Chevrolet Impala Audio

wwnf · July 2001

Well, I called GM satisfaction 800 number and stressed my concern and how many other have been getting their amps replaced and that I wanted my replaced to make me happy. Well all I got back was that I don't know anything and the amp works at specs and they can't do anything. They have never heard of the problem. I'm assuming they're doing this because I have 34,000 miles on my car. If they can just hold me off long enough, it won't matter. For those of you who have gotten your amps replaced, you lucked out. I got screwed. This was my first new car and probably my last. When you pay 24k for a car you should get 3/36 warranty out of it at least, not 2/33.5

The amp doesn't bother me that much, it's the entire service that I didn't get. I was constantly lied to and treated like a blonde, and I have dark brown hair.

Chrysler, from my experience, has much better service than GM. Yes, most of their cars have more recalls and TSB's but that's not a bad thing, it means they find and report more of their problems to keep thier customers happy.

later

wwnf

sim3 · July 2001

Don't give up on the amp replacement - just talk to your dealer, or another dealer if he's not cooperative. Armed with a couple printouts from this forum and the amp numbers should do the trick at any dealer that cares about your business. I, too, got the pleasure of dealing with GM's 1-800-dissatisfaction service and I was/am equally disappointed at their lack of service.

I got just the same story - it works according to the specs, I don't know anything, they don't know of any problems with it and other BS. Going to another, extremely cooperative dealer solved all my amp problems.

wyoimp · July 2001

Sorry I don't buy the Diamler-Chrysler customer satisfaction thing. I have a '91 Grand Voyager that just croaked on its 4th transmission. The internet is full of Chrysler's avoidance of acknowledging building and installing an unreliable automatic transmission for the past 11 years! One reason why I bought a GM car and not a DC or Ford product. Foreign cars are not an option - parts are unreasonable in cost.

[Deleted User] · July 2001

I installed the JBL P9633 6x9 3ways ($119) in the rear and P632 2ways ($109) in the front, last Thursday. They sound absolutely great. I will install the P23+ ($45) tweeters in the upper door panels this weekend. I also purchased a P80.4 amplifier. But, it sounds so good with the new speakers, I'm going to return the amp! That's $200 I don't need to spend.
The JBL GTO series speakers that I had temporarily installed were also a big improvement over the factory speakers. They are an excellent value, and will be good enough for most folks, I think. They are one of the few good bargains you'll find at Crutchfield. (The JBL "P" series is much cheaper elsewhere.) I just prefer the smoother highs of the P series.
Personally, I prefer 3-way 6x9's, despite what roderacer's car stereo guy says. The mid-range driver fills the sonic gap between the low-end driver(woofer) and high-end driver(tweeter). To each his own, I guess.
Be forewarned. If you anybody decides to go with the JBL P series, it tales a few days for them to break in. At first, the low end is a bit light. After a few days, however, you get a full, rich, and tight bass response. The mids and highs are just incredible.

reecelittle · July 2001

Thanks to the info on the following web site, http://www.luckyjdr.homestead.com/impala.html, I will be getting my 104 Amp replaced with the 103!

I simply printed the directions on how to get the Amp replaced, took them to my dealer, and left my 2001 Impala (build date 10-00) for a tech. to check. The service manager asked me to leave the directions I got from the web site and I believe this greatly expedited the process.

Thanks, Joe D. for your help!

jhirl · July 2001

I think I blew the amp in my 2001 Impala. I have the "103" amp and after putting my Eclipse speakers in the front and rear, the deck sounded great. Today I noticed that the unit clips the sound if I drive the bass real hard and I also don't have very much volume. I was fearful that I blew the back speakers, but they sound fine. Has anyone else blown an amp? Also, I checked the fuse box and found only 1 fuse for both the amp and the radio. Is this right??

roderacer · July 2001

I am (was) with you in terms of 3 ways vs. 2 ways. That is until I heard the difference for myself. I have always leaned toward 3 ways. Seperate woofer, mid, and tweeter = better sound, right?

