Great site!! I have a 2007 Sierra Ext Cab with the Bose Premium System and "U3U" Audio System w/NAV/CD/Mp3. I was considering just adding a subwoofer(s) in the rear as the factory unit in the armrest seems non-existent.
I'm not a true sound aficionado, but I appreciate good sound. Would I hear a noticible difference if I replaced my Bose tweeters and door speakers as well? Keep in mind that I want to keep my factory head unit. I listen to mostly rock.
Can you recommend a speaker/amp package for a middle of the road budget? I wouldn't want to replace the other speakers unless I can hear a difference.
Also, should I keep the factory sub/amp in place? Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!
Hello and welcome to the Forums!
Replacing the factory speakers in any vehicle will usually result in better volume and clarity. In your Sierra, you could easily replace the “full-range” speakers in the front and rear doors with little or no modifications at all. The factory tweeters and subwoofer are a different story entirely.
If you plan to keep the factory stereo and Bose amplification, I recommend selecting speakers with a high efficiency rating (sensitivity measured in dB). For example, check out the Infinity Reference 6022si speakers for the front door. These speakers are highly efficient (93.4 db) and require a low minimum wattage (2 watts) so they will sound great when powered by the Bose factory amplifier. These speakers are not a perfect replacement for the factory so Crutchfield provides a mounting bracket, free of charge, with your purchase of any recommended 6.5” speaker for this location.
For the rear, I like the matching Infinity Reference 6422cf 4x6’ speakers. Like their 6.5” counter parts, these speakers are higly efficient (91.5 dB) and do not require much power (2 watts minimum) to perform properly. While these speakers are very close to the original size, they will not line up with the factory screw holes. You will need to drill some pilot holes into the door steel in order to mount them (or any aftermarket 4x6 speaker) in this location.
When it comes to the factory subwoofer and tweeters, these speakers are not a standard size and would require significant modification and/or bracket fabrication in order to replace them. If they are not blown or detracting from the sound quality, I would simply leave them alone.
If you would like to add more bass to the system, I would recommend selecting a powered subwoofer with “Speaker Level Inputs” for the easiest installation. You will need to decide where to install the subwoofer, as it will take up some cargo space.
I hope that helps.
Anyone else have a good recommendation?
www.crutchfield.com/Ryan
Agree with Ryan on the Infinity's, but I think the factory amp is usually the weak link in most systems. Recommend you add an external amp if you don't want to change out the head unit itself. However, the Infinity's are also a great choice b/c they should sound good with either the HU or an external amp.
Hope This Helps!!!
(I know the thread is old).
2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs
Ryan,
Since it seems that you are the resident expert on GMC Sierra questions, I am going to throw you a few more.
I have an '08 Sierra Crew Cab. It is all stock (for right now). It has XM and and OnStar (no Bose) and i want to keep the stock HU for now. It also has factory tweets in the windshield pillar.
I recently purchased a set of Polk db6501 (6.5 components) and a set of db461 (4x6 coaxials) for my old truck. That truck was a 2004 Chevy Silverado Ext. Cab and those speakers fit perfectly. I recently traded the Silverado in and bought this Sierra.
Will either of these speakers fit in the factory location? Should I leave the factory tweeter or replace it with the ones from the components? Should I replace the speakers in the rear door with the 4x6's?
Also, do you know if Crutchfield has a Mastersheet for this truck?
Down the road, I am planning on adding a powered 10" Bazooka tube (again, i purchased already) and maybe a 4 channel amp to run the speakers. Is there a way I can add a line-out adapter to the stock unit?
Thanks
Ryan or an advisor will have to answer most of these, but I would definitely replace anything that they fit in with the Polks and definitely use the Polk tweeter over the stock one. The Line-out adapter shouldn't be any problem.
You may be able to place the Polk tweeters in the factory location, but it will be tight so mesure 3x before you cut. I just did a system on a 09 crewcab and the triangle shaped pannels on the front doors are a good place to flush mount the tweets. You will have to sell the 4x6s and get some 6.75" coax speakers for the back doors. I know this truck well so feel free to PM me with any more ?s.
05 Silverado xtra cab, Eclipse 3200 HU, MTX 150/2 bluethunder frt., 75/2 bluethunder rear, 800/1 subs, Alpine SPX 6.5 seperates frt& rear, 2-12" Infinity reference subs in down firing sealed box, 2 farad cap, copius dynamat.