Hello,

I just found this part of the forum. Glad i did!.. Im thinking about upgrading the bose system in my 99 coupe. But Not knowing what is decent or good I decieded to post!..

Im not looking for something that is going to make me go deaf, but something that has decent/good bass to it.

What would be a good setup that is affordable? Or one that could be purchased in 'sections'. Lets not break the bank eithor, I am going to school.

Thanks ALOT!

 

well first...rip out the entire bose system... the c5 bose system isn't as hard to integrate with as the c4 bose but you still are only going to get marginally better results. best thing to do is to go to a audio shop and listen to some components and see what you like. As far as brands a good 'one stop shop' would be elemental designs. they have good speakers, amps and subwoofers. However I've had CDT speakers and an image dynamic's sub and they both shocked me... and they are a very reasonably priced.

as for a head unit you are more or less limited to the name brands. go to a quality stereo place and check out what htey have. I always push Eclipse because they are what i would most likely go with if I was going to install a traditional head unit.

another thing, i wouild eleminate the rear speakers. all they will do is muck up the sound. they ruin what is called the 'soundstage' and are usually blocked by the back of the seats anyways.

what kind of car do you have and what are the mods? if you have a stock coupe or frc you can get away with slighly less power on the amp, if you have a vert or modded exhaust (headers, high flow cats, exhaust) then i would recommend around 75 watts rms (wrms) or more for the doors and at lest 300 wrms for the sub. If you have one of the others you can get away with slighly less due to the lower noise levels of the car.

another thing you'd want to look into is sound deadening. this will make your whole car quieter (and sound like a luxury car...nice solid 'thump' when you close the doors) and will also keep the car cooler to a certain extent.

also, it would be a good idea to upgrade to an optima red top battery for piece of mind. my gm battery caused me a lot of problems because it was garbage.


you should definately read the c5 audio faq:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1117959

and the 'what do you run' thread for ideas on what other have done:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1305774

let us know what you decide and what you are confused about and we'll help you with your component selection so you get the right gear and it'll sound great

the c5 is very easy to work on and upgrade and will give you very little trouble.

have fun!

 

very good info to get your feet wet. remember that its very tempting to impulse buy, just make sure that you do your research and that its what you want and you will be good to go

 

Take some time to read the posts on this first page or two and you'll see what some other people are thinking about doing for installs in their Vettes. You'll find reasonably priced to money-is-no-object installs on this forum.

After you have read some and think you have an idea of what you'd like, post up your thoughts. Plenty of people here will give you input and suggestions.

I personally have only added a single 10" sub to my stock Bose. Sounds better than stock since there is actually hit now. But my truck has an even better system and I know the Bose is lacking. You can certainly do this install in stages (sub first, then headunit, then speakers).

If you think you'll end up changing everything, then I suggest saving up the money and doing it all at once. You'll spend less on adapters and gain the benefit of a complete and excellent sounding stereo at one time.

 

Getting all the info you need, and shopping for the products you want, or even listening to them first hand, will help you in the long time enjoyment of your stereo.
Many people buy their stereo in sections, to stick to a budget, or to just begin with replacing what specifically sounds horrible first... On that note, replacing that expensive BOSE setup with something aftermarket that sounds even better, and is less expensive is always a good choice!!

 

okay to start with ill check around for some sub/amps. I dont listen to a lot of rap so i think ill go with a 8' sub. Now how many watts would one suggest I get?..
On that note I dont know jack about amps..

 

Definitely post up what kinds of music you listen to and which one you listen to most. Also, post what kinda car you have (vert, FRC, coupe).

With that said, I'd go for a single 10". It'll give you plenty of tight hit, can get decently low in the frequency range, and will fit quite nicely in the cargo space in the trunk. Ones to look for would be JL Audio, Elemental Design, Image Dynamic, Pioneer Premier.

I am using a single Elemental Design 11Kv.2 (10") in my Vette. I'd aim for 250w RMS for that single sub. You can look at the ED amps, Phoenix Gold amps, JL Audio amps, and others.

Pentavolvo (Greg) on here can usually get good prices on the ED stuff.

