I got my 2009 Z06 last week and I'm trying to decide on upgrades.

I have a whole car insulation kit on the way, and I know I want the Kenwood 9990HD head unit, planning to get that from DoubleDMods.

I'm going to install two cameras (front and rear) but haven't decided which ones to use. I'm thinking the Kenwood CMOS310 for the rear, and some cheaper one for the front. I've read this head unit can handle two inputs. If I get the iPod cable will this use up one of them?

I'm also trying to decide if it's worth replacing the factory speakers and amp setup. I really don't tend to turn it way up like I used to (I'm 37 now), I just want it to sound more clear and have a better sound.

My thoughts as of now are to put the following on the car:

Kenwood 9990HD, with the steering wheel control module, probably won't do the XM module.

Thinking of doing the DoubleD Kenwood C6 speaker upgrade.

I do have an older but pretty decent Infinity 5 channel amp that I could put in without too much trouble, but I'm not sure it's worth using or if using one of DoubleD's "rock in a box" kits will be worth the $2K upgrade cost.

I'll have the interior all out to do the insulation/sound deadening so I would like to get this all done at once and not have to go back. I'm thinking I'll prewire for a sub just in case I decide to add one in the future.

Any advice would be helpful. I really would like to hear from people who have did the Kenwood C6 speaker upgrade to find out if it stays clear in the louder range. My factory speakers get pretty distorted at even moderately loud levels.

 

Even if you decide to keep the factory speaker and factory amp, you will likely end up replacing them anyway. You can attack your audio project in stages, and when you do insulate you can run new wire for all of the speakers and not just the sub.

In my system, I am using the factory nav and have aftermarket speakers (doors, rear, sub). Still tweaking things here and there, but I am very satisfied. I have a detailed install thread in the FAQ.

Good choice on the nav, if I were going to upgrade the head unit I would go with a Kenwood model.

 

If you already have a 5-channel amp that you can use, then I'd definitely find a way to do sub and speakers along with the HU. A corner sub box and sub combo is about $400, and front components are $150+ for decent ones, $250 will give you lots of options for great speakers.

The Kenwood speaker upgrade is a noticeable improvement, especially with the adjustability of an aftermarket HU, but a real sub and components is soooooo much better

 

Well I ordered the following stuff. Figured since I will have the entire interior disassembled I might as well jump right on in head first!

Kenwood 9990HD
Polk MM6501 components
Polk 5000.5 amp
Front and rear cameras
JW Motoring seat cushion repair kits
Escort smart wire direct wire kit
VetteNuts insulation kit with ensolite as well

This should be a fun few days for the entire install.

One more question: If anyone has put an amp behind the passenger seat, can I reach from the head unit to there with 6 foot (3M) rca wires for the amp feed? I'm worried it'll be tight but I don't want feet and feet of cable to deal with either. Mine's a Z06 so I don't think running the power wire from the passenger cubby will be terribly hard.

 

Track down turbo6ta, he installe an amp behind passenger seat and posted lots of good photos and ideas for the install. 6 feet may be enough, but no one will tell you definitively unless they did it and can confirm it is correct length.

 

Get 6' of string and lay it out in the car from where you'd mount the amp to the ash tray area of the center console. Make sure you have at least 18" available from the ash tray door to the end of the string (wires will run up under plastic trim and HVAC module to rear of radio, plus a bit extra for pulling the radio out).

 

One thing you may want to add (since you'll be doing all of the work to remove panels for insulation anyway) - vibration dampening materials.

The insulation you've already ordered will help block some of the external noise from getting into the car (gotta make sure you cover everything... any gaps in the insulation will make it less effective). But they'll do nothing to prevent the rear tub of the car from vibrating in sympathy with the exhaust and external sound.

Adding some Dynamat or similar material will deaden the thin plastic material the bottom of the hatch is made out of, and prevent that from becoming a noise source. You don't need to completely cover the rear (and behind the seats) with deadening materials - covering 35-50% will be very effective. Then lay the insulation on top of the dampening material.

Make sure you're insulating the rear hatch tub, and the panels behind the seats!