tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

i'm wondering if anyone has a diagram of the stock wiring harness and which wires do what?

also, if i have components and i want to hook them up to the stock head unit (i have a camaro, so tweeters are separate), am i best off running the speaker wire from the HU to the component crossover (where midbass and tweeters meet), or can i run the tweeters to the midbass and the HU to the midbass where they all meet (so they act like a regular speaker rather than components)? i figure the SQ isn't going to change much in either scenario, just didn't know if i could hook the tweets to the midbass and then power them from the HU together like that. any help is appreciated.

LS1121

iTrader: (17)

Is this what you are looking for?

https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...nsoon-faq.html

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

If you're installing component speakers and connecting them to the stock wiring then you don't have to do anything special - the tweeter and mid wiring is already separated for you (i.e. there are two pairs of wires in each door).

If you were adding components where there was standard speakers (say, in the hatch area although I have no idea why you'd want to do that) then you MUST use the crossover. The only difference in the two scenarios you mentioned is that one is eliminating the crossover. The crossover is necessary to ensure that only the audio frequencies that a speaker can handle reach that speaker. IOW, you don't want bass frequencies going to the tweeter and you don't want high frequencies going to the mid/woofer. Not doing that can result in destroyed speakers.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

yes, thank you. i don't know if this changes anything, but i had the stock monsoon amp, which isn't there anymore. i was thinking the 4-wire harness that used to connect into my speakers i could just splice onto the component/tweeter, but those wires probably run to the rear of the car where the monsoon amp is supposed to be instead of the head unit directly? or am i wrong about that?

also on that note, my components only run at 4ohms, so if i have no monsoon amp, will the head unit power them at 4ohms, or if what i read in the monsoon faq, will the HU still power the mids at 2ohms and the tweets at 4ohms? any way around that?

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

You're right - the head unit produces four channels that are sent to the Monsoon amp which splits and filters the signals and sends output through eight channels. Without the Monsoon amp there is no connection between the head unit and speakers (in a Camaro... Firebirds would still have tweeters working).

You can usually pick up a Monsoon amp (make sure it's from a Camaro) fairly cheap in the Parts For Sale section. Or you could rewire your speakers directly to the head unit or to an aftermarket amp.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

thanks...that's what i was thinking. so say i splice speaker wires from the head unit and run them directly to the components (mids and tweets separately), that will work right?

also, i think i have the stock amp still, haha. that might be easiest. but, the problem still is that my components (mids) still run only at 4ohms, but the amp will run them at 2ohms? how do i get around that? if i run them directly from the HU instead, will they still be 2ohms or 4ohms?

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

i think i answered half of my question by reading your info (below), but still want to know if i can't find my monsoon amp (if i don't actually still have it), can i splice the speaker wires from the HU and run them directly to my components and bypass the monsoon?

also, originally i had the stock cd player...is there any reason why i couldn't run a tape player instead? what if it came from a pre-98 year model? mine is a 2000. i just didn't know if the back connectors were the same on both. thank you.

"Replacing the speakers

Replacing the factory speakers is mostly a matter of finding suitable speakers that fit and sound the way you like. Much has been said about the different impedance levels of the factory speakers and most aftermarket speakers but this is not a critical factor. Replacing factory 2-ohm speakers with aftermarket 4-ohm ones would normally cause a noticeable reduction in the volume because of cutting the output power in half. Cutting the power in half does not result in half the volume... it results in a 3dB drop in volume which is noticeable but not a huge difference. That assumes that the speakers have the same sensitivity (efficiency). If the replacement speaker is at least 3dB more sensitive than the original speaker then there will be no loss of volume. The factory speakers are notoriously inefficient so almost any aftermarket replacement, regardless of rated impedance, is going to sound better.

However, there are some things to watch out for when shopping for replacement speakers - the sail panel subs get only low-filtered signal from the amp so putting coaxial speakers there will require some rewiring if you want to get anything out of the tweeters. This is usually done by disconnecting the hatch speakers and pulling those wires forward to the sail panels. Also, the door speakers are wired as components so you either have to buy component replacements or get coaxial speakers that can be modified to separate the wiring of the tweeters from the mids (or you can just install coax speakers and ignore the extra channel up front)."

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Okay, forgive me if this is too basic but I feel I need to clarify something about amps, speakers, and impedance. Feel free to skip the next two paragraphs if you're familiar with Ohm's Law.

Impedance is the term used in an alternating current circuit to refer to the resistance to current flow (it's called resistance in a DC circuit and impedance in an AC circuit). The impedance is the load that is put on a circuit that must be driven by the current source. Amps don't produce impedance - they produce current that flows through an impedance (the speaker's voice coil).

Impedance, voltage, and current are all mathematically related. If the voltage remains constant then the current will increase when the impedance decreases (and vice versa). Increased current causes increased heat... and heat is the big enemy of electronics. So amps are rated by the minimum impedance (in ohms) that they can safely produce a current into without overheating.

You can always run an amp with speakers of higher impedance than the amp's rating (i.e. you can run 4-ohm speakers on a 2-ohm stable amp). The increased impedance reduces current flow which results in less heat (and less output power of course). The opposite is not true - you can't safely run speakers that have lower impedance than the amp is designed to handle. Connecting 2-ohm speakers to a 4-ohm stable amp results in twice as much current flow as the amp is designed to handle so it will overheat and die.

The Monsoon amp is 2-ohm stable on the door and sail panel channels so it is safe to run 4-ohm speakers there. You lose some power but if the speakers are more efficient than stock (most aftermarket speakers are) then you don't lose volume.

The Monsoon HU is 4-ohm stable so you can run most aftermarket speakers but should not connect the factory 2-ohm speakers directly to the HU. In fact, the "extended range" sail panel speakers in the base audio system are 10-ohm... and it's the same head unit without the Monsoon sticker.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Yes, you can run your own wires from the left front channel and the right front channel to the doors. Connect them to the crossover that came with your aftermarket components and then connect the components to teh crossover. The other two channels will work the same for the sail panels.

You can run a cassette head unit from any GM 1.5 DIN vehicle from 88 up except those with Bose equipment. Of course, many of them won't match your dash (red illumination in Pontiacs, etc.) and some may have the wrong brackets on the sides but the connectors and wiring are all the same.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

thanks! i think running them from the HU is actually the simplest thing to do since then i don't have to take the doors off. it's pretty simple to up the carpet down in that area anyway, and i wouldn't have to reinstall the factory amp. thanks for the help!

also i think the HU came from a 97, so i'm pretty sure it will bolt right in!

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

thanks whitebird...i just hooked the speaker wires in the pigtail to the crossover (obviously used more wire) and then hooked up a cd player and they play fine. in fact, i actually think they sound as good, if not better, coming directly from the HU over the crappy monsoon amp. of course i have good components so that might be the biggest factor, but from what i can remember, it sounds just as good as through the monsoon.

even though they are obviously underpowered, i'm sure there is some distortion being sent to that stock HU to the speakers...can that hurt my speakers, or should they be okay? i am going to eventually reuse them in a new system, so i don't want to degrade them if i don't have to. thanks again for the help.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

With good quality speakers and not pushing the volume too much you shouldn't have to worry about distortion damaging the speakers. Clipping is one of the most damaging types of distortion for speakers so try not to turn up the volume to the point where the head unit's internal amp starts clipping.