ELLIS

Is it possible to replace the stock head unit and still be able to use the factory amp and speakers?

tasilver

iTrader: (2)

Yes I did mine and have had no problems. I used the wire harness from circuit city ( all of the wires are labeled). If tell them what you are using it for they will tell you it won't work, I do not know why they all say that but they are wrong and there plenty of other members that use aftermarket decks with monsoon systems. here are few pics of mine

02SOMLS1WS6

Who has only changed the HU. I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on the improvement with a HU only upgrade? I would like to do the stereo upgrades in steps if I would see an improvement with each step instead of saving and doing it all at once.

VIP1

Replacing just the headunit is easy... its in the FAQ too:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-stereo-electronics/303776-frequently-asked-questions.html

You need:
* Mounting Kit
* Wiring Harness
* Steering Wheel Control Adapter

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The biggest improvement in sound that you can get doing a partial system change is from changing the head unit. As long as your factory speakers are still in good shape you will get an immediate and noticeable improvement in sound quality from a new head unit.

tasilver

iTrader: (2)

Mine is a hu only and it sounds great. There is much more control of the sound then the crap eq on the stock deck.

02SOMLS1WS6

Another quick question...What does the after market harness support? I may be interested in buying a more high end HU without internal amplifier. I have this type in my other car that has amps for power and like it due to the really clean output signal and no heat from internal amps that are not being used.

VIP1

You need the internal amp in the headunit for the f-body. The Monsoon amp gets its signal from the headunit's speaker-level output.

The wiring harness adapts the headunit's wires to the car's harness. Its just a connector and color-coded wires.

ELLIS

Thanks for the help. I was told that inorder to replace the deck I had to replace the speakers also. Which would have meant I would have too buy new speakers and an amp, when there is nothing wrong with the ones I have. My plan is to add a stealth box,amp and headunit and continue to use the factory speakers and amp for highs.


TASilver: Looks good. Thanks for the pics

tasilver

iTrader: (2)

No prob. I went through the same thing when all of the sound shops in my area told the same line of BS about having to change all of the speakers. So go ahead with the hu and hidden sub, let us know how it turned out. Oh, and VIP1 is right you have to use a HU with a built in amp so the factory amp will pick up signal.

pentavolvo

I know that on the bose cars this isnt true that the amp will work off low level from the headunit. But many wire it off the regular high level inputs but dont know better. I dont know if this is the case with monsoon cars or not but the easyiest way to tell is if your volume **** on ur aftermarket radio is super sensitive like it goes to 30 but at 10 its screamin loud

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The older Bose systems are a completely different setup with a special head unit and speakers with individual amps. The Monsoon system is just an ordinary Delco radio with an amp that runs off the speaker-level output. There are no low-level outputs on GM's regular Delco radios.

02SOMLS1WS6

Cool guys thanks for the quick response. I will start looking for a new HU now.

My plans are HU now, next stealth sub box and amp then go from there. If I like that a lot I may not change much else than the stock speakers and continue to use the monsoon amp. I will add an external amp for the rest of the speakers if the monsoon set up doesnt sound that good.

This car is mainly for performance so I dont want too much weight making it any heavier than it already is. If I want to rattle my brains I will drive my old competition car.