Stereo Upgrade On Siera 09

drbob11 · February 16, 2011

Anyone have any good ideas for either upgrading the factory stereo or changing it out for a nicer unit on a 09 sierra SLE? i noticed driving a rental yukon SLE it had better bass and a little more power. any ideas?

Superperv23 · February 16, 2011

An sle yukon prob wouldnt have the bose system with sub so it might be your speakers are just worn out because they are likely the same. Either way the factory stereo is pathetic at best. The simplest answer might be correct and someone had the bass maxed on the rental, did you check?

Adding a new head unit is not going to bring you better bass but replacing the speakers will. The problem is that now newer speakers are designed to be high powered so you have to kind of look at the RMS power to try and gauge if a factory head unit can power them. If you plan to stick with the stock head unit then likely your best bet is to buy some JL audio TR650-CXi speakers as they will be about the best sound quality you can get with the factory power. The other option is to try some XTC foam baffles with them to help with bass response. Speakers, brackets and baffles would likely set you back $200 or so.

Of course adding an after market head unit would give you more power and better sound but is and extra $150 in a GM if you want to keep onstar and steering wheel controls.

kawtoy_77 · February 16, 2011

The acoustics might be better in the yukon......

I would have to disagree on the SLE stereo being pathetic. Its a decent stock unit, I just find it rattles poorly fit pieces inside my cab, and upgrading the stereo would probably amplify that problem for me. Not to bag on FORD, but I always thought their stock units to be terrible. Chrysler had good stereo's, but lots of problems..... All the GM's I have driven had decent stereo's in them, with minimal, to no problems.

drbob11 · February 16, 2011

Thanks for info. Yes the yukon had a bose system at least it said bose on the pilar speakers. i do believe it has a sub under the console. my avalanche had that as well. i would like to keep the factory unit just make it sound a little better. i thought about chg'ing speakers and adding a bazooka or get a factory sub unit fron the junk yard. i have xm and chg the unit would require spending more cash. your thoughts?

An sle yukon prob wouldnt have the bose system with sub so it might be your speakers are just worn out because they are likely the same. Either way the factory stereo is pathetic at best. The simplest answer might be correct and someone had the bass maxed on the rental, did you check?

Adding a new head unit is not going to bring you better bass but replacing the speakers will. The problem is that now newer speakers are designed to be high powered so you have to kind of look at the RMS power to try and gauge if a factory head unit can power them. If you plan to stick with the stock head unit then likely your best bet is to buy some JL audio TR650-CXi speakers as they will be about the best sound quality you can get with the factory power. The other option is to try some XTC foam baffles with them to help with bass response. Speakers, brackets and baffles would likely set you back $200 or so.

Of course adding an after market head unit would give you more power and better sound but is and extra $150 in a GM if you want to keep onstar and steering wheel controls.

drbob11 · February 16, 2011

i will have to agree with you on this. i had an excursion w/ the 6 disk and they always got stuck inside and had to use tweezers to get cd out. they also generated a ton of heat. the avalanche sounded sweet w/ the bose unit and sub and that is all i care to achieve. just enough to over come the rumbling/drone exhaust w/ windows down or at hwy speed. maybe i can get a unit from the wrecking yard?

The acoustics might be better in the yukon......

I would have to disagree on the SLE stereo being pathetic. Its a decent stock unit, I just find it rattles poorly fit pieces inside my cab, and upgrading the stereo would probably amplify that problem for me. Not to bag on FORD, but I always thought their stock units to be terrible. Chrysler had good stereo's, but lots of problems..... All the GM's I have driven had decent stereo's in them, with minimal, to no problems.

Superperv23 · February 17, 2011

Thanks for info. Yes the yukon had a bose system at least it said bose on the pilar speakers. i do believe it has a sub under the console. my avalanche had that as well. i would like to keep the factory unit just make it sound a little better. i thought about chg'ing speakers and adding a bazooka or get a factory sub unit fron the junk yard. i have xm and chg the unit would require spending more cash. your thoughts?

