SS101

iTrader: (2)

like i said, i'm a wiz when it comes to ls1 performance but totaly inept with stereo systems.

simply put, i've got a '99 trans am w/ a monsoon system and $600 to play with and i want to replace all of my speakers while retaining the stock amp (if ditching the stock amp is a much better idea, PLEASE TELL ME SO). i can't wire worth a damn , so lets try to keep away from coaxials in the sail panels - and i dont want to have to split the tweeter from the mid in the front so please keep these small considerations in mind.

any input would be GREATLY appreciated.

fredmr39

can do a lot more than just speakers for $600....are you interested in a new HU as well? Even that with speakers you will most likely have a good amount to spend (depending on quality of everything).

How much do you want to spend? (I know your budget is $600)

I vote Elemental Designs eu700s in the sails -- only major modifications needed are physical (need a spacer) -- but the wiring is the easiest it will get (on Pontiac Monsoon sails) for sail replacements, so you shouldn't have to worry about installing these at all.

dragonrage

When you buy aftermarket component speakers, you all but have to use the crossover provided with the speakers. The crossover in the Monsoon amp is made to be cheap, not to sound good, and it's not designed for any component speaker you can buy.

Replace the amp and get some good speakers from a company like (no specific order) Boston Acoustics, CDT, Image Dynamics, MB Quart, Focal, etc. Then you'll easily be able to use the provided crossover and you won't have to worry about the lower efficiency of most aftermarket speakers as long as you get the right amp.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Sorry, I have to disagree here.

There is no crossover in the Monsoon amp (well, except that the sail panel sub signal is low-pass filtered). There is an external high-pass filter in the doors for the tweeters.

Most aftermarket speakers are more efficient than stock rather than less. The factory mids compensate for poor efficiency by being 2-ohm instead of the more common 4-ohm.

On a limited budget, you will get more bang for your buck keeping the factory amp and replacing the head unit first and then the speakers. The Delco head unit is the source of most of the distortion in the Monsoon system and that distortion is the primary cause of blown speakers. The Elemental Designs 7Kv.2 (formerly EU700) subs are an excellent choice for the sail panels because they require no wiring modifications. There are other good choices as well, such as CDT. Kenwood has a 6.5" sub that is a good replacement but they want far too much for them. For the doors, your choices are almost unlimited in 6.5" coaxials and there are a number of good component sets available. A lot depends on personal preference - for example, Infinity speakers are loved by some but others find them too bright.

105

iTrader: (7)

So these subs will sound just as good or better than the stock subs in the sails without an extra amp to power them?

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Yes, they will and they do in my car. The bass is cleaner and more full. However, that's in a Firebird which powers each voice coil from separate channels of the amp. The wiring is almost as easy for a Camaro but has both voice coils powered from a single channel of the amp. I don't know how much that affects power output but maybe fredmr39 can give more insight.

105

iTrader: (7)

Cool, I already put some Alpine sps-170a's in my doors and installed an Alpine HU, but I gave up on the subs because a couple years ago everyone was saying there was no direct replacement.

LT1wannabe

iTrader: (2)

If you buy new aftermarket speakers all the way around and a new head unit, then pay for installation, you shouldn't have a whole lot left. I would say buy the speakers new (Alpine makes amazing door speakers), and try to get a nice used head unit for $100-$150. One option you have is doing away with the subs and getting really nice door speakers. If you don't like a whole lot of bass, real nice door speakers with an amp can sound VERY good. A lot of people are going to wave the bullshit flag, and honestly it wouldn't be enough bass for me, but I like a lot of bass with everything (rap, country, rock). A used amp would be the only way to go, because you'd need 2 average amps, and they run at least $200 a pop for the quality that people with decent (IMO) systems are used to.

Bacardi151

Alpine SPR-17LS 6-1/2" Type-R Component 2-Way Speaker
$118.89

Alpine MRP-M450 Class-D Mono Power Amplifier
$129.89

Kenwood KAC-7202 2 Channel Power Amplifier
$116.44

Kicker 05CVR124 CompVR 12" 4-Ohms Subwoofer
$75.99
Sub Total: $441.21

Add a subthump box and misc cables/wires and you will be under $600 and sound WAY better than stock.

Use the connections at the stock amp and wiring is easy. The tweeters mount perfectly in place of the stock ones. Install is a snap EXCEPT getting power to the new amps. That will take and hour or so.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Forgetting something? ...like a head unit? You sure wouldn't want to run all that off of the stock head unit.

Also, that setup is fine for those "audiophiles" who insist that you must have a front sound stage and that rear fill is the source of all evil. For those of us who actually like surround sound, you'll need some more speakers.

dragonrage

@whitebird:

I just got around to replacing my front speakers today. (Well, I only have the woofers in for now). There is no crossover/capacitor in the door that I noticed. One set of wires gave my woofer only highs, and I suppose the other (which I am using until I get my amp installed) is likely full-range. Where is the capacitor for the high-pass, then? I'm not saying it HAS to be in the amp, but it wasn't right at (or in) the speaker in my car.

fredmr39

Correct - as mentioned by WhiteBird00, the bass will be cleaner, fuller, and without any doubt constructed 100x better.

Volume will be a bit louder as well WITH the stock amp (at least from my experience). The dual 4-ohm version of the eu700s would be wired in parallel so that the final impedance is 2-ohms (same as stock) so there isn't any loss as far as impedances go.

I installed the eu700s in my brother's car (those or the CDTs will be in mine once one blows but that's unlikely since I cut off a lot of the lower frequencies going there), and my car still has the stockers in (both cars have aftermarket HUs). I shut off my sub and listened to my sails in comparison with the eu700s - and there was definitely an improvement. You are limited with the stock amp though, so I wouldn't really consider these worth getting rid of perfectly working factory speakers for unless you wish to amp them as well - so I see them more as an improved replacement. As a Camaro owner though - you DO have other options available since there are more 6.5" SVC subs than DVC ones.

You can find more information/opinions from others in this thread about them.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

There is a capacitor in the door near the tweeter on Firebirds (where the components are mounted separately) so I just assumed that there was one in Camaros as well. The amp is different between the two models plus the tweeters are powered by the head unit in a Firebird so it is quite possible that Camaro amps have a built-in high-pass filter that wouldn't be necessary in a Firebird. There is no mention of it in the service manual - can anyone confirm or deny this situation? I'll update the FAQ if we can get a definite answer.

Bacardi151

*I* wouldn't. But for $600 what I gave will sound light years better. Add $200 for a head unit and it may sound a little better, not light years.

As for rear fill...thats controversial. I dont care much for precise sound stage, but my install has rear speakers and when I play with the fader, for what sounds good to me, I hardly know they are there unless there is a lot of sound in the 63-150hz range (have my fronts at >150 and my sub at <63)

fredmr39

I can only confirm that there is no HPF in the doors or anywhere reachable from the doors. Like before I'm still thinking that the tweeters in the Firebird only have the HPF at the tweeter because the HU is the same in Monsoon/non-Monsoon systems so having 2 different HUs makes no sense when they can just put a HPF at the tweeter when using the HU to power them. Since the Monsoon amps are 8 channels and the Camaro only has SVC subs and coaxials in the hatch - the channels as you know clearly receive different amounts of power/channel compared to a Firebird -- and maybe it was easier/cheaper to implement crossovers in the amp for the Camaro door tweeters since we don't run them off of HU power only? Who knows....when I'm home in two weeks I'll tap into the signals directly at the Monsoon amp and see what results I get.