You can replace your GEN 3 factory radio!!!

[97CaliSHO]

Yesterday on my lunch break, I stopped an audio shop (can't remember the name but I have the guy's business card at home) and explained my desire to upgrade my factory sound system in my 97 SHO. My intentions were to upgrade the back panel speakers and somehow get some bass thumping in my "bass anemic" car.

I was completely floored when the sales guy walked back onto the sales floor with an oval shaped radio replacement face THAT INCLUDED CONTROLS FOR YOUR HEATER AND DEFROST! The dials weren't as good as the factory digital setup but I'm going to get it anyway.

He went on to explain that the SHO factory radio doesn't have a low-pass filter (or something like that?), therefore causing the lack of bass throughout. I could add additional parts and still use the factory radio, but I'm too excited about the prospects of mounting a hard drive in my trunk and using my PDA to play songs thru Winamp (or something cool like that).

Perhaps I'm just the last SHO owner on Earth to find out about this, but it seemed like a big deal to me.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[ADE 1000]

I do not think that adapter plate will work unless you have manual AC from the factory. If your car has electronic climate control like most SHOs do, I do not think it will work.

But I could be wrong.

 

[97CaliSHO]

That's what I thought too, but he insisted that he could get it to work? I'm bringing my car in on Saturday to have him take a look. I'll post an update then...

 

[98shotoy]

PLEASE let us know how it goes!!! That would be GREAT if we could do that and it works!!!!

 

[CMurderSHO]

It would be a lot of work to switch over from the digital to the manual controls. The digital works off of voltages of course and the manual uses vaccum pressure. The cars with the digital do not come equipped to just make it a easy swap. You would have to have the schematic or spend many hours figuring out the big jumble of wires that are behind the oval. And even if you did figure out what went where you would probably still not be able to control your heater and a/c, and defrost. you would probably only be able get the voltage right so that when you turn the heat on it is always set at one temp. same with the a/c. I just went with the cd player in the glove box.

 

[97CaliSHO]

Do you think you could explain the reason why the factory bass is so weak in the SHO? I can't hear any thump even when the bass is turned all the way up and the treble is all the way down... Even with the volume at max! Something's wrong. I also get engine noise thru the speakers, but only when a tape is in the deck.

thanks...

<small>[ May 27, 2002, 03:11 AM: Message edited by: 97CaliSHO ]</small>

 

[wuzzzer]

I don't believe that anything's wrong with your stereo, 97CaliSHO. Mine does the same thing.
The radios are probably designed to cut bass output at high volumes so that it eliminates distortion and/or damage to the speakers.
I've seen that in aftermarket decks, too. You can experiment with it a little bit by turning the bass up about 3/4 of the way and putting in a bass heavy CD. After about 1/2 volume the bass will flatten out and not play any louder even though the midrange and highs still do.

 

[mholhut]

97CaliSHO:
Do you think you could explain the reason why the factory bass is so weak in the SHO? I can't hear any thump even when the bass is turned all the way up and the treble is all the way down... Even with the volume at max! Something's wrong.

Easy, the '97-'99 SHO's with the Mach sound system don't have a sub woofer like the JBL systems in the '96's. Then again, the amount of bass a system produces is a matter of prefference.

 

[SHODWN]

Mike, my 97s will destroy the JBL. Ill come SHO you now..

 

[Bryan C. King]

Mine sounds SWEET!

 

[RStalveyARFF]

Karen's sounds decent. I've been tempted to screw in one of my 6x9 subs from Pearl in there.

 

[djbartu]

My '96 has the JBL system and the weakest links there were the 2 factory 5x7's. I upgraded those to Polks and it made a great difference! Not in the bass, but they are much clearer and cleaner sounding. My factory center JBL sub still puts out enough bass...no it doesn't "thump" like the kids tuner imports running around here, but it's great for jammin Stevie Ray Vaughn and the like.

 

[XLSuruaT]

I second that, the jbl is definitly weak. I went ahead and put polk EX572a's in the rear. BIG difference right off the back. Then I put the same speakers in the door with EX3500 tweeters. Sound is definitly better. But now that the highs and the mids are very clear, the bass from the jbl woofer is lacking.

I don't know much about car audio, but if you can't replace the head unit, can't you filter out the low pass, then amplify it?