96ta

i have an 02 ta non monsoon system. id like to upgrade my head unit and speakers. im not looking for competetion(sp) just something that has a little bump to it. more or less im looking for some suggestions as far as head units and speakers. the head unit doesnt have to do anything fancy with the exception of having an ipod hookup(not to fancy anymore in my book). thanks.

edit im thinking about getting an mtx thunderform sub (amplified) just for some bass. just would like an opinion of this if you know anyone who has one or ever had one yourself.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

What makes you say it's a non-Monsoon system? My option list shows the 02 T/A came with Monsoon as standard equipment and that the base audio system was only available in V6 Firebirds that year.

96ta

my mom has an 02 ws6 and hers say on the actual headunit monsoon and mine does not....other than that i have no further evidence lol....like i said im a newb at this stuff

i also do not have tcs on mine either so it may have been ordered from the factory without these options....i dunno

import_raper

As far as I know, a Monsoon system will have speakers in the hatch.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

That's true - hatch speakers or separate tweeters in the doors (Firebirds only) are a good way to tell. The definitive answer is to check for option code W54 (cassette) or W55 (CD) on the door sticker. It doesn't really matter if you're only upgrading the head unit but it makes a difference in replacement speaker selection.

96ta

i was under the impression they all had speakers in the hatch area even my 96 ta had them there.....

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

No, the base audio system had speakers in the doors and the sail panels (next to the rear seat) but none in the hatch area. There was a "premium" 10-speaker sound system available in earlier Firebirds that was very similar to the Monsoon and had speakers in the hatch area. Your 96 T/A must have had that optional system.

96ta

like what cuz i bought some alpines for the car about 3-4 months ago cuz the speaker in the backseat area was blown i had best buy put them in and seriously 2 weeks later they had a really bad vibration(sounded like a torn cone maybe ) when it would hit certain notes.....

96ta

hmm interesting well i have speakers in my hatch and i have a cd player with no cassette deck or changer and the component speakers up front. if i have all that then why is my headunit labeled as a monsoon system doesnt make sense to me

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The sail panel speakers on the base system were just ordinary speakers (actually, high impedance 10-ohm, "extended range" speakers) that could be replaced with just about any speaker on the market.

The sail panel speakers in a Monsoon system are subs that are 4-ohm dual voice coil and receive a low-pass filtered signal from the Monsoon amp. Unless rewired, you will get nothing but bass from any speakers you install there. That could explain the problem with the full-range Alpine speakers you had installed.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

There is absolutely nothing special about the head unit in a Monsoon system - it's a plain Delco head unit just like the ones used in the base systems. Some of them had Monsoon labels added, some didn't. What makes the Monsoon system unique is the 8-channel amplifier and the "tuned" collection of speakers with oddball combinations of impedance.

96ta

so in order to prevent screwing up the next set of speakers i get i should either go back with some delco model ones or replace the whole system.....

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Not necessarily. There are some very good options for replacing stock speakers. For the Firebird sail panel subs, the elemental designs 7kV.2 (formerly EU-700) subs are 4-ohm DVC subs just like the factory ones so they wire in easily. You'll need to add a spacer because they are deeper than stock but they also sound a whole lot better. There have been a couple of threads about installing them:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-stereo-electronics/729181-7kv-2-install.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-stereo-electronics/639901-install-guide-w-pics-upgrading-factory-monsoon-subs-6-5-ones-ed-eu700s.html

96ta

another question would it be better to use (if i got a new hu) its electronic eq or buy another one? ive always liked being able to fine to the eq and i dont feel i get that with the electronic ones in the aftermarket hu's.