Howdy folks! Brand new here, looks like a lot of fantastic info, for sure! Recently bought (5 mos. ago) a 2002 Trans Am WS6, with only 7700 miles on it, actual. Looking for the specs on the Monsoon 10 spkr system amp. All I can find is it is 500 watts peak. Wondering how clean the power is? I know dirty power will blow a speaker faster than good clean power. I am not into
SPL or anything, just like to hear a good clean thump from a kick drum. Ive played Lead/Rhythm guitar and sang in cover bands for 40+ years, don't crank the volume regularly, but fairly often,
I guess. I am an admitted JL Audio snob, and have installed numerous systems in my and my son's vehicles. I know the Monsoon will never reach JL standards, and probably won't keep
this T/A more than 6mos to a year. I have Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, but am doing well, and expect to be around a couple more years or longer. Therefore, the dilemma....refurb the Monsoon
head unit, and upgrade all the speakers in the interest of originality when I sell it, or not? I have never heard a Monsoon system in its prime, so don't know just how good or average that is, does
it compare to a Bose system? IMHO, Bose is decent, but not High End.. Refurbing the Monsoon would be cheaper than putting in a JL system, so leaning that way. Thoughts? Thanks!
Shoe

 

While it isn't the most powerful system out there, a lot of guys just replace the head unit, front door speakers and sail panel subs and are happy with the sound quality.

 

I'm unsure as to why you would need to refurbish the Monsoon (factory) head unit at just 7,700 miles. What is wrong with it? Mine is four years older than yours and has 19,000 miles of use, but all features of the head unit are still operating perfectly.

I don't think anyone would complain about the speakers being upgraded (regarding originality concerns), as long as they tucked nicely into the factory pods, but changing the head unit is very visible and would likely impact the value, to at least some degree, to a serious collector (which is a valid concern on a last year WS6 car with such low miles). This concern is even more valid if you don't intend to keep the car for more than 6-12 months as stated.

If anything, I'd just upgrade the speakers and leave the head unit stock.

 

I agree with RPM WS6... if you want to retain resale value you should keep the original Monsoon head unit. Anyone who would buy it as a driver rather than a collectible would probably want to upgrade the audio, but everyone has their own opinion of what they want in an audio system, so starting from stock is preferable.

To answer your question about sound, the original Monsoon HU is nothing more than a standard Delco unit with a Monsoon label on the face, so it has the same limitations of all Delco units of the time - it is a distortion machine at higher volumes but is not too bad at low to moderate volume settings. That's not so bad for many owners because the amp makes "moderate" volume levels loud enough to drown out road noise, etc. The Monsoon amp is more of a booster than a true amp (actual RMS output is between 200 and 240 watts depending on whether you believe GM marketing of the time), but it produces clean output when given clean input and it has the unique 8-channel output configuration with signal filtering for the specific speakers.

One common option used by many members here is to replace the speakers (they probably need replacement after all this time anyway) and replace the HU with whatever brand/model you prefer. HU replacement is quite simple with an inexpensive adapter harness making it plug-and-play, so you can go back to stock when you go to sell. You can even go with a double DIN head unit with the addition of a replacement trim bezel ($25 on Amazon)... just keep the original HU and trim bezel for returning to stock configuration. This will give you much improved sound at higher volume while still allowing return to stock for resale value.

For more detailed information, please see the Monsoon FAQ sticky linked at the top of this forum.

 

Wow! Good stuff, Thanks guys! Unsure where the problem lies just yet...problem is when turning fader to the rear, there is hardly any output at all, compared to front door speakers. Hardly any output from ANY of the rear speakers. I'm guessing speakers are the problem, but could also be the amp? I don't suspect the head unit.....

 

Sale panel subs might be blown.

 

I went through kee audio for the speaker upgrade. They sell nice packages for 4th gens. Also bought a custom bezel (from someone here) so I could instal a double din touchscreen. Everything was plug and play and sounds awesome. Just keep the original head unit if you ever want to get it back to stock.

funny thing is nowadays I almost never turn the stereo on 😂😂😂. Love the sound of the exhaust too much.

 

Okay....Thanks to great replies from you folks, I am going to upgrade the HU and speakers, saving original Monsoon for reinstallation come Sale time. I have installed speakers in pickups and
SUV's, and know to be very careful not to break tabs and clips and such. How hard is it to replace the 4 rear speakers? I see the HU is a piece of cake.

 

I would not replace the rear tweeters - they are normally not damaged and are there just for rear fill anyway. The rear 4" mids are easy to replace but you'll have to drill out the two rivets and replace them with nuts and bolts (or screws and speed-nuts).

 

The sail panel speakers are a snap to change. The plastic grill comes off really easy to expose the speaker mounting hardware. However the speaker in the hatch area I feel were plastic riveted in place or something like that. I ditched my rear speakers forever ago, so I don't remember for sure.

 

Sounds Good! I'll give it a go!! Thanks again to ALL!! Fantastic!!
Shoe

 

Bear in mind that the hatch "subs" (actually mid-bass) are fairly shallow so you have to be careful about mounting depth of replacements. Also, they are dual voice coil (DVC) 4-ohm speakers which are not as common as single voice coil (SVC). As mentioned, Kee Audio is a great source for f-body speakers that work well with the Monsoon system.

 

Or the prior owner replaced the speakers with the wrong type of speaker and didn't have the benefit of our Monsoon FAQ. Every detail is key.

Here's my thread on the sail panel replacement. [WARNING: This post is old school old and references Radio Shack. ] https://ls1tech.com/forums/wiring-st...ll-w-pics.html

 

I'll check out Kee. Thanks!

 

My friend, lose the stock system. It was never good to begin with. The stock audio in my 2000 Camry sounded better. I got my Camaro with 6000 miles, just like you, and from day one there was no dimension to the sound.

They should have went with Bose, haha.

 

Completely replacing the Monsoon system with an aftermarket system is certainly an option, but hardly a good one when planning to sell the vehicle in the near future as the OP says. Not to mention the vastly higher cost in equipment, wiring and labor.

I suspect that your experience with Monsoon may have been colored by a system that was well beyond its prime... especially when compared to a 2000 Camry. I've spent a fair bit of time driving a 2000 Camry and the stock sound system was absolute crap - the 8-track in my 71 Mustang sounded better. I get it - exaggeration to make a point.

 

Leaning toward keeping Monsoon to keep it Original, as I mentioned earlier, because I don't expect to keep it that long, and with the low mileage, I think it makes sense. I can put up with the poor sound for no longer than I expect to own it. If I change my mind and really, really like the T/A, I may replace the Monsoon...we'll see.....
Thanks!
Shoe