New Head Unit
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 309
From: Long Island, N.Y.
New Head Unit
Hey all,
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6,139
Likes: 1,962
From: Morris County New Jersey
Like Chuck said, decide if you want built in navigation and/or a cd player. Look at Kenwood and the cd/nav decision will basically determine which model you get. The mid to higher end models also have a capacitive touch screen which is highly recommended.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 909
Likes: 320
From: Kearney Missouri
Get wireless CarPlay. Well worth it to be able to leave the phone in the pocket instead of having to hook up to a wire. Personally I wouldn't do nav if you travel in areas with good cell phone coverage. Both Google and Apple Maps work great and are current. If you travel into areas w/o coverage then nav could be worth it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 57
From: Brentwood(Contra Costa County) CA
There are parts of where I live and I’m sure where other Vette owners love that cell phone coverage sucks or is spotty, and I live in the SF Bay Area. When I replaced my head unit(from Crutchfield), the unit I got had the Garmin Nav.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,217
Likes: 638
From: Port St Lucie Florida
2025 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
If NAV and CD are not important consider the Kenwood DMX9707S.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,037
Likes: 331
From: Long Island New York
Hey all,
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
Last edited by RobLo; Dec 26, 2020 at 08:52 AM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 309
From: Long Island, N.Y.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,502
Likes: 3,629
Just a FYI, but depending on how much power the after market radio is putting out, may have to install resistors on the positive speaker wires as as you are hooking up the radio to adapter wiring.
The bose amp works off the radio speaker wires, not RCA outputs, so if the new radio speaker output power is much greater then the OEM unit, will be putting too much power out to the Bose amp input, and will have not only distortion at med to high level on the radio volume control, but can has some noise out of the bose amp at lower volumes as well.
Hence bose amp does not have a sensitivity dials that you can adjust the input that way.
So standard 2K resistors should solve the problem for most after market radios, if the after market radio adapter is not lowering the speaker output through it to the bose amp.
The bose amp works off the radio speaker wires, not RCA outputs, so if the new radio speaker output power is much greater then the OEM unit, will be putting too much power out to the Bose amp input, and will have not only distortion at med to high level on the radio volume control, but can has some noise out of the bose amp at lower volumes as well.
Hence bose amp does not have a sensitivity dials that you can adjust the input that way.
So standard 2K resistors should solve the problem for most after market radios, if the after market radio adapter is not lowering the speaker output through it to the bose amp.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 14,555
Likes: 1,255
From: Saint Albans, WV
Get wireless CarPlay. Well worth it to be able to leave the phone in the pocket instead of having to hook up to a wire. Personally I wouldn't do nav if you travel in areas with good cell phone coverage. Both Google and Apple Maps work great and are current. If you travel into areas w/o coverage then nav could be worth it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6,139
Likes: 1,962
From: Morris County New Jersey
Just a FYI, but depending on how much power the after market radio is putting out, may have to install resistors on the positive speaker wires as as you are hooking up the radio to adapter wiring.
The bose amp works off the radio speaker wires, not RCA outputs, so if the new radio speaker output power is much greater then the OEM unit, will be putting too much power out to the Bose amp input, and will have not only distortion at med to high level on the radio volume control, but can has some noise out of the bose amp at lower volumes as well.
Hence bose amp does not have a sensitivity dials that you can adjust the input that way.
So standard 2K resistors should solve the problem for most after market radios, if the after market radio adapter is not lowering the speaker output through it to the bose amp.
The bose amp works off the radio speaker wires, not RCA outputs, so if the new radio speaker output power is much greater then the OEM unit, will be putting too much power out to the Bose amp input, and will have not only distortion at med to high level on the radio volume control, but can has some noise out of the bose amp at lower volumes as well.
Hence bose amp does not have a sensitivity dials that you can adjust the input that way.
So standard 2K resistors should solve the problem for most after market radios, if the after market radio adapter is not lowering the speaker output through it to the bose amp.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,502
Likes: 3,629
Hence Bose amp does not use RCA's as its input signals, but the speaker wires higher amperage out of the radio/ adapter, as the input into the amp on its four input channels. The dead give away that you needed the resistors to reduce the wattage on the speaker wires going to the Bose amp to decrease the sensitive of the amp's input, is when the Bose amp/speakers are already distorting when the radio volume is less than half the way up.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 909
Likes: 452
From: North Dakota
OP - NAV is not needed as you will have Waze and/or Maps to help you out there. I put this one in my 2012. I am VERY satisfied with it's performance and I have the base speakers. I would assume it would sound even better with your Bose speakers. When purchasing through Crutchfield get the prewire service as this will save you a lot of install time. You may have to call them to add it to your cart. It's only $25 but IMO it's well worth it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 961
Likes: 237
From: Diamondhead Mississippi
St. Jude Donor '17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
Not sure about Waze as I don't really care for it but on Maps you can download the map to your phone before you leave. It doesn't matter if you lose cell coverage this way.
I love the nav showing up on the HUD but it is so outdated it will not have directions for newer areas. I went to visit my daughter in North Carolina, she lives in a newer subdivision between Raleigh and Pittsboro. I got about 2 miles from her house and no more direction, my wife had to bring it up on her phone to get us the rest of the way.
I love the nav showing up on the HUD but it is so outdated it will not have directions for newer areas. I went to visit my daughter in North Carolina, she lives in a newer subdivision between Raleigh and Pittsboro. I got about 2 miles from her house and no more direction, my wife had to bring it up on her phone to get us the rest of the way.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,217
Likes: 638
From: Port St Lucie Florida
2025 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Hey all,
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
I know it's been asked to death...Looking to replace the radio with apple car play and blue tooth with all the trimmings.
I'm keeping the Bose speakers. I have a 3lt with HUD. Looking for recommendations. I will be buying from Cruthchfield.
Please tell me your thoughts
Paul
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 309
From: Long Island, N.Y.
Exactly why I ALWAYS plan my route out on paper as well.
OP - NAV is not needed as you will have Waze and/or Maps to help you out there. I put this one in my 2012. I am VERY satisfied with it's performance and I have the base speakers. I would assume it would sound even better with your Bose speakers. When purchasing through Crutchfield get the prewire service as this will save you a lot of install time. You may have to call them to add it to your cart. It's only $25 but IMO it's well worth it.
OP - NAV is not needed as you will have Waze and/or Maps to help you out there. I put this one in my 2012. I am VERY satisfied with it's performance and I have the base speakers. I would assume it would sound even better with your Bose speakers. When purchasing through Crutchfield get the prewire service as this will save you a lot of install time. You may have to call them to add it to your cart. It's only $25 but IMO it's well worth it.
Thanks, That's what I'm doing. In the process of talking with Crutchfield. Going to do front n rear cameras.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 309
From: Long Island, N.Y.
Thanks again Bob for coming and showing me your radio unit. It was very nice to meet you and chit chat for a bit.Cheers!
Happy New Year!!
Last edited by PAULEB07; Dec 27, 2020 at 10:29 AM.
