Factory Deck too weak

[JonnyBoost]

hey guys, i'm finally breaking the GN out of storage and i was wondering if you would have any sugestions for upgrading the stock sound system. i want to keep the "stock" look, so i would like to keep the factory head unit. is there any way to get somemore power out of it? and what aftermarket speakers would you recomend? best bang for my buck if you know what i mean...thanks a ton

 

[SilverSleeper]

For one thing.. ditch the stock speakers.
They are of a 10 ohm variety, and give the deck more resistance to contend with. Aftermarket speakers are usually only 4 ohms.

Plus, with better speakers, they play louder with less input power (sensitivity), so the factory deck's power will be put to better use.

Get something with a seperate mid and tweeter for the fronts if possible, or a 2 way co axial. Dont even bother with a speaker that has "dual cones" as you wont get good high end sound.

If you want, you can get an amplifier to hook to the factory deck to supply power to your speakers as well. It can be hidden under the seat and still retain a stock look.

 

[SilverSleeper]

Dude.. I didnt even notice.. youre from utica???

I am not all that far from ya. Oneonta here.

Good to see someone else here with a turbo regal.
Go to Big Apple Music on commercial drive in New Hartford. Ask for Mike Grant and tell him Jason H sent ya. He'll hook you up with some good stuff for your car. I got a lot of my stuff from him since he cuts me a deal. (I went to high school with him)

Actually, if you want some good 3.5"s for the dash, I still have some Boston Pro Audio 3.5" coaxials left over from my last install in my car if you want them.

 

[Audiowizard]

If your drivers are not blown or dry rotted, you can add a good 4-channel amplifier to bring the stockers back to life with very good results.

If you want to clean the signal up and keep the factory head unit, you can go with:

1) FM modulated changer.
2) Alpine 1665 sp receiver/changer controller (or something similar).

If you want to see how I did mine, go to my last link in sig and it will take you to my website with a pic of how I hid my controller in my headliner.

These are just suggestions that I have done for customers in the past that have worked very well to improve sound and maintain factory appearance.

 

[JonnyBoost]

thanks

hey silver good to know there are some other turbo regals up here in the middle of NY, i dont see too many up here by me. i've been to "big apple" before i had them install a remote starter for me last year. i'll have to go back in and check them out...what are some names of good 3.5's out there? also do you guys run 6x9's in the back or did you stick with the 4x10's?

 

[SilverSleeper]

Good 3.5"s...
Boston, Infinity, Polk, ...
Thats about the limit. There isnt much demand for 3.5s because of the limitations due to the small size.
I have had Polk EX series, and the Bostons in my car. I would put the Bostons against anything of the same size and some of a bigger size as far as sound and output quality.
As for rear.. I have nothing back there. No need. I have all the soundstage I need up front. The car is small enough that with proper front speakers, you wont need rear fill.
I have Infinity Kappa 5.25" components in custom kickpanels in my car, with 2 JL Audio 12" subs out back.

But if youre sticking with only the 3.5s upfront, then I would look at some decent 6x9s for the rear. You have to get midbass from somewhere.
Good=$$$, but decent speakers can be had for a smaller budget. Good mid-priced speakers can be had from Sony, Pioneer, Blaupunkt, and a few others.

A bit off-topic, but you ever take the car out to Genessee St in the summer? I have made it up to a few wednesday nite gatherings up at the old CP place. Do you know of Steve LoPiccolo? I saw his GN there last year, its pretty nuts.(10 sec car) Im definately planning on going some this year. We should get NOSJohnWE4 from syracuse and Steve and show the ricers up there how things are done

 

[Datsunboy]

I concur with audiowizard. The FM modulated changer/four channel is a good option. Make sure you get something with speaker level inputs, or youll need an adapter of some sort.

Given the choice, if you have CSII... you may want to stick a 5.25 component set in. Put the mids in the doors and tweets on the doors or in the dash. Skip the 3.5 in most cases. This wont provide optimal imaging, but IMO i hate the way 3.5s sound.

Evan

PS.. If you get a choppin you can probablly stuff at least a 4 in.