hey guys sorry if this has been discussed before but I know absolutely NOTHING about stereo equipment and need some help. I listen to alot of hip hop and like a good sytem, but my CLS just doenst compare to the sound I actually had in my stock Bose Maxima. What do I do? And what do you recomend? I dont want to go crazy, just get some more power? Do I need to add a sub? Or an Amp? I want to leave all my current speakers is that possible? Thanks everyone and DON't laugh at me! lol

 

Ok, if you change your headunit to one that a higher RMS, that often gives u a big boast. RMS is what you should generally look for. It bascially the amount of power that the unit can give out continuosly. Because of the extra power, you speakers should sound better and be able to go louder. This was the case when first started upgrading my sound system. Many people sometimes find this enough and is the cheapest.

If you want to go to the next level, u can get an amp and sub. This is where it can get quite expensive. You can look at spending half a grand from the parts and installation. This is how it generally goes.

In a amp kit that you have to buy seperately, you would connect a 1) power line from the battery to the amp, 2) from the headunit turn on lead, this will tell the amp when to turn on, 3) RCA type wires from the head unit to the amp. So it is two sets of wires from headunit to amp and one from the battery to amp.

After that it is easy, you just plug the subwoofer / case into the amp.

The amp will be able to tell the difference between the high and lows with the proper settings and give you a nice kick of boast.

If you want to go up higher step you can change the speakers in the car to better ones, again this can be quite expensive because a nice pair of speakers run for about $120 per pair.

After that if you want to go higher, u can get add an amp to get a dual amp system, where you have a second set of RCA cables from the Headunit and rewire the entire car for the second amp to run the rest of the speakers in the car.

Tell are many other levels too tell you the truth it is endless but most people stop at the sub and generally are happy with that. I hope this helps you with what is involved with upgrading the system and what to ask for help with in a shop. Generally a good shop will help you pick out what you looking for in your price range.

 

I have a question. What happens to stearing wheel controls, and Nav integration? Can you go after market and keep functionality?

 

fusionnv
Thanks, just changing the headunit huh? I really didnt think that did much. But what about the six-disc changer behind it? that doesnt get affected right? can you recomend any nice looking and not too expensive headsets(around $200 or so) that doesnt have a problem with the six -disc behind it?

 

Yeah you can keep the steering wheel controls. What they do is they rewire the infrared switch in ur steering wheel to a new sensor and have it transmitted to the new head unit. But they only works if the new head unit is able to accept like a remote control. I dunno about the navi controls.

 

I had the 98 pioneer one, it was quite crappy. When it turned it up kinda loud the speakers would kinda fuzzy out. I changed it to a kenwood one with a high RMS, and it improved it a lot. It was enough for people that been often in my car to notice a improvement. It wasn't OMG what you do to it, but it was a +.

 

So does anyone else know about the nav questions? Glad I could keep the stearing wheel controls

 

cool. What would be considered a high RMS? And what does the car have now?

 

This is not correct for the sound system in a 01 - 03 CL.

Changing the headunit itself will not make the system any louder than it already is. All speaker power is provided by an amplifier in the trunk, not the headunit.

You will also find that you will lose your navi voice output and steering wheel controls if you change the headunit. It may be possible to rig some type of new steering wheel controls, but you will not be able to use the existing buttons. I have yet to see anyone here who has integrated the navi voice into an aftermarket system.

You also cannot just change the amp.... or just the speakers. The speakers are an unusually low impedance, so an aftermarket amp will not work with them, and if you try and change the speakers out, an normal 4 ohm aftermarket speaker will play incredibly quiet hooked to the stock amp. (I even tried this myself, so I can say first hand it is too quiet)

Plus, in my opinion, I haven't seen an installation of an aftermarket deck that looks as good as the stock deck looks in the space available. Sucks to change something and make it look worse...

So, with all the downsides of replacing the factory deck (by the way it is a pioneer deck with a bose label on it) I think it is best to leave it and simply add aftermarket amps and speakers.

In your case, sounds like your hip hop doesn't have enough punch on the low end. I would start by adding a sub and leaving the rest alone... you can always change the rest of the speakers and amp if you feel it is necessary after adding a sub.

 

mcdanjw, thanks for the info. How much does a not so extravagent sub run? I only want to spend a couple of hundred and pick up some bass...nothing crazy. I really wouldnt have to change ANYTHING else?

 

Nothing else. Unless you want to.

I ran the stock system with a sub for over a year, and was generally happy with the sound.

Many members have chosen to get an Infinity Basslink self-powered sub. It has a 10'' woofer and a built in amp. Makes for the simplest install. You can tap the speaker leads running to the rear speakers in the trunk and plug them directly into the Basslink for the signal. I think it retails for about $400, but my friend got one for $220 including shipping off eBay.

