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"This is merely a makeshift "fix" for something GM/Chevrolet should have gotten right in the first place. Although it sounds much better, especially at low to moderate listening levels, I still have reservations about it. I still think GM should do a recall and fix it properly and assure us of its safety."
Not enough people have complained to GM/Chevrolet since they are apparently still using the same lousy amp in the 2001s! The engine cradle and other issues are more important but this radio thing still bugs me.
PS What kind of tires do you have on the Monte? These Eagle GAs have great traction but they are so noisy - especially on concrete roads. Asphalt is not so bad.
Just bought a Impala LS 2000, great deal and in the past 3 weeks I really took it on a long journey across Texas. I LOVE IT. Did lots of research and compared with lots of others. However, being Dutch and used to the european perfection, I have some tips/question for Chevrolet. I read about the tires, a friend of mine has the same car and exchanged his tires from GoodYear for Michelin and he is very pleased with it, I might do some research in who is buying my 'old' tires. What I really wanted to know, anybody having the rearback mirror block the view upfront in busy traffic? 1. I wish they would have installed it about an inch or 2 higher. 2. I wish they would have installed a light above the sigaret lighter box instead of inside. 3. somehow I miss something in the sound of the radio system, I don't know what it is bass/treble, some power anybody ? 4. wish I could turn radio system on/off on steeringwheel besides the tuning. 5. the locks for the 2 halves backseat are way too simple, needs improvement. 6. headrests driver/passenger seats need improvement, I'm ok with it, but my wife for some reason can't get comfortable. Anyway I'll probably come up with some other details in the next couple of weeks, still have to test the fuel economy, I think it's doing ok. I just love the acceleration tooooo much (ha), so does the police, thou Grrrr. By the way WestSide Chevrolet Katy TX ask for Zohn Flukinger (fleetmanager), no hassle ! Thank you Zohn.
I own a 2000 Impala and I love the RDS radio system. Maybe your reception problems are that you live near power lines. My car gets way better reception than my house radio. I think that the sound quality is great too. Maybe you just got a crappy system in yours but mine is great.
I read (somewhere, and now I'm not sure where) that the next generation of radios for the Monte Carlo (and probably the Impala as well) will employ a satellite radio receiver on the 2002s. I'm guessing that drivers will be able to pull in stations like those that many restaurant use. I think that's an improvement...I wonder if they'll make them available as an add on for those of us who have the current system...
Ford and GM plan to implement satellite radio capabilities into their vehicles very shortly, if not already. Aftermarket units will be available for those who want to retrofit. XM and Sirius are the two major players in this market. It's a subscription based service supposedly starting at around $10/month.
My wife just purchased a 2001 base model Impala. We had test driven a used 2000 LS, and I sort of remembered thinking the stereo sounded crappy, but didn't think much of it at the time. Her base model came with just the cassette deck. (no CD) It doesn't sound as bad as I remember the LS one sounding. It isn't great, but it has typical "stock radio" bass response at reasonable control settings. Does these units seem to have better bass response than the CD unit, or are the 2001 models just better?
Kodamar - Does your wife's Impala have the "premium sound system"? I don't remember if the cassette only system has the amp (anyone else?). If it does not, your system probably sounds as good as mine with the amp by-passed.
You are correct. I checked in the trunk today and the (amp?) that I only learned about here last night is NOT on this car... Only the foam lined hole where it would bolt up! So this means only the "premium" sound system suffers from crappy bass response? Go figure.
Next question. The only reason my wife settled for the cassette is because the car was in stock and the right color. I've already located the CD player out of a 2000 wreck at a local salvage yard. Do I have to jump through hoops to upgrade, or is it just a standard mod plug? In other words, is the "premium" radio easily compatible with the "standard" speaker system?
Kodamar - You found an already wrecked 2000 Impala? Ouch...I'm not sure if the w/ and w/o CD players are easily compatible. I'll check through my service manual (which covers both the Impala and Monte Carlo) to see if I can find anything. I'll tell you this much, considering the fact that speakers work better with the amp bypassed, if the connector is the same for either unit, then it should work. Give me a few days to go through the manual...they are not easy to read.
After doing the by-pass you can definitely adjust the sound to your liking, by increasing the treble and/or increasing or lowering the bass to suit you hearing quality. It gives you more volumn and better sound control at a lower volumn setting. As for the radio in the base model -- unless you have upgraded the radio system- the bass radio does NOT come with an amplifier. This is why your system sounds good to you. If you have upgraded to a radio with CD it comes standard with the Amplifier> Just as info!!!!
no molloni, I have not done the bypass yet, I do not have the drive to do the bypass until I am driving the car more regularly again. so, as soon as the weather breaks, I will probably tackle it. have not been in this forum for awhile, hence the delayed answer. I know, sure seems like I'm not hard driven to get it done, but I will get around to it, eventually. can't wait to start driving the car again though.
Dobie - I still wish I had a garage...oh well. Saw you in Yahoo too. Good to see you still around. We'll have to get together during the nicer months again.
