I just got a 92 RS heritage edition. It has like the base kind of stereo (cassette/AM-FM). I am just wondering how many watts this is.

 

heh heh, i have the same thing and well... i would believe that has no more than 2 watts (Rms) per channel... either way u could always find some way to wire an external amp into it to boost power. sound quality might not b great but to me i prefer the stock look of our factory radios over the goofy looking 1/2 dins of now that will (after adaptor kit) protrude an extra inch outa the dash. Most of these are silver, which would clash with our interiors, and then they have goofy blue and pink and red lights. Ha i prefer the nice orange lights which dim along with the rest of the instrument panel if need be, but then thats my opinion

 

Just to point out, many of the new HU's, properly wired, also dim with the internal lights...

That said, I see your point...

 

Should i be worried about blowing otu the speakers or anything like that??? Im most concerned about that just because i would like to keep the interior my car completely stock because its seriously like a MINT condition heritage editon car (45,000 miles).

On another note, is there any possible way to get like maybe the OEM cd player radio/head unit thing that came on the late 3rd gen f-bodies. I dont even know if its worth doing but it was an option in my mind.

 

I thought it was worth doing.. spent the coin to get it just right.. If you want to stay stock, and don't mind the lower quality amp. It's a good unit.. I have it in a box here. But I dedided it was not for me, and went aftermarket instead.

You will probably never blow your speakers with a stock HU.

Personally I'd do what I did.. keep the stock deck, and go aftermarket. If there are any big car shows.. swap the deck for the show.. and take it back out after.. Thats if the Camaro is a daily driver.. other wise it's up to you.

 

you can always wire up like disc changer somewhere like under the seat or just wire up a second head unit somewhere out of site and keep the sotck one in there just have it non functional. alot of new HUs come with remotes so you can use that to change stations and volume and whatnot and just have it hidden.

in my cutlass i hid an aftermarket HU in the arm rest, only stayed there for a couple weeks untill i took it out but it was sweet

 

Well i just went out and bought an FM transmitter thing for my Ipod. I was originally going to buy just a cassette adapter for it, but then i realized that i could use the FM transmitter with the stock system, and i could also use it if i choose to upgrade the headunit down the road.

I'm still not sure what i want to do. I just think the stock setups look so much cleaner that what usually results from installing a new head unit and speakers. That's what im mostly concerned about.

 

you wont blow the rear 6x9s with any of the factory head units, but i cant say the same thing for thos crappy 4x6s. the left one in my car crackles at high volumes, sounds like shakin small pebbles in a glass jar. IF i were you.. i would take them things out while they still work fine and replace them with 4x6 plate speakers, the ones i prefer are boston 746s, awsome speakers with awsome clarity, highs may be a bit too clear, but they never sound distorted, trust me, you will be much happier with those than any other 4x6.

 

you wont blow the rear 6x9s with any of the factory head units, but i cant say the same thing for thos crappy 4x6s. the left one in my car crackles at high volumes, sounds like shakin small pebbles in a glass jar. IF i were you.. i would take them things out while they still work fine and replace them with 4x6 plate speakers, the ones i prefer are boston 746s, awsome speakers with awsome clarity, highs may be a bit too clear, but they never sound distorted, trust me, you will be much happier with those than any other 4x6.

 

whoops, sorry for the double post, i clicked the reply button twice.

 

The stock radio produces approximately 3 watts per channel.

 

well, i was pretty close at 2 watts

 

Want a cookie?

 

hmm, chocolate chip or peanut butter?

 

your choice.

 

the aftermarket route isnt a bad idea if you dont hack everything up and if you save the stock crap... personally i dont know what you all are talking about becuase my pioneer h/u looks pretty good at home the radio area

 

Everybody has different tastes. Most people like the flashy look of most modern head units, which explains why they all have it. Some of us prefer a much more subdued classic look, but unfortunately, that's not an easy (nor cheap) thing to get anymore.

 

True True..... its too bad that the only classic style radios suck for the most part

 

i am assuming the ones with the 5 band eq do not suck AS bad as the rest of them. I mean at least we are not dealing with 8 track units that were using "ground breaking" stereo technology. now thos must have sucked

 

Yup.. the one with the EQ is good.. Thats what my car had originally.. still have it too.. Sounded far better in my opinion that the CD deck.

 

sweet, because i am still in the process of locating one for my firebird (1990-1992 models because 89 just had treb n bass buttons) and it is a plus to kno the sound quality is better.

 

pioneer has some GM-fit radios that look pretty 'stock'...

or you could get something REALLY slick...

AVIC-D1

its basically an LCD screen that takes up the entire opening....

