Anyone else dissapointed with the 09 Monsoon sound?

[jerzVibe09]

I thought this setup would rock. But its very weak on bass, lacks good midrange and feels underpowered. So dissapointed. If it weren't for the cars warranty, I'd rip it out and replace it.

[rdnzl]

Oh come on now...it isn't THAT bad.Sure is won't play your hip hop, boom boom, style music at volume levels that knock people off the sidewalk, but for a "factory" stereo, it's decent enough.

[jerzVibe09]

I play alot of classic rock, but I have three new cars and this stereo is the worst of them all! My Infinity stereo is so crisp and clear. My Honda factory stereo (not even the upgraded one) is better as well.

[kunkstyle]

I wasn't impressed with the premium sound in the 06's either. What does your car's warranty have to do with installing a new stereo?

[jerzVibe09]

Adding electrical components can void the 5 yr/100k mile warranty.

[keithvibe]

BULL!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...y_Act

[jerzVibe09]

Haha I don't think Pontiac reads wikipedia. It states in the manual that electrical components not added by the dealer can void the warranty. Personally, my lawyers aren't as good as Pontiacs and I want them to fix my car not argue with me if it brakes.

[DeClerq]

Only if the component you installed causes the failure. If you replace your radio and a month later your transmission blows - they can't deny your warranty because of the new radio. If, on the other hand, you somehow get all your wires crossed and fry the electrical system, then they can deny warranty coverage because it was directly related to what you did.

[kunkstyle]

Yeah, I wouldn't be too worried about a sub and head unit voiding your warranty...

[rationalnihilist]

I wouldn't drop an extra 1+ KW on a stock electrical system though.

[DarkVibe]

Quote, originally posted by jerzVibe09 »I thought this setup would rock. But its very weak on bass, lacks good midrange and feels underpowered. So dissapointed. If it weren't for the cars warranty, I'd rip it out and replace it.do you have the 7 speakers, with the bass in the hatch area? have you adjusted the equalizer yet?

[viewwin]

I wish you could adjust the sub volume by itself. I know it is only a 50W 8", but most receivers today include sub volume control.

[kunkstyle]

8"? They increased the sub size in the 09's?

[viewwin]

It looks like a 6.5 to me, but dealers and reviewers on the internet claim a 8". How hard is it to remove the trim covering the sub?

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by viewwin » How hard is it to remove the trim covering the sub?ON an 09 or pre 09?Pre09:You have to remove the top piece first in order to do that you need to remove the seat belt bolt with a 14mm socket. Once you have that removed you need to pull away the rear door rubber gaskets and then pop open the rear hatch and pull back the rubber gasket. Then start to pry the trim piece from the top and work your way around the outside edged of the trim. It should pop off.Once the top piece if off then you can remove all the rear cargo trim cover pieces with a 10mm socket. Then you need to remove all the tie downs with a 10mm socket. once you have those out it should pop off

[jerzVibe09]

Quote, originally posted by DarkVibe »do you have the 7 speakers, with the bass in the hatch area? have you adjusted the equalizer yet?Yea, I have the 7 speakers. I adjusted the equalizer.

[vibolista]

Wow, that back panel is a snap to remove. A few more bits and you'd have the rest of the rear interior out. Hope it goes back in easily!

[jerzVibe09]

are u planning on doing something with the sub?

[vibolista]

On another thread, I mentioned that I was a little disappointed with my Monsoon. It's ok, but I think it could be much better. We should try to get anyone with experience at improving this sound system to share what mods they have made. I understand that speaker quality and upping the wattage will help. Would be great to find out what some of the genvibers have done so far. We might be able to build a quick and dirty database of what works and what may not, including some instruction and how to's. That could make it easier for us to find ways to add some sonic quality to the Monsoon.

[rdnzl]

On the way home tonight, I listened to some Rammstein, and cranked it up. It goes plenty loud for me, and sounded fine. Lots of guitar, bass, and drums. Not audiophile quality, but good enough for me.

