Another pesky C5 coupe rear speaker question. Please opine. Also, front tweeter?
OKAY! The seasons are a-changin' and I have decided that I enjoy music way too much so replaced the sound system in my backup/inclement weather vehicle, a 1995 Toyota Tacoma. Aside from the head unit...
...and I am extremely pleased with the results. While I know true audiophiles would thumb their nose justifiably, I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot of money, as it is only my secondary vehicle.
NOW! As has been posted several times on this board, people get frustrated with the flat, midrange filler performance of the rear.
I am one of them.
I fully respect the arguement that the soundstage should be left in front of the listener for music, and as a semi-audiophile I agree with that in regards to home theater. However, it is my opinion is a automobile is a FAR from a "acoustically friendly" environment given the ambient noise of driving as well as driver listener position....you aren't exactly centered. Yeah, you can fuss with the balance control...I know I know... but I feel it is better to fill the cockpit with sound.
SO! Whilst gettting my truck outfitted today, I started to inquire about getting another pair of the infinitys for the rears of my '04 Corvette. Their retort was since it was a Bose (yes, I know, Bose sucks) system the WHOLE system has to be replaced, and therefore it CANNOT be done as they were convinced that the rear speakers were independantly amplified as well as the front speakers.
So, I didn't buy any until I inquired here. Here is my understanding of the Corvette Audio System by what I have been able to gather from this site in the past...I just want to sum it all up.
The only Bose componentry are the front speakers. The head unit is straight AC Delco, as are the rear speakers.
The rear speakers are only powered by the head unit, and run at 4 ohms.
Therefore, I could easily experiment with replacing the rear speakers with the Infinitys. Correct? If I dont think they are worth it, I can always return them.
Okay, now onto the front "tweeters" or as I have heard them more commonly refered to here..."twiddlers."
The opinion seems to be that replacing these "twiddlers" can be done easily and will greatly improve the highs and overall sound. Just disconnect what is there, and swap in the replacement. Do you agree? If so, which "twiddlers" do you recommend?
Furthermore, why to people refer to them as "twiddlers" and not "tweeters?"
Thank you for your time and patience on this redundant topic. All comments are welcomed and encouraged.
Last edited by Zippy The Wonderdog; 10-11-2005 at 09:29 PM.
Well, I guess I'm in the same boat and I haven't got a clear answer. Check out my thread about speaker upgrade in a C5.
What I have experimented once was to remove the midpanel speaker (it has BOSE stamp on it, 5.25" since I have a Z06, should be 6.5" if you have a coupe) and connect it to the stock sound system in my Subaru. The BOSE speaker works just fine, I believe, since it's as loud as the other ones in the Subbie. Does it mean that the midpanel speakers can be replaced with "normal" ones ? Well, maybe. I'm not a sound system expert, a very newbie actually. I can go with what my EE classes taught me regarding impedance and all that, but I'm a little unsure since if something blew up, I can be held responsible for it.
Now, if you go to Crutchfield site, they have replacement speakers for both the midpanel and door speakers, not the BOSE subwoofer that has its own amp. According to Crutchfield information, these replacement speakers would just work w/o having to wire in some kind of electronic adapter such as SoundGate or that PAC thing (unclear which one and what they function as). All the local sound system places won't even touch it if it's not a total revamp.
My apology if this sounds like a blind leading another blind. I'll be damned if I have to make this into a full-blown research project like I have done on so many other things that I plan to buy. And this one is just about speakers. This sounds even more complicated than changing a cam or installing a supercharger
BTW1, check eBay for prices once you got the brand/model number.
BTW2, there are two different speakers in the doors. One is a 3.5" and the other is the subwoofer with built-in amp. The 3.5" is supposedly can be replaced w/o having to wire in adaptors etc., but I'm not totally sure about this.
I think the general consensus is that the front 3.5 and back 5.25/6.5 can be replaced with aftermarket speakers. However, I don't know how muc power you get from the head unit so you probably need to avoid any high power speakers.
I have been reading many of the forum threads to get a clear understanding of the structure of the audio system of the C5 and I am still having difficulty learning enough from what others have written to solve my problem.
I just got my '97 C5 coupe and love it except for the quality(read lack) of the audio system and the fact that when the engine is running I get a great amount of electrical noise from the drivers side rear speaker only.
The originator of this thread states that the rear speakers are powered from the head unit. Is that correct? If so, I think that is the first real good lead that I have found in determining the cause of the audio problem. I think that if it was a general ground loop problem that both rear or perhaps all the speakers would have the engine noise. With just the single speaker having this problem, I am guessing that would mean that there is something wrong with the head unit. (could it be just the one speaker?)
I was hoping to keep the original head unit to keep the original look of the car, however, this may now prove to be impossible. I was going to go with MBQuart 6.5” speakers in the back and a JL Audio sub woofer in the rear hatch, both with extra amps, and replace the front 3.5” speakers too. However, if the head unit itself is causing this problem, I may have to replace the entire system. Does anyone know if there are any normal functions, i.e. instrument panel readout, computer diagnostics, etc. that would be affected by removing the stock audio system?
Guess what, Infinity makes speakers for replacing both the 3.5" and the rears (either 5.25" or 6.5") No interfaces needed. I mention that since you seem to be happy with Infinity
Whoever you talked to is basing their answer on a C4, that stereo had a radio with no wattage out. The only drivers in the C5 that has their own amps in the 8" in the doors.
We call them twiddlers because they provide both the mids and highs in one driver
The general consensus is that replacing the fron 3.5" speakers will greatly improve things, whereas there are mixed opinions on replacing the rears. Do yo agree?
There are several manufacturers of 3.5" speakers. Look for one with high sensistivity and a name you can trust. Many forum members have used Infinity or Alpine and have liked them, they claim a big improvement over the Blose.
I'm not a fan of rears, IMO replace the fronts first, if you still need more highs, you will then have the option to replace the rears
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Another pesky C5 coupe rear speaker question. Please opine. Also, front tweeter?
