Stereo sound deterioration after 10+ mins high volume

BIGDOGx · January 8, 2016

Glad i have the Bose then as i am actually pretty surprised at how well it sounds, especially the lows compared to the Bose in my 05. Though i'm not a teenager anymore and don't need to make sure everyone in the neighborhood can hear what i'm listening to also.

To the original poster i don't think you will find a single manufacture or stock system setup that wont fail if you listen at max volume for an extended period of time, they simply are not made to do that.

TxTruckMan · January 8, 2016

To the original poster i don't think you will find a single manufacture or stock system setup that wont fail if you listen at max volume for an extended period of time, they simply are not made to do that.

Exactly what i was going to say. It's like running your engine at 5000 RPM all day long. Sure, it'll do it, but for how long?

If you're an audiophile, then you should have gone with the Bose or planned to upgrade from the start.

tonygxp · January 9, 2016

Exactly what i was going to say. It's like running your engine at 5000 RPM all day long. Sure, it'll do it, but for how long?

If you're an audiophile, then you should have gone with the Bose or planned to upgrade from the start.

i noticed that after maybe 3 minutes or so at max in my bose something started to smell like it was burning (wife,"You smell that?") lol so i lowered it. now I know.. system sounds great though i have to admit. i still cannot tell if the one in my 15 Jeep GC is better or not..both are close. jeep seems to have more booming bass but when i have the Sierra at the top between 7/8 - full the bass really comes on that last little bit. maybe GM has the gain turned down in the system as it still climbs at the top without falling off like my former bose systems (dead knob from 3/4-full). Jeep appears to be geared towards BASS whereas the Sierra has a much more linear sound, maybe that's why it appears the Jeep has more bottom end?

OP, go aftermarket speakers to start see if that fixes it. maybe you just need a JL or Kicker custom fit sub with amp installed.. Having a solid bottom end fixes a lot of high volume issues (not for the audiophile but the rest of us), at least that's how i've dealt with it over the years.. even my former bose systems.

John Doherty · February 10, 2019

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about and for all you people talking about upgrades you obviously didnt hear what the guy was saying.

I have had 4 silverados- and i currenty lease a 2018 silverado (non bose). I installed the kicker sub stage and replaced all 4 speakers and tweeters in dash all recommended by crutchfield- this system sounds amazing-

when i say amazing i mean for about 8 minutes . I do not know what the hell is going on but the problem has to be the gm factory head unit.

i also have a 2018 silverado 3500 same system minus the upgrades and that stock system i can leave full volume and listen at full volume for hours with no problem.

Sommething is definitely going on with the factory head unit or something else in the truck is causing the radio to cut out and static at 3/4 volume full volume and sometimes half volume.

I have about 1200 in upgrades in my silverado 1500– and the stock system in my 3500 sounds better! Something aint right.

Erik Gregory · February 18, 2019

I'm having the same issue with my 15 Sierra non-Bose. I just installed new Kicker CS speakers all the way around thinking the factory speakers couldn't keep up. Sounds amazing for the first few minutes and then all goes to hell until I shut the truck off and restart it. Has anyone ever found a solution for this??

ftwhite · February 18, 2019

Sounds like the amp is being over driven. that happens when it is called on to play at power levels (volume) that it can't keep up with, and clips power and frequency; or it is paired up with less efficient (higher ohm) speakers that draw more power. Factory speakers are generally very low ohm. This allows for smaller head unit amps. Its also harder to make them sound good, so "high end" speakers are generally higher ohm.

Mix a low power amp with a high ohm speaker, and you get severe clipping and output drops.

Just a guess though. It could also be a bad connection, bad wires, "blown" speaker coils, blown amp, etc.

Railhead_Ed · February 18, 2019

This has been an interesting thread as I just joined this forum today. I just traded my 144k mile '09 RAM for a 2016 LT Double Cab 4x4. Decent stereo/Nav, but nothing like the Alpine system that was in the RAM. I've been a Dodge guy for 20 years. Last Chevy I owned was a 1986 C10. As I work part time for Best Buy I'm gonna have to check with our Car-Fi dept about upgrades. And I'll keep watching here for suggestions.

John Doherty · February 21, 2019

I brought truck to chevy dealer- they called gm. Bad radio. Replacing tomorrow- i will see if problem is solved

John Doherty · March 29, 2019

Had my gm radio replaced 2 times now, replaced all speakers with harmon from crutchfield, been to the dealer twice- they obviously have zero clue what the problem is- now that I replaced my factory speakers the dealer said they cannot work on the problem any more because i used aftermarket equipment!!

I had the problem BEFORE i changed out my speakers. Something is very wrong with this sound system- i have bought a new chevy every 2 years for the past 12 years and i will mever buy another one.

Nasty · March 29, 2019

21 minutes ago, John Doherty said:

Had my gm radio replaced 2 times now, replaced all speakers with harmon from crutchfield, been to the dealer twice- they obviously have zero clue what the problem is- now that I replaced my factory speakers the dealer said they cannot work on the problem any more because i used aftermarket equipment!!

I had the problem BEFORE i changed out my speakers. Something is very wrong with this sound system- i have bought a new chevy every 2 years for the past 12 years and i will mever buy another one.

People expect to much out of the stock stuff. The radio distorts at a low volume just like every other oem radio

TwoBallScrewBall · April 15, 2019

My 2016 did this, but it was a lease and I didn't care.

My 2018 does this also. Same thing, blast some music for long enough and the audio breaks up. I am absolutely certain it is an overheat condition with the audio amp.

Where is the amp on the base model (non-bose) trucks? A small quiet fan positioned near it might help. I have the 8" Mylink but no bose. Same as the 2016, and same issue. My previous car it was under the passenger seat. If it's somewhere that is accessible and has room to mount a small computer fan I would be willing to give that a shot and report back.

John Doherty · April 16, 2019

Its not “expecting to much” i have had 5 silverado pickups in the pat 12 years and currently have 2 2018 silverados- one has a radio issue and the other is fine.

same problem that poster of this topic has

John Doherty · April 16, 2019

I had this factory radio replaced 2x they said there is no amplifier?????

a small fan might remedy this issue- its worth a try

Erik Gregory · April 16, 2019

Alright guys so the one thing I changed since posting was turning of the adaptive volume control. Could be a coincidence but as soon at I turned it off I haven't experienced this issue again. Worth a shot!