[Camaro fanboy]

Originally Posted by MX5Racer

I don't claim to be an expert but I'm pretty picky with home audio stuff.
I've sure enjoyed my Martin-Logans for the past couple decades.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by Camaro fanboy

Michell Gyro and SME arm! Nice. I have a Michell Mycro with Moerch arm and Shelter cartridge.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I think the BOSE stereo in my ‘21 ZL1 sounds really good. Enough bass for me. If I had a complaint it would be that the high frequencies can get a little harsh if they are turned too high in the EQ. This is due to no dedicated tweeters. That said, if you keep the highs turned down to no higher than +2, it sounds really good and can play pretty loud. I like that BOSE automatically increases the bass at low volumes. It’s the only car I’ve had that does that.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

I think the BOSE stereo in my ‘21 ZL1 sounds really good. Enough bass for me. If I had a complaint it would be that the high frequencies can get a little harsh if they are turned too high in the EQ. This is due to no dedicated tweeters.

It's due to a basement-budget 2.5" driver being asked to do a really hard job: cover the frequency range of ~500hz-20khz. It's not up to the task, so we get seriously curtailed high frequencies and lots of distortion when driven even slightly hard. A good 2.5" driver can do it, and also reaches a little lower in frequency for a better blend with the woofers in the door.

[keep_hope_alive]

I put a HUGE emphasis on amplifier quality. I never cheap out on the amp, usually a grand or more. I'll run budget raw drivers and play with tuning on the DSP. I've ran DSP since 1999 as well since time alignment is a must. I prefer active crossovers and dedicated 1/3 octave EQ, unique per driver.

I've been enjoying the sound of the exhaust (NPP in Track mode full-time, usually drive in Touring mode) and I am in no hurry of changing the stock stereo since I never really turn it up. Of course, I don't turn it up because it sounds awful. But if it was bugging me I would have gutted the car already. And the car has a wonderful soundtrack built-in.

I don't mind the wide-band drivers in the dash corners, as that is great for imaging. I'll likely do a JL VX800/8i and VX1000/1 for amps, and Hybrid Audio or Audiofrog for speakers this time around since Hertz doesn't make a small-enough wide-band mid in their Mille series. I'd like to pull the windshield for headliner removal and at the same time modify the dash corners to accommodate a mid/tweet combo with a stock appearance. I suspect the soundstage will be a bit narrow but should have good depth and a solid center. Car will compete in IASCA SQ, possibly MECA.

[Algeron]

Originally Posted by csn29

I have the bose on a 2023 convertible and was really surprised how good it is. I had a 2016 with the bose but that was garbage and i ended up replacing it but between 2016 and 2023 they did an upgrade and its good

I went from a 2016 2ss to a 2023 ZL1, and I have to agree. The Bose setup is better in the 23 than it was in the 16.

[tlr3715]

I might be getting a Camaro with a standard stereo since the one I ordered with the Bose has no allocation for the last month and a half. Don’t know much about upgrading stereos. What would be the most effective way to increase accuracy and bass on a standard stereo using the head init that came with the car? Replace the six existing speakers, more powerful amp, and trunk mounted subwoofer?

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by tlr3715

I might be getting a Camaro with a standard stereo since the one I ordered with the Bose has no allocation for the last month and a half. Don’t know much about upgrading stereos. What would be the most effective way to increase accuracy and bass on a standard stereo using the head init that came with the car? Replace the six existing speakers, more powerful amp, and trunk mounted subwoofer?

Powered subwoofer in the trunk imo.

[keep_hope_alive]

Originally Posted by tlr3715

I might be getting a Camaro with a standard stereo since the one I ordered with the Bose has no allocation for the last month and a half. Don’t know much about upgrading stereos. What would be the most effective way to increase accuracy and bass on a standard stereo using the head init that came with the car? Replace the six existing speakers, more powerful amp, and trunk mounted subwoofer?