 

I have a 1999 torch red coupe. I currently have an xpipe with z06 mufflers. That is about it for current mods.

In the future i plan to remove the cats for sure. Maybe more intense engine mods but those are sketchy right now.

I listen to mostly new rock, but also to pop, r&b, and a little bit of rap and country.

Anything else that would help?

Also! If i purchase a sub i know i would have to get an amplifer, and will it run off of the stock bose unit? If so I think ill look into those first.

 

I was re-reading your original post and saw you state 99 coupe...sorry I made you re-state it. Thanks for the info...definitely good to know that you might remove the cats and even do engine work. Knowing that, I think we'll want to shoot for higher power equipment to be able to cleanly get over top of the exhaust noise.

You will need a seperate amp to run the sub. There isn't a HU out there that I'm aware of that will push the power you need for a sub.

I think a single 10" or maybe even a single 12" would be good for you. Hopefully others chime in on their recommendations.

I would look at this combo. A single Elemental Design 11Kv.2 (with dual 2 ohm voicecoils wired in series for a 4 ohm load) powered by a ED NINe.2 (bridged = 400w RMS x 1 at 4 ohm) or a Phoenix Gold R8.0:1 (also 400w RMS x 1). There are plans on this forum to build a sub box for your car. Depending on your location, materials will be anywhere from $20 - $40.

I'm sure there will be other suggestions coming along. There are a ton of ways to go with your install. You will need to get an adapter to give you signal from the headunit to the sub amp. Use the PAC AOEM-VET1 adapter to accomplish this.

Hope this helps

 

trust me it quite okay.. i wasnt sure if i mentioned it or not in the beginning of the post.. let me check these items out. How difficult is it to install a sub/amp in the c5? I do know more than the average joe about installing audio equipment, i did my own in my previous vehicle..

thanks in advance once again.

 

if you are keeping your bose system, adding jsut an amp and sub isn't too hard. you need a bose interface (such as soundgate or pac-audio) in addition to the usual amp wiring kit. taking the car apart is really simple though, not like the japanese cars i've had in the past.

 

If you have done an install before, you are set. Read the C5 FAQ's...they will show you where to get the power wire from the battery into the car.

The hardest part I had to figure out was how to get the center console stuff out. I figured it would be traditional clip-in-place stuff. Well, I found out it is bolted down. There are only a few nuts and a couple screws to remove and you'll have access to the radio to install the PAC adapter.

If you are comfortable with woodworking and have access to a table saw (one cut requires it, the others can be done with a skil saw), you can build your own box easily and cheaply using the plans on the forum. I spent right near $20 in supplies for mine.

 

Scott...what are you suggestions for subs to use (brand and size). I know I value your opinions as well as many other's here on the forum. I think he would be well served getting some advice from you.

 

i have no problem building a subbox if thats what i decide to do.. but if im going to remove the rear speakers what size could i get to fit in there? if it is possible..

also i think i will be going with the eD looks like a good informative website, plus ebay seems good with their stuff.

Ill prob start with a single 10, maybe later ill move to 2 tens if i decide i need more power. more than likely wont be the case.

 

Before you buy any ED stuff, look for posts by Pentavolvo on some of the other threads and send him a PM. He usually has discount codes for their stuff. He can get you a good price...maybe even better than eBay pricing.

The ED guys are good to work with. They have a live chat session that you can start by going to their website...you can ask questions and get them answered right then and there.

I bought my 11Kv.2 during a group sale ED was doing for $65 each. They will also discount pricing if you buy a speaker (sub or component) and an amp at the same time.

Most people here say to delete the rear speakers when doing an upgrade. This helps bring the sound stage in front of you. If you do decide to keep the rears and go with an aftermarket upgrade, some other people can let you know what size to use. I am not sure myself.

 

i don't have much to add. we are on the same page except for the PG amp. They just recently got bought out by a big manufacturer and will no doubt go down in quality to cut corners. They Aren't the same company that used to make the bad-a$$ ti and zx lines of amps.

another option would be two 8"s instead of the single 10. but honestly you wont go wrong with either or. two eights will have more cone surface area then a single 10 and will be tighter for that good ol rock drum kick.