Duraflex - I was over at The Impala How To Page and I commented to Nate about the mysterious connectors. I have to wait till daylight to check out the MC trunk to see if the connectors are in there. I sent him some e-mail as I believe one of them is the CD changer connector.
Thanks to duraflex for directing me here from the Impala Owner's board. Here's my dilemma:
I'm going to be ordering an Impala LS next week. I'm really picky about music in my car since I drive so much. I've read with interest the stuff here and I want to get some opinions on my plan, and get feedback on possible upgrade options. Here goes:
1) I'm in Canada so I can upgrade to the CD/Cassette head unit WITHOUT getting the "premium" speakers with AMP. Given what everyone has said about the AMP, this seems like the right thing to do. Correct? 2) The CD changer harness isn't available as an option here in Canada. Has anyone direct wired an aftermarket CD changer into their system (with or without the harness) or will I be limited to an FM modulated CD changer? 3) Has anyone added an aftermarket AMP to the system, or would that just duplicate the problem with the factory AMP?
I'm going to try to listen to different factory systems this weekend to see what I like. However, I'm willing to spend $$ to get a better system. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Brad
IMO, the trunk AMP is a junk amp. The thing acted like a very bad EQ - so much so that at low volume, certain performers did not even sound like themselves - literally. They sounded like impersonators. Very shrill highs, bad mid range and weak bass - until you really cranked it up to high levels that I never listen. Then it was almost okay.
The base radio-cassette with the non-premium speakers sounded absolutely fine to me - and to some others which is how we got the idea to bypass the trunk amp in the first place.
I find it VERY INTERESTING that in Canada - where the cars are made - you can buy the radio-CD-cassette withOUT the worthless trunk amp.
You'll draw your own conclusions after you listen for yourself this weekend. Like you, I love good music and I also listen to a lot of news, business and talk radio so the sound system is very important to me. Fortunately, other than replacing a defective fog lamp housing this week, I have had no repairs done to this car since I bought it a year ago.
More than one guy over on Impala XI seems to think that the 2001 sounds fine. Although the Matsushita unit carries the same markings, maybe the guts are different. Note that the plug is non-standard.
Radios aside, know too that the LS is said to have a stiffer, sportier ride than the base model Impala.
I have been looking to add a CD changer to my car for a while now. I have found a few places that sell the harness and changer for the Impala I just have not had the time to investigate them further. Unfortunately, I am away from my home computer so I can't post the web addresses right now. I'll post them as soon as I get back unless someone else beats me to it.
I think the sound is OK, but I have never tried the bypass so I can't say that the system is better/worse compared to the 2000. I do agree though that it doesn't sound like there is a "premium" amp in the trunk.
Judging from your website - you're a very clever guy with more than a little technical savvy.
The bypass may satisfy your needs. It's worth a try. I have a pretty critical ear and it's been good for me. It's also the cheapest solution - all you need is some wire, some contortionist skills and a half hour of time.
If you don' t like it, nothing lost.
The front speakers are 6 3/4". I tried replacing them with some others and the efficiency was not as high as the stock units. The output was unbalanced with the 6x9s in the rear. I returned them.
So with all the cutting of wires,etc., has anyone found a relpacement amp that is compatible with the Chev unit without that fuss? Surely the major manufacturers such as Pioneer have an alternative?
I wonder if there was a change in design of the audio systems between 2000 and 2001 model years? I have noticed that the radio in my '01 LS does not have great bass response at low volumes, but that's as far as the problems go for me. I pick up stations well in it, and I never get garbled or unfamiliar sounding voices or instruments. I must admit the CD's sound better than the radio but there are good technical reasons for that.
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do have a discriminating ear and am very critical of home and car audio systems. My Impala's radio isn't great, but it certainly isn't crap.
If anyone knows about tech changes to the radios between early 2000 and late 2000 builds, I'd be interested. Meanwhile I'm considering bypassing my amp temporarily just to see what y'all are talking about.
Does the problem you all are having on the Impala apply to other GM RDS systems? I have an '01 Alero with the RDS CD/Cassette 8 Speaker, 200 Watt Sound System. I think that the sound quality is great and haven't had any problems with the reception...should I be? Is this the same radio?
