Me too! I would love a speaker onl upgrade!!!

 

my car came with the premium upgrade, which i then upgraded to an aftermarket because it didnt cut it, it didnt sound like the custom systems i had in my last cars imo it needs alot of help... now i love my infinity capa & kicker subs custom setup its like being at a concert and hearing the highs, lows and bass from the middle section.
jeff

 

I have the "premium" Pioneer system, and I agree with those who say it wouldn't be worth it to upgrade to it. It's not a terrible sounding system, but I'm thinking upgrading the sub alone would be a huge improvement. Anyone have any recommendations on upgrading the factory sub in the same location, and keeping the stock look?

 

I guess this means no one has upgraded the sub and amp in the stock location, I'm upgrading the head unit, would like to save the space in the rear, need it to haul the work pile 0 crap. That's why i bought an HHR.

Any body been there done that ??

 

Maybe you should think about just upgrading the subwoofer first, there are many 8" units to choose from which might fit in the stock enclosure.

With a new head unit you will get more adjust-ability than you had with the stock unit, combine that with an improved subwoofer, and you just might not need to upgrade the amplifier.

Try the folks at Crutchfield, they can help you with anything from "nicer than stock" to "BOOOOOOM and THUMP".

http://www.crutchfield.com/?evar14=Header:Logo

 

I have heard the stock amp is actually one of the big limiters for the stock system, doesn't put out much power, I've heard as little as 40W. That is just sad. However there are decent moderate output amps that are pretty compact in size. That's what I am planning to do eventually, a nice shallow mount 8" with a little amp, maybe 300-400W or so. Should keep the price down and give some decent bass. I am not after earth-shaking bump, just enough so it can be heard clearly. Stock sub hides itself too much.

 

Obviously, as you have seen, there are a lot of opinions on what different owners like or want. This is definitely the place for feedback. Since a number of people here have upgraded their systems, I would think you should be able to find stock items to purchase and perform your upgrade.

I have done a number of installs and upgrades over the years, including HU-only and speaker-only type upgrades. The sky's the limit as far as that goes.

Another alternative for you to consider is a staged upgrade. If you are looking for better sound, you may want to look at speaker upgrades. It's amazing what a good set of speakers can do for a stock HU. If this isn't enough after upgrading from the stock speakers, you can look at adding an amp and/or HU at that point.

You can choose 100% GM if desired, but one of the issues that comes up, especially for me, is integration and functions. In fact, I have the premium system in my HHR SS I just purchased, but would like BT audio and hands-free operation. I'm really interested in the new Pioneer AppRadio 2 (SPH-DA100) as it now works with Android phones.

Anyway, good luck.