A factory bose system is always heavy on midbase at normal listening volumes and kind of drops off as you turn it up. Everyone I have ever heard is like that from gm's to nissan's to audi's to mazda's and you really notice it when you get into a car without the bose system, the bass at normal listening volumes just is not there. The reasons for this is that the bose door speakers are longer excursion with bigger magnets , higher powered and always have a baffle or even a sealed enclosure on the back that changes the sound to a lower sound.

Adding in the bose sub is not a practical option because people will want a lot of money for it and you will need to by an amp for it and it wont handle that much power so it will just be a headache in the end. I do not know for sure but the sub is likely only a 5inch speaker, which for most people is more than enough, just to supplement the door speakers, not wake the neighbors.

If you are going the bazooka route then the one you should likely look at is the BTA6250D it is a 6inch with 250 class d amp built in. The class d amps use a lot less power and generate a lot less heat than a normal amp so you should spend the few extra bucks and get one with the class d amp. The other thing with this model is if you buy it and find you still want more bass you can power a second nonpowered tube from it. One will likely be enough though as you are looking for something in the range of the factory bose system.

If you switched to those speakers I mention earlier, either upgrade the pillar tweeters or unhooked them and added that tube then you would have a system that far out preformed the factory bose.

LuckRunsOut · February 17, 2011

I have a 6" amplified bazooka tube under the rear seat of my 2009 silverado crew cab and I love it. I kept the factory head unit and speakers. I wasn't looking for "competition" style bass...just enough to compliment the existing sound setup. Let me tell you...for a 6" powered sub, this thing sounds AMAZING. I bought it in 2005 at circuit city and installed it in my old 05 Silverado and it's still thumping strong and hard. Many people knock on bazooka bass tubes saying things like "they're not loud enough", or "you're better of getting 2 10" subs", but I think the bazookas are underrated. They take up very little space, which was a big factor for me. When I installed it in my 09 silverado, I purchased the new FAST connection harness and it made installation a breeze. It took only 20 min to get it all set up. I highly recommend it.

drbob11 · February 17, 2011

Thanks buddy for the info. Helps out quite a bit. I will prob go the bazooka route.

An sle yukon prob wouldnt have the bose system with sub so it might be your speakers are just worn out because they are likely the same. Either way the factory stereo is pathetic at best. The simplest answer might be correct and someone had the bass maxed on the rental, did you check?

Adding a new head unit is not going to bring you better bass but replacing the speakers will. The problem is that now newer speakers are designed to be high powered so you have to kind of look at the RMS power to try and gauge if a factory head unit can power them. If you plan to stick with the stock head unit then likely your best bet is to buy some JL audio TR650-CXi speakers as they will be about the best sound quality you can get with the factory power. The other option is to try some XTC foam baffles with them to help with bass response. Speakers, brackets and baffles would likely set you back $200 or so.

Of course adding an after market head unit would give you more power and better sound but is and extra $150 in a GM if you want to keep onstar and steering wheel controls.

drbob11 · February 17, 2011

Thanks. I was hoping someone installed a bazooka. thats what i will go with. where did you get the harness? do you have a part number and make/model? thanks

I have a 6" amplified bazooka tube under the rear seat of my 2009 silverado crew cab and I love it. I kept the factory head unit and speakers. I wasn't looking for "competition" style bass...just enough to compliment the existing sound setup. Let me tell you...for a 6" powered sub, this thing sounds AMAZING. I bought it in 2005 at circuit city and installed it in my old 05 Silverado and it's still thumping strong and hard. Many people knock on bazooka bass tubes saying things like "they're not loud enough", or "you're better of getting 2 10" subs", but I think the bazookas are underrated. They take up very little space, which was a big factor for me. When I installed it in my 09 silverado, I purchased the new FAST connection harness and it made installation a breeze. It took only 20 min to get it all set up. I highly recommend it.

