Most aftermarket headunits put out 14 or 22 watts, so the stock headunit is probably around 10 watts or so. The speakers will definitely sound better than the stock speakers are will probably get louder, but don't expect miracles. In the future you could always upgrade to an aftermarket headunit and/or an amp which will get the speakers quite a bit louder.

 

If I buy a alpine 18 watt radio , will I blow a fuse ? , since it is a 10 watt fuse ?

 

When I bought my 02 TB all 4 speakers were blown, I robbed the ones out of my 96 Blazer. (which is down for now) I had no idea what was in the blazer. They were Kenwood coaxials and Blaupunkt coaxials. I put the Kenwoods up front with the factory tweeters and put the Blaupunkts in the rear. It sounds fabulous now. Lots of bass response and nice highs. I have the non Bose system. Other than it not being Mp3 capable i'm happy with it. A nice set of speakers will do wonders for the truck even with the stock unit.

 

speakers



:iagree: I did this once in a van , put Rockford Fosgate 6x9 in the doors on the standard factory radio and the difference was unbelievable , definetly worth it if you don't want the head unit replaced .

 

Thanks for the replies. I am going to install the Front speaker tomorrow, I will let you know how they sound with the factory unit. I'm hoping for more mid range and high tones and a bit more volume.

I desperately NEED an aux input to plug in my mobile device. Streaming is the only way I listen to music anymore. Anyone have any exp with connecting an aux input to the factory unit?

I can't remember the last time I used by single CD player. It's funny when I bought my TB new in 2002, I was a little freaked out that it didn't have a cassette player

 

I would like installing an FM modulator behind the radio (plugs directly into the antenna input) they typically sound MUCH better than the ones that plug into a cig lighter socket and broadcast a small radio signal. They should have either a mini jack for must mp3 units or some will have an ipod connector.

 

Hey - did you put in the speakers? WHat do you think? I have a 2002 no Bose and I am thinking about swapping out the 2 Fronts too. I would love to hear about any issues you had, thoughts, or suggestions.

 

Sorry for not posting sooner. I installed the pair of Pioneer TS-G1643R two-way 30RMS speakers in my Front door panel. The installation was very simple (thanks to another TrailVoy thread with step by step pics). Taking off the door panel can be done in 2 minutes, just be careful with the "sail" snap (upper front), I broke the clip on one of them.

Since I got the speakers from Crutchfield, I followed most of their directions for removing the old speaker. My ONE takeaway is that you should NOT remove the black cloth/mesh from the front of the stock speaker. Don't pull the glue/tape off of it. If you don't leave this on then the new speaker will not have any protection from inside your car, except for the door panel. Not a huge deal, but I quickly learned this on the first speaker I installed. You have to re-use the stock speaker bracket/mount. You can just unscrew the old speaker (without removing the black protection cover) and also punch out the old tweeter and cut the wires. I had to use a drill bit to make the hole bigger in the bracket so that I could run the new wiring through the hole to the new speaker (not a big deal, but it wasn't in the Crutchfield instructions).

The sound is a nice improvement. These are not high-end speakers, but a much better sounding speaker than the junk stock speakers I had. There is quit a bit more base coming from the new front speakers as compared to the rear, I have to lower the base quit a bit on the head unit or else they sound to unbalanced. I am going to get another pair and replace the rear, this should also take care of the different base volumes in the speakers.

The new speakers do sound louder and clearer, but would still like more volume. I can turn my dial all the way up and tolerate the sound. They do start to crack a little when you really crack it.

My next addition is to replace the rear speakers, get a cheap amp and hook it up to my factory head unit. I think the sound quality will improve drastically and it will give me some extra volume. It would be nice to take advantage of the full 30 RMS in these guys.

I am also considering adding Bluetooth phone and audio kit for Trailblazer - Parrot MKi9200. It will take by single CD player away, but who cares, right? I stream all my music anyhow.
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_333MKI9200/Parrot-MKi9200.html?tp=8395

Has anyone used the MKi92000 before?

 

The first 5 watts of any system is the most important.

ANY head deck with power can drive a speaker.

The difference is how clean the speaker is being driven.

Distortion blows speakers, not power.

However, if you buy a $50-$100 used name brand amp off ebay and hook it up properly, you will get MUCH better quality out of any aftermarket speaker.

JMO.

 

Hey Wielder, thanks for the info, it'll be helpful. Good to know there was a quality increase. I am looking more to increase quality than sheer volume. I will keep the tip about maintaining the covering intact.

So many options . As I research this it looks like (keeping it on the simple side, and lower end of the financial spectrum) there are a few options. I would like to keep the stock head unit, and maintain most of the free space in the rig. That basically leaves under the front seats, in the dash, or in the doors.

I can keep it simple and just put coaxials in.

I can do the same (2 ways), and consider using a small powered sub under the seat. Maybe be able to put a crossover somehow (?) and have ony the mids and highs go to the coaxials.

I can buy components, and try and run them off the stock head unit. Or do the same but try and add a small amp (off the stock HU) and put that under the seat instead of the small sub. Is there a reason you didn't go this route (components) since you are planning on the external amp? Am I wrong that the stock speaker is a component style setup?

I'm still in research mode, but your thread has been good. Thanks for posting.

 

It depends on how much current the alpine radio pulls. Look at the radio's specifications and you should be able to find out how much current it will pull.

Also, watts (W) equals volts (V) times current (I), so W = V x I so for a 12 V circuit, 18 watts requires at least 1.5 amps. Since 18 watts is the output power of the radio, you need to at least double the output power to figure out what the input power is (this also includes a small safety factor). So, the input power will be at least 36 watts. So, 36 watts divided by 12 volts gives you 3 amps of input current.

Also, fuses are rated in amps, not watts.

My best advice is to go to crutchfield.com to find out what radio will work with your vehicle since EVERYTHING in your vehicle is computer controlled and if you just willy-nilly install any ole' radio, you risk doing serious damage to one of the control modules which means major trouble and expensive repairs. These are not the vehicles of your father's era where you could just wire in any ole' radio you found at the pawn shop and the set of speakers you bought at K-Mart or Woolco.

Good Luck!