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Aftermarket speakers replacing stock Monsoon system
12-11-2008, 11:15 PM
#1
Aftermarket speakers replacing stock Monsoon system I've got a few blown speakers in my '99 Firebird with the Monsoon system and am looking to replace them. I've looked at dealer prices for stock replacement speakers and its kind of expensive compared to aftermarket speakers. I've heard that aftermarket speakers aren't compatible with cars that come with the Monsoon system and you're better off finding stock replacements. Is this true or have I been wrongly informed and will be OK with aftermarket replacements
12-12-2008, 12:26 PM
#3
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I was looking into getting these for the Mid-Bass in mine
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ400016435825
And I believe this would work for the front doors, but not 100% sure on the tweeters... Also not sure if the woofer there is intended to be a sub/mid-bass or not.
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ400008845619
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ400016435825
And I believe this would work for the front doors, but not 100% sure on the tweeters... Also not sure if the woofer there is intended to be a sub/mid-bass or not.
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ400008845619
12-12-2008, 05:10 PM
#4
The replacement packages I sell are actually specifically for your F-body. No guess work involved. I have 2 packages to choose from and they actually work with your Firebird. The Kickers that are listed there are not the correct subwoofer for sailpanels in a Firebird application and actually could potentially damage your stock amp, they will however work for a Camaro. I have the correct DVC subs in my standard package which is on sale right now for $277.00 shipped. This includes doors, sails and rear hatch replacements so every speaker in your car gets replaced.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
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northmoor19 (06-24-2021)
12-12-2008, 06:32 PM
#5
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The replacement packages I sell are actually specifically for your F-body. No guess work involved. I have 2 packages to choose from and they actually work with your Firebird. The Kickers that are listed there are not the correct subwoofer for sailpanels in a Firebird application and actually could potentially damage your stock amp, they will however work for a Camaro. I have the correct DVC subs in my standard package which is on sale right now for $277.00 shipped. This includes doors, sails and rear hatch replacements so every speaker in your car gets replaced.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
HOWEVER I do plan to use a Monsoon amp from a 99 or 00. I have it and all the speakers except the mid-bass. The 4 door speakers are actually the Monsoon ones ATM. I have noticed a big change in ohms between them though. Like my rear Mids I think are the 4ohm and the Monsoons are 10ohm! I think that my amp does the crossover stuff (or whatever it's call) and the Monsoon doesn't. I vaguely remember removing or swapping some capacitors/resistors when I swapped in the fronts. The rest of my cars speakers now are still like-new, it was just the door speakers that were shot. Only reason I want some new mid-bass is for a bit cleaner and better sounding bass. The factory ones kick quite a bit of *** and if I'm listening to techno or the like, thump damn good, I attribute some of that to my deck though and it's frequency fine-tuning options.That, and I'd never spend over $100 on speakers heh I got all the Monsoon's (minus mid-bass remember) and Amp for $50. Only audio piece I'd spend over $150 on would be a deck, but I have no plans to upgrade as mine does all I need.
12-12-2008, 10:34 PM
#6
I suggest you read the Monsoon FAQ sticky for more information.
12-14-2008, 05:38 AM
#7
Thanks guys, and thanks for the offer Kee, but I think I'm just gonna order some Monsoon replacements from the dealership, they told me $50 per speaker and I only need 3 of them. I'll check out that Monsoon FAQ also.
Why did GM give the Camaro and Firebird different amps / speakers as far as ohms?
Why did GM give the Camaro and Firebird different amps / speakers as far as ohms?
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12-15-2008, 01:48 PM
#8
The Firebird amp uses four of its eight channels to power the DVC subs in both sail panels so all the tweeters are run directly from the head unit. There are only eight speaker elements in a Camaro so all of them run off the eight channel amp.
05-01-2014, 05:40 PM
#9
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I bought a 97 Firebird Formula last week and it too had three bad speakers in it's Monsoon system. Let me say I'm happy with the system. It has a warm tonal quality very similar to Marantz home receivers of the 70's (a darn good thing).
