[firebirdboy99]

Hey guys, I just purchased a 98 Firebird with the
Monsoon speakers. They sound like crap; but I believe they all work. In my Mercedes, all I did was replace the head unit and the speakers sounded 100% better. Is a bad head unit from factory usually the case? Will changing out the head unit cause the speakers to get better? Has anyone done this?
Also, what all will I need To replace the original unit?. I know obviously I’ll need a harness adapter, a radio, and a bezel. I want To retain the steering wheel controls as well, so I’m wondering if that’s possible as well? Does anyone have any recommendations? Sorry for all the questions I’m new and excited!

 

[ZumpTA]

No GM system sounded bad, ever, at least not at normal to moderate volume levels. You need to first put your eyes on the speakers. What you need to see is the "surrounds", the flexible bit connecting the cone to the basket. Given the age, it is very likely that the surrounds have dry-rotted and broke apart allowing the air from the back of the speaker to mix with the air in front, even the cone itself can be damaged/split/ripped. This all can cause fluttering, rattling, popping, etc. which yeah, sounds pretty crap. If the surrounds are damaged, the speakers need re-coned or replaced. If the surrounds are OK, you next need to put a multi-meter on them and see how far they have drifted from factory specification. If they have drifted too high, that will impact sound quality and volume level. Same as before, repair or replace the speaker(s).

As to whether or not a new head unit will solve the problem, my guess is probably not. Sounds like you have damaged speakers. When all is well though, the factory systems need nothing more than supplemented with real sub-woofers. Those jokes they installed in the sail panels hurt the sound more than they helped.

 

[Injuneer]

Ditto. I bought my 1994 Formula brand new. It came with the 10-speaker premium system, which was not yet called the Monsoon. Sounded very good for a factory radio, and I didn’t see any need to upgrade the speakers. However the speakers seemed easy to damage. One of my sons was playing with the radio while I was in a doctor office. The mid-range in the dual speaker set on one side of the hatch tore. I suspect he just wanted to see how loud it would play.

But, after 24 years of wear and tear, your 1998 may not sound as good as it did when it was new. That would be an unreasonable expectation. And it is not because the factory head units were prone to being “bad from the factory“. I deleted my audio system around 2002 as part of a serious weight reduction effort.

I believe Crutchfield had a harness to adapt some aftermarket head units to the steering wheel controls.

 

[firebirdboy99]

Thank you both of you guys! You are giving me new knowledge. I ordered a new Dual head unit with Apple CarPlay. I checked My speakers today and found out they actually don’t sound bad, they are just missing working speakers. My front two sound great. Rear sail speakers don’t work. Rear hatch speakers sound good, but could use more bass. What are my options for replacing the two sail speakers? Should I just Order monsoon ones, or order aftermarket (will mixing speakers cause issues with the monsoon amp/other monsoon speakers)? or should I just Find a pair of factory speakers and place there? Also, any advice on how to make the rear hatch speakers sound better? Thanks again!

 

[firebirdboy99]

Would something like this work to replace the speakers in the hatch and the rear sail panel? I would Just leave the door speakers stock.
Kenwood
Kenwood - Road Series 6-1/2" 2-Way Car Speakers with Cloth Cones (Pair) - Black https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kenwoo...loth-cones-pair-black/6197112.p?skuId=6197112

 

[Injuneer]

The speakers in the sail panels are what provides the bass. They are powered by a small auxiliary amp behind the sail panel, with a filter to pass only low frequencies.

Here's another thread regarding replacement of the sail panel “subs” with full-range speakers:

Audio speaker upgrade question

I’be replaced the 2 speakers in the panels at the beck seat area. I believe they are meant to be subwoofers or something with the 10 speaker system. I replaced them and I do not get any highs, just bass. I’m assuming there is a crossover or something somewhere I can remove? . Can anyone...

www.firebirdnation.com

 

[firebirdboy99]

The speakers in the sail panels are what provides the bass. They are powered by a small auxiliary amp behind the sail panel, with a filter to pass only low frequencies.

Here's another thread regarding replacement of the sail panel “subs” with full-range speakers:

Audio speaker upgrade question

I’be replaced the 2 speakers in the panels at the beck seat area. I believe they are meant to be subwoofers or something with the 10 speaker system. I replaced them and I do not get any highs, just bass. I’m assuming there is a crossover or something somewhere I can remove? . Can anyone...

www.firebirdnation.com

Okay thank you!

 

[1993TransAm]

Since your car has the Monsoon system, your sail panel speakers ("subwoofers") are dual voice coil (DVC). The factory speakers actually have two voice coils and four wires each. They are most likely blown. Remove the covers and inspect them. The original "subs" are usually the ones to blow first. Replacing those speakers may prove difficult due to their DVC configuration, but there are choices out there. Kicker used to make one, but that was years ago.

