Keep factory HU but improve SQ?

[Mneofreek]

I have a 96 Explorer XLT with a factory CD changer and rear stereo controls. I want to improve the sound quality of the stereo but i dont feel like replacing the whole system. I plan on replacing all of the speakers with some nicer ones. My problem lies in the headunit and factory amp.
1. Is there a way to improve the quality without replacing the headunit?
2. Would sending the speaker signals to an amp improve the quality? Any recommendations to which ones might do this well?
3. Also when the audio signal comes out of the factory head unit, can it be pluged directly into an amp or should it go through the factory one first?

Im sure i will have more questions over time.
Thanks,
Neil

 

[Wagonized]

the head unit is the main source of sound quality in your vehicle. without a good quality head unit throw your sq out the window.

i dont think you'll get very far with a stock head unit. stock speakers can be ok if crossed over correctly, but definitely upgrade to an aftermarket head unit

 

[BeauJ]

Like wagon said, the factory HU can only go soo far with SQ. Is it just for you or are you planning on competition?

 

[Glowin97x]

one idea would be to keep the face of the stocker, install an aftermarket behind it and use a remote. Not practical but would work

 

[Wagonized]

stocker will also fit in the center console...i did that in one of my cars and had good results.

tilted the rear view mirror so i could see the deck instead of looking down all the time.

 

[Mneofreek]

I dont plan on doing sq competitions so im not looking for perfect quality...just better than stock. I might just try to switch out the factory amp and change the speakers to better quality ones and see where that gets me.

 

[4X402]

if you want to keep the stock hu i would advise looking into the JL audio "Cleansweep" setup, it looks to be a sweet setup, my buddy is actually looking into it for his Mazda 6, but i dont think it is on sale quite yet.

 

[pjm]

Here's what I did:
Bought a used MTX Thunderform off this site for 140 shipped. Bought an Alpine 4 channel amp (40w/ch) used off ebay for about 110. Removed the stock amp from the right rear quarter and mounted the Alpine in its place, with a little creativity. Everything fit.

The Alpine has a high level input so wired that up to the output of the head unit (using a wiring diagram from this site). Ran new 16 ga. speaker wire to all four doors from the Alpine. The Alpine has a pre-out so ran that to a crossover and an older 2 channel Phillips amp I had lying around - 150 watts bridged. These are under the back seat. The Alpine has built in high/low pass so have the door speakers crossed (high) at 80 hz. Sub is also crossed (low) at 80 hz through the external crossover.

Based on a tip on this site, bought Knuconcepts wiring kits for the amps - outstanding quality and good price. Ran 4 ga primary power down the drivers side to a distribution block under the back seat. Ran 8 ga to each amp from there. Fused at the battery and at the block. Set up a ground distribution block to a single ground point that I tested with a multimeter first.

So now I have the factory head unit and cd changer, but everything else has been upgraded: Infinity Reference speakers, MTX sub and amps for both. I've got the amp gains pretty close but still fine tuning a bit.

It sounds great! I know if I put an aftermarket head unit in it will sound even better, and that is a future upgrade. But for now it sounds better than it ever has, clean (relatively) and loud. This is by no means a top end system but I feel like I got really good bang for the buck with what I've done so far, and it sounds good to me.

 

[CDW6212R]

Bingo, just what I was going to give as an example. You can do very well with amps, and speakers, plus wiring, and keep a low quality HU.

Most of the low quality HU distortion comes from the highest 60% of the volume range. The distortion is not too bad below the 30-40% volume setting.

I had an old Ford with a $33 cassette deck, good speakers, wiring, and a PA200 Nakamichi amp. The sound quality was excelent up to 1/4 turn of the volume knob. It had a 3/4 turn range. I never used anything beyond that 1/4 turn position. The amp was set so that that 1/4 turn was extremely loud, more than enough for me.

If you turn up the amps to maximize the chosen volume at about 30-40%(where you will notice the start of distortion) of the volume control, then the distortion will be minimized. Good luck,