Input on ditching monsoon.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,121
Likes: 74
From: somewhere in TX
Input on ditching monsoon. Ok lets lay groundwork 2001 ws6 I love high performance car audio and know how it should sound when it's right. However, there is a level of clean that's not achievable with aftermarket decks speakers amps etc dont care how hard you try it never looks stock and untouched.
Now I have the car completely tore down 100% gutted being painted now while I am working on the new motor. Plan on dynamat extreme on every last panel I can get to and where I can't get I'm expanding foam filling.
Now all the monsoon speakers are dead but I have a brand new never installed OEM monsoon deck to put in the car should I go that route. Due to the weird impedances I'm considering the nice speaker package from sponsor on here.
So who's vote scrap all the stock stuff put a nice system in and rock n roll.
Or keep stock deck and changer and just put a set of speakers from sponsor in. I just really like looking into these cars and seeing a pure stock interior they just look really clean IMHO.
Car is not a dd but will be a weekend driver trip car etc and I do have a system in my DD so the ears will def know a difference
Now I have the car completely tore down 100% gutted being painted now while I am working on the new motor. Plan on dynamat extreme on every last panel I can get to and where I can't get I'm expanding foam filling.
Now all the monsoon speakers are dead but I have a brand new never installed OEM monsoon deck to put in the car should I go that route. Due to the weird impedances I'm considering the nice speaker package from sponsor on here.
So who's vote scrap all the stock stuff put a nice system in and rock n roll.
Or keep stock deck and changer and just put a set of speakers from sponsor in. I just really like looking into these cars and seeing a pure stock interior they just look really clean IMHO.
Car is not a dd but will be a weekend driver trip car etc and I do have a system in my DD so the ears will def know a difference
Stick with the oem monsoon deck and just change out the speakers with expanding the foam filling. You might be satisfied with just that..That's what I'm doing first, then maybe eventually change out the oem headunit with something like a db din. The best part about aftermarket head units is the ability to play music wirelessly.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,121
Likes: 74
From: somewhere in TX
That is a huge plus but I catch myself being like my old man and listening to the radio most .times unless I really want to roll down the windows and get some beat jamming.
let's just be clear here, the stock headunit doesn't make it or not make it monsoon, the amp by the spare tire does, if you want cleaner sound going to that amp then switch the HU, there are some very nice (albeit rather expensive) HUmount that will help the aftermarket radio look like a fancy factory option, I really wish Pioneer would release a new line (with modern features) like there old deh-p47dh and deh-p77dh models, those look totally factory in the late 90's GM vehicles (but don't do the red of the firebird like modern color change units can).
There's a pretty good sticky in the stereo/electronics section: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...nsoon-faq.html
I'd say ditch the system and go for a complete new modern setup. Get that sub that fits into the left quarter panel. If you're clever, you can squeeze an amplifier where the original Monsoon amp belongs.
I'd say ditch the system and go for a complete new modern setup. Get that sub that fits into the left quarter panel. If you're clever, you can squeeze an amplifier where the original Monsoon amp belongs.
let's just be clear here, the stock headunit doesn't make it or not make it monsoon, the amp by the spare tire does, if you want cleaner sound going to that amp then switch the HU, there are some very nice (albeit rather expensive) HUmount that will help the aftermarket radio look like a fancy factory option, I really wish Pioneer would release a new line (with modern features) like there old deh-p47dh and deh-p77dh models, those look totally factory in the late 90's GM vehicles (but don't do the red of the firebird like modern color change units can).
Here are some more pics:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...-humounts.html
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TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 144
From: Woodstock, GA
Swap out your door speakers, get a couple of bazooka 6.5" mid bass drivers for your sail panels. Tap into the inputs to those (one side of the dual voice coil - obviously) and go speaker level IN to an after market 2 channel amp. Have that drive a 10" sub (bridged mono) and mount that box where your t-tops go in the cubby. I had that setup until my monsoon died and I was pleased with it for the most part.
i went with 6.5" Kicker CVT's for the rear sail panel and can't remember what ones are in the doors.... The rear hatch are Kenwood 2-way and i have a Kenwood double din that i actually just finished today. i love the DD, made the bracket myself. Also made the mounting brackets myself. i have to adjust the HU to the right a little yet but i'm gonna do that once i get my PAC adapter for the wheel controls.