If you read most of the posts in this forum, the discovery was that the "premium upgraded" stereo systems in the Impala consist(as what I can remember) of an AM/FM/CD or AM/FM/CD/CASSETTE RDS stereo manufactured by Dephi Delco Electronics, a Masushita Electronics(parent company of Panasonic) amplifier and 4(eight by GM calculations)speakers(made in Mexico): a pair of 6x9's in the rear shelf and odd sized 6 3/4's w/ separate tweeters in the lower front doors. I don't remember the power rating of the amplifier, but it wasn't too high. It was discovered after many Impala owners with fine tuned ears complained of lackluster sound in their car stereos that the systems without the so called premium amp/speakers sounded better! Looking into the problem, causing lack of tonal clarity, front imaging, lower volume presence and bass definition, it was found that we had a radio with speaker level/powered outputs going into an amplifier, causing distortion! The amp was thus calibrated to lower distortion, from the incoming signal and thus cause lower output and muddied frequency response and presence. Sounds dumb? It is! And to that the complications in design of the stereo(rear seats/package shelf have to be removed to replace the rear speakers. The front door speaker are fortunately accessible by removing the grills, by hand, but cannot be replaced with most speakers due to odd bolt pattern/size. and then there's the out of Earth harness and connectors found no where else on this earth except for our car, further complicating the ability to upgrade to after market components,as if that would cause lost of profits to GM. I'm not sure if you have the same radio, you would at least have to compare them visually, I know from reading an issue of C&D with the Olds Intrigue, that the radio layout was different. I don't have your ears, or heard your system, so sound quality/opinion is subjective among all of us. If you have an external amp, they may have a preamp/line level converter between the radio and amp, or the deck may have just line level outputs to prevent distortion like our systems. Some aftermarket radio decks have both line level and speaker level outputs, why not ours. Since we found out that the deck in our cars was amplified like the non-amp systems, some ingenious board members discovered an amp bypass procedure that sends powered signal from the deck direct to the speakers with vast improvent on lower level output, bass definition, tonal clarity, and frontal imaging. The only noticed drawback is lost of money spent on a "doorstop" bolted under the rear shelf package between the rear speakers, if you are now satisfied with the sound. The speakers can be upgraded with 4 ohm speakers if you want to hassle with the rear seat removal and fitting them to the odd sized front mounts. If the plastic mounting blcok is removable, maybe it should be replaced with an enclosure build to house the chosen aftermarket speakers and keep all the factory stuff unaltered, should the owners want to restore the factory pieces. Adding an amp without butchering the factory harness is another drawback for upgrades, in addition to the speaker level output of the deck. I finally got around to doing the amp bypass yesterday, and love it! Not perfect, but improved the area I mentioned above. I will definitely keep it like this, but may upgrade the speakers to top of the line Polk Audio or Rockford Fosgate speakers with the same ohm rating for effeciency, having custom enclosures made for the front speakers/crossovers if they dont fit the factory ones. I already have a vintage hopped up Rockford Fosgate Punch 150 Amplifier and XV1 crossover if I find the right harness/connectors. But for now, I am pleased with the fix for now. Speakers maybe soon, amp pending location of the connectors. Thanks dura and all the others responsible for the amp by pass. If only we had an amp buy/pass(amp delete) option for our "premium upgraded" stereo system. Buy back of the amp and providing a proper bypass connector and availability of all needed connectors to upgrade would make me even more happy.
The stereo sound in my car I must admit is fine. I have no complaints. I have the 2001 LS with a build date of 12/00 and my bass is thunderous with the bass setting set at one notch beyond half way.. treble set to three notches beyond half and the fade set to two notches aiming towards rear. I keep the auto tone set to Manual. My bass doesnt distort, its clean sound using cassette or CD. The radio reception is another issue, im a little disappointed. I had a Chevy Lumina prior to my LS with an external antenna, and weaker FM signals are hard for the LS system to keep clean with the rear window antenna, but I have so many strong FM stations in my area that this problem doesnt really get in my way. Maybe Chevy improved on the system in the 2001 model year. I would have to listen to a 2000 LS system to make comparison.
Very well said. You distilled the most important information out of 375 previous posts.
Glad you like the amp bypass. I agree with your bottom line analysis of "not perfect - but improved".
You and I are on exactly the same page on this whole issue. GM should buy back these "doorstops" and supply bypass connectors or upgrade adaptors.
BTW, as I've written before, SOME 6 3/4" speakers will fit the mounts in the front doors. I actually bought and tried some 6 3/4" Kenwoods (4 ohm) that sounded great in the store BUT in the car they were weak. Their volume was much lower than the factory units and weaker than the factory 6x9s in the rear.
If and when you remove the front speakers from the plastic front brackets, be aware that they might be lightly glued in - especially the tweeters. Circuit City sells an adaptor harness that mates with the GM speaker feed and outputs to standard pigtails to connect to any speaker. This would allow you to easily try replacement speakers without cutting the factory speaker clip. Metra Dashworks Part # 4568SH - SPEAKER WIRE HARNESS ADAPTER.
There are foam speaker enclosures available from Crutchfield which I keep wanting to install - at least in the front doors.
I would be very interested to know if you come up with a worthy replacement for the factory front speakers. I've actually considered desoldering the tweeters or ordering the "standard" Impala speakers. Please keep us posted.
Thanks very much for the info...I'll check the AMP when I get back to my car at BWI Airport! I'll also see if I can get a glance at the Impala RDS unit. I do know that the Alero and the Intrigue have different systems...the Intrigue has the previous generation (non-RDS) system that is the same as the one in our '99 Eighty-Eight. The sound quality in that system, btw, is decent but not as good as the Alero.
