Stock HU Improvement

[jptrsn]

Hi everyone,

We picked up our '08 5 two days ago, and I absolutely love it over our old Buick.

So far, I've noticed that the sound system is lacking compared to our old car. I'd love to update it, but I want to keep the stock head unit in - I prefer the look over an aftermarket.

Does anyone have the stats for the stock HU? What's the power rating? I'm looking for the weak points in the system before I go spending any money. From what I've read here, it looks like the stock speakers are capable of a lot more performance, and putting an amp in may be the best and most cost-effective route to improving sound overall.

I'm on a pretty tight budget, but it never hurts to do some research.

What are your opinions? Has anyone added an amp and left stock speakers? Or vice-versa? I read about an infinity speaker install where the OP mentioned that the new speakers were not much of an improvement over stock.

Thanks for your help, and your opinions.
jptrsn.

 

[Heat]

...but I want to keep the stock head unit in - I prefer the look over an aftermarket...

Everybody feels that way... until they get the new head unit in. Trust me, you'll get used to a new head unit really quickly. I put in a JVC head unit last year – great sound (though I also replaced the rear speakers) and I can play .mp3s off of a USB drive , or off of a CD-R, of off of a SD card. Plus the display is 1000x better than the stock radio.

I think you were referring to my thread when you talked about the infinity speakers, but in case you weren’t here is a link: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123752412 I still haven’t gotten around to swapping out the front speakers. You can stick with your stock speakers for now, but maybe in a few years think about swapping them out. You would want to replace your head unit not so much for sound improvement but for audio options (.mp3 support / iPod integration) as well as looks.

If I were buying a head unit today, I’d probably go with the Sony GT640UI (I have a Sony in my ’99 Honda Accord). Buttons can be green or blue (switchable), has a front-mounted USB port, built in iPod adapter, plays CDs, CD-Rs, etc etc. $159 with free kit, harness, shipping, and probably no tax (depends on where you live). If you don’t mind spending a little more, the mid-range Alpines are also nice.

 

[thaxman]

Chances are that part of the reason your Buick sounded awesome and the 5 sounds flat is that the Buick was most likely a sedan and had rear shelf mounted speakers that used the trunk as a speaker box. You may have noticed that the 5 has no such capacity. Someone here posted a DIY spare tire well sub. Other than that, compensating for the lack of a built-in reverb chamber means buying better speakers.