Head unit with stock speakers
 

I am looking to upgrade the stock head unit in my 2007 Z06 with something android auto compatible. I wanted to know if the sound quality changes and gets better with a different head unit? In the past when I change the unit in other cars sound improved. We just bought my wife a new Audi and it has their Bang and Oluffsen 3D sound system and it is amazing. Makes me kind of jealous that my vette has such a crappy sound system.

Sound does improve with an aftermarket head unit. Still not great as there is only so much you can get out of the stock speakers, but when I replaced my stock nav unit there was a noticeable improvement.

Same here sounds good to me ...........JVC HU no nav.......

Thanks I will start researching what I want

Change the speakers..its very easy.

There is no way to change the speakers and get as good full range sound without adding a sub or modifying your door/door panel to use larger aftermarket speakers.

Just did..sound better. For now. Next step is to get rid of Bose woofers and get an amp to run the whole thing plus subs. But until you go that far..changing the head unit and speakers was a huge improvement. I also added an amp that hooked up to the head unit directly.

When someone says door speakers they are usually referring to the 3.5" and the door woofer. You can replace the 3.5" speaker in the door and still run the Bose amp along with also replacing the 5.25" in the rear. Just to clarify for the OP, I'm guessing that's what you did when you say door speaker?

Awesome info guys! Thanks!

Yes..replaced the 3.5 and 5.25 in the rear. The rear was kind of a waste as its a vert so you really dont hear them very well..
I finished putting second skins on the doors and that made a big difference.
Also discovered how bad xm radio sounds compared to my cd's...but its convenient.

OP, I don't think you'll really be happy in the vette if you're comparing it to a solid build in a quality sounding system. Can you get a bit better than stock with a HU? Sure. Will it be a breath taking difference? Not even a little. I consider a MINIMUM upgrade to a C6 a quality 5 channel amp with a sub, a HU, and then tuning. All this can be had for ~$1500 depending on quality of parts. Anything less than that will have you ALWAYS wanting more.

Last year I replaced my HU with a Kenwood deck so I could have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. It was a huge improvement in that regard. From a sound standpoint, it was slightly better (but maybe that was only because I thought it was since I replaced the deck/spent $$$). Ultimately, it's the same trash amp/speakers, so the output was still a muddy mess, but now you get all the modern features that are a must have in my opinion.

This spring I redid the rest of the stereo (5 channel amp, sound deadening in hatch/doors, 6.5" components up front, 5.25" replacements in the back and 2 10" subs in the hatch). After tuning it, the difference is night and day. Pb82 Ronin hit the nail on the head with regard to cost as long as you're doing the install (him and TorchRedFred were also a big help with any questions I had along the way).

Ultimately, if you're only interested in the ability to get Nav and Spotify, then stick with just the HU upgrade. If you're really after a better sounding stereo, go all the way and replace everything. If you want a list of the gear I used, just let me know. More than happy to help.