Car sound, factory deck Alpine speakers

4Glory · 11-07-2008, 09:10 AM

Hey guys,
I'd like to upgrade my car's sound system without going overboard or breaking the bank.
A friend of mine has some Alpine sps609 6X9 speakers in his old honda running off a pioneer deck (no amp, no sub) and it sounds great.
I'd like to do the same.

My question is, does anyone know the factory specs for a 2000 chevy cavalier cd deck? Would it be good enough to just run the new Alpines off the factory deck (I've got the 4x6 up front, will add the 6x9's soon) without an amp.

The reason I'm hesitant to replace the factory stereo is because I"ll need the extra wire harness which is expensive and as I mentioned before, I don't have a ton of cash. Has anyone done this before?
Thanks!

gtrdave · 11-07-2008, 10:10 AM

I've upgraded the factory speakers in my '01 Dodge Neon and the results leave me very pleased and content with keeping the factory AM/FM/Cassette/4 disc system intact.
I put Jensen 5 1/4" 2-ways in the front doors and Phase Linear 6x9 3-ways in the rear package tray. Overall high-end clarity and low-end response is WAY better than it used to be.

I'd say get the new speakers, install them and see how it sounds.

***Art*** · 11-07-2008, 01:33 PM

I would agree.

Has something changed? The last time I replaced a factory deck, the wiring harness was about $15.

doulos14 · 11-07-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

I would agree.

Has something changed? The last time I replaced a factory deck, the wiring harness was about $15.

I just had my deck installed 2 sundays ago and the wiring harness was like 20 bucks.

mattslope · 11-08-2008, 12:15 PM

You can cut the factory stereo wire harness and splice in the Alpine harness. It is very doable. The downsides to doing this, though, are that it is very hard to reverse (the next owner will likely appreciate being able to plug in the factory radio), the wiring job needs to be very clean (it's easy to burn an entire dash wiring setup with a poorly spliced wire), and still need to replace the factory speaker wire to get quality sound.

Or you can spend the $15 to $20 and do it right.

Of course, you're likely a Maverick, so provided you've read any of this, I'm assuming it's after you've done it wrong and the car won't shift into neutral anymore.

**redbaron** · 11-13-2008, 10:15 AM

I would rather replace the deck and run factory speakers, then the other way around. Start with the deck, then do amps, then do speakers has always been the best solution for me.

mattslope · 11-13-2008, 02:04 PM

Red has it.

gtrdave · 11-13-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redbaron

I would rather replace the deck and run factory speakers, then the other way around. Start with the deck, then do amps, then do speakers has always been the best solution for me.

Not in my case. First, one door speaker went out and then, about a year later, one rear 6x9 died.
I've NEVER killed a factory speaker before and I've owned 30+ cars so I was a bit surprised to have had 2 go in the same vehicle in 1 year.

doulos14 · 11-13-2008, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redbaron

I would rather replace the deck and run factory speakers, then the other way around. Start with the deck, then do amps, then do speakers has always been the best solution for me.

and lock your car.....I like the way my head unit sounds in my F-150 with the base, stock speakers, its not amazing but then again I don't need bass.