Sound System Upgrade Options
Discussion
I have a 2008 Chevrolet CR8 (aka Clubsport R8 / VXR8 I think). Having driven a Ford Explorer over the weekend I came to realise that my sound system sounds comparatively poor - complete lack of bass.
I don't know what it's like in other markets but mine only has 4 tinny sounding 6.5 inch speakers, one in each door, along with a center speaker in the dashboard of some sort.
The guys at a local car audio place ( Yellow Hat) initially recommended adding 2x 6x9 inch speakers to the back shelf, but I would need to sacrifice the rear door speakers as the stock amp wouldn't be able to handle 6. There does appear to be provision for mounting such speakers to the back shelf, so that was promising - presumably that's to allow for better sound options in other markets or different models.
However, come installation day they got cold feet and said they would likely void the warranty by installing speakers to the back shelf, so I ended up just replacing the 4 stock door speakers with some Rockfords. The sound is definitely a lot better, but I still lack the bass that I'm after. My guess is that I'm not going to be able to avoid installing a subwoofer in the boot, which also means an extra amp. Has anyone here done that on a VE model? What's the best approach? What about warranty issues?
Thanks!
I don't know what it's like in other markets but mine only has 4 tinny sounding 6.5 inch speakers, one in each door, along with a center speaker in the dashboard of some sort.
The guys at a local car audio place ( Yellow Hat) initially recommended adding 2x 6x9 inch speakers to the back shelf, but I would need to sacrifice the rear door speakers as the stock amp wouldn't be able to handle 6. There does appear to be provision for mounting such speakers to the back shelf, so that was promising - presumably that's to allow for better sound options in other markets or different models.
However, come installation day they got cold feet and said they would likely void the warranty by installing speakers to the back shelf, so I ended up just replacing the 4 stock door speakers with some Rockfords. The sound is definitely a lot better, but I still lack the bass that I'm after. My guess is that I'm not going to be able to avoid installing a subwoofer in the boot, which also means an extra amp. Has anyone here done that on a VE model? What's the best approach? What about warranty issues?
Thanks!
gdi2k said:
I have a 2008 Chevrolet CR8 (aka Clubsport R8 / VXR8 I think). Having driven a Ford Explorer over the weekend I came to realise that my sound system sounds comparatively poor - complete lack of bass.
I don't know what it's like in other markets but mine only has 4 tinny sounding 6.5 inch speakers, one in each door, along with a center speaker in the dashboard of some sort.
The guys at a local car audio place ( Yellow Hat) initially recommended adding 2x 6x9 inch speakers to the back shelf, but I would need to sacrifice the rear door speakers as the stock amp wouldn't be able to handle 6. There does appear to be provision for mounting such speakers to the back shelf, so that was promising - presumably that's to allow for better sound options in other markets or different models.
However, come installation day they got cold feet and said they would likely void the warranty by installing speakers to the back shelf, so I ended up just replacing the 4 stock door speakers with some Rockfords. The sound is definitely a lot better, but I still lack the bass that I'm after. My guess is that I'm not going to be able to avoid installing a subwoofer in the boot, which also means an extra amp. Has anyone here done that on a VE model? What's the best approach? What about warranty issues?
Thanks!
Chevrolet, now that is a proper badge.I don't know what it's like in other markets but mine only has 4 tinny sounding 6.5 inch speakers, one in each door, along with a center speaker in the dashboard of some sort.
The guys at a local car audio place ( Yellow Hat) initially recommended adding 2x 6x9 inch speakers to the back shelf, but I would need to sacrifice the rear door speakers as the stock amp wouldn't be able to handle 6. There does appear to be provision for mounting such speakers to the back shelf, so that was promising - presumably that's to allow for better sound options in other markets or different models.
However, come installation day they got cold feet and said they would likely void the warranty by installing speakers to the back shelf, so I ended up just replacing the 4 stock door speakers with some Rockfords. The sound is definitely a lot better, but I still lack the bass that I'm after. My guess is that I'm not going to be able to avoid installing a subwoofer in the boot, which also means an extra amp. Has anyone here done that on a VE model? What's the best approach? What about warranty issues?
Thanks!
Just to be constructive try this forum, about 1000x more info on Audio for the VE than this one 
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25
Hi all, took some pics this morning:
Cleaning for the photoshoot ;-)
Someone kindly scratched my bonnet for me...
High res versions here.
Pricing: Dubai is a great place to drive silly cars! I paid AED 166k back in December 2007, which works out to about GBP 25,500 or AUD 56,900 using today's conversions. I imagine they'd be around AED 180k these days as the Dirham is pegged to the US Dollar which is doing poorly. Services are cheap, as is petrol (I pay less than AED 100 for a full tank = GBP 15 or 35 AUD). Insurance is pricey (AED 13,000 = GBP 2,000 or AUD 4,500 per year) - having said that, I'm a 25 year old male with no no-claims that's acceptable here so it's probably fair enough; it should come down next year. There's no tax and annual registration fees are a few Dirhams I think.
What do they cost in the UK / Australia?
Cleaning for the photoshoot ;-)
Someone kindly scratched my bonnet for me...
High res versions here.
Pricing: Dubai is a great place to drive silly cars! I paid AED 166k back in December 2007, which works out to about GBP 25,500 or AUD 56,900 using today's conversions. I imagine they'd be around AED 180k these days as the Dirham is pegged to the US Dollar which is doing poorly. Services are cheap, as is petrol (I pay less than AED 100 for a full tank = GBP 15 or 35 AUD). Insurance is pricey (AED 13,000 = GBP 2,000 or AUD 4,500 per year) - having said that, I'm a 25 year old male with no no-claims that's acceptable here so it's probably fair enough; it should come down next year. There's no tax and annual registration fees are a few Dirhams I think.
What do they cost in the UK / Australia?
I checked the specs page of the VXR8 and it gets a nice "Eleven speakers including sub-woofers. Total 230 watts" as standard - no wonder no one's complaining! It also has much better climate control, onboard computer and safety features than the CR8, which may explain some of the price difference.
Anyways, for those in the Middle East who dislike their tinny VE Lumina / SS / CR8 audio system, I found a relief in:
1. Replacing the stock door speakers with decent ones. I went for these.
2. Disconnecting the center speaker in the dash which constantly distorts at volume.
3. Adding a small subwoofer and amp to the trunk. I went for this amp and this sub. It installs neatly and doesn't take much space in the boot.
The shop that mounted the sub and amp is called "HSV", which unintuitively stands for Head Sound Vision, located opposite Lamcy Plaza. They did a tidy job and the system sounds good. They said I should have added an extra amp for the speakers as the stock amp isn't great, but I'm not that fanatical about it - good enough for me as is.
Anyways, for those in the Middle East who dislike their tinny VE Lumina / SS / CR8 audio system, I found a relief in:
1. Replacing the stock door speakers with decent ones. I went for these.
2. Disconnecting the center speaker in the dash which constantly distorts at volume.
3. Adding a small subwoofer and amp to the trunk. I went for this amp and this sub. It installs neatly and doesn't take much space in the boot.
The shop that mounted the sub and amp is called "HSV", which unintuitively stands for Head Sound Vision, located opposite Lamcy Plaza. They did a tidy job and the system sounds good. They said I should have added an extra amp for the speakers as the stock amp isn't great, but I'm not that fanatical about it - good enough for me as is.
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