Well, maybe it depends on the brand, but when I heard the Alpine 2 ways compared to Eclipse and Boston 3's, it shocked me as well.

I am getting the speakers installed today, actually in about 2 hours barring any catastrophe here at work.

I'll post when I can.

Enjoy those JBL's!
Thanks,
RR

[Deleted User] · July 2001

Alpine is an excellent brand. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased with the improvement in your Impala's sound system.
I would also recommend replacing the Goodyear GA's with a quieter tire. The less road noise you have, the better the stereo will sound.
That's what I did. I also get the added benefit of better handling. So, I got that going for me...which is nice. ;-)

jons01 · July 2001

Kudos to Hunter39, Teo, Jefferyw, and others who have pursued the bad amp problem and shared their efforts with us. After printing out some of the compelling postings from this forum, I showed them to my dealer (Bob Bell Chevrolet, Bel Air MD)and even though the service manager said he was unaware of the problem, he immediately ordered the new 103 amp as a warranty item.

I took my car (2001 LS, sandrift - build date 10/00) in today and the job was finished in about 25 minutes. Just as others have reported - the difference in bass response is remarkable. If it were not for this forum I would have just put up with a mediocre radio.

A great car is now even better. For those who have not yet gotten the amp replacement - GO FOR IT!

roderacer · July 2001

I had the Alpines installed yesterday. They sound pretty good even though much of the bass was lost. The installers were unable to Dynamat the rear deck due to a foam pad.

The only issue I have, which souldn't be an issue at all with new speakers, is the right front
6 1/2" seems to clip a bit. I don't think it is the amp or all of them would show signs of clipping. I am calling the tech today to schedule a time to bring it back in. Hope I just got a bad speaker.

RR

jeffreyw1 · July 2001

I got my new 103 amp installed yesterday at the dealership I bought my car at. It took the technician about 5 minutes to install the amp. While he was doing that, I was looking at a brand new 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup. Chevrolet went all out on the manufacturing of this pickup. I would hate to be the owner of it though in about 8 - 10 years from now because all that plastic on the exterior will be oxidized by then and will look horrible. Back to the amp. This new amp provides more bass with the bass set in the neutral position than the old amp (104) would provide if it was turned all the way over to the positive (+) side. This amp is definitely worth getting under warranty from Chevrolet. I always thought there was something wrong with my Impala's sound system and yesterday the problem was resolved with the new 103 amp. I thank all that help make it possible to help me have the old amp replaced. It was well worth it. The technician said he didn't know what he would put down on the warranty claim about replacing the amp and said that it was the first one ever replaced by him under warranty. This is coming from a small town dealership. The service manager and technician were very helpful and I thanked both for it. I will enjoy my Impala even more now.

teo · July 2001

Congratulations on a job well done!

Enjoy your new AMP!

jerseyimpala · July 2001

Hi all I have been reading the Impala forum for about two months and this is my first post. At first I was content with my 104 amp on '01 black ls, fully loaded, build date 6/00. Another family member also has an '01, but a base with the RDS radio with cd/no OnStar, with a build date of 12/00. I was driving his car last night and decided to do a test of the different amps to see if there truly was a difference. All I can say is WOW! I have never heard bass like that in my life from a stock system, let alone an Impala. Tomorrow I will be going armed with printouts from this forum to get my own 103!
Dan - NJ

roderacer · July 2001

Hey, have you noticed any vibes coming from the front speakers?

I was looking at the door area and noticed the lower grill cover was off, so I removed the grill. To my surprise, I finally saw the "other 2 speakers". I was wondering where they were since the car is adv. as a 6 spkr. system....

Anyway, it seems that the clearance from my surround is minimal between the door panel and surround. I am thinking the bass makes the surround bump against the door panel causing that buzzing I have been whining about.

I am going to look into it more, but if that is the problem, I have to take an exacto knife and trim the back of the panel down.