I just ordered my 2001 Impala LS. Since I'm in Canada I had the option of the CD/Cassette RDS head unit WITHOUT the "premium" speakers with amplifier. I listened to both today before making my final choice, and I chose to NOT get the "premium". The amp makes the sound muddy, as many other posts have said. The "base" speakers don't sound too bad, but I do plan to upgrade to some nice after-market speakers. Thanks to everyone for all the input! Now I have to wait until the end of May (aaarrrggghhh!). Brad
I was thinking I was being a little redundant, I repeat, a little redundant, but after what you said, I realized occassional, but not excessive repeating is good for the purpose of new members knowing what was going on without having to delve into the archives, except at their own leisure to get desired information, and also refreshing the memory of the old timers.
I posted a message to Nathan regarding some other radio matters on the Impala XI board, so I won't go into detail about it, except that it mentioned different aspects of upgrading the stereo, etc.
Thanks for the info on the speaker adapters. I already now about the Crutchfield speaker baffles. Will get them when I have money to upgrade, and when I find the proper wiring harness and speaker level adapters.
As far as aftermarket audio, there is a lot of very good quality stuff out there, but I am very brand partial to certain things, like Goodyear tires, certain brands of musical instruments etc.
I personally probably will get Polk Audio, Rockford Fosgate or other replacement speakers of equal quality, top of the line models of course. Gee, with GM's math, we only have to replace 4 speakers for their 8! Maybe six if you count separate tweeters, but the front woofers, tweeters, crossovers usually come in sets.
If I get a subwoofer, I will most likely get a ready made JL audio or Rockford Fosgate 10-12" in a small enclosure, so as not to take up too musch trunk space. BTW, I think someone posted that the tweeters were screwed in from the back of the enclosures, not only glued.
I like some bass, but I am more of a "tweaker" than a "Boomer". I listen to almost all types of music, but like jazz fusion/comtemporary and nice acoustic music the most. For my untimate test CD, I use George Duke's Night After Night album, one of his best, with a very wide frequency range and tonal variety, with nice tight bass.
The amp bypass makes the bass much more present at lower volumes, and I now have the front imaging absent with the amp connected.
I noticed that when I play my reigning favorite CD, by my personal friend Christian/Latin vocalist Jaci Velasquez, her "Crystal Clear" CD is not completely that, but a lot closer. However, the harsness of the tweeters at higher volume(I like a lot of "twinkle" in the treble) are too harsh and shrill for her smooth as glass voice. I also notice that instead of playing it at 3/4 volume, plus with the amp, I can play it as low as 1/4 with volume, bass and overall "presence".
All this improvements from a bunch of "amateur" car/audio enthusiasts? Maybe we should take over GM's audio division, and offer factory ordered or dealer/subcontract installable amps/speakers/etc. of the buyer's choice, according to his/her preferences of quality/price. And make all the other functions incorporated in our radios as a separate unit! How about that? I think that would be the best idea yet! hen we could yank out and retain all the factory gear, w/o affecting the monitor functions, etc. and go for broke with the sounds!
Should I run for office?! Just kidding! BTW, does anyone know the amp rating on the alternators for the LS? I know the police version has a 130 and larger battery(I would get an Optima), but it is built on a base sedan platform. I was wondering if the LS has the 130 amp alternator also. That would be a consideration if getting a more powerful amplifier, in addition to heavy duty aftermarket car audio wiring and even a stiffening capacitor to retain voltage of the juice from the amp to prevent power drops.
Anyway, enough said for now, thanks for everything, and don't stop pooling all our knowledg, experience and information! We shall overcome! Sound good to me! When everyone can say that refering to our stereos, that would be ideal!
JACOB ---------------------O~o VROOOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
So assuming I have the plug already installed in my trunk (2000 LS) I should be able to order just the 12 disc cd changer and plug and play? After finding a place to attach of course. Any idea if the bypassed amp would have a negative effect on this? Dura? Jacob? Help please...
As I understand the set up (I do not have a manual), the cd changer in the trunk will feed its signals to the head unit in the dash. The dash unit outputs whatever source you select - radio, cassette, CD or CD changer to its own internal amp and then to the trunk amp (which you bypassed) and then on to the speakers.
Because the trunk amp merely processes the signal from the head unit, I cannot think of any reason it would have any effect on the operation of a cd changer.
The real trick will be getting exactly the right cd changer unit.
So which plug is it that is the cd wireharness? I have looked in the trunk and found that black plug on the right side but it looks too small, is that the plug for the sunroof as mentioned before? Where should I look for the other plug. Since I didn't do the bypass I can account for the two plugs up next to the amp, one is the bypassed and the other is a power source? It's entirely possible I don't have the plug at all. I certainly don't want to buy something I don't need but I don't know where to look.
Dura, as for the right unit I was thinking just to get the factory set from one of those two sites nightowl listed, they both are the same though one is a tad more but it seems you get more with it. I guess I could just go to the dealer and ask them about all this, and order the wheel liners while at it...
