Pioneer 9 speaker system upgrade

[pedaltheglobe]

I just got my Cruze this week and love it. One of the only cons I have seen so far is the upgraded Pioneer 9 speaker system. Honestly, I cant complain too much. I got the Allstar package with my car which includes sunroof and upgraded Pioneer speakers. The promotional price on the package is the same price as the sunroof alone so it is basically a free upgrade to the Pioneer system. I don't know if I am just used to the Bose speakers in my 2000 Cadillac, but the sound just is not up to par to me. Has anyone with the Pioneer sound system done any tweaks they can recommend to improve it?

[mcg75]

I had to really tweak the equalizer to make it good for me.

Bass was turn down to 3 clicks from the minimum.
Treble went to 3 clicks from the max.
Mid-range went 3 click right from the center mark.

I faded the speakers 3 clicks toward the back as well.

This results in pretty decent sound even though the system is setup for those who are confused and think heavy bass is actually music.

[luv2cruze]

I too have the upgraded system, and my only problem with it is the volume. I know this was talked about here some time ago, but I wonder if anyone who had this same problem with it has made any upgrades to the system to increase the volume? I find it is best with CD, second best with iPod/auxillary, and most poor with XM/radio. I don't think at full volume I should be able to have conversations over the music. And the higher the volume, the poorer the sound quality.

[pedaltheglobe]

As far as bass goes there is plenty for me. It is mainly lacking in treble and somewhat in midrange.

[XtremeRevolution]

As far as bass goes there is plenty for me. It is mainly lacking in treble and somewhat in midrange.

Certainly a consequence of the poor speaker quality. Replacements are your only real option. Replace the speakers and see if you get enough volume. If you don't, you'll need to amplify them.

[pedaltheglobe]

Certainly a consequence of the poor speaker quality. Replacements are your only real option. Replace the speakers and see if you get enough volume. If you don't, you'll need to amplify them.

What speakers should I start with? Tweeters?

[XtremeRevolution]

What speakers should I start with? Tweeters?

You won't be able to start by replacing just tweeters as you won't be able to control sensitivity. You might get a tweeter that's much hotter than you want it to be and it will "steal the show" from the midbass drivers and will make everything sound "thin."

I would go with a component set for the front and a coaxial set for the rear. Find something as efficient as possible. Large motors generally help keep sensitivity high and distortion low, and light cone construction such as woven fiber cones go a long way.

If you start this, be prepared to accept that they may not meet your expectations for volume once installed and that you may need an aftermarket amplifier to get the volume you're looking for. Honestly, I don't think the factory speakers can be helped; they're just not very good and the crossovers are excessively minimalist. Running the woofers full range and putting nothing but one small capacitor on the tweeter as a protection circuit is not my idea of an effective crossover network.

Also be prepared for the sound to not meet your expectations with regard to quality without some good sound deadening. I spent about $130 for my doors and trunk in sound deadening using products sold by Don at sounddeadenershowdown.com. Best stuff I've ever used, and surprisingly cheaper than other stuff I've used as well. He puts it very well and to the point; you need to use the right tool for the job. 25% coverage with his CLD tiles and a layer of MLV backed by a layer of CCF and you'll get the sound you're looking for.

The real question here is not whether or not the deadening is necessary to achieve the sound you want, but rather how much you want to (or can) spend. Give me a budget limit and I can give you some more informed and specific advice and recommendations.

[cooktony]

Thanks for all the info. I just got my Cruze RS. I have the 9 speaker system and also am wondering about the rear speakers. If they are filtered for only bass, can the filter be removed to restore the sound and then add a sub? Or is an amp needed to bypass this? I am not looking for it to be really loud, just more balanced. The passengers in the back can only hear crazy low base.
Thanks XtremeRevolution, I have used your bypass for the intake. Good info.

[XtremeRevolution]

Thanks for all the info. I just got my Cruze RS. I have the 9 speaker system and also am wondering about the rear speakers. If they are filtered for only bass, can the filter be removed to restore the sound and then add a sub? Or is an amp needed to bypass this? I am not looking for it to be really loud, just more balanced. The passengers in the back can only hear crazy low base.
Thanks XtremeRevolution, I have used your bypass for the intake. Good info.

Rears play only bass. Rear doors however are full range. If you want to make the car more comfortable for your rear passengers, you'll have to upgrade the rear door speakers and amplify them as well.

[cooktony]

Thanks for the info. Now one last thing. Is there a speaker color diagram so I know which speakers are the rear door when I amplify them?