yeah ill prolly like it if i can ever get it adjusted right, whatever hppened to simple treble/base, front/rear, now its phase this low pass that, i cant get any mids out of it

 

No kidding... It gets difficult to tune a system to wanted preferences... If it's that troublesome, might I suggest wiring a separate equalizer? Could help

 

id thought about that, im gonna play with it for a few days may even end up calling pioneer and see if they can point me in the right direction. i hate to think about tearing that interior out again.

 

Yea.. That was the main part I hated about installing mine.. Taking apart that interior was just PITA.

Calling would be an easier step to begin with I think..

 

true but id prolly learn more by trying to figure it out myself, on the other hand i may get it sounding worse, hmmmmmmm

 

Yea... IMO experience is the best education. Whether it goes good or bad, you always learn something

Good luck on either choice, dude!

 

lol thanks

 

As for figuring out my wiring...

Actually, I don't think anyone has been rude to me. Everyone is trying to be helpful, but I'm just not getting the answers I feel I need. I am grateful for any feedback I can get, and I want to thank GCarp for posting the diagrams, unfortunately they're just too fuzzy.

I've got some good diagrams, and I think they are correct for my car. I found them in the following post: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/audio-video-17/premium-stereo-question-1676/, and I'll repeat the diagram links here:

http://n8zcc.com/pics/HHR/Radio.gif
http://n8zcc.com/pics/HHR/Audio_Amp.gif

These drawings have the wires running from the radio to the amp labeled as "low level audio signal" - to me that means line-level/pre-amp level. This doesn't jive with what others (like hhrcrafty) are telling me. Of course this is probably only on the "premium" sound system, which I *think* was originally in my car. So I remain confused.

 

It just doesn't make any sense because it's the same head unit as the non-premium sound car with XM/Onstar. People have tried hooking up new amps to those "low level" outputs like they're regular line-outs, but they wind up burning the amps because of impedance mismatch.

I wonder if the problem is that the remote turn-on for the amp hasn't been wired up properly? If all the factory speakers ARE running off that amp, it may simply not be getting the signal to turn on from the new HU.

 

Check with a reputable dealer for the on star, cause I don't know about that. However, I have been told by crutchfield and my local installer that the door chime is lost after you put a aftermarket head unit in. Even if you go with the wiring adapter, you still loose it. Some dumb gm thingy. He even told me, the new silverados loose the turn signal noise when you change their head unit out. Some relay you have to replace to get the sound back. I personally wouldn't worry about the door chime, just remember to take your keys out, and your headlights should turn off by themselves. But if you really want the onstar, check with someone who knows onstar. Heck, you just bought it, take it back to the dealer and say