GTS Stereo Upgrade

[Red Snake]

Last summer I put some Kicker KS600 speakers in the doors and some 2 way Alpines in the rear hatch. It really improved the sound quality but I still had some issues. The system needs a little more bass. Also, I really want to use my IPOD and the FM modulator just isn't getting it done.

So I put in an Alpine CDA105 head unit which has a USB IPOD cable. It's pretty cool. All of the IPOD functions are carried out on the face of the head unit. The face flips down to accept CDs and the lighting matches the stock gauges (mostly red with some blue). I tried to make the wiring harness adapter thing work but ended up just splicing into the factory wiring (that sucked). I wanted to keep the factory amp (a)to keep the cost down (b)because the door speakers actually sound really good with the stock amp.

I also added an Infinity BassLink self powered subwoofer in the rear hatch. I don't haul anything but ass in my car so space was not really a concern. I cut a 20"X18" sheet of plywood to rest on top of my spare tire (covered by a sneaky pete floor mat) and screwed the sub down to that so it can't move around.

I wanna say thanks to RTTTed for helping me figure out the wiring harness splice. That was the hardest part of the job.

Overall it sounds WAY better. I'd actually like it to have a little more thump. but hey you get what you pay for. Here's a few pics.

 

[dave6666]

Nice. So you're using all 4 factory speaker locations and the Basslink?

 

[paulsgts]

I had my sterio done over 2 years ago. It was one of the best upgrades I have done to the car!

 

[Red Snake]

Nice. So you're using all 4 factory speaker locations and the Basslink?

Yep. Upgraded head unit, 4 speakers in stock location, factory amp and self powered BassLink.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Very nice! I'll bet it sounds great. I had Kickers in another car years ago, great sounding speakers for the money.

Question, do those gauge pods stick out as far as they seem to in that picture? I'd be afraid of getting a black eye on those suckers!

 

[Red Snake]

Very nice! I'll bet it sounds great. I had Kickers in another car years ago, great sounding speakers for the money.

Question, do those gauge pods stick out as far as they seem to in that picture? I'd be afraid of getting a black eye on those suckers!

lol, no it's just the angle of the camera.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

lol, no it's just the angle of the camera.

Thought so, but I had to ask! With the seats in my car, I'm not sure I could get in and out with the pods as they appear in that picture!

Again, I really like the stereo mods, I posted mine in your "other" thread.

 

[dave6666]

Yep. Upgraded head unit, 4 speakers in stock location, factory amp and self powered BassLink.

I did a thread recently kinda along the same lines. Conclusions I had were very similar to yours; aftermarket head, upgraded speakers in OE locations, factory amp, and add the Basslink. Only thing left is the sub.

 

[GTSnake]

Question, do those gauge pods stick out as far as they seem to in that picture? I'd be afraid of getting a black eye on those suckers!

I don't know how many times I've hit mine. Even though I know it's there I still can't avoid smacking into them.

 

[GTSnake]

I did a thread recently kinda along the same lines. Conclusions I had were very similar to yours; aftermarket head, upgraded speakers in OE locations, factory amp, and add the Basslink. Only thing left is the sub.

If you're looking to do a sub go with the JL 10W7. They go down really low are very efficient and sound great.

 

[Jdempsey]

nice set up bro! i have an alpine i threw in my rt/10 and some subs but i ended up having to throw the subs in my navigator bc it sounded like they were in another county in the viper and i couldn't even hear them

 

[Hirkophoto]

I like the work you have done. I have a few questions. Does the plywood run from side to side in the rear trunk over the spare? In other words is it just around circle sitting there. Is it locked down in any way or just sitting on top? Were did you get the sneaky pete mat for the rear.

 

[Red Snake]

I like the work you have done. I have a few questions. Does the plywood run from side to side in the rear trunk over the spare? In other words is it just around circle sitting there. Is it locked down in any way or just sitting on top? Were did you get the sneaky pete mat for the rear.

The mat was already in the car when I bought it. So I am not sure where it came from. I have seen them on a couple of websites though, so they shouldn't be hard to find.

The plywood that I cut is 20"X18" and fits in perfectly running front to back over the spare tire. I fits in there snugly and doesn't move around. The sub is screwed down through the mat into the plywood. The weight of the sub holds the plywood down in place. It doesn't move around at all.

 

[Dom426h]

why did you choose the basslink over the newer more powerfull BasslinkII ?

 

[Red Snake]

why did you choose the basslink over the newer more powerfull BasslinkII ?

Cost and I just wanted to improve the sound a little.

If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the BassLink II.

 

[Dom426h]

"If i had to do it over again..." o well, something is better than nothing
To anyonelse thinking about doing this, Def go with the Basslink2
Its only 50bucks more, looks alot nicer, and packs more power:

Infinity - Car Audio
(specs)

Infinity BassLink II Powered Subwoofer Car Subwoofers II subwoofer sub woofer in car auto speakers audio stereo dual pair shallow low flat mount depth inch cheap on sale power best single/dual voice-coil
(where to buy)
or
Infinity BassLink II Subwoofers - Car Subwoofers at Onlinecarstereo.com

 

[Red Snake]

"If i had to do it over again..." o well, something is better than nothing
To anyonelse thinking about doing this, Def go with the Basslink2
Its only 50bucks more, looks alot nicer, and packs more power:

I concur. Get the BassLink II. The price difference will probably be a little more than $50. I paid $169 shipped for the one I bought.