RR

jci1 · July 2001

Well I have to agree with the others who got the new 103 amp. My dealer was helpful and was able to get the necessary info from Delphi. He was told to list the problem as "no bass response at low volume levels" and then to say that he ran elect check and replaced amp in trunk.

The service invoice lists qty.1 #10309548 with the description of "booster 9.651" replaced under warranty at n/c.

I feel sorry for anyone whose dealer doesn't take this issue seriously enough to do a little research in order to solve the problem.

I went to my dealer, described the problem, and provided the part number necessary to cure the issue.

As far as sound, the bass is so strong, it can be extremely boomy or thumpy, it sounds like a sub woofer being overdriven. I am quite sure that upgraded speakers will fix that. I just wish it wasn't such a pain to replace the rears. Can someone who did their rears let me know how it went please?

As far as 2 ways or 3 ways, the most important thing is the quality of the components and what frequency the crossover is at, either type can be a tremendous improvement over stock. I usually prefer the 3 ways, but it really does depend on the speaker itself. That would be the disadvantage of shopping at Crutchfield or on-line. It would be beneficial to go to a car stereo retailer and compare them side by side in their a/b room.

John

aquaknot · July 2001

jci1---it would be helpful to me (and others), if I could present my service manager with a copy of your work order. If you would'nt mind posting it.

jci1 · July 2001

I scanned the invoice and I could post it, but I do not know where, if someone would like a .jpg of it e-mail me at jci12@yahoo.com and I'll return a copy to you. If I can post it here, tell me how.

[Deleted User] · July 2001

Didn't you have new speakers put in the front doors? If so, they may stick out further, thus hitting the grill. I was lucky. Both the JBL GTO's that were in there temporarily, as well as the JBL P's that are in there now, have plenty of clearance. There was a ton of clearance with the factory deals.
Also, if the screws holding the speakers aren't in tight, or if there is no gasket material, the speaker frames my vibrate against the mounting bracket. If the bracket isn't mounted tightly against the door, the same is true. The wires behind the speaker might also vibrate, if the installer left too much slack, or didn't tuck them in ptoperly.
Does the "buzzing" stop if you keep the grill off? Maybe the fact that the grill was loose, was causing it to vibrate against the door panel. Finally, the speaker might be blown.

[Deleted User] · July 2001

The muddy, boomy bass will go away with a speaker upgrade. The Impala sound system, possibly due to the 103 amp, is quite bassy to start with, reagrdless of what speakers you put in. You'll also be surprised how much of that boominess is coming from the front doors, not just the rear deck.
I've already upgraded twice. My first upgrade was with JBL GTO's, which have a very tight and punchy low end. They are an excellent value. I've since upgraded to the JBL P series, which isn't as punchy in the low end, but makes up for it with breathtaking mids and highs. There's still plenty of bass. It's not as thumping as the GTO's, but much smoother and richer than the sloppy, muddy bass of the factory speakers. I'm sure you'd get similar results with Infinity, Boston Acoustic, Alpine, etc. They'd just cost more.
Swapping the rears is easy, just more time consuming than it should be. You have to remove the rear seatbacks in order to lift up the rear deck cover. Be careful. Like much of the Impala interior, it's cheaply constructed. (basically of cardboard.)
To remove the seatback, you must also remove the bottom cushion to access the two nuts that secure the bottom of the seatbacks. First, remove the four 10mm bolts that hold the top of the seatback frame to the rear deck steel, then remove those lower nuts. You'll also discover how cheaply constructed the upholstery is, during this procedure.
Before attempting to remove the speakers, make sure you disconnect the speaker wire connectors from the speakers. The speakers are not bolted directly to the car. They are screwed into a plastic mount. Each mount is held to the deck by one fixed tab and two squeeze tabs. You remove the whole mount, and unscrew the speakers outside the car, which is nice.
The whole thing should take about 30 minutes to an hour.
The fronts are much easier. Just pop of the grills. Unscrew the speakers from the mounts. Cut the wire to the tweeter. Put in the new speakers. Make sure the ones you use will fit "oversized" GM 6-1/2" openings, which are sometimes refered to as 6-3/4".
Good luck.

kissfan1969 · July 2001

You can add it to my clubs photo album.Please use the WARRANTY album,there are TSB's and the like posted there.This is a free internet club for the new Monte Carlo,but Impala owners are very welcome,after all,our cars are almost twins under the skin.I plan on getting my amp replaced in my 2000 Monte SS thanks to this forum.

