I have a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. I know on my 1997 Cavalier, it had 10 ohm speakers. I wanted to buy some speakers (behind the seat box speakers) to put in my truck. However, short of tearing apart my truck, I don’t know what the ohm rating is on the stereo that GM is putting in new vehicles, or if there is such a device that would allow me to unhook the rear speakers and hook the wires up to a 4 ohm box (assuming the speakers I have are 10 ohm). Any help or ideas are appreciated. However, I do not want to change out my radio. I have had bad luck in the past with aftermarket units, and I am really happy with the head unit I have now, with the exception that the speakers are crap.
Go to a store like Circuit City and tell them you want some better speakers for your vehicle. I’ll bet they know what the impedance of the existing units are.
You can use speakers of a different impedance by using a matching transformer. The ratio of the old impedance to new impedance tells you what type of transformer you need. For example using 8 ohm speakers instead of 4 ohm requires a 2 to1 transformer.
Where would I get such a transformer? I didn’t know anything like that actually existed.
Radio Shack (RS) carries some, although they might not have the ratio you need. You mentioned 4 ohm and 10 ohm speakers, so you’d need a transformer with a turns ratio of 2.5 to 1. Looking at their on-line catalog, I don’t see anything suitable. You have to have a transformer robust enough to carry the power.
The Mouser Electronics catalog I have here doesn’t seem to have any that are rated for move than 1/2 watt of so.
A good car stereo shop may have something.
I appreciate your help, however, Crutchfield made no reference to the impedance matching for my Cavalier, so I have little confidence that they got it right on my truck, since I’m working on the assumption that GM had not reason to change. Unless I’m missing something I couldn’t find enclosures for speakers that would fit behind my seat (better speakers will probably make my plastic interior rattle)
Side note:
The year in the topic title is correct, not the post. I just now realized I posted it was a 2002 when it is really a 2001.
There is nothing particularly unique about the stereo system in your truck—just a radio with the amplifier built in, and four regular speakers. (Well, six, if you count the separate tweeters in the doors.)
Also, the impedance rating (in ohms) of a speaker isn’t measured by some exact scientific method; it’s just a rough guess—that’s why they often refer to it as “nominal impedance.” The speaker’s actual impedance will vary depending on the frequency (pitch) of the sound being fed to it.
Anyway, I’ve never had a problem using standard 4-ohm speakers on any GM stereo. The bigger issue is that most large box-type speakers are rather inefficient, and you’re not likely to get much output by driving them directly off your factory radio…but you wouldn’t hurt anything by trying.
And you said you also want to disconnect the existing rear speakers, right? You can simply unplug them, and hook your new speaker box up to the existing wires. Also, there are readily available adapters that plug into the factory speaker wires back there, so there’s no need to cut up the factory wiring—just go into the install department of your local Best Buy or Circuit City and ask for a pair of speaker harnesses for your car; they’re only around $5.
But as I said, you’re probably going to want to use an outboard amplifier to provide adequate power to your speaker box. And there’s no need to replace your high-quality factory radio either. Almost all amplifiers today accept speaker-level inputs----meaning the speaker outputs from any radio can be fed right into the amp----and if the amp doesn’t have the inputs, there are separate adapters available to do the same thing.
There are also products like the Infinity BassLink and the Bazooka tubes, which come with their own built-in amplifier. I think they’re pricey for what you get, but they’re decently made, compact, and easy to install.
I’d also suggest you visit the forums at www.carsound.com; I’m a regular there too. The Audio forums are useful for determining what gear to buy, and you can go to the Troubleshooting forum for installation advice.
If I may ask, what is your reason for wanting to install a speaker box? There must be something unsatisfactory about your current system; what is it? Do you need it to be louder, or have more bass, or better sound quality, or some combination of all those things? Also, is the truck regular or extended cab?
And is Moody, Texas anywhere near Rowlett? One of the other regulars at carsound.com is in Rowlett, and he is very knowledgeable.
Hmm… that’s pretty much what the guy an Circuit City told me this weekend, which surprised me, since I thought the ohm rating was fairly important.
Hmm… I’d never considered that. I was just thinking that the boxes I were looking at were simply a three-way speaker setup. I wasn’t looking at bass boxes or anything of the like. Although I was told if I didn’t replace the front speakers with matching ohm ratings, it would sound funny. If I go to that trouble I’d probably just replace the rear speakers as well and add some dynomat to keep the rear pillars from vibrating (one of my main complaints, in addition to sound quality)
I just want better sound quality, possibly slightly louder. As I stated before I want to eliminate some of the rattling of the plastic pillars that my speakers are housed in. BTW, it’s a regular cab.
I don’t think so, since I don’t know where Rowlett is, but I could be wrong.