In my case both the subs had bad foam surrounds that are supposed to evenly center the cone so the voice coil doesn't rub and make an awful noise. I never much cared for foam surrounds to begin with and when I replace a driver I prefer to use one with a rubber surround instead or at the very least a "treated cloth" surround since they last a very long time. I took a chance and ordered a couple of Pyle PLPW6D 4 ohm dual voice coil subs from OnlineCarStereo at a very reasonable price. They arrived today and I hurried home to unsolder the wires from the original Delco drivers then moved them to the new Pyle's and soldered them on, being careful to observe polarity. I didn't use the paper backer rings and instead used a one sticky side black foam tape cut into 4 sections situated between the mounting screw holes on back of the driver baskets. They fit pretty nicely and sound terrific.
I also replaced a scratchy rear midrange speaker with a identical Delco I got off eBay fairly cheap and it works just fine. The only restoration left to do is someone has changed out the door speakers (probably using 4 ohm units but they need to be 2 ohm) and worse yet they cut the tweeter wires leaving them disconnected. I searched and found some JBL 2 ohm speakers that I think will work. Also saw some Infinity's but read somewhere those don't fit well so I poo-pooed those. I ordered the JBL's and on those I'll probably clip the JBL tweeters loose and wire the Delco door tweeters back in properly. Even with the wrong door speakers my system once again sounds great.
I prefer the look of a factory system and fortunately this system has a very nice sound.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* NEW SECTION TO THIS POST *
Just replaced the door speakers in my 97 Formula and they sound fantastic. A previous owner had replaced the factory Delco's with Infinity's (the ones with a rubber surround, a white-ish non-paper cone and swivel tweeter). I didn't know what was in there, just knew their volume lagged behind the rest of the system sounding like half-volume. I ordered a set of JBL GTO628 speakers. Oddly Infinity and JBL are both owned by Harmon (A.K.A. Harmon-Kardon). Both were similar in design though the JBL's include a bass inductor the Infinity's lack. The tweeter wiring was super easy to disconnect from the crossover capacitor so I could easily increase their length about 10 inches with more red & black wire. These I connected into the factory tweeter wiring on the door in parallel with but before the factory crossover. I reconnected the factory Delco tweeters to their original crossovers. I can honestly say it is now a 12 speaker system.
I angled the new JBL tweeters back towards the passengers and left their push-button level switch in the out position for no attenuation (no drop in volume). In retrospect I might should have moved the JBL crossover caps from the mids where they are now connected to nothing and put them inline right where I tapped into the door tweeter wiring (in series with the red JBL tweeter wire). I may go back in and do that later on. The Infinity's may be similar but the JBL's sound a lot better.
Their box is marked confusingly. On the side panel they say 2 ohms and the front of the box says 4 ohm inside an icon of a head unit. This means they can be used with a system that normally has 4 ohm speakers. They actually measured 2.4 ohms.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
In my case both the subs had bad foam surrounds that are supposed to evenly center the cone so the voice coil doesn't rub and make an awful noise. I never much cared for foam surrounds to begin with and when I replace a driver I prefer to use one with a rubber surround instead or at the very least a "treated cloth" surround since they last a very long time. I took a chance and ordered a couple of Pyle PLPW6D 4 ohm dual voice coil subs from OnlineCarStereo at a very reasonable price. They arrived today and I hurried home to unsolder the wires from the original Delco drivers then moved them to the new Pyle's and soldered them on, being careful to observe polarity. I didn't use the paper backer rings and instead used a one sticky side black foam tape cut into 4 sections situated between the mounting screw holes on back of the driver baskets. They fit pretty nicely and sound terrific.