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/y2kmontecarloclub

[Deleted User] · July 2001

I finally put the JBL P23 tweeters in the upper doors panels. Adding tweeters to the previously upgraded P9630's in the rear and P632's in the front, the sound has gone from merely fantastic to absolutely breathtaking. All for less than $300.
I'm actually looking forward to my commute tomorrow. Maybe they'll let me run a network cable from my office down to the car. Then, I can sit in it and work from my laptop all day with the stereo on. Maybe not.

roderacer · July 2001

I took off the grills this past weekend to inspect the work done by my installer. Everything is seated firmly and it is a good clean install. I am not too sure about the wiring being the culpri of the buzzing as I was getting that from the OEM speakers as well. It has to be something on the door panel causing it.

I am really not too concernerd anymore; it seems I am just fighting a loosing battle with it. Until I can get some Dynamat on the door panels, I'll live with the minor buzzing for now.

Where on the door panel did you mount the tweeters? I know the system is sounding sweet. I had to wait a few days until the speakers 'came into their own'. The surrounds need time to loosen up, creating more movement in the cone and deeper bass.

Thanks!
RR

[Deleted User] · July 2001

I don't know if Dynamat will help. It sounds like something is loose inside the door. Otherwise, it would probably do it on both sides.
I mounted my tweeters on the very top of the door panel, just before the plastic piece that covers the side view mirror wires. They point upwards, with a slight inward angle. You'll see what I mean, if you check the contour on that area of your door panel.
Placement really depends on the tweeters that you choose. I assume you'll get Alpines to match the rest of your system. You might even be able to surface mount them, and avoid drilling holes, depending on the design.

00impala · July 2001

Maybe garypen is right, something inside the door may be loose, I have a friend who's parents own a 2000 Impala and the Rear door in their case was hard to open from the outside, turns out that a plastic connecting rod was installed upside down and backwards at the factory, the dealer just put it in the right way and it works fine, so it could be anything or something overlooked while the car was built, like a plastic clip to hold the wires for the power window or something. I myself hate little noisy pesky Gremlins, but if you search long enough you will isolate the source. Don/

2k_impala_ls · July 2001

All the amp replacement info with a printable sheet has been on my site for 3 weeks. look here

http://www.luckyjdr.homestead.com/impala.html

roderacer · July 2001

I'm with the both of you. Gotta be something from the inside of the door or the trim that is attached. Been consistent sine I got the car, really. Just don't like dealing with dealer service dept's.

Oh, well, I will have to grim and bear it for a bit then to the shop we go.

Thanks!
RR

roderacer · July 2001

I am taking her into the dealer next week to look inside the door. Now, when the window is lowered and the bass hits or I hit a bump in the road, an obvious RATTLE is heard.

Let's hope the problem doesn't 'disappear' for the Service Dept. tech.... I'll keep you posted.

Thanks,
RR

chaoticaudio · July 2001

I am starting up a car audio business and have a 2001 LS. I will be upgrading the stereo in my car and have a website which I can add any information that anyone would like to share. I will most likely be purchasing a relocation harness for my factory unit (remount it in the trunk) and add/replace amplifiers and speakers. I will keep the progress of my car posted on my site if enough people request me to. www dot chaoticaudio dot com is the address if anyone wants to check in every once in a while.

night_owl1 · July 2001

I would disable some of the pages on your site. Services and What's New still has the default wording.

chaoticaudio · August 2001

yeah, i know. It's one of those psychological things, haha. Make you think. My cousin runs a Mortgage place that has the Open sign on 24x7 even when there is no one there.

