[Astronomer]

I have decided to go with the Monsoon sound system. I was noticing that the 6-disc system for the Solstice only cost $490 usd. The single disk monsoon on the sky costs $590 and the 6 disc is $890. I read on here somewhere that someone said listen to the solstice stereo if you wanna know how the Monsoon sounds. Are these the same systems? if so, why the price disparity? If anyone could enlighten me on this i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[DaveOC]

The pricing on the radios for the Sky includes the Monsoon amp and sub. The pricing on the Solstice does not include the Monsoon components, on the Sol the Monsoon has to be ordered as an additional option.

.

 

[Astronomer]

Thanks man...that explains everything.
Do we know if the amp and sub can be replaced with higher quality aftermarket stuff without changing much else? From the pictures i saw both were in the trunk but didnt know if amp had its leads soldered in

 

[Druid-2]

trust me...you want the Monsoon

those that didn't get it...regretted it.

I love mine...gotta love that sub-woofer coming through the back of the passenger seat

 

[rick112]

I can't wait!

 

[Druid-2]

i GET A KICK OUT OF it

FIRST- I PUT SOMEONE NEW IN THE PASSENGER SEAT

Then I get a good song with some strong back beat (Mellencamp's Authority song for example)

Crank the volume up to about 90% and watch their faces as it comes right thru the seat and into their bodies

 

[MrJester]

I remember we use to have the Monsoon sound system in our old Firebird. It was just the basic factory Monsoon without the amp and sub and it was still a decent sound system. I personally am going to go with the one disc option for the car instead of the 6 disc option. Unless there is more of a difference, I don't need to pay extra for 5 extra discs. There will be MP3 playback. Both of my vehicles now have 6 disc changers in-dash and I never use them.

 

[nighttripper]

where would you store all the discs Space is a premium:lol:

 

[Druid-2]

I load 6 discs in at a time...the cases stay in the house
when I want to make a change I simply pull one out and replace it

I do NOT store the cases in the waterfall

That is where I keep the FRS (family radios...i.e. 2 way radios)

You'll probably need a separate thread on that one !!!

I would consider them (radios ) "original equipment" on my car

 

[FINELY]

The monsoon system is a must in this car. The sound is infinitely
better than the standard system.
When my friend 240GTO heard the difference between the two in our
Solstices, he regretted the decision to skip that option.
The biggest advantage is when you are cruising at the self-declared
speed limit and the sounds are rocking. You not only hear it, but feel it
as well.
DO NOT PASS ON THIS OPTION

 

[Kinsey]

replacing the amp

I ran into a pretty big problem when replacing the head unit in my Lancer last year. It had an Infinity sound system in it with a sub. I replaced the head unit and found that by doing that it makes the sub useless. There is nothing you can do to get the sub working again. Other than replacing the amp and running new wires around which isn't that much fun. The sky I imagine is the same way. You can't JUST replace the amp in the car because they have special harnesses and power wires that go to it. The harness you can get around because they make special adapters for it but the power wire, ground, and remote hook up differently than they do to a replacement amp. As far as I know they do not make a harness for that. It's a pain. I would suggest that if you do not need to replace it DON'T lol Save yourself time and money. That is what I am going to do. It is tough for me because I have had competition quality sound systems in my last three cars.

 

[1994SC2]

Is this an option that can easily be added later if we change our minds?

I didn't want to go buying the upgrade if I decide to put an aftermarket reciever and my own speakers in.

I know I have always been particularly disappointed in the manufacturer's "premium" system but from what this thread says it sounds like it uses a custom shaped speaker behind the seat?

Does anyone have any more details on this?

Thanks!

 

[Kinsey]

upgrading

If you know FOR SURE that you are going to replace the head unit and speakers, I would not buy they big system with the subwoofer. As I said before once all is replaced the sub will be useless. Another thing to stear clear of is the XM Satellite radio. I have it in my car only because my contract is not up. Once it is up I am going to Serius radio because it is a lot better than xm. XM Sucks!!! I am not kidding. Their stations aren't near as good as Serius. Anyways back on subject of upgrading. If I were replacing the system I would get the monsoon system without the sub. This thought is based off of me not knowing where or how the sub is placed in the car. I thought I heard that the sub is custom fit behind the passenger seat? If it is you may want to check a sky that does not have the sub and see if there is still a spot behind the seat to install one. If you get a sky with a sub and you replace all the speakers and add a amp and new head unit, the sub will most likely need replaced as well as an amp will probably blow it. Odds are the sub will be 8 inch. I would replace it with an MTX 8 inch sub as there aren't many companies that make 8 inch woofers. A system without a sub could allow you to put just about whatever you want in the SMALL trunk hahaha. This give you alittle more room to play with size and quality. The other thing too is that if you're willing to spend the $$$ you can have too sub sound by replacing all the speakers in the car with high quality speakers such as Alpine type X Component speakers and some Alpine type R 6 x 9's. Naturally you have to buy a big amp to power these as they require a pretty good amount of power. Personally I would wait about six months and see what everybody else "myself included" is doing to these cars as far as audio. I'd put money on it that there won't be a dash kit out to replace the radio for at least 6 months anyways.

