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Aftermarket headunit?

33K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  Belo 
#1 ·
Ive been researching and thinking about trying to pick up a G8. I do notice the "odd to me" stereo setup with the buttons below the actual headunit and part of the center stack so to speak...can that be changed? Has anyone swapped in a better double din aftermarket headunit? Just wondering guys.

Thanks, Vince
 
#2 ·
Well after driving my first one I guess i see why no one has changed out the head unit lol. All the HVAC readings are on the radio screen....idk maybe im not used to GM products, i find that odd lol.
 
#3 ·
you can buy an hvac stand alone touch screen. the problem we all have, and why i believe more of us haven't gone this route, is that there is no bracket/fascia to place the hvac in and allow a double din to fit into.

therefore your only route is factory deck or custom work. the hvac unit alone i believe was/is in the ~$500 range so add a nice deck and custom fab into the equation and you see why.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I understand....have you seen any pics of the set-up?

edit..just found this but its aussie market only...

Just found this well but am still searching for the bracket/install kit... http://www.folcik.com/products/hi002.htm
 
#9 ·
might just be my laptop but all i see is a red x?

But Sorpious..even after a few mins in the G8 i ws not happy with the headunit. Im just a fan of good stereo stuff, but if i had to i could really live with it and yes just change all the speakers.

Matthewo I would love to see some pics of your set-up.
 
#6 ·
The existing head unit is actually pretty good. Most people don't think it's worth the trouble to change it.

On the other hand, the stock door speakers, subwoofers, and subwoofer amp are easy to change and the improvement in the sound is much bigger. See the thread
http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53979
 
#7 ·
theres a few benefits of having after market head unit, u get nav,video, and few extras also u get the proper speaker inputs. downfall steering wheel controls most likely wont wrk need a custom bracket the cost would be 2000 for the lcd hvac head unit and custom wrk rewiring of the speakers.

if u search theres a few ppl that have done this already looks kinda wierd like there should be more looks bare in some ways but that aussie version is decent.
 
#11 ·
ok i hope this make some sense

this is the stock cage removed from the car. you have to take a lot of stuff off to get it out....
















here is a youtube video, as i cannot find a recent picture of the face panel i made, its in the video. but i have a different sub and new amps, sense the video

the music is lil wayne, so you may not try this at work, its got some bad language LOL.



im going to take some pictures tomarrow probably, i have a new wide angle lens coming in for my camera...
 
#13 ·
#16 ·
Hey thanks! This winter I want to do a pioneer in dash with the folick h-vac controller. What are most people doing about the facia? It seems like a lot of people are either making their own or having the shop do it.
 
#17 ·
those are your only 2 options right now. a lot of us are holding out hope for an out of box unit.
 
#24 · (Edited)
For those not wanting to mess with headunit swaps, you can also go...ACTIVE...with a sound processor that will accept your speaker inputs and then RCA out to your amplifiers.

I finally did it (went active) and there is no way I could go back. Active means you have a processor that sits between your HU and amp(s), and provides crossovers, time alignment between each channel, equalization, etc., all in real time via a laptop USB connection. The stock HU, as tested by someone on here, is not bad at all. It puts out a nice signal that can easily be handled by a DSP (Digital Sound Processor). You can change phase (polarity of the signal), crossovers, and adjust delay between channels until you get a dialed in center image, and your soundstage opens up/gets wider. A couple friends swore I had tweets in the stock dash location (I don't) and a center channel in the stock location (I don't). My bass is "up front", since all 3 point sources are aligned in time so that all three sound waves reach my head area at the same time, giving the illusion of a larger sound space. You can have presets for passenger position, an even split, etc., as well as complete EQ control. The "stage" becomes literally that, in other words, you can locate instruments from left to right as if they were sitting in front of you. Center vocals are anchored spot on and sound like they are coming from a hidden speaker in the upper center dash. A drummer panning his drums from one side to the other, seems to move across your dash the same way.

As someone who previously thought it was all some snobbish mumbo jumbo, I was dead wrong. Matthewo will probably back me up on this, going active is just simply, the best upgrade in addition to "real" speakers and amplifiers I have ever made. I am using a Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty3.3 processor and I am amazed at the sound quality and output I am getting from a simple setup of two 6.5" midbass/tweets and a single 12" sub. The unit also has a two knob programmable remote that I set for sub level and "punch eq" (bass boost) for those times when I want the sub to get really loud, after all, I am still just a bit of a bass head. but now I have the option of making my stereo be all SQ or go for SPL, with the touch of a button! It has 4 presets as well for different EQ curves/crossover settings.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/product_details.aspx?itemid=117203


edit: sorry to be long winded, and possibly derailing the thread a bit, but I guess I am excited about this newfound sound quality mission.
 
#25 ·
i didnt read though whole thread but if your looking for better sound quality and the option to run active 2 or 3 way and add subs a digital sound processor like a jbl-ms-8 or if you werent looking to spend as much an req-5 would help i have one i used for a month i would sell if ur interested.
 
#26 ·
req-5 is not a processor. Rapture i've been toying with doing what you're doing, but for me the I need a headunit for video/gps/apps etc. It's not just the sound control.
 
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