Nah, that's not it, I just haven't uploaded the newer stuff yet.

[Deleted User] · August 2001

FYI,

M&R Electronics has a new Delco changer that is designed to work with the 00-01 Impala/Monte Carlo with RDS and OnStar for $299.95. The magazine, $59.95, is not included. http://mnrelectronics.com/par25del12di.html

However, if you enter the part #'s 25708970 and 25659168 at www.partszoneonline.com they are $270 and $30, respectively.

Also, according to a number of qualified sources that I spoke to, the harness that is already installed in most of the Impalas should work. You just have to re-connect the two connectors located under the passenger side dash, which were left disconnected at the factory. See Nathan's web page for a photo of the two connectors:

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/CDchanger.html

I plan on purchasing this changer and connecting it to the existing harness, within the next two weeks. I'll post my results. If anyone beats me to it, or has come up with a different solution, please post your results. Thanks.

bh0001 · August 2001

Good luck! I got so frustrated with the number of different stories I received from different sources that I finally gave up. I wasn't willing to be a guinea pig.

I've actually gotten quite accustomed to the in-dash single CD player and I don't have any plans to go the changer route. However, it will be good to know if the process has been simplified as you indicate (in case I change my mind)!

[Deleted User] · August 2001

I humbly offer myself as your CD changer guinea pig! :-)
It's my way of thanking you for that floor mat tip. FYI, I discovered that my dealer, MY DEALER!, sells the Lloyd mats for less than online.Way less, plus a 15% off coupon to boot!

BTW, I decided to get silver embroidery, not blue, to better match the car. If I had the blue exterior, I would have definitely gone for the blue thread.

bh0001 · August 2001

WOW! I need to find a Canadian source for these. Ordering from the U.S. would cost me an arm and a leg.

I look forward to hearing about the CD changer.

kissfan1969 · August 2001

I run a free Monte Carlo club on Yahoo and many of my members want to change out their old amps with the new version.Is there a TSB for this,and if so,does anyone have a copy?

Stop on over to check out my free club,the url is as follows: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/y2kmontecarloclub

spider717 · August 2001

I finally got to drive my 01 LS for more than 30 minutes today. I went to Maryland and back. I drive at an average speed of 60 (pretty good considering there were stop lights). It also said I got an average MPG of 30.5, which wasn't bad since I had the cruise set at 72MPH. My girlfried said about how there was a review about the Imp stating the exxessive road noise. She said they were full of crap

Man I love this car!

night_owl1 · August 2001

Currently, there is no TSB on this. However, they can go to Joe's website where he documented the process to get a new amp.

http://www.luckyjdr.homestead.com/impala.html

On a related note, an Impala owner may be able to get the amp plug so you can replace the factory amp with an aftermarket one without cutting the harness. This is the path I want to take and will post more info as I get it.

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/

teo · August 2001

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/10/001019FE.html

[Deleted User] · August 2001

I, too, was prepared to replace my amp during my speaker upgrade. However, I found that it really wasn't necessary, if you use high-quality, high-efficiency speakers. I returned to the amp, and avoided spending another $200. That can go towards the changer.

The combination of the UP0 head unit (RDS, CD, Tape) with the 103 amp sounds absolutely brilliant with the new speakers. The only complaint I have is in regard to the radio reception. I will try an FM booster inline with the antenna. That may help.

I'm looking forward to the CD Changer as well. I keep having visions of slamming into the back of a mini van, because I'm searching for a new CD in the console.

impalaboy2001 · August 2001

Is it possible to add an aftermarket head unit and still be able to use onstar?

etcarroll · August 2001

Followed the advice found here, and got my dealer to swap amps. I can certainly attest to their sounding different, but better???....not so fast.

As has been discussed here in the past, 'good' is subjective, what one thinks sounds good, another, blah, blah, blah......