Night owl has compiled all the info that came together here on the net and done his usual nice job of photographing and labeling it including wiring info:
I took a look at the AMPS, and they say "DELCO ELECTRONICS" on them....if I remember correctly, the Impala units are not Delco's so I guess they are different. Plus, as I said before, the sound is great!
Are manufactured by Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) LTD in Mexico or Japan. I believe the speakers (Duraflex, maybe you can correct me on this) are also made by Panasonic. So here is where the problem lies. While the radio head unit is made by Delco Electronics the rest of the system is *aftermarket* Panasonic sourced.
I bet that if the whole system had Delco speakers and Amplifiers, the sound quality would be 1000 times better than the current offerings.
I just traded in my Chevy truck for a 2001 LS, only commuted for 2 days with it, taking a day trip this Saturday to put it through it's paces. So far, "LIKING IT".
One thing, it seems the CD in-dash unit cannot take the smallest bit of vibration, and this with pot-hole season in New England right around the corner. Is the problem for all, or just me?
I had installed a custom Blaupunkt system in my truck, would like to do the same here and am curious how others are doing. I'll try the amp bypass documented here for now, but would like to move forward with an entire new system.
I have never ever had a problem with the CD player *skipping* on my 2000 Impala LS' AM/FM/CD/Tape Premium System.
I actually think the head unit is extremely solid and one of the best radios outthere. Unfortunately, the speakers and trunk mounted amplifier are not as good as the head unit.
I specially like the *random* CD player track feature bundled in the radio..
etcarroll - In 13 months, I NEVER had any CD skip on my Impala. Does yours skip on all CDs? Have you used a CD lens cleaner disc?
Should not be happening. Have not read of it with other owners.
I do not know what brand the speakers are but my "premiums" are marked "Made in Mexico". The quality of the dash unit is much better than the speakers. Ergonomically, this is one of the easiest radio-CD-tape combo units I've seen. IMO, the amp is worthless.
It seems to be unanimous that you can't do anything with the factory head unit. It's part of the data bus for the car and controls lots of vehicle configuration stuff. There is a site that offers a "T" connection that sounds like it allows you to move the factory head unit somewhere else unobtrusive in the car while keeping it on the data bus, and add an aftermarket factory head unit. The link is on Night Owl's page (link at message #385).
Haven't heard from anyone that's tried to replace the factory amp, but I plan to examine this route when I take delivery in May.
Please keep us posted on what you find out - there are a few of us still looking for the perfect solution!
BTW, has anyone figured out for sure if the CD/Cassette radio can be used to control the Delco 12 disc CD changer? The "press the CD button twice" solution seemed to be more speculation to me, or is it fact?
Teo, I agree! If the whole system was Delco, I'm sure it would sound better. Still, it would have been nice if the program/monitor functions were in a separate unit, so we could be free to use an aftermarket deck, but I'm not complaining about the radio, though I think the sound quality of the radio section could be better.
I was thinking it was a hassle to remove the rear seats to change the speakers, but it would make it that much harder for someone who wanted to steal them, as I me put in the supplied grilles when I get my Polk Audio 6x9's, since they look better than the stock ones.
etcarroll-I have never had my CD player skip in pothole paradise here in Honolulu.
Regarding stereo hop-ups, most of the details about problems with doing it are listed somewhere here on the board, and the Impala XI board.
If you want an idea of what is involved, an example is my two posts today on the Yahoo! Impala 2000 club in answer to an inquiry of stereo upgrades.(I use jjssoundmind on Yahoo!)
It lists my planned upgrades and choice of components, etc. The link to the club is below.
Comments
"This is merely a makeshift "fix" for something
GM/Chevrolet should have gotten right in the first
place. Although it sounds much better, especially
at low to moderate listening levels, I still have
reservations about it. I still think GM should do
a recall and fix it properly and assure us of its
safety."
Not enough people have complained to GM/Chevrolet since they are apparently still using the same lousy amp in the 2001s! The engine cradle and other issues are more important but this radio thing still bugs me.
PS What kind of tires do you have on the Monte? These Eagle GAs have great traction but they are so noisy - especially on concrete roads. Asphalt is not so bad.
However, being Dutch and used to the european perfection, I have some tips/question for Chevrolet. I read about the tires, a friend of mine has the same car and exchanged his tires from GoodYear for Michelin and he is very pleased with it, I might do some research in who is buying my 'old' tires.
What I really wanted to know, anybody having the rearback mirror block the view upfront in busy traffic? 1. I wish they would have installed it about an inch or 2 higher. 2. I wish they would have installed a light above the sigaret lighter box instead of inside. 3. somehow I miss something in the sound of the radio system, I don't know what it is bass/treble, some power anybody ? 4. wish I could turn radio system on/off on steeringwheel besides the tuning. 5. the locks for the 2 halves backseat are way too simple, needs improvement. 6. headrests driver/passenger seats need improvement, I'm ok with it, but my wife for some reason can't get comfortable.