I also replaced a scratchy rear midrange speaker with a identical Delco I got off eBay fairly cheap and it works just fine. The only restoration left to do is someone has changed out the door speakers (probably using 4 ohm units but they need to be 2 ohm) and worse yet they cut the tweeter wires leaving them disconnected. I searched and found some JBL 2 ohm speakers that I think will work. Also saw some Infinity's but read somewhere those don't fit well so I poo-pooed those. I ordered the JBL's and on those I'll probably clip the JBL tweeters loose and wire the Delco door tweeters back in properly. Even with the wrong door speakers my system once again sounds great.
I prefer the look of a factory system and fortunately this system has a very nice sound.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* NEW SECTION TO THIS POST *
Just replaced the door speakers in my 97 Formula and they sound fantastic. A previous owner had replaced the factory Delco's with Infinity's (the ones with a rubber surround, a white-ish non-paper cone and swivel tweeter). I didn't know what was in there, just knew their volume lagged behind the rest of the system sounding like half-volume. I ordered a set of JBL GTO628 speakers. Oddly Infinity and JBL are both owned by Harmon (A.K.A. Harmon-Kardon). Both were similar in design though the JBL's include a bass inductor the Infinity's lack. The tweeter wiring was super easy to disconnect from the crossover capacitor so I could easily increase their length about 10 inches with more red & black wire. These I connected into the factory tweeter wiring on the door in parallel with but before the factory crossover. I reconnected the factory Delco tweeters to their original crossovers. I can honestly say it is now a 12 speaker system.
I angled the new JBL tweeters back towards the passengers and left their push-button level switch in the out position for no attenuation (no drop in volume). In retrospect I might should have moved the JBL crossover caps from the mids where they are now connected to nothing and put them inline right where I tapped into the door tweeter wiring (in series with the red JBL tweeter wire). I may go back in and do that later on. The Infinity's may be similar but the JBL's sound a lot better.
Their box is marked confusingly. On the side panel they say 2 ohms and the front of the box says 4 ohm inside an icon of a head unit. This means they can be used with a system that normally has 4 ohm speakers. They actually measured 2.4 ohms.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
Last edited by TomTom4049; 05-11-2014 at 05:55 AM.
05-01-2014, 05:51 PM
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Thanks guys, and thanks for the offer Kee, but I think I'm just gonna order some Monsoon replacements from the dealership, they told me $50 per speaker and I only need 3 of them. I'll check out that Monsoon FAQ also.
Why did GM give the Camaro and Firebird different amps / speakers as far as ohms?
Why did GM give the Camaro and Firebird different amps / speakers as far as ohms?
05-01-2014, 06:16 PM
#11
Probably artistic freedom for the most part. Interior styling had a good bit to play in the mix. GM only handed them the head unit saying, "This is what we have for you to use". The rest of the system was open for individual interpretation. Pontiac got a 7 band graphic EQ which Chevy didn't get. Chevy did get speed sensitive volume adjustment which Pontiac didn't get. Viva la differaunce.
05-12-2014, 07:44 AM
#15
Their box is marked confusingly. On the side panel they say 2 ohms and the front of the box says 4 ohm inside an icon of a head unit. This means they can be used with a system that normally has 4 ohm speakers. They actually measured 2.4 ohms.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
But even more to the point is the fact that speaker impedance is not as important as so many people seem to think it is. You can always use a higher impedance speaker without causing any problems for an amp (whether it is an external amp or built in to the head unit). The reverse is not true - you can't use 2-ohm speakers with an amp that is only 4-ohm stable. And doubling impedance DOES NOT cut volume in half. All else being equal, switching from a 2-ohm speaker to a 4-ohm speaker cuts power in half but only cuts volume by 3dB or about one click of the volume ****. You have to cut power by a factor of 10 to reduce volume by half. And that's assuming everything else is equal. If you get a replacement 4-ohm speaker that is at least 3dB more sensitive (efficient) than the 2-ohm it is replacing then there will be NO loss of volume.
I'm glad your system turned out the way you wanted but I just wish people would stop fixating on speaker impedance.