Best bet is to find a good shop and work with them to determine an upgrade within your budget. A "simple" upgrade would consist of a 5 channel amplifier to power front components active and a 10" sub in the trunk in the driver rear corner (custom or premade). Stock head unit remains as-is. Rear speakers are not needed in such a small car and I would not recommend spreading the budget out to cover rear speakers, invest more in the front. I would not put 6x9 in the rear deck because you want that pathway for bass from the sub. This simple setup can scale with budget. You can spend a few hundred bucks for each component or a grand for each component (speakers, sub, amp). You can buy an amp with DSP built-in for the best result for EQ, time alignment, and crossover adjustments.

You could build this in phases also, and you will see gains immediately if you just went with a DSP 5 channel amp and sub and just reuse the factory speakers. I'd want to run the front 2.5" full active, so a bit of wiring would be needed to them. The factory speakers aren't great, but with DSP they can be as good if not better than a BOSE setup.

[ALMN]

Bose upgrade is probably not worth it in the Camaro. Couple of things to point out, it does not come with a slim separate subwoofer in the trunk. Front speakers take the duty as woofers and causes door panels to rattle. EQ setting is very basic and speaker quality is bottom of the barrel Bose. Best Bose system I owned was in the Audi A6 and then Cadillac CTS. Even in the Cadillac the Bose was subpar compared to the version in the Audi. The one in the Camaro is so far the worst Bose sound system that I ever owned. If you don't need the extras in the 2SS model, my advise is do not upgrade to the 2ss just for the Bose because its definitely not worth it. I also had a chance to listen to the Bose system in the C7 and C8 corvettes, they are couple of step above the version of the Camaro. Camaro definitely needs a separate woofer for the bass and better overall speakers.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by tlr3715

What would be the most effective way to increase accuracy and bass on a standard stereo using the head init that came with the car? Replace the six existing speakers, more powerful amp, and trunk mounted subwoofer?

I agree you don't need the rear speakers at all. Just move the fader all the way to the front so they don't play. The most cost-effective (and unobtrusive) way to meet the two goals you stated is probably to do what I did: upgrade the four front drivers and install an amp with built-in DSP. That's about $900 worth of components and some elbow grease and you'll get way more accurate sound with more extended and tuneful bass as well as much more extended highs. You also don't have to learn how to tune a DSP setup. I'm not discounting what keep_hope_alive wrote about the importance of quality amplification (my home system attests to that), but when you throw "cost-effective" as the first goal, then my setup meets those goals in spades. Besides, even the little Kicker amp/DSP I used is a big improvement in amplification over the little amp chip in the radio module, plus it replaces the shitty capacitor "crossover" in the stock dash speakers with a true active crossover and a separate channel of amplification and DSP for each of the four front drivers.

One thing you could do differently than I did and get even more bass response: instead of the GS690s in the doors you could try the GS8ND2 in each door. That would extend the bass even more. The AF honcho, Andy Wehmeyer, has recommended that when using the GS25 as a twiddler. It wasn't available yet when I did my installation, or I might have tried it. Only downside is that they cost more than the GS690s.

keep_hope_alive, I hope you start a thread on your build if you do one! If you're going to do separate mids and tweeters in the dash, then in the AF line I would think you'd want the GB25 and GB10 instead of the GS series. But I'm sure you already know that.

[jamala00]

Originally Posted by Algeron

I went from a 2016 2ss to a 2023 ZL1, and I have to agree. The Bose setup is better in the 23 than it was in the 16.

I asked this earlier in this thread. So what did GM change in the Bose systems between the model years? I'd be curious to know.

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by jamala00

I asked this earlier in this thread. So what did GM change in the Bose systems between the model years? I'd be curious to know.

Going from 2016 2SS to 2023 ZL1 also mean going from a car with a sound tube and runflat tires to one without both of those noisemakers.

[jamala00]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Going from 2016 2SS to 2023 ZL1 also mean going from a car with a sound tube and runflat tires to one without both of those noisemakers.

Ya, I can't find any documentation that GM changed anything with the Bose system in the Camaro from 2016 to present.