Anyway I'll probably come up with some other details in the next couple of weeks, still have to test the fuel economy, I think it's doing ok. I just love the acceleration tooooo much (ha), so does the police, thou Grrrr.
By the way WestSide Chevrolet Katy TX ask for Zohn Flukinger (fleetmanager), no hassle !
Thank you Zohn.
Next question. The only reason my wife settled for the cassette is because the car was in stock and the right color. I've already located the CD player out of a 2000 wreck at a local salvage yard. Do I have to jump through hoops to upgrade, or is it just a standard mod plug? In other words, is the "premium" radio easily compatible with the "standard" speaker system?
P.S. Has anyone had acceleration problems?hesitation?
As for the radio in the base model -- unless you have upgraded the radio system- the bass radio does NOT come with an amplifier. This is why your system sounds good to you.
If you have upgraded to a radio with CD it comes standard with the Amplifier> Just as info!!!!
Write me off line.
Joe
Duraflex - I was over at The Impala How To Page and I commented to Nate about the mysterious connectors. I have to wait till daylight to check out the MC trunk to see if the connectors are in there. I sent him some e-mail as I believe one of them is the CD changer connector.
I'm going to be ordering an Impala LS next week. I'm really picky about music in my car since I drive so much. I've read with interest the stuff here and I want to get some opinions on my plan, and get feedback on possible upgrade options. Here goes:
1) I'm in Canada so I can upgrade to the CD/Cassette head unit WITHOUT getting the "premium" speakers with AMP. Given what everyone has said about the AMP, this seems like the right thing to do. Correct?
2) The CD changer harness isn't available as an option here in Canada. Has anyone direct wired an aftermarket CD changer into their system (with or without the harness) or will I be limited to an FM modulated CD changer?
3) Has anyone added an aftermarket AMP to the system, or would that just duplicate the problem with the factory AMP?
I'm going to try to listen to different factory systems this weekend to see what I like. However, I'm willing to spend $$ to get a better system. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Brad
The base radio-cassette with the non-premium speakers sounded absolutely fine to me - and to some others which is how we got the idea to bypass the trunk amp in the first place.
I find it VERY INTERESTING that in Canada - where the cars are made - you can buy the radio-CD-cassette withOUT the worthless trunk amp.
You'll draw your own conclusions after you listen for yourself this weekend. Like you, I love good music and I also listen to a lot of news, business and talk radio so the sound system is very important to me. Fortunately, other than replacing a defective fog lamp housing this week, I have had no repairs done to this car since I bought it a year ago.
More than one guy over on Impala XI seems to think that the 2001 sounds fine. Although the Matsushita unit carries the same markings, maybe the guts are different. Note that the plug is non-standard.
Radios aside, know too that the LS is said to have a stiffer, sportier ride than the base model Impala.
I think the sound is OK, but I have never tried the bypass so I can't say that the system is better/worse compared to the 2000. I do agree though that it doesn't sound like there is a "premium" amp in the trunk.
The bypass may satisfy your needs. It's worth a try. I have a pretty critical ear and it's been good for me. It's also the cheapest solution - all you need is some wire, some contortionist skills and a half hour of time.
If you don' t like it, nothing lost.
The front speakers are 6 3/4". I tried replacing them with some others and the efficiency was not as high as the stock units. The output was unbalanced with the 6x9s in the rear. I returned them.
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do have a discriminating ear and am very critical of home and car audio systems. My Impala's radio isn't great, but it certainly isn't crap.
If anyone knows about tech changes to the radios between early 2000 and late 2000 builds, I'd be interested. Meanwhile I'm considering bypassing my amp temporarily just to see what y'all are talking about.
Enjoyed this forum so far.
I don't remember the power rating of the amplifier, but it wasn't too high. It was discovered after many Impala owners with fine tuned ears complained of lackluster sound in their car stereos that the systems without the so called premium amp/speakers sounded better!
Looking into the problem, causing lack of tonal clarity, front imaging, lower volume presence and bass definition, it was found that we had a radio with speaker level/powered outputs going into an amplifier, causing distortion! The amp was thus calibrated to lower distortion, from the incoming signal and thus cause lower output and muddied frequency response and presence.
Sounds dumb? It is! And to that the complications in design of the stereo(rear seats/package shelf have to be removed to replace the rear speakers. The front door speaker are fortunately accessible by removing the grills, by hand, but cannot be replaced with most speakers due to odd bolt pattern/size. and then there's the out of Earth harness and connectors found no where else on this earth except for our car, further complicating the ability to upgrade to after market components,as if that would cause lost of profits to GM.
I'm not sure if you have the same radio, you would at least have to compare them visually, I know from reading an issue of C&D with the Olds Intrigue, that the radio layout was different. I don't have your ears, or heard your system, so sound quality/opinion is subjective among all of us.
If you have an external amp, they may have a preamp/line level converter between the radio and amp, or the deck may have just line level outputs to prevent distortion like our systems.