IMO, ditch the factory crap!
The only thing that will be in-you-face highly visible will be the head-unit, so get a nice 1-DIN head-unit for under $200 and a HUmount, so the install will be flush and look tastefully done,and not look like a add-on monstrosity.
The only thing that will be in-you-face highly visible will be the head-unit, so get a nice 1-DIN head-unit for under $200 and a HUmount, so the install will be flush and look tastefully done,and not look like a add-on monstrosity.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 345
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
There have been many good suggestions here but a lot will depend on your priorities. You said you want to maintain stock appearance but you want good sound. Unfortunately, those two goals are counter to each other. The factory head unit is THE major source of distortion in the Monsoon system so stock appearance generally means distorted sound.
The other thing is budget. With a large budget you can build an award winning system in these cars. But even with a relatively small budget you can make significant improvements over factory sound. It's all a matter of balancing what you want with how much you want to spend.
The Monsoon amp is not particularly powerful but it is compact, extremely reliable, and produces good sound quality when given a clean input signal. The factory speakers are not bad for sound quality (when new) but they are made of cheap materials that degrade over time and can't hold up to the clipping and distortion from the factory HU.
So the best upgrade on a budget is to replace the head unit first followed by the speakers (keep the amp). That will give you a decent sounding system without a big expenditure and without having to rewire. If you want more bass, a stealth box sub and amp will make a huge difference. The nice thing is that if it's still not good enough for what you want, you can build from there with a bigger aftermarket amp without losing what you've already invested in the HU and speakers.
The other thing is budget. With a large budget you can build an award winning system in these cars. But even with a relatively small budget you can make significant improvements over factory sound. It's all a matter of balancing what you want with how much you want to spend.
The Monsoon amp is not particularly powerful but it is compact, extremely reliable, and produces good sound quality when given a clean input signal. The factory speakers are not bad for sound quality (when new) but they are made of cheap materials that degrade over time and can't hold up to the clipping and distortion from the factory HU.
So the best upgrade on a budget is to replace the head unit first followed by the speakers (keep the amp). That will give you a decent sounding system without a big expenditure and without having to rewire. If you want more bass, a stealth box sub and amp will make a huge difference. The nice thing is that if it's still not good enough for what you want, you can build from there with a bigger aftermarket amp without losing what you've already invested in the HU and speakers.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 514
Likes: 0
If you're going to have the entire interior gutted, I would consider putting some quality 16 ga speaker wire and at least a 0 to 4 ga amp power kit into place.
As others have already suggested, start with HU and speakers. Later on, if you decide you want more bass or more power than than the monsoon can deliver, consider adding a 10" in the driver side hatch cubby. Beyond that, consider adding two 4 channel full-range class D amps in a rack in the hatch area. If you replace the monsoon and want to maintain the same outputs to the same speakers, you will need 8 channels, or 6 if you use SVCs in the sail panels. You could also bridge the "extra" two channels to send about 300W or so to a 4 Ohm sub, instead of using a monoblock.
Any new speaker wire or amp power kits should be laid to terminate way back against the tail-lights, where a rack would be.
As others have already suggested, start with HU and speakers. Later on, if you decide you want more bass or more power than than the monsoon can deliver, consider adding a 10" in the driver side hatch cubby. Beyond that, consider adding two 4 channel full-range class D amps in a rack in the hatch area. If you replace the monsoon and want to maintain the same outputs to the same speakers, you will need 8 channels, or 6 if you use SVCs in the sail panels. You could also bridge the "extra" two channels to send about 300W or so to a 4 Ohm sub, instead of using a monoblock.
Any new speaker wire or amp power kits should be laid to terminate way back against the tail-lights, where a rack would be.