so let's refresh:

1. STEAR CLEAR OF XM RADIO!!!!
2. If you are for sure you are replacing all of the speakers, headunit,
and amp, don't bother getting the huge system with the sub.
UNLESS the sub IS custom fit behind the passenger seat and you do not
want to put a sub in the trunk. This will save time, money, and space in
the trunk.
3. If you do put a sub in the trunk, it gives you more room to play with size of
the sub and quality.
4. If you get a system with a sub and replace the headunit, the sub will not
work anymore.
5. You can get amazing bass without a sub. Replace the Component
speakers and 6 x 9's with high quality speakers and a high power amp.
6. Wait at least 6 months before doing anything to this car. Odds are the
Dash kit wont be out to replace the head unit. Plus let the audio techs
have time to get their hands dirty on this car. Doing this will save you
time, money, and a lot of swearing in the end. Plus your sky will sound
badass.

 

[1994SC2]

Thanks much, you basically calmed my worries. I planned to do exactly that.

I guess I was worried because it almost sounded like the sub was some special integrated seat-speaker that has a better than usual "feel" being that it is actually in the seat. I bet if its behind Q-logic will eventually make some kind of custom enclosure.

I will stray from you on one thing though -- XM vs Sirius. I actually (stupidly) have both services at home. And though I will say there is one or two stations I love about each one, the music and content seems basically the same to me. My big choice between them? The different sports packages... I want baseball and ACC football/basketball (Go Hokies!) on XM and NFL is over on Sirius. If I had to pick one though, I'd probably just go with whatever was easiest (in this case XM if you wanted it built in to the Sky). Neither strikes me as very superior to the other. Just IMHO.

But thanks for the stereo advice, I like your idea to ditch the sub in favor of very clean and well powered 6x9's. We'll see what happens...

 

[1994SC2]

Looking for more info on the sub I came across this on the Sol forums...
http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11135&highlight=monsoon

(includes images of the monsoon components)

also... if you are concerned with JUST the unique sub behind the passenger seat -- apparently you can buy the unit and connect it to a standard wiring amp of your own procurement for $130. I LIKES

 

[Kinsey]

sub behind the seat

The problem with throwing in your own sub into the premade box that saturn has installed is that the quality of the sub will decrease. Each sub is made for a specific box. Just taking a random sub and putting it in a random box can even damage the sub itself. I found this out when replacing the sub in my lancer. The box that came stock was form fitted to the trunk of my car. I removed the sub and replaced it with an mtx. The problem is that the sub was too big for the box even though the sub was an 8 inch just like the old one. It made terrible popping sounds when it hit hard because there was such little room in the box for air. From what I am lookin at, probably the best bet for a replacement sub would be an 8 inch Rockford Fosgate Punch State 2.
For a sealed box the room it requires is .25 cubic feet. which is pretty small so it may work well in the sky box. The power range on it is 50-150 watts rms so it should work with the stock amp. If anybody can get dimensions of the saturn box that will greatly help in finding out what can fit in that box. The mounting depth is the only thing I am not sure of. Someone needs to find this out along with how much power is going to the current sub in the car!

 

[Astronomer]

clarification

"quote" 2. If you are for sure you are replacing all of the speakers, headunit,
and amp, don't bother getting the huge system with the sub.
UNLESS the sub IS custom fit behind the passenger seat and you do not
want to put a sub in the trunk. This will save time, money, and space in
the trunk.


Actually i was wanting to keep the headunit...was hoping to get away with just replacing the amp and get a better sub...there were some pictures of a sol that had the trunk interior panels removed...the amp and sub were mounted right next to each other ..amp in middle and sub behind passenger seat on the rear wall...tryin to dig those pictures back up...will post here as soon as i relocate them

Was mainly wanting to go Monsoon upgrade so i wouldnt have to replace headunit to hook up an amp..was just gonna replace the factory one but someone said they didnt think an aftermarket amp would be able to hook to the Monsoon headunit anyway...i guess i still need to do alot of research....thx all you folks for your input

 

[Kinsey]

new amp

a new amp probably won't hook up to the radio like the old one did. if you plan on putting in a new amp the headunit will have to be replaced. The way the old amp hooks up is with a harness and a single cord that looks like at thicker Keyboard wire for your computer. It's like a plug with a bunch of pins in it. ( I just install radios, amps, and speakers. I don't know ALL the terms lol ) On new amps, there is nowhere to plug in anything like that. You'd probably spend more in the long run buying a new BIGGER amp to power the sub and all 6 speakers. Multichannel amps are very pricey. Than just buying a new headunit and mono amp for the sub. This is the same problem I ran into with my current car. I called all the techs I know and they told me there is no way to hook up a new amp with all the stock wiring in the car.

 

[todaresqSL2]

There is always this http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_cleansweep_pages.php?page_id=94 from JL Audio... lets you use most stock head units with aftermarket amps and speakers. :cheers:

 

[Kinsey]

good call

Haven't seen one of those yet. Is it fairly new? Looks like it will work pretty good. What is the price on what all you need to get?