BTW, where do you get 12 speakers? The Monsoon system is 10 speakers in a Firebird (8 speakers in a Camaro)... door mids, door tweeters, sail panel subs, hatch mids and hatch tweeters (Camaro doesn't have hatch tweeters).
Last edited by WhiteBird00; 05-12-2014 at 07:53 AM.
06-03-2014, 11:12 AM
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I bought a 97 Firebird Formula last week and it too had three bad speakers in it's Monsoon system. Let me say I'm happy with the system. It has a warm tonal quality very similar to Marantz home receivers of the 70's (a darn good thing).
In my case both the subs had bad foam surrounds that are supposed to evenly center the cone so the voice coil doesn't rub and make an awful noise. I never much cared for foam surrounds to begin with and when I replace a driver I prefer to use one with a rubber surround instead or at the very least a "treated cloth" surround since they last a very long time. I took a chance and ordered a couple of Pyle PLPW6D 4 ohm dual voice coil subs from OnlineCarStereo at a very reasonable price. They arrived today and I hurried home to unsolder the wires from the original Delco drivers then moved them to the new Pyle's and soldered them on, being careful to observe polarity. I didn't use the paper backer rings and instead used a one sticky side black foam tape cut into 4 sections situated between the mounting screw holes on back of the driver baskets. They fit pretty nicely and sound terrific.
I also replaced a scratchy rear midrange speaker with a identical Delco I got off eBay fairly cheap and it works just fine. The only restoration left to do is someone has changed out the door speakers (probably using 4 ohm units but they need to be 2 ohm) and worse yet they cut the tweeter wires leaving them disconnected. I searched and found some JBL 2 ohm speakers that I think will work. Also saw some Infinity's but read somewhere those don't fit well so I poo-pooed those. I ordered the JBL's and on those I'll probably clip the JBL tweeters loose and wire the Delco door tweeters back in properly. Even with the wrong door speakers my system once again sounds great.
I prefer the look of a factory system and fortunately this system has a very nice sound.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* NEW SECTION TO THIS POST *
Just replaced the door speakers in my 97 Formula and they sound fantastic. A previous owner had replaced the factory Delco's with Infinity's (the ones with a rubber surround, a white-ish non-paper cone and swivel tweeter). I didn't know what was in there, just knew their volume lagged behind the rest of the system sounding like half-volume. I ordered a set of JBL GTO628 speakers. Oddly Infinity and JBL are both owned by Harmon (A.K.A. Harmon-Kardon). Both were similar in design though the JBL's include a bass inductor the Infinity's lack. The tweeter wiring was super easy to disconnect from the crossover capacitor so I could easily increase their length about 10 inches with more red & black wire. These I connected into the factory tweeter wiring on the door in parallel with but before the factory crossover. I reconnected the factory Delco tweeters to their original crossovers. I can honestly say it is now a 12 speaker system.
I angled the new JBL tweeters back towards the passengers and left their push-button level switch in the out position for no attenuation (no drop in volume). In retrospect I might should have moved the JBL crossover caps from the mids where they are now connected to nothing and put them inline right where I tapped into the door tweeter wiring (in series with the red JBL tweeter wire). I may go back in and do that later on. The Infinity's may be similar but the JBL's sound a lot better.
Their box is marked confusingly. On the side panel they say 2 ohms and the front of the box says 4 ohm inside an icon of a head unit. This means they can be used with a system that normally has 4 ohm speakers. They actually measured 2.4 ohms.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
In my case both the subs had bad foam surrounds that are supposed to evenly center the cone so the voice coil doesn't rub and make an awful noise. I never much cared for foam surrounds to begin with and when I replace a driver I prefer to use one with a rubber surround instead or at the very least a "treated cloth" surround since they last a very long time. I took a chance and ordered a couple of Pyle PLPW6D 4 ohm dual voice coil subs from OnlineCarStereo at a very reasonable price. They arrived today and I hurried home to unsolder the wires from the original Delco drivers then moved them to the new Pyle's and soldered them on, being careful to observe polarity. I didn't use the paper backer rings and instead used a one sticky side black foam tape cut into 4 sections situated between the mounting screw holes on back of the driver baskets. They fit pretty nicely and sound terrific.
