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I did a search and really didn't find the info I was looking for. I would like to do a double DIN head unit upgrade. Picking the head unit is the easy part. I also think the nicer VetteNuts bezel is my trim choice. My plan was to add a backup camera at the same time. I would also like to upgrade all the speakers and possibly add a Sub. I know this is a little 'open ended' but does anyone have any 'Tips or Tricks' that I should think about. Any speaker or sub recommendations? I don't need an over the top system. I just want all the modern touch screen / Bluetooth options with enough power to crank it up from time to time. Oh yea, this is probably a good time to add the 'Dynamat' insulation to the center console.
My car came with a Bose sound system
I bought a 12 inch sub box from eBay for under $100( Fits in the rear well). Resealed it with clear silicone. Then I matched the air space that the box comes with to the correct sub. Ended up with a Rockford Fosgate sub. I swapped all the speakers out except the 8 inch subs in the door(The 4 inch door speakers were replaced with JL along with the rear side speakers). The door speakers are running off the Bose amps. The sub is running off a simple 200 watt amp that I installed. It sounds awesome.. Everything adjusted so you can hear all the mids- Highs along with the bass..
My head unit is a single Din with a motorized 7 inch touch screen that flips up. I went that route because I didn't want to change the Bezel.. And at the time The double din bezels were tough to find and expensive. You had to have one made basically.
I run the pioneer appradio 4, metra bezel, & stock speakers. With the volume at 15, I can hear the music & words clearly at interstate speeds with the roof off. And people give me angry looks at stop lights...probably because I listen to metal & at 15 it's LOUD. I usually keep the volume between 7-12.
My car came with a Bose sound system
I bought a 12 inch sub box from eBay for under $100( Fits in the rear well). Resealed it with clear silicone. Then I matched the air space that the box comes with to the correct sub. Ended up with a Rockford Fosgate sub. I swapped all the speakers out except the 8 inch subs in the door(The 4 inch door speakers were replaced with JL along with the rear side speakers). The door speakers are running off the Bose amps. The sub is running off a simple 200 watt amp that I installed. It sounds awesome.. Everything adjusted so you can hear all the mids- Highs along with the bass..
My head unit is a single Din with a motorized 7 inch touch screen that flips up. I went that route because I didn't want to change the Bezel.. And at the time The double din bezels were tough to find and expensive. You had to have one made basically.
Hope that helps.. Give you some ideas
Triplex - I didn't even thing of the single DIN with the flip out screen. That would save me about $350 vs the new bezel. That would expand my budget for better speakers or a better head unit.
Question - Does the flip up screen block the AC vents? Do you see any downsides to your flip up screen? Thanks John
Triplex - I didn't even thing of the single DIN with the flip out screen. That would save me about $350 vs the new bezel. That would expand my budget for better speakers or a better head unit.
Question - Does the flip up screen block the AC vents? Do you see any downsides to your flip up screen? Thanks John
Yes it will block the vents.. It can be adjusted/tilted so the air can move around the screen. But You don't need to have the screen out in order for the radio to work.. The radio has a digital display with it. I actually don't even listen to the radio.. I Plug a Flash drive into the head unit with my music on it, or run satellite radio from my phone. I only open the screen when driving in the evening( Usually the air is shut off) or when using the GPS. or at a car show etc.
The head unit I got will play videos- Movies as well
Only downside it is not a double Din..lol.. But very happy with it
There is only one right way to add to the aesthetics while upgrading the head unit. A double din will allow for a factory looking Nav screen and functional touch. Hands free texting , front a rear cameras etc.. A flip screen is not factory looking , and it gets in the way of the AC flow. If adding function but abandoning form in the name of budget, I get that, but if you want to do it right, get a double din, Dont cheapen out in the head unit in order to spread the budget thin. Do it right, save enough to do it right.
Bill aka ET
I totally agree with Evil-Twin, I recently completed the installation of a double din unit with the Vettenuts bezel and its brought my 20 year old car into the 21st century in both look and function. Best mod I've done so far!
...I would like to do a double DIN head unit upgrade. Picking the head unit is the easy part. I also think the nicer VetteNuts bezel is my trim choice. My plan was to add a backup camera at the same time. I would also like to upgrade all the speakers and possibly add a Sub. I know this is a little 'open ended' but does anyone have any 'Tips or Tricks' that I should think about. Any speaker or sub recommendations?....
Originally Posted by JEHunter
...I didn't even think of the single DIN with the flip out screen. That would save me about $350 vs the new bezel. That would expand my budget for better speakers or a better head unit...
