Let me first say, I know close to NOTHING about the sterio and sound systems in this or any car... I have no clue as to how they work or what each reading or measurement about them is for... so if you say do a search... I simply won't even know what to search FOR...

My 1997 Camaro RS has what I believe a 6 speaker setup (2 in the front, 2 in the backseat which are missing their speaker covers, and 2 in the trunk area)... Well the dealership very crappily installed a new radio head... only ONE speaker plays... (the passeneger side)... the steriohead isn't connected to the antenna (bad reception)...and is sitting VERY loose in the compartment, I can pull it right out. I'd bitch to the dealership but I want a better sound system anyway.

First off, Should I go back to a factory stock sound system with a CD player, like a BOSE or something? if not then...

Second off, Are there any aftermarket systems out there that can be installed in my car without the cheesy looking dash-kit that pokes the radio out about 2 inches out the dashboard?... If not then are there any better kits out there that will keep the radio inside the dashtrim instead of poking out? even the dashkit trim pokes out and just looks plain ugly...Sound Pro said it was normal, I hate the look of it.

Third off, What kind of sterio head's are out there, look cool, have a CD player and seek option, will fit perfectly in without a dashkit (or if I need a dashkit, a kit that sits INSIDE the dash), and will use and function properly on all my speakers... Sound Pro said there's a chance that the wiring on my speakers could be wrong... or they could be blown... Only the Front Door Passenger Side speaker is playing of all 6 in the car...

Fourth off, If I'm unlucky and have to just go on and replace my speakers and sound system...what kind of good speakers should I get?

The next few questions are just axxillery and out of curiosity...

#1. Can I swap my antenna out for an electric rising/lowering antenna? would it work properly with an aftermarket sterio? (not just reception but raising and lowering too...) and would I gain any better reception?

#2 Can any of the prefered sterio heads I requested support Satalite radio?

#3 My mom owns a 1999 Chevy Blazer, She wants a Sterio with a Tape/CD player, she says she'll give me her sterio head if she can find one... so can that sterio head fit and function perfectly in my 1997 Camaro? and where can she find a Sterio head with Tape/CD player options?... I'm not sure but do they even exist?...

I MUST say thanks for answering the slew of questions...cuzz I'm quite lost...

 

#1. You can swap to the electric antenna, but it will not give you any better reception than a regular one. Also, the electric antennas are prone to go out. I have changed mine twice and it is out again. I just left well enough alone. IMO, just leave your stock antenna.

#2. Check the company's info for a head unit that supports sat. radio. If it dosen't, both brands have a universal system that works through FM modulation (like a CD changer).

#3. If the unit in the STEREO in the blazer is a 1.5 DIN stereo, it will fit in your car. I don't know if the depth is any different, but I would be willing to bet that it would be the same and an easy fit.

Hope this helps,

Joe

 

Wow. A whole butt load of questions here....see if I can't decode all this and help you out some....

First two paragraphs, gotcha. Newbie to car audio. Dealership did a s#itty job installing an aftermarket headunit. Only one speaker currently plays. Oh and it's STEREO.

First question, no. Ask around the boards and you will find a ton of people pissed off at the "upgraded" stock systems. Both Bose and Monsoon. For a few hundred dollars, we could put you together something that will last twice as long.

Second question, yes. The camaros and firebirds have what is called a "1.5 din" dash opening. Your run of the mill regular CD player is 1 din. Ours is one and a half that size. Hence the need for the dash kit. Couple of options here.... first... there ARE dash kits that don't stick out that far. Can't remember the model numbers off hand, but just know that they ARE out there. Second, you can buy a 1.5 din size headunit. As of now, I believe Pioneer is the only quality company still producing these today. Alpine had a couple nice ones back in the day, but they have since been discontinued. If you go this route, you will not need a dash kit. Many people on here prefer this "stock" look over the single din unit with the dash kit. Your choice.

Third, a ton. A CD player and seek option. Welcome to the year 2004 my friend. Damn near every headunit has the seek option. LOL!! What unit did the dealership put in your car? A brand and model number would be ideal. Is it what your looking for? As mentioned above, 1.5 din units are made. Any headunit can work with any of the upgraded factory sound systems. Of course, depending on what the previous owner or dealer did to your car....

Forth, again, a ton. There are so many options out there it not even funny. As with all car audio gear, stay with name brands. Pyramid, Rockwood, Pyle, Thump, etc. Are all knockoff flea market brands. If you've never heard of it before. Stay away. Pioneer is just about the cheapest of the name brands. Don't buy anything lower then that. Even Pioneer doesn't make the best speakers.... but quality comes with money. You get what you pay for. gear is expensive for a reason. if all the speakers in your car are stock, I'd replace them regardless of if they're blown or not. If there not yet, ask around, chances are they're on their last legs.

#1. Yes. Pretty much every aftermarket headunit will work 100% with any power antenna. Let us know the details and we'll help you with the install if need be. I think the cheapest but still decent power antenna right now is the stock firebird antennas. Think they're like $60 new. Ehhh, maybe there are some cheaper out there. I'm not sure. I know I paid WAY too much for mine. ($100 for RKSport) One note. If you have the option, get one with a replaceable shaft. Then if it ever gets bent, you don't have to buy a whole new motor and everything. Gas station car wash is probably the most common place for bent antennas.

#2 Yes. Also very common these days. However, not ALL of them do. The cheaper low line models probably do not. It will say clearly on the box and on the headunit itself if it supports XM or Sirus radio. Keep in mind, that is an extra charge. Sat radio does not just come with the unit.

