New Radio
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 128
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From: NJ
New Radio So my father told me that the stock monsoon radio on my 02 z28 has a small but helpful amp in it. Im not to good with electronics so im not completely sure if hes right although it looks like he is.
My question is if i change my radio to a new touch screen radio set, would i lose sound quality because of the lost amp power? and also if anyone recommends a good quality touch screen ipod/dvd etc. radio
My question is if i change my radio to a new touch screen radio set, would i lose sound quality because of the lost amp power? and also if anyone recommends a good quality touch screen ipod/dvd etc. radio
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 344
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
The Monsoon system actually has two amps. Like virtually every other head unit, there is a small amp inside that allows you to connect speakers directly (without an external amp). Only specialty head units such as some Bose systems don't have internal amps. The Monsoon system also has an external amp located in the right quarter panel in front of the spare tire. This amp provides about 240 watts continuous power into eight speakers. So it's much more powerful than the head unit alone although it's rather small in the world of aftermarket amps.
You don't have to give up the Monsoon amp to install an aftermarket head unit. With the proper wiring adapter (for about $10), it will plug right in to the factory wiring and make full use of the Monsoon amp. Please read the Monsoon FAQ sticky at the top of the section for more information.
I have had both an older Pioneer AVIC series and a Kenwood DNX series head unit. Both are double DIN and require a modified trim bezel because of the larger face plate. I prefer the Kenwood but many changes have been made over the past few years and Pioneer has some great offerings.
You don't have to give up the Monsoon amp to install an aftermarket head unit. With the proper wiring adapter (for about $10), it will plug right in to the factory wiring and make full use of the Monsoon amp. Please read the Monsoon FAQ sticky at the top of the section for more information.
I have had both an older Pioneer AVIC series and a Kenwood DNX series head unit. Both are double DIN and require a modified trim bezel because of the larger face plate. I prefer the Kenwood but many changes have been made over the past few years and Pioneer has some great offerings.
I've had Sony, Kenwood and Dual HU in the past few years.
I've never liked Sony products but I ended up buying them because they're always on sale and I usually end up regretting it. The Sony HU unit had poor iPod integration (supposedly fixed in newer models) and they seem to have a muffled sound. I didn't even bother pulling it when I sold the car.
Back in the old days, I liked Kenwood and I recently bought a Kenwood KDC-MP345U for a good price of only $70 for my new car. It has great iPod integration and sounds a lot better than the Sony.
And finally I bought a couple of cheap Dual HU for my Jeep. One unit came from Best Buy for $80 installed. It actually sounded pretty good but I thought it broke and went and picked up a new discontinued HD unit for $40!!! from a local big box store. Turns out it wasn't broken (crappy BB install) but I kept the new HD unit which sound great, plus I'm getting hooked on HD radio - wish I had spent a little more on the Kenwood and got the HD version.
Any of the above sound WAY better than the stock Monsoon. And if you have even a little skill, install it yourself.
I've never liked Sony products but I ended up buying them because they're always on sale and I usually end up regretting it. The Sony HU unit had poor iPod integration (supposedly fixed in newer models) and they seem to have a muffled sound. I didn't even bother pulling it when I sold the car.
Back in the old days, I liked Kenwood and I recently bought a Kenwood KDC-MP345U for a good price of only $70 for my new car. It has great iPod integration and sounds a lot better than the Sony.
And finally I bought a couple of cheap Dual HU for my Jeep. One unit came from Best Buy for $80 installed. It actually sounded pretty good but I thought it broke and went and picked up a new discontinued HD unit for $40!!! from a local big box store. Turns out it wasn't broken (crappy BB install) but I kept the new HD unit which sound great, plus I'm getting hooked on HD radio - wish I had spent a little more on the Kenwood and got the HD version.
Any of the above sound WAY better than the stock Monsoon. And if you have even a little skill, install it yourself.