[rdnzl]

And remember, its not just the stereo you are paying for,Sun & Sound Package - $1,285Monsoon audio system CD player reads MP3; Seven upgraded speaker(s) Monsoon; Glass electric tilting sliding front sunroof with sunshade and one-touch opening; Luxury trim alloy & leather on gearknob; Leather covered multi-function steering wheel; Steering wheel mounted remote audio controls; Requires: [PCM] Preferred Package; Excludes: [ULA] AM/FM Stereo w/CD Player

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by rdnzl »And remember, its not just the stereo you are paying for,I've never seen so much love for a stock sound system

[vibolista]

I better go sit in an 09 and try to hear the music. My 08 probably doesn't measure up. Never said the Monsoon (M&T) is bad. But there must be some easy and less than expensive improvements we can make to push the sound quality up a notch or two. I haven't looked at the speakers yet, are they paper or plastic? I would guess that GeeEm stuck a low end speaker in the doors? I don't want to spend a bundle on any of this... but would be good to know what improvements can be made that actually work.

[rdnzl]

It won't sound like the $3000 system in the soon-to-be deaf guy's Vibe. That's for sure.

[yak]

Quote, originally posted by vibolista »On another thread, I mentioned that I was a little disappointed with my Monsoon. It's ok, but I think it could be much better. We should try to get anyone with experience at improving this sound system to share what mods they have made. I would also find this helpful. I'm pretty unimpressed with the Monsoon system, but I don't really want to swap out the HU and give up OnStar & factory appearance.

[smithtlw]

Can someone confirm for me that the sub in the '09 is tied to the front channels only? When I fade to the rear speakers the sub level drops completely. I was hoping to fade to the rear in order to get a little more bass with respect to the front speakers. Boy, are those rear speakers pathetic!

[goochsmooch]

I only bought the base stereo for the 09, and it too, sucked big time. The speakers are paper and the magnet is the size of a nickel. I've read that the Monsoon speakers are only a small improvement.I bought a 4 channel Sony Slim amp and had it mounted in with the spare (I'll post pics soon). Then I put in some higher-end Clarion speakers in the doors and it sounds AMAZING. No adjustments to the stock appearnce were made. Of course, I'm a sub woofer short of the full experience, but I promise that my 4 quality aftermarket speakers, properly powered, provide a much better listening experience than the Monsoon package that I listened too at the dealerhsip.I would just replace all the speakers with aftermarket and get an amp that can power most (if not all) of the speakers. You can wire the head unit to power a couple speakers if you need to. The open air woofer is a joke. I would do without or mount a proper box or fiberglass enclosure in it's place. Of course, all of this might be easier to swallow if you didn't already pay for a "premium" sound system that came up crappy. I would have been in the same boat, but I wanted the 1.8L engine so I couldn't get the Monsoon.

[jerryn]

I've got an 09 GT vibe.. I listen to stuff like "Theory of a dead man", Audioslave, Nickleback, AC/DC, Deep Purple... this is what you need to do to get the best sound.. and my results.. not bad at all.On your radio's equaiizer.. bass up all the way, midrange.. down all the way then.. up one, treble up all the way. Next I use my Ipod Classic. Set your IPOD classic to "Classical", "Rock" or Bass Boost.. use your preference. Use the Aux in, Turn the volume up on the Ipod about 98%. The Monsoon has decent dynamic range that's for sure. I tested with Tom Petty's "Saving Grace" volume on the head unit up 80%... not bad! You could hear the volume build up just like you would on a decent home unit. I also played Smoke On the Water and Lazy by Deep Purple... It sounded great! If you don't have much bass or if it sounds bad then you might have something wrong with your amp. The amplifier is under the passenger seat. XM radio does not have good dynamic range... so if you are comparing XM.. do yourself a favor, don't renew your subscription, rip your cd collection at 320k bit rate and dump those to an Ipod. That's what I did.