[cjfeola]

Hi everyone,

Proud owner of a 2016 Summit White 1LT convertible. Love this car! Driving it all over Texas with the top down and the stereo booming. Got a great deal buying a leftover 2016, but that meant there were a few things I didn't get. Totally worth it for the amount of money I saved.

First up is the sound system. I'm actually happy with the head unit; the 7" is fine. (Had an 8" in a Malibu loaner for two weeks; didn't see anything I wanted to pay for on it.) The speakers, however, are .... muddy at best.

Has anyone tried upgrading just the speakers? Really great 6s and 6x9s are not that expensive. I'm thinking I'm probably going to need an amp, though.

Thoughts?

And PS: You can buy the Bose OEM speakers on Amazon. Anyone tried them with the base head unit?

Cjf

[TMPSU75]

Originally Posted by cjfeola

Hi everyone,

Proud owner of a 2016 Summit White 1LT convertible. Love this car! Driving it all over Texas with the top down and the stereo booming. Got a great deal buying a leftover 2016, but that meant there were a few things I didn't get. Totally worth it for the amount of money I saved.

First up is the sound system. I'm actually happy with the head unit; the 7" is fine. (Had an 8" in a Malibu loaner for two weeks; didn't see anything I wanted to pay for on it.) The speakers, however, are .... muddy at best.

Has anyone tried upgrading just the speakers? Really great 6s and 6x9s are not that expensive. I'm thinking I'm probably going to need an amp, though.

Thoughts?


And PS: You can buy the Bose OEM speakers on Amazon. Anyone tried them with the base head unit?

Cjf

Hey CJF.......
I'm in the same boat as you.
After bringing my 'vert to my favorite high-end A/V shop (WWS in Montgomeryville, PA) the best, first upgrade would be adding a subwoofer with a separate amp. The base speakers are NOT bad, but they can't drive the lower bass without distorting.
I am close to pulling the trigger on my new set-up, so I will keep you posted. Considering one of these:

http://www.jlaudio.com/cs110lg-tw3-c...-systems-93304

http://www.jlaudio.com/cp110lg-tw1-2...-systems-93323

http://www.jlaudio.com/cp108lg-w3v3-...-systems-93133

You need to get a very slim design, so it easily fits in the trunk under the drop-top. All 3 of the above fit fine! JL Audio makes the best subs. Have used JL subs many times in previous vehicles.

You can always replace the door speakers later!
Hope this helps.

TM

[SM1]

Originally Posted by TMPSU75

Hey CJF.......
I'm in the same boat as you.
After bringing my 'vert to my favorite high-end A/V shop (WWS in Montgomeryville, PA) the best, first upgrade would be adding a subwoofer with a separate amp. The base speakers are NOT bad, but they can't drive the lower bass without distorting.
I am close to pulling the trigger on my new set-up, so I will keep you posted. Considering one of these:

http://www.jlaudio.com/cs110lg-tw3-c...-systems-93304

http://www.jlaudio.com/cp110lg-tw1-2...-systems-93323

http://www.jlaudio.com/cp108lg-w3v3-...-systems-93133

You need to get a very slim design, so it easily fits in the trunk under the drop-top. All 3 of the above fit fine! JL Audio makes the best subs. Have used JL subs many times in previous vehicles.

You can always replace the door speakers later!
Hope this helps.

TM

How much are you looking at for those subs? I agree the base stereo needs one, but want to know what I'm in for. Was thinking about a slim (possibly powered) sub under the folding top and then something like this for the front and rear speakers:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_206PXA3...2544985&awdv=c

Compact, easy to hide, and should be a nice boost over stock without rattling the car to pieces.

Side note, I live about 5 minutes from WWS in Montgomeryville!

[Warsteiner]

The subs run from $250 to $350 on Amazon. If you want to amp all of your speakers I would go with a single 5 channel amp like this: https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-PDX-V9...Cp_89%3AAlpine

You will also need some line out converters of some kind.

I think you could most like get everything for under $1000 including all of the stuff you need for install.

A local shop will of course be a little more expensive.

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by cjfeola

And PS: You can buy the Bose OEM speakers on Amazon. Anyone tried them with the base head unit?

You need to know the impedance of the stock speakers before you replace them with aftermarket or Bose. The Bose speakers are mostly 2-ohm impedance. If the stock speakers are 2 ohm, you can replace them with most anything (but stick with 2 ohm or your replacement will not be as loud). If the stock speakers in the base system are 4 ohm, that means the base amplifier is not 2 ohm stable and will overheat with a 2 ohm load.

[cjfeola]

Originally Posted by TMPSU75

Hey CJF.......
I'm in the same boat as you.
After bringing my 'vert to my favorite high-end A/V shop (WWS in Montgomeryville, PA) the best, first upgrade would be adding a subwoofer with a separate amp. The base speakers are NOT bad, but they can't drive the lower bass without distorting.

You can always replace the door speakers later!
Hope this helps.

TM

Thanks for tip! After I read this, I tried turning the bass all the way down in the tone controls. You're right! The stock speakers aren't half bad when low bass isn't muddying them up. Really interested in how your upgrade turns out - it sounds like the right first step!

Cjf