Evil-Twin

IM only trying to help the OP. But had to defend my reputation when someone post my name and then makes false statements about me..

The nice thing about Dennis is he is a corvette guy... he has morals and ethics.. something very rare today. He tweaked my research and made my system better . He built my system and made it plug and play. Upgraded head unit, rear camera and sounds system. I just had to take out old parts speakers etc. and plug in New ones. Easy peasy.
Not everyone is willing to spend 3 or 4 grand on an upgraded system. Dennis can offer a system under 1K and over 3 K. The first thing I said to the OP was have a budget in mind.. with that Dennis can provide the best system within that budget, he will also offer a system one step below your budget, and one step above so you can see some options.

Just trying to help the OP

My system under 1K head unit and upgraded speakers.

RVETTE42

I was thinking it could be your woofers also. I have a complete custom audio system from Double D so I would also recommend him for help with current system or new system.

mrmagloo

I will mention that I happen to be one of those guys who likes the stock look. Nothing wrong with those who choose to go with a more modern touch screen head unit, but there are other options.

I found that the stock Bose system can sound alot better by simply replacing the front tweeters, and adding new Coax Speakers in the rear. Then I went with a iSimple 30-pin iPod kit, which I can swap out for a Coolstream BT receiver.

The speaker swap made a tremendous improvement. Also, while the AM/FM will probably never sound great, with a CD, iPod, or Spotify over BT, the sound is as good as any more modern OEM radios.

For everything from Dennis, JL C2 350x/525x and iPod kit, it came to less than $300. That was a bargain.

Evil-Twin

I apologize... I took it the wrong way,, I offer no excuses for my bad taste here. .I take full ownership for my short comings. Unfortunately, because I take very aggressive cancer meds... they are actually poisons.. and they are experimental, ( Clinical trials )they sometime cause very intense mood swings.. Again I apologize.

Bill aka ET

SAYUNCL

deep respect

LoneStarLizzard

An apology was entirely unnecessary, and very graceful on your part. I just buried my 92-year-old Dad in May (liver cancer), so I fully understand that one's priorities change when health issues arise.

Keep commenting on the Forum. Your perspectives on "why did Chevrolet do what they did" and similar bits of the C5's history are fascinating stuff.

As a next topic, why don't you address why the ABMS modules in both the earlier and later year C5s are so problematic. I suspect some bean-counters put their fingers on the cost-vs.-quality scales when these modules were designed and made. Your insights would be interesting.

I learned yesterday that plastics used in the manufacture of later year C6 starters/solenoids melt due to the heat emanating from engine exhaust manifolds. No doubt that defect is just a more current example of the same cost-trumps-quality mindset. [I can predict where you stand on this - quality always trumps cost.]

Keep it up Bill. We're in your corner.

John (age 68) aka the Lone Star Lizzard

CPO Rob

I also have a C5 that I want to retrofit with a GPS/Audio and backup cam. I have looked a many different ones and this is the one that DD and many other high end installers recommend. Yes it is pricy, but there are others in the line that can make that difference for you.
https://www.pioneer.com.au/shop/car/avh-x8850bt/
https://youtu.be/id2EQHcxKpA


My feeling is, if you have a high end car, put the good stuff in here

CPO

GCG

Just out of curiosity, were you able to check the fuse and micro-relay?

Evil-Twin

Ive given the very long answer a few times in 16 years here.. Ill try the shorter version.

We get about two years to design a car, from conception to launch. There are 6,000 parts in a C5. The platform is separated into modules.
Each module has a Project manager and a team of design engineers. Its the project manager's job to keep all of the design components of his module within budget and on time. Many components are built via 2nd tier manufacturers. All have GM engineering oversight. It's very hard to design a car in a two year time frame and debug everything before launch. About 30 years ago American car manufacturers went to the Japanese method of field debugging in an effort to get a new car to market faster, bringing the 4 year concept to design frame down to two years. Allow the public to identify problems in the field and then fix them. Things that fail outside of the warranty period are unforeseen.. All components go through something called an FMEA ( failure modes effect analysis ) where we try to foresee and failures before the final design , the design gets a score and is tweaked for final design approval. Unforeseen issues are the reason these cars are not perfect.. Time and budget play the biggest part. If they were more perfect, most of us would not be able to afford them In 1997 you got a whole lots of car for 45/50K . some new innovations not available or any other car in this price range.
Consider that these cars are seeing 20 years very gracefully. typically that wasn't the case 30 years ago. from other manufacturers. American car in the 50's and 60's were trash after 60,000 miles.. a bench mark to sell your car before it hit 60K.. today many C5's are seeing 300K and 400K without any internal motor repair.

The Short end.
Bill aka ET

I know a few things because I have seen a few things.

striper

I purchased a Kenwood Excelon DD radio from Dennis with all the features you are looking for, plus more including bluetooth, too. It sounds fairly good using the stock speakers but if I had the time and money I'd upgrade the system. It hasn't been a priority because I have several other projects, plus other more important mods I still haven't done to my car. If you're not too picky just replacing the radio with the features you want will make you very happy while modernizing your car. His prices and phone assistance was excellent when I got stuck installing everything.

CPO Rob

thanks Striper.. Was that the Kenwood Excelon DDX794? I am somewhat leery about this android phone thing with the component. I mean what happens in 5 years when the phones change, will the component work? Also how did the Backup cam work

LoneStarLizzard

Thanks Bill. From my perspective, Chevrolet has always looked to its Corvette platform as the launching pad for innovation. With that innovation comes the inevitable teething process.

As they say, pioneers get the land. Of course, they also get the arrows.

Lucky for us later-year C5 owners that enthusiasts have developed a fix for our ABMS modules.

The Lizzard