Some aftermarket radio decks have both line level and speaker level outputs, why not ours. Since we found out that the deck in our cars was amplified like the non-amp systems, some ingenious board members discovered an amp bypass procedure that sends powered signal from the deck direct to the speakers with vast improvent on lower level output, bass definition, tonal clarity, and frontal imaging.
The only noticed drawback is lost of money spent on a "doorstop" bolted under the rear shelf package between the rear speakers, if you are now satisfied with the sound. The speakers can be upgraded with 4 ohm speakers if you want to hassle with the rear seat removal and fitting them to the odd sized front mounts. If the plastic mounting blcok is removable, maybe it should be replaced with an enclosure build to house the chosen aftermarket speakers and keep all the factory stuff unaltered, should the owners want to restore the factory pieces.
Adding an amp without butchering the factory harness is another drawback for upgrades, in addition to the speaker level output of the deck.
I finally got around to doing the amp bypass yesterday, and love it! Not perfect, but improved the area I mentioned above.
I will definitely keep it like this, but may upgrade the speakers to top of the line Polk Audio or Rockford Fosgate speakers with the same ohm rating for effeciency, having custom enclosures made for the front speakers/crossovers if they dont fit the factory ones. I already have a vintage hopped up Rockford Fosgate Punch 150 Amplifier and XV1 crossover if I find the right harness/connectors.
But for now, I am pleased with the fix for now. Speakers maybe soon, amp pending location of the connectors.
Thanks dura and all the others responsible for the amp by pass. If only we had an amp buy/pass(amp delete) option for our "premium upgraded" stereo system. Buy back of the amp and providing a proper bypass connector and availability of all needed connectors to upgrade would make me even more happy.
Glad you like the amp bypass. I agree with your bottom line analysis of
"not perfect - but improved".
You and I are on exactly the same page on this whole issue. GM should buy back these "doorstops" and supply bypass connectors or upgrade adaptors.
BTW, as I've written before, SOME 6 3/4" speakers will fit the mounts in the front doors. I actually bought and tried some 6 3/4" Kenwoods (4 ohm) that sounded great in the store BUT in the car they were weak. Their volume was much lower than the factory units and weaker than the factory 6x9s in the rear.
If and when you remove the front speakers from the plastic front brackets, be aware that they might be lightly glued in - especially the tweeters. Circuit City sells an adaptor harness that mates with the GM speaker feed and outputs to standard pigtails to connect to any speaker. This would allow you to easily try replacement speakers without cutting the factory speaker clip. Metra Dashworks Part # 4568SH - SPEAKER WIRE HARNESS ADAPTER.
There are foam speaker enclosures available from Crutchfield which I keep wanting to install - at least in the front doors.
I would be very interested to know if you come up with a worthy replacement for the factory front speakers.
I've actually considered desoldering the tweeters or ordering the "standard" Impala speakers.
Please keep us posted.
Thanks, Dura
Does your dash unit look exactly like our Impalas?
Thanks, Dura
Brad
How about buying a boombox from Wal-Mart and duck-taping it to the dash.
Sounds, like a GM'esque fix to me.
I was thinking I was being a little redundant, I repeat, a little redundant, but after what you said, I realized occassional, but not excessive repeating is good for the purpose of new members knowing what was going on without having to delve into the archives, except at their own leisure to get desired information, and also refreshing the memory of the old timers.
I posted a message to Nathan regarding some other radio matters on the Impala XI board, so I won't go into detail about it, except that it mentioned different aspects of upgrading the stereo, etc.
Thanks for the info on the speaker adapters. I already now about the Crutchfield speaker baffles. Will get them when I have money to upgrade, and when I find the proper wiring harness and speaker level adapters.
As far as aftermarket audio, there is a lot of very good quality stuff out there, but I am very brand partial to certain things, like Goodyear tires, certain brands of musical instruments etc.
I personally probably will get Polk Audio, Rockford Fosgate or other replacement speakers of equal quality, top of the line models of course. Gee, with GM's math, we only have to replace 4 speakers for their 8! Maybe six if you count separate tweeters, but the front woofers, tweeters, crossovers usually come in sets.
If I get a subwoofer, I will most likely get a ready made JL audio or Rockford Fosgate 10-12" in a small enclosure, so as not to take up too musch trunk space. BTW, I think someone posted that the tweeters were screwed in from the back of the enclosures, not only glued.
I like some bass, but I am more of a "tweaker" than a "Boomer". I listen to almost all types of music, but like jazz fusion/comtemporary and nice acoustic music the most. For my untimate test CD, I use George Duke's Night After Night album, one of his best, with a very wide frequency range and tonal variety, with nice tight bass.
The amp bypass makes the bass much more present at lower volumes, and I now have the front imaging absent with the amp connected.