I can't remember if our opening is that large, but there are other solutions...

if I ever hear another stock car radio, I think I'll snap...

 

ya where do i sign up for that lcd radio bc ill **** all over 1800 dollars after i wipe my *** with it. like ive got that kind of money for a RADIO.

 

now i like the stock radio bc it gives me that vintage feel when i have to put in tapes and turn *****. but i would like to get the UA1 option (cd player) and put that right in there and power that up by an amp. ill take the hit in soundquality for apperance

 

lol the pioneer website is rediculous for pricing... im sure it can be had for less money

 

yeah, plus if I had the money... man oh man

it even shows performance information if you have a obd-II computer.

 

yea im thinking that ill just get that pioneer unit that fits right into it. The best price i can find for it is $250....

 

which model?

I think there are about 3 different ones that fit a GM-style opening.

 

This is the one that i found... http://www.crutchfield.com/S-74kvwYR...0&I=130DEHP47D

Unless there is a better one that is very similar that im missing?

 

i have seen the pioneer models that fit the opening, and i think they r butt ugly. i feel that they are a little expensive because they dont play mp3s, stock amp power isnt that good, and i would imagine you couldnt set your own eq curve on them. that sucks for a radio that is around 300 bucks.

 

Check these out instead...

FH-P5000MP

FH-P4200MP

9-Band EQ good enough for you?

plus, you're wrong, most radios under $400 don't have much more than 2-3 band EQs...

 

oh also, we're talking retail prices, right? not ikesound-like vendors?

 

Those are double DIN units, not 1.5 DIN, not a direct swap. And the they are the dumbest radios out right now.

 

well, I'd just stick with the single din radios that are the popular size now anyhow... I don't wanna get all fancy.

 

i'd prefer the 1.5 din (whatever that actually means) just because i want something that looks as close to stock as possible...and obviously the head units that are the same size as stock would probably look the most similar to stock.

 

well what is the point of it fitting the stock radio opening if the radio doesnt look stock? and as for prices i dont deal with what the websites post for their product.

 

So there aren't crazy adapters and plastic plates all over the console.

 

im not sure, but more than likely you will still need an adaptor for our stereo's wiring harness, and those radios will protrude from the dash just like anyother, which is why i dont understand the point of putting one of those in our cars, im not saying that you would need an adaptor in a car like my grand am.

 

When I said adapter I meant plastic adapter plates too (totally disregarding wiring since they aren't GM specific). But if it doesn't sit flush and stock the way the original did then I totally agree with you.

 

he just doesn't want it to stick out like this

btw you can fix it by cutting and removing stuff behind the stereo....

 

That was the first thing I did when I got my car. Looks much better.

 

The 1.5 DIN units are not as deep as a standard DIN unit. They don't stick out past the trim ring like a DIN unit will (if you dan't take the time). They still don't sit flush, but a lot closer.

 

i didnt cut anything..... thats brace behind the OEM radio bolts in and is fairly easy to take out with a socket....

 

yeah, I REALLY want to get that out of there... just too lazy

I have to stuff all my wires into the opening that goes down into the console...

 

i still have to stuff my wires but not as much i guess..... 5 mins and a socket will do u, its 4 bolts

 

yep 4 7 mil bolts are what yur dealing with, just be careful since the bracket is made out of plastic... Scrap, I wouldnt cut up those climate control passages for the floor in any way, the car has been original all this time and who am i to come and screw it up like that for a radio? It would make me sick in the stomach every time i thought about what i did to my car so id rather not do it at all....

 

yeah Derek, I would not go to cutting on anything unless it was abolutely necessary... e.g. the Kappa plates in the dash.

My stereo sticking out doesn't bother me THAT much... its the goddammned wiring that pisses me off, if I just had like another inch or two....

sounds like I'll be pulling the ol' "Bracket o' Uselessness"

/I know its to brace the original radio, with that plastic jobby that slides into it... (ingenius)

 

I am definitly going to do something about my front speakers... and when i get around to it I will drop in those boston 746s, i love the sound i get from em in my grand am and i know i will like em even more in my F-bomb. To get around mounting issues I will probally use a heat gun to heat the plastic to near melting and use a pipe of some sort to push the plastic out of the way, while almost retaining the factory look. It will be hard for me to do that to my 'bird, but what is even harder is dealing with speakers manufactured in 1988...

 

Don't get too excited....

my kappa plates sounded awesome in my 87 celebrity... but they are harsh as hell in the bird...

I think it's because the speaker grilles in the dash cover half the damn tweeter... friggin' lame, and there's no way to fix it without making my car look crappier...

 

ill try not to get too excited, but i know at the least the bostons will give a big improvement in sound quality