The minimum frequency response (MFR) of the speakers from Best Buy is 40 Hz, which is decent, but a good subwoofer usually has an MFR of about 20-30 Hz. Human ears can't hear anything below 20 anyway. The Best Buy speaker is also coaxial, so it's not exactly best suited for a subwoofer application because the channel only produces low frequency sounds. You'd also be giving up a subwoofer channel, if you care.

Another consideration is linear distortion. Linear distortion can occur as a speaker changes "phase," or frequency. It is not distortion caused by an outside source. The Best Buy speakers do not show a frequency response curve (FRC). A speaker with a sharp "roll-off" in low frequencies will distort as the speaker changes phases in the low frequency range. It will sound like the speaker is "clipping," or popping, etc. To avoid linear distortion, look for a speaker with a FRC that is (1) published somewhere so you can look at it, and (2) the roll-off at the low end is smooth, not a sharp drop. That's a lot, but I hope it makes sense.

 

[ZumpTA]

If the factory front/rear speakers are good, and you're installing an aftermarket head unit, just add a sub-woofer or two in the trunk and be done with it. There are cheap prefabricated speaker boxes that fit the cubbyhole/shelf on the left side of the trunk, good for a single 10" speaker, and there are boxes designed for two 8"-12" sub-woofers that is "form fit" for the well. Skar Audio has a 350w sub-woofer amp for under $100, and their IX series 10" sub-woofers are less than $50/ea. For $300 or so "all in" you could have a really good low-end for the money. Certainly deeper and harder than you'll ever get out of the sail panel under any circumstance. The sail panel location isn't exactly ideal for sub-woofer acoustics. Playing off the hatch on the other hand is a huge advantage acoustically for low frequencies. The sail panels aren't a great place for full range speakers either considering the proximity to your ears and more importantly those of a rear passenger. GM really should have placed a single 8" sub in that rear cubbyhole and forgot about the sail panels altogether.

Being real, replacing the OEM speakers with OEM or equivalents isn't cheap. Even repairing the existing speakers will be more expensive than Skar's 10" subs. If you bought "better" speakers that fit the sail panels, they would power beyond that of the factory amplifier, they'll be inferior in capability compared to an 8" or 10" speaker, and they're still in the worst possible location. If you don't have T-Tops and don't need the space of the well area, 2 subs are better than one. ...but even one proper 10" sub in the side of the hatch area will far surpass anything you can stick in the sail panels.

That's my 2 cents at least.

You don't need a lot of expensive stuff to get really good sound, but you do need the right stuff. Skar Audio is cheap-cheap-cheap, but it's also honest equipment. Their amps do put out what they say they do, and their sub-woofers are capable. You normally don't see that at their price points. For a first/beginner/basic sub-woofer system, you can't do better for cheaper. I'm actually considering their 1,500w amplifier ($280) for the subs I just put in my C4. The 250w amplifier I have on them now peaks at 25% of their RMS wattage. As-is, the bass can become uncomfortably strong, but... grins

 

[firebirdboy99]

Thank all of you guys….I am Going to get speakers, a new head unit, viper alarm installed this weekend.

 

[firebirdboy99]

Since your car has the Monsoon system, your sail panel speakers ("subwoofers") are dual voice coil (DVC). The factory speakers actually have two voice coils and four wires each. They are most likely blown. Remove the covers and inspect them. The original "subs" are usually the ones to blow first. Replacing those speakers may prove difficult due to their DVC configuration, but there are choices out there. Kicker used to make one, but that was years ago.

The minimum frequency response (MFR) of the speakers from Best Buy is 40 Hz, which is decent, but a good subwoofer usually has an MFR of about 20-30 Hz. Human ears can't hear anything below 20 anyway. The Best Buy speaker is also coaxial, so it's not exactly best suited for a subwoofer application because the channel only produces low frequency sounds. You'd also be giving up a subwoofer channel, if you care.

Another consideration is linear distortion. Linear distortion can occur as a speaker changes "phase," or frequency. It is not distortion caused by an outside source. The Best Buy speakers do not show a frequency response curve (FRC). A speaker with a sharp "roll-off" in low frequencies will distort as the speaker changes phases in the low frequency range. It will sound like the speaker is "clipping," or popping, etc. To avoid linear distortion, look for a speaker with a FRC that is (1) published somewhere so you can look at it, and (2) the roll-off at the low end is smooth, not a sharp drop. That's a lot, but I hope it makes sense.

Thanks man!