Non-Bose Stereo Upgrade (‘07 Tahoe) AMAZING!

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A-Mac

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I recently finished an install for a new stereo on my 2007 Chevy Tahoe. I’ve been really happy with the results. For reference, I own a small recording studio and have produced albums for 15 years. I would say that I have very good ears when it comes to discerning high quality audio and am extremely picky. Here’s what I had installed:


H/U: Pioneer AVH-x5700bhs

Amp: Pioneer GM-d9605

Front: MB Quart Z-line 6.5” Components

Rear: MB Quart Z-line 6.5” Coaxial

Sub: Kicker Comp RT 10” in stealth enclosure


Overall I’m really happy with everything. It took some tweaking to get the system dialed in but now it sounds great. The MB Quart speakers are a fantastic value but are definitely bright. I had the crossovers for the tweeters set to -6db and even then have shelved out a good portion of the high end on the h/u eq. Amp is delivering 75w rms to each speaker. Now they sound rich and full and work nicely with the sub. Speaking of which, the sub and enclosure came from an eBay shop and are perfectly stealth. They installed it underneath the front console and it’s invisible, but is earth-shaking. I have it wired for 2ohms which is pulling 600w rms from the amp. I can’t overstate how critical it is to get a sub. With my 70 year old dad in the truck we’d listen to songs and I’d turn off the sub to demonstrate how critical it was to the listening experience. Even with albums like Paul Simon’s “Graceland” you get to hear and feel the tight kick drum and bass.


With my pops out of the car I put on the Childish Gambino album “Because the internet” and it thumps like no other. Super satisfying.


I had them install the door speakers with Boom Mat speaker baffles but until I cut out the lower portion to allow the speakers to breath they sounded terrible. Without enough space it completely choked off the low end. Don’t make this mistake. Amazon reviews are 50/50 on doing this, but I promise it’s a critical step. You’ll be bummed if you don’t. Also, I unplugged the rear pillar speakers. They were messing with the soundstage.


The crossovers for the components were installed in the front fuse panels on the side of the dash so they’re completely hidden.


I took the time to measure the listening positions and input those into the h/u. Toggling listening position on and off proved to make a huge difference. With it off sound is very localized, meaning I can tell where the speakers are located and the soundstage isn’t very clear. Basically, once I turned it on, the soundstage lifted and I got clear imaging of a performance right in front of me (vs down in the doors). The difference was not insignificant.


I set the gains on the amp to “HV” (high voltage) according to Pioneer’s instructions. The system is whisper silent when paused, and I’ve never been able to go above 50% for volume. This amp is rock solid, runs cool, has great clarity and volume too!


Setting the crossovers is critical. My sub is set at 80 Hz at 12db/octave. The front and tears are set at 100 Hz at 12db. This allows some toms on drum kits to hit the mid bass speakers while the kick and bass hit the sub. I really recommend these settings. I didn’t do any bass boosting or loudness settings. The eq has a slight boost at 80 and 125 and then lots of cutting from 2k-12k.


With the exception of the h/u you can’t tell it’s an aftermarket setup, which I really wanted.


I really recommend this for anyone who wants a great sounding low-mid budget system.


H/U $350

Amp $190

Component speakers $129

Coaxial speakers $119

Total: $788 (plus wiring/install)

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Chuck_Finley

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Nicely done I bet that setup sounds great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

disasterman

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Wow, that sounds like a really nice setup. I'm at the point of abandoning my factory Bose Speakers and amp and going stealth aftermarket myself. Already bought and installed a Pioneer MVH1400NEX with an iData Maestro adapter and GM5+ harness. Posting a thread today looking for suggestions for lower cost speakers and a sub that will work off the Pioneer head unit. I'm not quite the audiophile you are, (mostly because of my limited budget :anitoof:) so will be looking for a more economical system. But at 65, my hearing is going anyway. A couple more years and I probably wouldn't notice my blown door speakers LOL.
 

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