I see you would like a Double-DIN, but you're not discarding the possibility of going Single-DIN. This is the first decision you need to make.
For a Double-DIN bezel, Vettenuts offers one that is topnotch, but not inexpensive, as you already know. There's a less expensive option, although not at the same quality level, from Metra. You may want to compare them before making a decision.
A Single-DIN will allow you to keep your current bezel, but you would need an adapter plate to secure the new unit in place and provide a nice finish.
Here is an adapter plate that matches the interior very well. It has the word "Corvette" engraved in it that can be set up with backlighting (or you can customize the lettering).
The lettering can be above or below the head unit opening, there is also a non illuminated version with the head unit located in the center of the mount.
The main lettering illumination available in red, blue, green, yellow, white LED’s and also red mini lamp illumination.
Custom lettering and design is available.
Regarding the headunit, these are basically the main options available. Option 4 is the one for you:
Replace just the headunit, leaving the rest of the system intact, using either one of these adapters:
Replace just the 4 twiddlers with 2-way coaxial speakers leaving the rest of the system intact
Combine 1 and 3
Take everything out and replace all from scratch
That being said, without a doubt, the easiest and least expensive way to upgrade the system with the more bang for your buck is new speakers that can be bolted on in place of the factory ones, keeping the rest of the system intact.
The C5 OEM speakers do not include any real tweeter. Bose used 4 plain-cone (paper) speakers to handle high and mid frequencies and called them "twiddlers". That's why you can make a big improvement by replacing them with a 2-way coaxial design.
For bolt-on speaker upgrades, get 3.5" 2-way coaxial speakers to replace the doors' twiddlers and 2-way coaxials of the right size for the rear. Don't touch the OEM subwoofers.
Considering that the OEM Bose twiddlers are 2 ohms, the JBL GX Series @ 2.3 ohms is an excellent replacement. These speakers have a soft dome tweeter, which should deliver a smooth sound with a wide dispersion pattern. Add to that the Harman-Proprietary Tweeter Deflector, that according to JBL "acts as a waveguide, allowing for an angled, rotating speaker, which optimizes the off-axis sound performance. Because all cars are designed differently, this allows impeccable sound to travel throughout all locations in the cabin".
JBL GX Series 2-way car speakers:
GX302 (3½")
GX502 (5¼")
GX602 (6½")
Not only they are from the same manufacturer, but they all belong to the same line. This should reasonably assure you they have the same timbre.
Independent confirmation that upgrading the 4 twiddlers makes a noticeable and worthwhile upgrade.
As for installation tips, put on hold the extra subwoofer until you have time to audition your new headunit and upgraded speakers. You may be satisfied and find no need to pursue this.
Also, it is very important to make sure the new speakers are in phase with each other, and more importantly, in phase with the door subwoofers. Otherwise, you might experience sound cancellation, resulting in tinny sound and lack of presence. Take a look at this Post for more details and additional tips on how to proceed.
ET also gave some great advice a few years back about which head unit to choose. His advice: pick one that has a **** for adjusting the volume. Why? Easy to use without shifting your eyesight from the road.
I followed his advice when I did my double-din replacement (5 years ago). Never looked back.
Also, most head units have the capacity to accept a plug-n-play back-up camera. That's what I did.
Even today, my audio stacks up well against the most modern cars: Pioneer navigation head unit, 900 watt 5 channel amp, tweeters in the A-pillars, upgraded woofers in the doors, upgraded coax speakers in the main cabin and dual 8" subwoofers behind the seats. Entire cabin is insulated for (a) vibration dampening and (b) temperature abatement and (c) sound abatement. Quiet inside (so I can hear the exhaust note).
CF has many, many threads (in the tech sections) that discuss upgrading your sound system and provide show-n-tells on installation. So do your research first.
I'm another one to agree with doing a double din radio mod. It will always look better than the single din adapters. Doubles look more professional and built in like factory. It's also one of my favorite mods. For my hearing using the stock factory speakers isn't great but it's been good enough. All the extra features the radio provides are worth every penny. Having the backup camera and bluetooth made it all worthwhile. Do it right once and you'll never regret it and have to go back to do it over. The only thing I regret is I wish I got a volume ****.
Great info from everyone on the site. GCG, Thanks for all the speaker specs! I'll dig through the Tech Notes section again. I have a fact finding meeting with a local stereo specialist that a buddy has used in the past. It will be interesting to get his take on the project. In the past, I would jump all over this install project but today with kids, work and travel, I just don't have a day or two to kill. Again, Thanks to everyone that replied.
04-26-2019, 09:18 AM
Double DIN radio advice
