[spry]

Hello all,

Like a lot of you, I was pretty disappointed with the mediocre sound system provided by Chevy and was thinking about upgrading. After reading Xtreme's posts and discussing with him I decided to give his recommendations a go. These are the specifics of the system I went with, the total was a little less than $900.

Speakers: Image Dynamics CTX 6.5cs Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs (CTX 65 CS) 6.5" CTX Component Speakers
Amp: Massive NX4 Massive Audio NX4 1000W Car Amp + 4 Gauge Amp Kit + RCA Cables
8" Subwoofer + Box + Baffles (from Xtreme)
PAC AA GM-44 Amp Integration Amazon.com: PAC AA-GM44 Amplifier Integration Interface for Select 2010 and Up GM Vehicles: Automotive
CLD Tiles: Welcome to Sound Deadener Showdown | Sound Deadener Showdown
Speaker Wire and RCA cables from Amp Installation Kits, HDMI Cables

I took all this to tecollins1 in PA and he did the installation. I tried to help, but I am so new to this that he ended up doing most of it by himself. I did learn a significant amount though, not only about how the installation works but also a lot of details about the car. He also showed me how to regap the spark plugs and how to bypass the intake resonator. It was unbelievable how enthusiastic and friendly he was, can't praise him enough.

The system sounds great, the clarity is just ridiculous and the sub adds a really nice punchy bass, exactly what I was looking for. These guys (Xtreme and tecollins1) really know their stuff and I very grateful to both of them. The only issue that has come up is that there is a slight buzz in the tweeters. After messing around with the gain on the amp, I have reduced it to very low levels but it is still there. It seems like moving the PAC away from the headunit will probably solve this problem.

Here are the pictures from the installation:

 

[Dragonsys]

very cool!

 

[XtremeRevolution]

Glad you like everything man. Many of us have been dealing with that buzzing/whining sound coming from the speakers, and I believe it's the PAC unit. While it does make installs far easier, it also seems to be a bit problematic and sensitive to interference. I would turn down the PAC gains to the 1/2 or 3/4 mark (not sure what Terry set them to) and go from there. That should help a bit.

 

[brian v]

Hay Terrible T Fine work you have done there ! Would extending the Leads on the Pac AA Amp Integrator , crossover help with the feed back that it is picking up ?

I did not like that thing , so I chose to go with a SL12 4 to 1 Stepdown for Balanced or unbalanced inputs . Audison Connection . Nice interface IMHO .

 

[spry]

Terry turned the PAC gain to 1/2 from what I remember. So when I lowered the gain on the amp, the buzzing is only noticeable if it is pretty quiet.

 

[Dragonsys]

Would extending the Leads on the Pac AA Amp Integrator , crossover help with the feed back that it is picking up ?

This is what I did (well, ground & power anyway), and I have not had any noise in the system. Not sure if this is the actual fix, or if I just got lucky...

 

[2013LT]

I'm jealous that's a really nice setup.

 

[XtremeRevolution]

This is what I did (well, ground & power anyway), and I have not had any noise in the system. Not sure if this is the actual fix, or if I just got lucky...

More specifically, what did you do?

I spliced the power for the PAC harness into the radio power, and ran the ground to a grounding point underneath the carpet on the passenger side.

For anyone interested in a similar setup, I sell that 8" sub as a kit in the audio section. It has a surprising amount of output for an 8" sub, and while that's something you'll hear anyone say, what you won't hear them say is that it also has excellent extension in 0.3 cubic feet and massive amounts of excursion, which allows it to play a louder than any other 8" sub anywhere near its price point. I had a lot of fun playing it to break it in right after I finished that enclosure.

 

[EcoDave]

Wow, That is a really long drive from Lansing MI to PA (Pittsburgh?)

Looking at Google Maps, you are probably closer to XtremeRevolution.
Maybe you can plan a trip over there and get a demo of his system, you will be blown away.

 

[tecollins1]

Some things to note.
I LOVE the Massive NX4 amp and that sub!

The amp packs a serious punch for such a small amp.
100watts RMS X4
or the set up we have is
100watts X2 and
400watts bridged @4ohms

I love the fact that the plate can be removed and flipped, so you can orientate the amp the way you want. So I basically installed it upside down and then flipped the plate and it appears to be the right way. That makes the installation soo much easier and clean.(no crossing over wires)

I also had some extra power spade terminals laying around so I soldered them on and put some heat shrink tube on them to make a clean install.

The sub is rated at 150ish RMS but while tuning the gain; It never reached its mechanical limits! The thing has some serious XMax! And for what it does it can easily be mistaken for a larger sub with how much out put it has.

Also Aeimit is a great guy and very appreciative. He fed me also




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[brian v]

Cool by any standard !

 

[spry]

Wow, That is a really long drive from Lansing MI to PA (Pittsburgh?)

I have a buddy who lives in Pittsburgh, hung out with him on Thursday and met up with Terry on Friday so it worked well.