#3 tapes. Who uses tapes any more? lol I think it's about time for them to go. Records, 8-tracks and Beta video all had their time. I think it's time for tapes to join them. But I know where you're coming from. My mom still listens to tapes too. Yes, there are several tape/CD units. Again, like with the 1.5 din units, there aren't many. And again, Pioneer may very well be the only quality company that still makes them. Not 100% sure on that though. What kind of headunit does your mom have? Is it the stock unit? Or is it some sort of aftermarket unit?

Let us know what you decide and don't let anybody take advantage of you because you don't know much about car audio. Bad guys are out there. Watch out.

 

Go here: www.installdr.com and do some reading. As far as as a combo cd/tape head unit, I don't think any major brand has one. Jensen used to have one, may still have it, but I'm not sure I'd trust Jensen for reliability.

 

Where should I start shopping for prices for like a pioneer or any decent sterio / speakers? (I decided I mayaswell upgrade them anyway)... What size speakers should I get? Oh uh, where can I get some rear-seat speaker covers?

Whats the going rate for sterio's and speakers and whats about as cheap as I can get while maintaining decent quality?... Oh yes, how will I know if it's a 1 or 1.5 din? and if it's just a 1 din, do I have to buy a dashkit seperately or do they come with it? I was told if I go all out with the sound system they recomend I upgrade the battery and alternator too... this true? if so what should I go with for the both?

 

If you buy from Crutchfield, they supply all needed installation stuff, but they are high. Pricescan is pretty good at finding prices. Ike Sound is good on Pioneer prices. Front door speakers are 6.75"

 

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member...80_31_full.jpg

i bought my car with that head unit, so i dont know where the dash kit came from, but as you can see (sorta) it doesnt stick out

 

www.ebay.com is most likely going to be the cheapest place you'll fing just about everything. The speakers in the front doors and next to the rears seats are what is called "oversized 6.5" or "6.5S" other wise known as 6.75". But most 6.5" speakers can be made to fit very easily. Speaker covers, try a local junkyard or maybe even Ebay. I would say the very cheapest you should buy a headunit would be $150. And that's for something pretty bottom line. It probably won't have XM or Sirus capabilities. No, dash kits do not come with any headunit. They are about $17 extra. From what I'm hearing here, you don't plan on even adding a sub/amp combo do you? And even if you do, something small.......right? There IS NOT going to be a need for different or multiple batteries or an upgraded alternator.

 

Okay thanks...

I went to Best Buy and Wal-Mart to look at all the pretty gizmo's... Well uh, I got HELLA confused ... There's ALOT of stuff there and I don't even know what to start off with, like whats good and what isn't... what fits and what doesn't. I saw front/rear seat speakers and didn't even know what sizes or what brands I need to get.. Hey do we have to stick to our stock speaker size? On the aftermarket are just about all of these speakers better than our stock speakers? and when I replace those speakers, I need to get TWO front sets for the doors and the rear seats, and ONE rear set for the trunk area don't I?...

Oh yeah, what kind of SterioHead should I get and how do I know if it's a 1.5 or 1 din or not? I couldn't see that information on box's / lables ... Where can I get a better dashkit if I end up with a 1 din and how do I compare sterio's as to which is better/worse?

 

Ok, first. What exactly are you looking to replace and how much are you looking to spend total? Next, is there anything wrong with the headunit that the dealer put in? Or do you just not like it? What brand/model is it?

These are 1.5 din headunits. And these are single din units. Notice how the Pioneer's are slightly taller then the single din units? Any one of those three models I linked you to would be great. Second, I think the only "decent" brand Wal-Mart sells is Pioneer. And I think they only carry the lower line model Pioneer's. Doesn't sound like you wanting to spend a lot of money. Stick with Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion or Kenwood. All those brands have cheap but still decent headunits. I'd avoid Sony if I was you. From personal experience and floating around the boards for a few years I've heard/seen MORE THEN my fair share of complaints.

Next, speakers. The front and rear speakers are 6 3/4" and the ones under the hatch are 4". 6 1/2" speakers should fit in the stock openings without too much trouble..... and I wouldn't hesitate in ditching the hatch speakers all together. They are too small and too far to the rear for you to even notice a difference. Also, not only do you have to buy the set of 4", but you have to power them with something.... waste of power/time/money. Ask around the boards and you'll hear the same thing. Do we have to stick to the stock speaker size? What were you planning on doing? Well, without some serious modifications you're not putting anything larger in there. And I see no reason why you would ever want to put anything smaller in there.....

In short, make a final decision about keeping or ditching the dealer headunit. Then you can power your four 6 1/2"s off that or maybe your budget has enough room for a 4-channel amp?

 

Well... the dealership's headunit...just sucks,,, simply said so yeah I'm definetly getting rid of it, I havn't quite budgedet because I don't even know what to expect on paying for a system...

 

Well, I linked you to a few decent headunits. So there's some prices for those.... get some decent speakers, expect to pay NO LESS then about $180 for all 4. And a 4-channel amp would be pimp. The Kicker KX600.4 can be had for under $200 and it'll give each speaker 75WRMS@4ohms. Headunit output is usually around 22WRMS. You can get a set of RCAs and amp install kit for $30 easy off Ebay. And that is that. You should have no need to upgrade any of that stuff, unless you're willing to spend some serious cash (It's no thing to spend $300 on just front components)

Next addition would be a sub/amp combo. If you want a subwoofer.... you could probably get away with powering your front speakers off the amp and bridging the other to channels for the sub. (Power the rear speakers off the headunit) Stealthbox for $112 new. (might find a used one cheap) And a 10" for around $80-$90. Soooo.... with subwoofer and box, that brings a grand total of around $800 for all new gear. Nice little setup there....

 

sony head units are pretty good from what ive had... but I wouldnt even think about anything else they make. theyre subs and amps are horrible. your better off with those really cheap lightning audios (because they are made by rockford )

 

Need to look at this website

http://www.houston-f-body.org/tech/monsoon/