So I've got a 2002 ws6 trans am with monsoon. I have read the faq and particularly everything posted by whitebird00. To put my question simply, will the monsoon head unit put out a full range signal in either high or low level?

From all I've read i still can not determine if the monsoon deck is special with a low level out dedicated to the amp(hence the 2 twisted pairs I see going to the amp) or if the amp takes high level inputs and the difference in a monsoon head unit is in its pre equalized high level out, or the monsoon head unit simply has the monsoon logo added and nothing more. The problem I, and most people are having is that the speakers produce a clipping sound from about half volume up. I'm running 8" 4 ohm silver flute mid drivers in the doors and a tymphany textile dome tweeter utilizing the OEM passive crossover. I also have a 12" sub and amp which also do not seem to be getting a good full range signal no matter where I tap the LOC, off the top of my head i'm getting maybe 80hz through 120hz, it bangs like a bongo.EDIT: disregard, could be a bad amp or bad loc, losing focus here.

I run nearly the exact same setup on the wifes blazer but using a much lighter duty(lower wattage rating) paper cone 8" door speaker as the delco head unit is the only amplifier. I chose the silver flutes as I tend to choose them in an amplified setup but I'm not getting results that are even in the ballpark of any other install I've done. I have a feeling there is some built in equalizer curve that I may not be able to overcome. Is the amp or the head unit the problem?

Specs for the silver flutes can be found on Madisound.com, tweeters can be found on parts-Express.


Sorry so long winded!

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

As mentioned in the Monsoon FAQ, there is absolutely nothing special about a Monsoon head unit other than some of them (not all) have a Monsoon decal on the face. There is no low-level or dual output. It's an ordinary Delco unit with four channels of full range speaker-level output - the same kind of thing you'd find in your grandfather's Oldsmobile. The Monsoon amp has no twisted pair wiring. It takes the speaker level input, boosts the power, and filters the eight channels of output for the specific speakers (full range to the door and hatch mids, low-pass filtered to the sail panels, and high-pass filtered to the tweeters) . Those speakers are slightly different for Camaro or Firebird. The Camaro amp powers all speakers but, since the Firebird has ten speakers, the eight channels go to everything except the tweeters and the tweeters are powered directly from the head unit through passive high-pass filters (no crossover).

The reason you're getting clipping at higher volumes is because the Delco head unit is a distortion making machine. Replacing it with a good aftermarket head unit will give you instant relief from clipping even without changing any other components.

 

I was afraid of that. If this deck is truly unusable then I will swap it for the std delco radio. I'm really hell bent on keeping the factory deck. I just about never remove an OEM head unit, especially one with wheel controls and a 7 band eq. Most times I add a 1/2 din 9 band equalizer, I was kinda excited about the 7 band eq already there.

I know I'm outdated but I much prefer a real **** or slider type eq, not something deep in the depths of some obnoxious touch screen screen menu.

So this distortion machine we are speaking of, we are referring to its output in general or does it do a **** poor job of picking up radio signal. I should pop a cd in and answer that question for myself actually. Reason I ask is because I do have a pretty crappy original antenna. Beyond that, with my failed attempt at the pac gm 9 pin I went ahead and ordered a product from ws6store that plugs into the antenna Jack. I'm extremely skeptical but the manufacturer says it produces better sound quality as aposed to the 9 pin... which sounds like bs. Option B is plug an ebay s10/blazer cassette deck in the trunk area with a blank tape and throw the pac 9 pin back into action.

 

The distortion is from the cheap amp built into the head unit - it simply can't handle much volume. That's not a faulty head unit, it's part of the design and replacing with another factory HU will produce exactly the same results. You will see the same clipping from whatever music source you use... CD or radio.

No, the FM modulator auxiliary does not produce better sound than the direct connection of an auxiliary adapter... that's total BS. However, the FM modulator adapters that plug in directly to the antenna cable produce much better sound than the older units which used low power FM broadcast. The quality of sound will be the same as a very strong local FM station (i.e. limited only by the capabilities of the FM tuner in the head unit). That's nowhere near the CD quality available from the plug in auxiliary adapters but it's quite acceptable if it's all you can get to work.

Adding steering wheel controls to an aftermarket HU is easy and reliable. I've never worried about easy access to a graphic equalizer since it's basically a set it and forget it feature. Many of the better units allow you to create custom equalizations for different types of music and then switch between them with a single touch. After all, we're talking about a car (and not a particularly quiet one at that) so it's not a good sound environment in the first place. A good double DIN aftermarket unit will look nearly factory in the Firebird dash so it's not an option to dismiss out of hand. It would be the single best thing you could do for the system to get better sound... even before speakers if they aren't totally blown.

 

Well the delco unit in my wifes blazer pushing 8" door speakers and 1" soft dome tweeters sounds excellent, but that is likely because the drivers I chose are essentially a guitar speaker, paper cone, cloth surround and very little suspension making them the perfect candidate for a low power amplifier. from all the advice you've given me its becoming clear that i way over shot this amplifiers output capabilities, the drivers I chose for the doors in this car are paper/wool cone, rubber surround and a very heavy spider, they just need more power.

I appreciate your input and you have really cleared up a lot for me. Im not disregarding your advice on the head unit, we just have different preferences and I'm very aware of how ridiculous and outdated my taste is. Im into home audio, pro audio, marine, etc so to me I kind of like a familiar across the board feel and a sliding equalizer REALLY appeals to me... and me only. So now I will suffer while you all find much more enjoyment with your superior aftermarket setups lol.

Moving forward i think i will just add a line out converter with a strong signal, install my go to 4 channel amp and active crossover. Boosting the low level input between the LOC and inline active crossover to an aftermarket amplifier will allow the head unit to run in the lower segment of the volume while producing a ton of input to the amp.


In summery, here i was thinking these Delco radios are great when in reality ive just been using them with really forgiving speakers.