The sound is now very 'boomy' not unlike my home stereo with the loundness switched on, not very desirable if you ask me. I've backed off the bass, but now find it odd that I went through the trouble of getting a new amp, only to back-off the feature I sought to improve. Looks like new speakers are on the horizon, then a new head unit. "This is a premium sound system?" It's a shame, as otherwise I love the car.

[Deleted User] · August 2001

You won't necessarily need to replace the head unit. It's audio output is quite good with the 103 amp. It's the crappy factory speakers that make it sound so muddy and boomy.

Once you replace the speakers with high quality, high-efficiency speakers, you will definitely see an incredible difference. Full, rich bass, not boomy mud. Crystal clear mids and highs.

Personally, I recommend the JBL "P" series. Another member used Alpines, and loves them. It's unfortunate that a "premium" sound system comes equipped with such cheap speakers, and no in-dash CD Changer as well.

humahuma · August 2001

Hi Teo thanks for posting the the "all data" link that contains a list of TSBs. I reviewed the list but could not find anything for replacing the amp. Do you know the specific TSB number?

spider717 · August 2001

I don't believe there IS a TSB for replacing the old amp, which is why some people are having such a hard time getting it done. It's been said many times in the "Impala Radio" forum, that it's more of a "Customer service/satisfaction issue".

night_owl1 · August 2001

I just updated the page with more info about the CD changer. Garypen is correct about the two connectors. The OnStar system and the remote CD changer share the same connector on the back of the factory radio. For further information, see the CD changer article in the how-to section.

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/

I also found out more information about the radio's Theftlock system and that's in the Instrument Panel Trim Plate how-to article.

impalanator · August 2001

Don't forget to "re-program" your preset stations after your new amp is installed. Adjust the station to your liking manually or using one of the autotone features and hold the station selection button in until it beeps. If you don't, every time you select it, it will come up with a ton of bass that you had selected before to compensate for the bad amp.

hopper5 · August 2001

I have read many of the posts claiming a difference in sound quality between the 2000 and 2001 Impalas. I have a 2000 LS with AM/FM/CD/Cassette. The only thing I am certain of is that I get HORRIBLE radio reception (as do many others with the 2000). My walkman would be better. Everyone says there's nothing I can do about it.

However, I have a theory...

Maybe, it's because of the new glass in the 2001?! The 2001 Impala has a metalic glass for UV protection that the 2000 doesn't. After all, the antenna is stuck to the rear window. Maybe my dealership will replace my rear windshield with one for the 2001. This should be possible since they're the same bodies.

The only reason why I know this about the glass is because the tag for the automatic toll system in my area (EZ-Pass) has to be mounted on the exterior of the 2001 just for this reason.

Does anyone else have a different theory?

[Deleted User] · August 2001

While the audio quality has apparently been improved for 2001 with a different amplifier, and I have replaced all of the speakers as well, the radio reception is still pretty poor.

Static and drifting are common. And, the audio quality of the radio is not nearly as good as that of the CD, which sounds magnificent with the new speakers. Some difference between FM and CD should be expected, but not that extreme. Perhaps I notice it more with the new speakers.

I am considering adding an FM signal booster, which can be purchased at Radio Shack and elsewhere. It is normally installed in the dash area, inline between the antenna and radio.

However, I am considering mounting it in the trunk area, as the antenna is located in the rear window and there is a power source from the amplifier. It would seem to be easier than removing the dash panel to get at the back of the radio.

You might try an using one. It should improve reception. It won't improve the audio fidelity, though.

teo · August 2001

Could you give me the specs on the replacement speakers for your Imp?

How much?

Where did you get them?

How are they different from the OEM units?

I am also interested in the FM signal booster.

Pls keep me posted...

impalaboy2001 · August 2001

Nightowl: Do you think its possible to install an aftermarket headunit in our Impala LS and still be able to use onstar?? I really wanna replace it, but I still wanna keep onstar as I find it very convinient.

Thanks
Chris

Chevrolet Impala Audio

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