it or not. Most head units (stock and aftermarket) only put out about 14 watts to the speakers. This is pathetic, and will make speakers tend to sound underpowered. Sure, they might sound better than the 14+ year old stock speakers, but still not as good as they could sound. (For comparison, my amp is currently putting out 90 watts to each speaker, which is what they're rated at. If you add an amplifier, you always want to match its output to the RMS rating of the speaker. Not the peak rating, I can go into that more if you want to later.)

I would suggest only replacing the speakers for now. See if you're happy with it. If not, go the amplified route. I'm pretty sure you would have to get an aftermarket head unit, because I don't think the stock units would have the amplifier power wire (a small wire running from the head unit that tells the amp when to turn on) or the RCA outputs (you have to run RCA cables from the head unit to the amp, and then speaker wire from the amp to the speaker). Obviously there is a lot more work involved in this, you would want to run larger gauge speaker wire from the amp to the speakers because of the increased power running through them. You would also have to figure out how to run power and RCA (signal) to the amp, as well as ground the amp.

But I definitely think it's worth it. Night and day difference. It might take a couple hours one day to do all this, but then you have awesome sound for years to come. Plus, it's easy to upgrade individual pieces after that, since most of the wiring and time consuming work is already done. I added a shallow mount subwoofer a year or two later after doing all this to my truck, and it literally took me 5 minutes to wire it into the amp I already had.

 

[great white]

Not completely correct....

The oem unit is looking for an 8 ohm load from the speakers. Stick to that if going off the head unit directly. Oem units are far less tolerant of different ohm speakers than what they were designed for. It's not like dropping a 2 ohm sub on a monoblock amp and doubling the loudness and power draw...they don't like that kind of stuff and tend to "let the smoke out" when out of oem spec...

Oem units can be routed to amplifiers two ways:

1. Speaker lines direct to high level inputs (if your amp has them)
2. Speaker lines to a Line out converter and then to the rca line level inputs.

Be aware that almost every oem unit has what known loosely as "bass roll-off/roll-back" above certain volumes.

What this is is the oem means of protecting the relatively cheap speakers at higher volumes. They just can't handle loud bass without rattling and crackling. Oem speakers will rattle and over excursion before the oem amplifier section clips. For reference: clipping is bad. Very bad. As in speakers smoking profusely bad.....

There's not way to defeat bass roll off, it's part or the radio programming.

The only way around it is to run a loc that processes the sound and "boosts" the bass when it detects the oem roll-off.

These are going to run you around 100 bucks at the cheapest.

Passive (ie: you don't need to run 12v power to it) are crap. Not worth the .10 it cost to get some chinaman to make it. You want powered. Powered ones usually also give you an amp turn on signal. The oem delco ones in the trucks do not have an amp turn on signal. I've tried even the high end system that is supposed to have an amp on signal. The pin out is dead. Some use the power antenna wire, but trucks don't have that one either, that pin is also dead. Even if it did, you're still running the risk of "turn on thump". Thump is a pita at best (will make you just about jump out of your skin) and a speaker killer at worst.

David Navone has some decent ones for around 35 bucks if you're on a budget. I found the same one on ebay for 10 bucks shipped. I would suspect they either: A. Ripped 'em off or B. Build 'em for Navone and just sell them direct themselves.

I've gone both ways (loc and line level in) and tend to prefer a loc. not because I can use the rca in on the amp, but because it gives me things like amp turn on signals and better ones allow some signal processing before the amp.

The thing about cheap loc units is they can only "step down" the signal they are given. With and oem head unit they will process any "noise" generated by the head units final amplifier. That's why line level out of an aftermarket unit it called "pre amp" out. It's pure signal from the recording media with no boosting/noise from the amplifier section of the radio. Built in radio amps tend to be noisy due to compromises in components for size packaging and heat management.

Higher end loc units allow you to process the sound and remove some noise (and deal with bass rolloff) before you feed it into an external amplifier. Any noise fed into an external amplifier just becomes noisier noise.....you want preamp or to be able to process as much out as you can. Preamp is preferred for audiophiles....

For the average joe though, the David Navone powered one is just fine. Especially if you get it for 10 bucks.

Or swap to an aftermarket unit that has preamp outs.

I'm currently running the delco oem unit in mine. The front speakers are high level in to a bridged pioneer 600w amp and then out to 6.5" component MB Quart mids and tweets. The rear speaker lines go to a David Navone copy LOC and this gives me my remote amp on line and sends line level out to a bridged pioneer 300w amp that runs a single 10" cheapy Xplode sub. I don't runrear speakers, it messes up
My sound stage and just confuses the ears. I wanted the "stealth look" of an oem unit. Mine is even a cassette player unit. Not worth a thief's time. Nor is the cheap Xplode woofer in back. My amps are hidden out of sight. I use a USASPEC adapter that replaces the slave cd player and allows me to plug in my iphone. It allows me to play music through the head unit, charges the phone, allows me to control the phone through the headunit buttons and even gives me a couple aux in ports.

