[kgenesse]

Warning: I may know a lot about automatic transmissions but when it comes to stereos I haven't the slightest idea, so I am asking for help.

I have a base car with the base radio. The only thing that bothers me about it is the volume doesn't go up as high as I'd like, and the sound isn't very good when the volume is up.

My question is, is there some sort of devices that I could add to make this radio better, or is it a lost cause?

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[THE Adam V]

Turn the gain up on your amp if you have one

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[kgenesse]

Turn the gain up on your amp if you have one

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

No amp on this head unit. To be honest, I don't even know what an amp does. Lol

Is it possible to add one?

 

[THE Adam V]

No amp on this head unit. To be honest, I don't even know what an amp does. Lol

Is it possible to add one?

Does your head unit say blaupunkt on it? And yes it is possible to add one but it is a long difficult process. You would be replacing your speakers at the same time with louder ones. Plus running all new wiring

 

[johnnyservice]

Try this before you get into a radio upgrade:

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50664

 

[Sheffield Steve]

Try this too

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1617

 

[kgenesse]

Does your head unit say blaupunkt on it? And yes it is possible to add one but it is a long difficult process. You would be replacing your speakers at the same time with louder ones. Plus running all new wiring

Yes it says Blaupunkt. And none of that bothers me.

And to the others- how can I try those things if there is no amp with this radio? lol. At least I do not think there is...I cant find one...

 

[shaas07]

The amp is located next to the battery in the trunk if you have one.

 

[kgenesse]

The amp is located next to the battery in the trunk if you have one.

Yeah, I just verified. No amp. Do you guys think it is possible and/or beneficial for me to add one?

 

[WhiteHotG8GT]

If you have the base radio then you don't have the rear deck subwoofers or the subwoofer amp. So the previous suggestions are not going to help.

You need to add an amplifier for the door speakers to make the sound louder, replace the door speakers with higher-quality speakers to make the sound better, and add a subwoofer and subwoofer amp in the trunk to add the thump to the sound.

You'll need to read this thread

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33580

plus the stickies in this section to get started.

If there is a decent car audio installer in your area you might want to pay for all of this to be installed for you.

 

[kgenesse]

If you have the base radio then you don't have the rear deck subwoofers or the subwoofer amp. So the previous suggestions are not going to help.

You need to add an amplifier for the door speakers to make the sound louder, replace the door speakers with higher-quality speakers to make the sound better, and add a subwoofer and subwoofer amp in the trunk to add the thump to the sound.

You'll need to read this thread

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33580

plus the stickies in this section to get started.

If there is a decent car audio installer in your area you might want to pay for all of this to be installed for you.

Nah, I can install it myself, I just need some guidance as to what I need. Once I know that, I can put it together haha.

Thanks for that link btw.

 

[THE Adam V]

Yeah, I just verified. No amp. Do you guys think it is possible and/or beneficial for me to add one?

If it says blaupunkt it should have an amp... it's on the other side of that black piece next to the battery. Can't even see it without pulling out the trunk liner

 

[matthewo]

is your lack of volume more from bass, or total. that kinda of helps us figure out what will be the best option for an upgrade. also your budget and how much you want to change.

you can upgrade speakers and keep the amplifier in the headunit pretty cheap and gain a little bit of sq, but probably wont sound much louder, just better sq. if bass is the issue you can always add a nice 10" sub, or replace the rear deck subs with 2 other 8" subs and an amp, for a small gain.

 

[kgenesse]

is your lack of volume more from bass, or total. that kinda of helps us figure out what will be the best option for an upgrade. also your budget and how much you want to change.

you can upgrade speakers and keep the amplifier in the headunit pretty cheap and gain a little bit of sq, but probably wont sound much louder, just better sq. if bass is the issue you can always add a nice 10" sub, or replace the rear deck subs with 2 other 8" subs and an amp, for a small gain.

I'd like to have more overall volume and a little more bass without the crunchy sound. My budget is something reasonable, like less than $500 but the cheaper the better. At high volumes the bass is barely loud and the sound gets all cracky.

 

[jkaetz]

I'd like to have more overall volume and a little more bass without the crunchy sound. My budget is something reasonable, like less than $500 but the cheaper the better. At high volumes the bass is barely loud and the sound gets all cracky.

You will have a hard time with that budget. Because the HVAC controls are integrated you can't simply replace the head unit, you have to get a processor or LOC of some sort, then feed amplifiers for whatever speakers you decide to add/replace. I tried just replacing the door speakers first and that gave a bit more volume, but no more bass. Next step was a sub but it still didn't sound like it should have. Finally I went all in with a processor and amp for the door speakers.