Anyone able to improve sound of GM factory stereo without changing head unit? Tried GM part 19417164 or 19417165?

Lisa Anderson · March 19, 2023

Not sure this is the right subforum to ask about stereos in but...

Waited 10 months from order for delivery of my Silverado...and when it came in, immediately discovered they forgot convenience package 2 with the upgraded audio. Factory sound is never top notch even with "premium" packages but the slightly better factory set-ups do generally meet my listening needs and this upgrade is always very high in my must-haves. The omission is a big let down for me but it took ten months to get my 6.2 with max tow, I don't find them just sitting on the sales lots around here, so I am obviosuly not refusing delivery for this one flaw, even though it is a heartbreaker for me... on those long multi-state drives pulling a camper I need my music! I want to try to find a way to make the standard stereo...just not suck so horribly as it does straight off the lot.

I don't want to mess with the head unit at all because of the highly integrated nature of it, I want to try to do the best I can with a speaker swap out, adding amp(s) and a sub. Let's try like hell to make a silk purse out of sow's ear so to speak. I did a complete DIY aftermarket swap out on my 2012 Silverado last year using budget components, nothing high-end at all and it sounds 5000 x better than the original systems in either of these trucks, I love it actually..the neighbors, maybe not so much. If you can get that much better sound from stuff you can buy off Amazon or Walmart, installed by a total rookie DIYer with YouTube and a soldering gun, I think that speaks of an embarassing level of cheapness and lack of effort on the part of GM...making me skeptical of the real value of a GM produced add-on as a potential fix...but maybe I'm wrong to assume, I want to ask around, maybe they are decent? GM has parts 19417164 and 19417165, both have an under seat Kicker sub, the XX164 has a sort of integrated amp for that sub, the XX165 has that and an additional amp for the other speakers. The main pro/ reason I am considering trying one of these as a solution is the ready to mount/easy integration owed to the specificity of design to the GM trucks... on the cons for me are 1. I think both kits are rather pricey for what you actually get, even considering not having to purchase a seperate, custom box, and 2: I can't determine from product descriptions if I can use the smaller, lower cost kit and just change out the other factory speakers for a worthwhile, bang-for-the buck improvement or if I really need to go with the two amp set up to make a difference. I haven't yet found a YouTube comparison/demo of a before and after for these things or much of any actual customer reviews/commentary. I know at least the XX165 also needs some programming modifications that I can't do myself, it would have to be flashed at the dealership.. so labor costs on top even if I did the rest of the install myself. Would I be better off just going completely aftermarket components? Wondering if anyone else has swapped out/added on to the basic GM stereo either with those GM parts, or other aftermarket stuff; how did it turn out, are you happy or disappointed? If your upgrades were successful what kind of budget did it take to get there? Can you recommend specific componants?

Thanks for any advisement anyone may be able to offer

HistoryTeacher2020 · March 19, 2023

Have a '20 Silverado LT (crewcab RWD). Added a subwoofer w amp. Subwoofer & amp located under rear bench seat. I will add speakers in the doors when I feel the need. I use my iphone Siriux XM for that music source. Note: I had to customize my weather tech to allow the subwoofer, amp, and a power inverter to fit well. Enjoy.

cwtech · March 19, 2023

I can't answer for your 2023, but I can relate my experience with my 2021 Regular Cab (2 door) Silverado.

The truck (bought used with 5K miles) had the base radio and the sound was terrible, especially at higher volume. ...The distortion was unbearable.

I contemplated replacing the entire system and/or adding an amp, but started with the door speakers.

.....I installed Kenwood 3-way 6"x9" speakers from Crutchfield. (# KFC-6966S speakers & Crutchfield mounting adapters)

....They were all that was needed because the sound quality is GREAT. ...The factory radio has enough power that I can not be in the cab at full volume, and there is no distortion.

I also purchased Kenwood speakers (# KFC-X2C) to replace the dash speakers, only to find that there were none in the dash, but the wiring for them was present.

....Hooking the tweeters up, I found they overpowered the door speakers and there is no adjustment for fade or balance.

....I ended up locating one tweeter on the top center of the dash and the other centered under the rear window.