You wouldn't think it by the description, but my sound system is very very good. Lots of guys have gotten in and started looking for the hidden sound system, convinced the components they see can't produce the sound stage and depth they're hearing. When I'm playing music (FLAC or high bitrate mp3) i can pick out where the instuments are, where the singers are and even when the guitar player moves from left to righ or center stage. It's really very surprising how good it is.

It true is the whole is more than the sum of it's parts.

I'm currently considering an audio control LC2i loc to deal with the bass roll off my system experiences when it turns itself up in response to the speed sensitive volume control. They're the entry level loc with some sound processing, about 100 bucks new.

Plus, I tend to like "techie" stuff.



Cheers

 

[slippy3002]

Not completely correct....

The oem unit is looking for an 8 ohm load from the speakers. Stick to that if going off the head unit directly. Oem units are far less tolerant of different ohm speakers than what they were designed for. It's not like dropping a 2 ohm sub on a monoblock amp and doubling the loudness and power draw...they don't like that kind of stuff and tend to "let the smoke out" when out of oem spec...

Oem units can be routed to amplifiers two ways:

1. Speaker lines direct to high level inputs (if your amp has them)
2. Speaker lines to a Line out converter and then to the rca line level inputs.

Be aware that almost every oem unit has what known loosely as "bass roll-off/roll-back" above certain volumes.

What this is is the oem means of protecting the relatively cheap speakers at higher volumes. They just can't handle loud bass without rattling and crackling.

There's not way to defeat it, it's part or the radio programming.

The only way around it is to run a loc that processes the sound and "boosts" the bass when it detects the oem roll-off.

These are going to run you around 100 bucks at the cheapest.

Passive (ie: you don't need to run 12v power to it) are crap. Not worth the .10 it cost to get some chinaman to make it. You want powered. Powered ones usually also give you an amp turn on signal. The oem delco ones in the trucks do not have an amp turn on signal. I've tried even the high end system that is supposed to have an amp on signal. The pin out is dead. Some use the power antenna wire, but trucks don't have that one either, that pin is also dead. Even if it did, you're still running the risk of "turn on thump". Thump is a pita at best (will make you just about jump out of your skin) and a speaker killer at worst.

David Navone has some decent ones for around 35 bucks if you're on a budget. I found the same one on ebay for 10 bucks shipped. I would suspect they either: A. Ripped 'em off or B. Build 'em for Navone and just sell them direct themselves.

I've gone both ways (loc and line level in) and tend to prefer a loc. not because I can use the rca in on the amp, but because it gives me things like amp turn on signals and better ones allow some signal processing before the amp.

The thing about cheap loc units is they can only "step down" the signal they are given. With and oem head unit they will process any "noise" generated by the head units final amplifier. That's why line level out of an aftermarket unit it called "pre amp" out. It's pure signal form the recording media with no boosting/noise from the amplifier section of the radio. Built in radio amps tend to be noisy due to compromises in components for size packaging and heat management.

Higher end loc units allow you to process the sound and remove some noise (and deal with bass rolloff) before you feed it into an external amplifier.

For the average joe though, the David Navone powered one is just fine. Especially if you get it for 10 bucks.

Or swap to an aftermarket unit that has preamp outs.

Cheers

We need a stick write up for speakers. I would do it, but you have way more minor important details than I would know. I just know the basics. Ie matching things up to work. It just seems that there is more and more questions poping up instead of people just searching and doing research from crutchfield or on this site.

Sent from Robland

 

[sewlow]

I TEND to like "techie" stuff.

An understatement in typical Canadian fashion!!! Lol!

 

[great white]

Lol

 

[gmcyukondriver]

OEM units look for an 8 ohm load? Man........that's dumb. I didn't even know they made speakers with 8 ohm load. Most of the ones I see nowadays are 4 or 2 ohms.

 

[great white]

OEM units look for an 8 ohm load? Man........that's dumb. I didn't even know they made speakers with 8 ohm load. Most of the ones I see nowadays are 4 or 2 ohms.

Meh, i could be wrong. Haven't looked at a stock set in a while but i do seem to recall they were 8....maybe I'm getting it mixed up with my home audio stuff.

I'm old remember? Only working on 256 of ram in the old noodle...

At any rate, when replacing oem speakers on an oem radio use the same ohm speakers....

 

[southern_z71_92]

i personally use www.crutchfield.com they have great prices and will give you exact things you need for your truck. they even tell you if you will have to modify to fit. when you buy speakers they send to the adapters with the speakers so you dont have to wire anything up just plug and play.

i have an alpine head unit the cde-121. love it. i have kicker 4 inch speakers in my dash and polk audio 4x6 plate style speakers in the rear. (had to modify to fit). all my speakers sound great. i love them.

 

[great white]

Yeah, I c0cked it up.

Oem speakers are 4 ohm.

Had my home entertainement stuff mixed up with car audio.

Should have figured that out when i said 2ohm load into a mono block....

 

[Solid94]

Yea if you have the pre third door cab the modification to make the 6x9 fit is the best way to go. The right tools make it easier to modify. I posted pics on a thread a while back showing the process