I noticed that when I play my reigning favorite CD, by my personal friend Christian/Latin vocalist Jaci Velasquez, her "Crystal Clear" CD is not completely that, but a lot closer. However, the harsness of the tweeters at higher volume(I like a lot of "twinkle" in the treble) are too harsh and shrill for her smooth as glass voice. I also notice that instead of playing it at 3/4 volume, plus with the amp, I can play it as low as 1/4 with volume, bass and overall "presence".
All this improvements from a bunch of "amateur" car/audio enthusiasts? Maybe we should take over GM's audio division, and offer factory ordered or dealer/subcontract installable amps/speakers/etc. of the buyer's choice, according to his/her preferences of quality/price. And make all the other functions incorporated in our radios as a separate unit! How about that? I think that would be the best idea yet! hen we could yank out and retain all the factory gear, w/o affecting the monitor functions, etc. and go for broke with the sounds!
Should I run for office?! Just kidding! BTW, does anyone know the amp rating on the alternators for the LS? I know the police version has a 130 and larger battery(I would get an Optima), but it is built on a base sedan platform. I was wondering if the LS has the 130 amp alternator also. That would be a consideration if getting a more powerful amplifier, in addition to heavy duty aftermarket car audio wiring and even a stiffening capacitor to retain voltage of the juice from the amp to prevent power drops.
Anyway, enough said for now, thanks for everything, and don't stop pooling all our knowledg, experience and information! We shall overcome! Sound good to me! When everyone can say that refering to our stereos, that would be ideal!
JACOB ---------------------O~o VROOOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
As I understand the set up (I do not have a manual), the cd changer in the trunk will feed its signals to the head unit in the dash. The dash unit outputs whatever source you select - radio, cassette, CD or CD changer to its own internal amp and then to the trunk amp (which you bypassed) and then on to the speakers.
Because the trunk amp merely processes the signal from the head unit, I cannot think of any reason it would have any effect on the operation of a cd changer.
The real trick will be getting exactly the right cd changer unit.
Good luck and please keep us all posted.
For those who swap out their in-dash head unit altogether, I am 99 % certain that a new unit would have to be programmed.
Dura, as for the right unit I was thinking just to get the factory set from one of those two sites nightowl listed, they both are the same though one is a tad more but it seems you get more with it. I guess I could just go to the dealer and ask them about all this, and order the wheel liners while at it...
Any other help would be great!
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/Mystery_connector.html
I bet that if the whole system had Delco speakers and Amplifiers, the sound quality would be 1000 times better than the current offerings.
One thing, it seems the CD in-dash unit cannot take the smallest bit of vibration, and this with pot-hole season in New England right around the corner. Is the problem for all, or just me?
I had installed a custom Blaupunkt system in my truck, would like to do the same here and am curious how others are doing. I'll try the amp bypass documented here for now, but would like to move forward with an entire new system.
I actually think the head unit is extremely solid and one of the best radios outthere. Unfortunately, the speakers and trunk mounted amplifier are not as good as the head unit.
I specially like the *random* CD player track feature bundled in the radio..
Does yours skip on all CDs? Have you used a CD lens cleaner disc?
Should not be happening. Have not read of it with other owners.
I do not know what brand the speakers are but my "premiums" are marked
"Made in Mexico". The quality of the dash unit is much better than the speakers.
Ergonomically, this is one of the easiest radio-CD-tape combo units I've seen.
IMO, the amp is worthless.
6-3/4" in front, 6x9" in rear.
Haven't heard from anyone that's tried to replace the factory amp, but I plan to examine this route when I take delivery in May.
Please keep us posted on what you find out - there are a few of us still looking for the perfect solution!
BTW, has anyone figured out for sure if the CD/Cassette radio can be used to control the Delco 12 disc CD changer? The "press the CD button twice" solution seemed to be more speculation to me, or is it fact?
Brad
I was thinking it was a hassle to remove the rear seats to change the speakers, but it would make it that much harder for someone who wanted to steal them, as I me put in the supplied grilles when I get my Polk Audio 6x9's, since they look better than the stock ones.
etcarroll-I have never had my CD player skip in pothole paradise here in Honolulu.
Regarding stereo hop-ups, most of the details about problems with doing it are listed somewhere here on the board, and the Impala XI board.
If you want an idea of what is involved, an example is my two posts today on the Yahoo! Impala 2000 club in answer to an inquiry of stereo upgrades.(I use jjssoundmind on Yahoo!)
It lists my planned upgrades and choice of components, etc. The link to the club is below.
JACOB
<H-LINK>
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/impala2000
<H>
If so, did you locate it on the right rear fender?
Did it improve reception?
MP3 is an audio compression algorithm that is pretty incredible.
Basically, you can get very near CD audio quality in about 1/10th the space of an audio CD file.
One conventional CD disc can easily hold well over 200 tunes in MP3 format ! ! !
That's over 10 hours. Imagine the possibilities.
For those considering a trunk mounted CD changer, perhaps a combo MP3/CD player may be available in the not too distant future.
Here's one website to check them out: http://www.mp3car.com
Pat
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