Otherwise, you could go with a separate sub and amp. In some respects, you get what you pay for on these things... I would atleast look for mid-grade equipment to make it worth your while.

If you want decent power (not blow the windows out of the car power) look to get at least 100w on a sub.

 

McDan, thanks for the info, I too am wanting to boost this system some. Boo on Acura for not putting in a better system. I guess they spent their alotted monies on the changer instead of the sound. Even my old Legend Bose sounded better. I'm looking at the Basslink too.
ps- you must have one of the only white/black combos I've heard of. Mine is white/tan, was looking to trade-in already for a 6speed/Navi McDavid had but I decided not to. I wanted the video option.

 

Oh yeah, i think i read that in a old post, that somebody complain a bit about that difference in the newer CLs. It made it a bit harder to do some customizing. I forgot to mention tat. Thanks for catching it.

 

I may have a used Bass Link for sale, PM if you're interested

 

I have some questions.

1>how good is the baselink setup?

2> jus adding an amp and a sub to the existing factory setup vs adding an after market stereo and amp and sub. Wats better?

 

1) In my opinion, the basslink is pretty good. It certainly won't win you any sound competitions, but for most people, it's good enough. You might so a search and see if you can find anyone in your area that has one you could listen to in person. That's the only way to be sure.

2) Completely replacing all the stock speakers and adding an aftermarket amp to power them can definitely sound better than stock, but again, for many people, that is overkill. It just depends on how much you want to do. If you are happy with the way your vocals and such sound now, you'll probably be happy leaving it alone.

If you're not sure about redoing the entire setup, I would try adding a sub by itself first, and if you're not satisfied, you can always replace the other stuff second and not be out anything since you can use that sub in any new setup you might install.

That's the course I took and was happy with just adding the sub for the most part; I had it like that for over a year. It wasn't until this last month that I added the MB Quarts and a new amp.

 

Is the only way to increase SOUND QUALITY is by changing speakers? or somethin else? My Sennheiser headphones hooked up to a basic 5.1 computer audio port sounds a lot better and crisper than our stock Bose.

 

Actually, adding an EQ will make a big difference.

Only trick is adding it is kind of a pain in the butt since there aren't any RCA plugs coming out of the stock head unit. You'll have to spice into the leads coming out of the deck or get one of these adapters that plug into the back of the deck and make RCA plugs.

I had my AudioControl 4.1 hooked into the stock system before I replace my front speakers and it made a big difference. I'd even say that adding the EQ to the stock system made a bigger difference than adding the MB Quarts afterwards.

Hardest part is finding a place to put the EQ once it is installed as you'll see by my pics.

 

give this a try http://www.crutchfield.com/S-z7dTvLW...sp?i=113WA62RC

http://www.carsound.com/reviews/subs/wOOx.html
http://www.epinions.com/ 614998_Ken...isplay_~reviews

 

I wanted to keep my Navi voice and Steering wheels controls so I keep my stock deck and gutted out everything else. I went with MB Quarts and 1 JL Audio W7 for the sub and my system now doesn't even compare to my stock systme, but like mcdan said it all depends on how far you want to go. I have about $3000 into my upgrades and am still not finished.

 

I think the factory system was decent for the price. You can't find another car in our class with all the options included for the price and quality. I added a Basslink for about $259 total shipping & handling with the remote. I went to www.pricegrabber.com and did a search until I found the best price out there. All the Bass you need. You get decent high's already with our setup. Unless you're a sound afficianado don't waste the money. Buy a Dvd system or put the money in rims or mods to the engine. The basslink is 200W and is all the bass you'll ever need for those phat "hip hop" beats. Besides I didn't want to give up all my trunk space adding subs(boxes) and all.

Trust me.
HIOSLVRCL

 

Wow, another Austinite! I don't even want that much more bass, but there's just not enough for me with this system. Just about 2 or 3 more bass notches would have done it. It just doesn't sound full enough. I think a subwoofer is more than I need but I don't want to replace all the speakers and amps. I guess the sub is my best, easiest answer, unless there are other Bose speakers with more bass that could be put in with the amps.

 

12" is the best way to go. A 10 will have a hard time pushing throught the rear seat. I have heard the 10 baselink, and was not pleased. The stock system's high can keep up with the rest. I have actually recieved compliments on this cars stereo, with the 12 in the trunk.

 

adding an EQ is essential if you are upgrading everything after the Factory H/U, since the base/treble pots on the factory H/U are totally insufficient, and will definitely hurt the overall sonic quality that you are trying to achieve by replacing the factory Bose speakers/amp with quality aftermarket pieces. If you don't have a Navi, any 1/2 din EQ will fit in the post-it slot with a little work (and it looks factory to boot). also, you can easily splice your factory leads into a device which provides you with RCA outs so you can run cable back (thru your EQ) to the new amp(s) you'll mount in your trunk.