LuckRunsOut · February 17, 2011

Thanks. I was hoping someone installed a bazooka. thats what i will go with. where did you get the harness? do you have a part number and make/model? thanks

I have a 6" amplified bazooka tube under the rear seat of my 2009 silverado crew cab and I love it. I kept the factory head unit and speakers. I wasn't looking for "competition" style bass...just enough to compliment the existing sound setup. Let me tell you...for a 6" powered sub, this thing sounds AMAZING. I bought it in 2005 at circuit city and installed it in my old 05 Silverado and it's still thumping strong and hard. Many people knock on bazooka bass tubes saying things like "they're not loud enough", or "you're better of getting 2 10" subs", but I think the bazookas are underrated. They take up very little space, which was a big factor for me. When I installed it in my 09 silverado, I purchased the new FAST connection harness and it made installation a breeze. It took only 20 min to get it all set up. I highly recommend it.

The bazooka FAST harness model number is FAST-9999. You'll also need the extension cable to run the power from the back of the factory radio to the tube. The model number for that part is FAST-BTAH. If you go to best buy's website and search "bazooka fast", both items should show up. Good luck!

rbiggers277 · February 17, 2011

I also have a 6" Bazooka tube under my rear seat. It is perfect for me. Really adds alot of good bass in the cab, but won't rattle the neighbor's windows. I also replaced all 4 of my door speakers with Infinity Reference 6-1/2s. Excellent speakers for the price. They are being powered by the factory deck only.

truckofwinandawesome · February 17, 2011

The acoustics might be better in the yukon......

I would have to disagree on the SLE stereo being pathetic. Its a decent stock unit, I just find it rattles poorly fit pieces inside my cab, and upgrading the stereo would probably amplify that problem for me. Not to bag on FORD, but I always thought their stock units to be terrible. Chrysler had good stereo's, but lots of problems..... All the GM's I have driven had decent stereo's in them, with minimal, to no problems.

if its one thing Chrysler knows how to do, its build Speakers; because the 6x9's in the Parcel Shelf of my Plymouth (Which is BASE MODEL) managed to survive 13 YEARS of Use (Regular Radio) and Abuse (That Noise Called Hip Hop and Rap), and they have VERY Good Bass! The Dash Speakers on the other hand, blew after a couple of years in my Cousin's possession (he likes the Noise known as Rap) but I do have to agree with you on Ford Stock HU's being Total Crap.

krdeal · February 17, 2011

I like the idea of replacing all 4 door speakers with a suitable upgrade and using the Bazooka to get that extra bass with the factory head unit.

Take it from experience, I have way too much invested in an aftermarket set-up and the factory system (both Bose and non-bose) is definitely lacking on the bottom and the top. Unless you are willing to spend some major $$ or want the best ,stay away from the update everything route. The controls on the factory radio are good and have a lot of features.

For those that need to know, I have a top of the line Alpine head unit with DVD & 7 1/2" screen in the dash, all of the crap in the dash to maintain the factory bells, buzzers, On-Star & steering wheel controls. In the front doors I have a set of old style MB Quarts 6 1/2" Q series midrange speakers with the tweeters mounted in the stock pillar locations. In the back doors I went with a set of JL Audio XR series speakers with the tweeters mounted in the upper pillars just behind my head. All speakers with the exception of the tweeters for the rear speakers are mounted in stock locations for a complete factory look. For power I am running 2 JL Audio amps mounted to the back wall of the cab. A 500/1 amp for the bass and a 450/4 amp for the 4 doors (the MB Quarts need lots of power). I am using an Alpine R series shallow sub in a custom box under half of the back seat. Follow that up with XTC cups behind all of the speakers, dynamat type material throughout the truck and lots of heavy guage wire for everything.

As you can see it gets complicated and expensive. I am rethinking the factory radio thing as well......

Oh don't forget the factory hook-up box that JL Audio sells that allows you to add on amps to the factory stereo.

08BlackSierra · February 18, 2011

I upgraded to a Pioneer AVH3200DVD and the factory speakers gained some life. Along with a pair of Subwoofers im in musical heaven

gforce_15 · February 18, 2011

I'm really really interested in getting a Bazooka powered sub for my truck as well. I see some of you have great experience with the 6" bazooka powered sub. I'm not overly familiar with stereo equipment tho.

My question is, how well does the 6" fit under the back seat? Can i fit an 8" or 10" under the back seat????

Also, what are the main differences between the 100W version and the 250W class D version (besides the obvious power output). Is it worth spending the extra cash on the higher wattage, class D version?

thanks in advance