sk346

my car came from the factory with the monsoon radio, cassette tape ONLY. do i need to buy a factory cd monsoon head unit, or will anything aftermarket suffice? i've heard that monsoon systems are weird. can i get an aftermarket 12 disc changer and easily wire it into my factory tape-deck unit? any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

If you want a changer that is controlled by the head unit then you pretty much have to go with a factory changer. They are available in 6 and 12 disc models and the wiring is already installed in your car from teh factory.

You can add an aftermarket changer but it will have its own control head that you will have to mount someplace. It can be connected to the factory head unit in various ways (in order of increasing sound quality) - wireless FM modulator, wired FM modulator, cassette adapter, auxiliary input adapter.

There is one aftermarket changer that will plug right in to the factory radio - the NeoChanger - but I've heard it's not a very reliable unit.

sk346

interesting...thank you for your input. it seems that the easy thing to do is buy a factory cd head unit and leave it alone. i would've only done 12 disc if it plugged right into what i already have. thanks again.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

It WILL plug right in to what you've got. The wiring harness is already there (taped to the left rear speaker wires under the plastic trim in back) so all you have to do is mount the changer and plug it in. The other comments I made were refering to non-factory changers. Check out the for sale section here and you should be able to find a decent price for a factory 12-disc changer from somebody upgrading their system. Also, check on ebay - sometimes you can get a good price there as well (sometimes the bidding goes too high to be worthwhile).

AnimalSS

iTrader: (1)

This may be a stupid question but, doesn't the Monsoon HU have to have the Tape/Aux button to be able to use a CD changer or, do all Monsoon tape decks come w/ the Tape/Aux button?

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Well, sort of - it varies by model year.

Up until the middle of the 99 model year only the cassette head unit was capable of controlling a CD changer. The single CD head unit had the auxiliary port in back but it was designed to control an external cassette player (available in other GM models but not in F-bodies).

During the 99 model year, the changer capability was added to the single CD head units so that both cassette and CD models could control a CD changer.

In 01 another change was made that allowed the head units to have more than just the CD changer attached to the port on the back (with the proper adapter). That meant that you could have both the CD changer and another auxiliary device like a satellite radio or MP3 player and switch between them with the AUX button.

The buttons are labeled Tape/AUX or CD/AUX in Camaros depending on whether it is a cassette or CD head unit. The buttons are labeled Tape/Play or CD/Play in Firebirds but they do the same function. All Monsoon HUs have these buttons.