I also replaced a scratchy rear midrange speaker with a identical Delco I got off eBay fairly cheap and it works just fine. The only restoration left to do is someone has changed out the door speakers (probably using 4 ohm units but they need to be 2 ohm) and worse yet they cut the tweeter wires leaving them disconnected. I searched and found some JBL 2 ohm speakers that I think will work. Also saw some Infinity's but read somewhere those don't fit well so I poo-pooed those. I ordered the JBL's and on those I'll probably clip the JBL tweeters loose and wire the Delco door tweeters back in properly. Even with the wrong door speakers my system once again sounds great.
I prefer the look of a factory system and fortunately this system has a very nice sound.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* NEW SECTION TO THIS POST *
Just replaced the door speakers in my 97 Formula and they sound fantastic. A previous owner had replaced the factory Delco's with Infinity's (the ones with a rubber surround, a white-ish non-paper cone and swivel tweeter). I didn't know what was in there, just knew their volume lagged behind the rest of the system sounding like half-volume. I ordered a set of JBL GTO628 speakers. Oddly Infinity and JBL are both owned by Harmon (A.K.A. Harmon-Kardon). Both were similar in design though the JBL's include a bass inductor the Infinity's lack. The tweeter wiring was super easy to disconnect from the crossover capacitor so I could easily increase their length about 10 inches with more red & black wire. These I connected into the factory tweeter wiring on the door in parallel with but before the factory crossover. I reconnected the factory Delco tweeters to their original crossovers. I can honestly say it is now a 12 speaker system.
I angled the new JBL tweeters back towards the passengers and left their push-button level switch in the out position for no attenuation (no drop in volume). In retrospect I might should have moved the JBL crossover caps from the mids where they are now connected to nothing and put them inline right where I tapped into the door tweeter wiring (in series with the red JBL tweeter wire). I may go back in and do that later on. The Infinity's may be similar but the JBL's sound a lot better.
Their box is marked confusingly. On the side panel they say 2 ohms and the front of the box says 4 ohm inside an icon of a head unit. This means they can be used with a system that normally has 4 ohm speakers. They actually measured 2.4 ohms.
I'm happy to report the balance between the front and rear speakers is now in total harmony. The highs are sweet and lovely and I can hear the mids perfectly.
08-30-2015, 06:47 PM
#17
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I finally blew the RF Monsoon in my '02 SS 'vert tonite . It buzzes badly . I have been looking at replacing all 4,but I want to keep it looking stock . I know the GM speakers are obsolete (I do GM parts for a living) . I'm very particular about my car,and don't want the speaker grills to look any different than stock. Any ideas where I can find a stock looking set of 4? Thanks.
08-30-2015, 07:09 PM
#18
I finally blew the RF Monsoon in my '02 SS 'vert tonite . It buzzes badly . I have been looking at replacing all 4,but I want to keep it looking stock . I know the GM speakers are obsolete (I do GM parts for a living) . I'm very particular about my car,and don't want the speaker grills to look any different than stock. Any ideas where I can find a stock looking set of 4? Thanks.
08-30-2015, 07:21 PM
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06-24-2021, 05:30 PM
#20
The replacement packages I sell are actually specifically for your F-body. No guess work involved. I have 2 packages to choose from and they actually work with your Firebird. The Kickers that are listed there are not the correct subwoofer for sailpanels in a Firebird application and actually could potentially damage your stock amp, they will however work for a Camaro. I have the correct DVC subs in my standard package which is on sale right now for $277.00 shipped. This includes doors, sails and rear hatch replacements so every speaker in your car gets replaced.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
The subs in Formula350's 93 Formula are completley different then what is in your 99 car unless he swapped in a Monsoon system. It is a common mistake though.