....I added two 4-ohm L-pads to allow adjustment of fade and balance of each tweeter.

While working on my truck, I had the truck windows and doors closed and the volume turned up. ....My wife came out to tell me she could hear it inside the house with the house doors and windows closed. ...I don't feel I need an amp or sub-woofers, either.

If I were to do it again, I would probably not bother with the separate tweeters as the 3-ways have them built in.

Edited March 19, 2023 by cwtech
punctuation

andrewb24 · April 7, 2023

I have a 2020 Silverado LT non bose and added the kicker subwoofer with the supplied amp for the sub. I didn't buy the kicker amp from chevy accessories for the door speakers but i did buy the kicker key amp from best buy to run to my door speakers. I am pretty pleased with the sound quality and I believe I have around $1k in it or maybe a little less but I also installed myself.

SPASierra · April 14, 2023

You can upgrade the speakers and add an amp. Honestly, with as bad as the 22.5+ Bose system is, you aren't missing much.

Mshawn · August 13, 2023

Was wondering….. do the dash speakers changed out help the Bose system in 2023 RST. Kenwood kfc-2xc to be specific?

Bikerjon · August 13, 2023

On 3/19/2023 at 11:53 AM, Lisa Anderson said:

Not sure this is the right subforum to ask about stereos in but...

Waited 10 months from order for delivery of my Silverado...and when it came in, immediately discovered they forgot convenience package 2 with the upgraded audio. Factory sound is never top notch even with "premium" packages but the slightly better factory set-ups do generally meet my listening needs and this upgrade is always very high in my must-haves. The omission is a big let down for me but it took ten months to get my 6.2 with max tow, I don't find them just sitting on the sales lots around here, so I am obviosuly not refusing delivery for this one flaw, even though it is a heartbreaker for me... on those long multi-state drives pulling a camper I need my music! I want to try to find a way to make the standard stereo...just not suck so horribly as it does straight off the lot.

I don't want to mess with the head unit at all because of the highly integrated nature of it, I want to try to do the best I can with a speaker swap out, adding amp(s) and a sub. Let's try like hell to make a silk purse out of sow's ear so to speak. I did a complete DIY aftermarket swap out on my 2012 Silverado last year using budget components, nothing high-end at all and it sounds 5000 x better than the original systems in either of these trucks, I love it actually..the neighbors, maybe not so much. If you can get that much better sound from stuff you can buy off Amazon or Walmart, installed by a total rookie DIYer with YouTube and a soldering gun, I think that speaks of an embarassing level of cheapness and lack of effort on the part of GM...making me skeptical of the real value of a GM produced add-on as a potential fix...but maybe I'm wrong to assume, I want to ask around, maybe they are decent? GM has parts 19417164 and 19417165, both have an under seat Kicker sub, the XX164 has a sort of integrated amp for that sub, the XX165 has that and an additional amp for the other speakers. The main pro/ reason I am considering trying one of these as a solution is the ready to mount/easy integration owed to the specificity of design to the GM trucks... on the cons for me are 1. I think both kits are rather pricey for what you actually get, even considering not having to purchase a seperate, custom box, and 2: I can't determine from product descriptions if I can use the smaller, lower cost kit and just change out the other factory speakers for a worthwhile, bang-for-the buck improvement or if I really need to go with the two amp set up to make a difference. I haven't yet found a YouTube comparison/demo of a before and after for these things or much of any actual customer reviews/commentary. I know at least the XX165 also needs some programming modifications that I can't do myself, it would have to be flashed at the dealership.. so labor costs on top even if I did the rest of the install myself. Would I be better off just going completely aftermarket components? Wondering if anyone else has swapped out/added on to the basic GM stereo either with those GM parts, or other aftermarket stuff; how did it turn out, are you happy or disappointed? If your upgrades were successful what kind of budget did it take to get there? Can you recommend specific componants?

Thanks for any advisement anyone may be able to offer

Hey Lisa, What did you do to your sound system and how did it work out?

AdamAT4 · August 17, 2023

I'm just here to see if anyone has improved bass by not adding a sub. the stereo is lacking in these trucks but also i've had Ram and Jeep previously with harmon kardon stereo which rocks.