 

[Jance GTS]

Can you assist me in hooking up a new head unit? I bought an aftermarket harness that plugs into the factory harness but I am waiting for it to get here. I will be using a flip out tv with a JL Sub and amp and 4 new XR components.

Do I need to use the factory amp for the mids and highs? I'm not sure how to connect it to my new head unit? Thanks!

 

[Red Snake]

Can you assist me in hooking up a new head unit? I bought an aftermarket harness that plugs into the factory harness but I am waiting for it to get here. I will be using a flip out tv with a JL Sub and amp and 4 new XR components.

Do I need to use the factory amp for the mids and highs? I'm not sure how to connect it to my new head unit? Thanks!

The OEM head unit has a wiring diagram sticker on top of the unit. Use that diagram to compare with the diagram from your new unit. You should be able to figure out how to hook it up by meshing the 2 diagrams.

 

[GTSnake]

Wait a second... if you got an aftermarket amp you don't need the stock amp any more. Is it a 4 or 5 channel amp? You just need to wire the amp outputs into the stock speaker wiring and the preamp outputs from the head unit into the amp and you're done.

 

[Jance GTS]

Thanks for the info Red Snake!

I have another amp for the subwoofer and not the mids and highs. I would like to use the factory amp for my mids and highs but I'm not sure if I can use the factory amp because my new head unit does not have the same inputs for the factory amp wires. Any ideas?

 

[RTTTTed]

First time I saw this thread Red Snake. I'm glad you got it worked out and you're happy with it!

The Bass in my Sapphire GTS is great with the low frequency response Hertz speakers I mounted in the stock rear locations.

I just bought a 'nother 2000 GTS with Paxton sc, etc. and got a good deal and hope to complete mods to balance the power, looks, aerodynamics and resell this GTS. I bought an Infinity Door Speaker Kit that comes with 6.5" (need a little work to fit into doors) wide frequency response speakers and tweeters with crossover that I will epoxy to the inside the door panels. I expect that this couple hundred dollars will pick up the sound system in the listening range and expect a big improvement from just these.

My Sapphire GTS got a Premier Blue Tooth stereo and that was an excellent choice. The head unit includes the ipod cable, USB and Sat radio compatible. In this pic you can also see the brackets I made to hold my cupholders. I normally drive crosscountry and these cupholders are one of my best modifications.

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Ted

 

[ScreetHoPrez]

Good to see some GTS's with a little bit of stereo in them!

I went with the new Kenwood Excelon tv with iPod/iPhone video cable and Garmin GPS in mine. We also made a block off plate where the interior light dimmer switch was. It is slotted for the iPod cable and contains the bass knob:

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[vpower01]

Good to see some GTS's with a little bit of stereo in them!

I went with the new Kenwood Excelon tv with iPod/iPhone video cable and Garmin GPS in mine. We also made a block off plate where the interior light dimmer switch was. It is slotted for the iPod cable and contains the bass knob:

Looks Great!
So it comes with a GPS?
Whats the model# and what do they go for?

 

[Red Snake]

Thanks for the info Red Snake!

I have another amp for the subwoofer and not the mids and highs. I would like to use the factory amp for my mids and highs but I'm not sure if I can use the factory amp because my new head unit does not have the same inputs for the factory amp wires. Any ideas?

You CAN use a separate amp for the sub and use the factory amp for the door and hatch speakers. Thats what I did and it works great. As I said before, use the wiring diagram on top of you OEM head unit to tell you which wires go to the factory amp. Match that up with your new head unit diagram. It's pretty easy to figure out once you compare the 2 diagrams.

 

[ScreetHoPrez]

Looks Great!
So it comes with a GPS?
Whats the model# and what do they go for?

Thanks!

The head unit is a Kenwood KVT-614 coupled with the KNA-G510 nav unit.

As for price, I paid right around $500 for it if I remember correctly. I get pretty good discounts from a local shop here. I all ready had the Nav unit from my previous system.

As for amps/subs, I'm running a Rockford 750X 4 channel amp on my mids and highs and a Rockford 500bd Sub amp on 2 JL 12w1 subs.

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[GTSnake]

Do you get an resonance when you roll your windows down while moving?

 

[ScreetHoPrez]

Do you get an resonance when you roll your windows down while moving?

Not that I've noticed. The top of the enclosure doesn't form an air tight seal.

 

[vpower01]

Thanks!

The head unit is a Kenwood KVT-614 coupled with the KNA-G510 nav unit.

As for price, I paid right around $500 for it if I remember correctly. I get pretty good discounts from a local shop here. I all ready had the Nav unit from my previous system.

As for amps/subs, I'm running a Rockford 750X 4 channel amp on my mids and highs and a Rockford 500bd Sub amp on 2 JL 12w1 subs.

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It probably sounds sweet!

 

[ScreetHoPrez]

It probably sounds sweet!

It sounds pretty decent. I still need to upgrade the factory door speakers. I also want to put it on my Term Lab meter and see just how hard it can hit.