ninjakris
Enthusiast
I have only had my 06' coupe for a couple months now, but I can't stand the lame sound system that comes on a 90K car. I had an 03 vert before this and it didn't bother me that much because the top was usually down and sound quality was shot anyways. So I figured I would start playing around with the system and see what I could get out of it. Let me first say I am no audiophile (or whatever its called) but I feel I have a pretty good gauge of sound without going all crazy with sound analyzers and stuff. My goal here is to drastically improve the sound of the viper with the option of going back to stock if needed and without spending a ton of money. We just put in a offer on a house so I can't go too crazy with the build. Anyways, here is where I am sitting so far.
1. Laid down about 25 lbs of sound deadener. Similar to dynomat but a knock off brand. I actually had this left over from a previous build. I did the entire trunk area, under the seats, behind bulkhead, and along transmission tunnel.
2. Purchased extra console pieces. I plasti-diped the center console piece flat red. This is a removable product if you have never heard of it. The car has a lot of red accents being a VCA edition and I thought it would compliment the rest of the interior. I still don't know if I like it or not, but its removable and an extra piece, so why not experiment.
3. Install a Sony head unit. I went with a new unit that has a remote app function. This will enable me to control the stereo with either a smart phone or tablet (phase II). Its surprisingly good with a ton of features including Bluetooth everything. I mounted the microphone at the top of the A pillar plastic piece where it meets the headliner.
4. Install new 6.5" speakers. I unsoldered the factory speakers and soldered the leads on the new speakers, enabling me to use the factory connectors. The factory grill also fits over the speakers. You wouldn't even know they were there unless you heard the system. I went with Sony because crutchfield had a deal that gave me 20% off select Sony stereos if I purchase a set of speakers. So they were basically free since the stereo was $200, and the speakers were $50.
That more or less sums up phase I. The stereo is completely transformed and sounds great. With the tweaking to the sound settings in the new stereo, I found a very nice balance. With the new speakers, it relieved some of the low freq. stress on the factory sub and doesn't sound like its struggling with bass heavy tracks now.
What's next? I'm glad you asked. I ran out of sound deadening material, so I didn't get a chance to do the doors. I know from previous builds that it will make a huge difference. That's first. Also, I am also working with my 7" Android tablet and getting everything figured out so I can use it to control the stereo, use GPS navigation, and connect to a Bluetooth OBDII dongle for data logging and GPS speed.
The whole reason I am posting this is to show that you can improve your stereo experience in a viper with just a little time and money. My whole build is going to cost around $500 (my labor is free). And for you guys who say "I never listen to the stereo and love the exhaust", that fine, to each their own.
1. Laid down about 25 lbs of sound deadener. Similar to dynomat but a knock off brand. I actually had this left over from a previous build. I did the entire trunk area, under the seats, behind bulkhead, and along transmission tunnel.
2. Purchased extra console pieces. I plasti-diped the center console piece flat red. This is a removable product if you have never heard of it. The car has a lot of red accents being a VCA edition and I thought it would compliment the rest of the interior. I still don't know if I like it or not, but its removable and an extra piece, so why not experiment.
3. Install a Sony head unit. I went with a new unit that has a remote app function. This will enable me to control the stereo with either a smart phone or tablet (phase II). Its surprisingly good with a ton of features including Bluetooth everything. I mounted the microphone at the top of the A pillar plastic piece where it meets the headliner.
4. Install new 6.5" speakers. I unsoldered the factory speakers and soldered the leads on the new speakers, enabling me to use the factory connectors. The factory grill also fits over the speakers. You wouldn't even know they were there unless you heard the system. I went with Sony because crutchfield had a deal that gave me 20% off select Sony stereos if I purchase a set of speakers. So they were basically free since the stereo was $200, and the speakers were $50.
That more or less sums up phase I. The stereo is completely transformed and sounds great. With the tweaking to the sound settings in the new stereo, I found a very nice balance. With the new speakers, it relieved some of the low freq. stress on the factory sub and doesn't sound like its struggling with bass heavy tracks now.
What's next? I'm glad you asked. I ran out of sound deadening material, so I didn't get a chance to do the doors. I know from previous builds that it will make a huge difference. That's first. Also, I am also working with my 7" Android tablet and getting everything figured out so I can use it to control the stereo, use GPS navigation, and connect to a Bluetooth OBDII dongle for data logging and GPS speed.
The whole reason I am posting this is to show that you can improve your stereo experience in a viper with just a little time and money. My whole build is going to cost around $500 (my labor is free). And for you guys who say "I never listen to the stereo and love the exhaust", that fine, to each their own.
