# 2012 Cruze 9 speaker premium sound system



## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

search around on here, we all have complained about this.


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## Spiffster (Jul 18, 2011)

I have that same system. Yes, with typical settings it really sucks. Found it odd that volume drops way off when the fade is set further to rear. But fading to rear and turning the volume up gives the sound a different and improved dynamic. I followed some other guys advice here (forget who and I forget the exact settings he used) but I set bass to -2 and fader about 4 notches from all the way to rear. I also set treble almost all the way up and mid-range just a few notches up. Sounds WAY better, just have to crank the volume up... before it was too loud and boomy at 15 now I keep volume around 20. XM still kinda sounds crappy (albeit improved), but thats just XM being crappy to begin with. XM uses a VERY low bit-rate = crap sound.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

Not really into loud music so this doesnt bother me lol. Just try not cranking the volume all the way up and youll be fine. Or just change your door speakers and run an amp ONLY to the door speakers.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

That sucks man, my base system works just fine and sounds pretty good. Hope it gets worked out


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## Kaimumma (Apr 14, 2011)

Yea mine sux ass and I'm to lazy to even consider waiting for a recall....I'm just gonna go with a custom system and the middle speaker on the dash I'll be taking out and putting a gauge pod assembly there.


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## scarletwhite (Aug 27, 2011)

Wow, I hated the Pioneer speakers too but I thought I was just spoiled coming from an Acura premium sound system (2004 but still sounded great! lol).

I test drove a Cruze with the 9 speaker upgrade and one without. This may sound crazy, but I swear I preferred the sound on the base system. I wound up choosing the 2012 LTZ RS with base speakers over the 2011 2LT with premium speakers.

My mom was sitting in the back during both test drives and said she could barely hear the radio in the backseat on the 'upgraded' system (tried a few different settings). She could hear/feel the bumping but no actual music. The base system isn't anything stellar but it sounds just fine to me and at least everybody can hear the radio.


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## Spiffster (Jul 18, 2011)

Has anyone tried my suggestion? I think it sounds great after those adjustments. Fade to rear almost all the way, turn down bass slightly, raise treble almost all the way, mid range slightly raised, and raise volume. Sounds pretty good after that. Give it a try.

This is where I got the idea: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...scussion-forum/3314-first-48-hour-review.html

It works well.


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

I doubt there is anything wrong with the system. Its more tuned for the front passengers. However i think the issue is it takes little volume for the 6x9 subs to have bass and so the rear door speakers are hard to hear. What i did was simply lower the base to -1 so you don't get the lower bass sound as early. This makes the rear door speakers much louder when you turn up the volume before the bass kicks in. GM cars typically have bass that comes on early so you just have to adjust to your liking.


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## Kaimumma (Apr 14, 2011)

What you're saying is very true. Anytime you raise the bass levels of any speaker, the amplifier works much harder which is why in this case the rear doors aren't very loud. For me it doesn't matter because I drive with the seat all the way back anyways and I can't even hear the rear door speakers.


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## Farmer Fran (Jul 27, 2011)

GM has always had horrible sound systems. No suprise here.


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## lacruze (Jul 9, 2011)

i amsuprised to here the complaints. i have the LT RS, and love the sound system even though it did not have the up level sub installed. i have set my TONE best suited for me and bet this may be one the best stock sound system i have owned (except for my Volvo s40 14 speaker 540watt surround sound with rear sub ALL STOCK!!!)​


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## Atoma2 (Jan 7, 2013)

I just got my cruze and noticed the same thing. Has there been a solution yet?


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## jforte27 (Jan 13, 2013)

I've had my '12 Cruze for a few months now and I've brought it back to the dealership twice for just this problem. The first time they pointed out that the way the Pioneer system is wire the rear set (deck and doors) act the same way as the front component speakers do. The speakers in the doors act as tweeters while the 6x9s on the rear deck act as subs. The second time I complained about the volume change at a rattle from the rear deck even with the basss set at -3. Their fix, duct tape. No kidding. I'm shipping around for a new set up now. Probably an infinity system with a Bose baselink. I might just remove the entire rear deck and loose the speakers all together.


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## RoadRage (May 19, 2012)

For XM, you would have to perform the same changes as you did for each input (CD, USB, Radio, etc) since they all have individual settings. And BTW not all stations on XM broadcast with the same bitrate. Shade 45 is higher quality than Radio Disney for example. It all depends on the channel i guess.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

If you are having this issue I would recommend that you contact your dealer and have them look into this for you. I would also like you to keep me posted and if you have any questions or would like my assistance please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

Stacy,
The problem is the system itself. Taking it to a dealer will not solve the problem with the Pioneer system. Many people have complained on this forum about the rear door speakers being barely audible.If we pay an extra $450 for the Pioneer system, all passengers should be able to hear the advantage, not just the driver and front passenger. Its a simple fix, just wish GM would get on top of it.


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## serenityismine (Jun 21, 2013)

BowtieGuy said:


> Stacy,
> The problem is the system itself. Taking it to a dealer will not solve the problem with the Pioneer system. Many people have complained on this forum about the rear door speakers being barely audible.If we pay an extra $450 for the Pioneer system, all passengers should be able to hear the advantage, not just the driver and front passenger. Its a simple fix, just wish GM would get on top of it.


Amen! 

I have a 9 month old in the back and didn't even realize the system was like this for nine months. One day my mother sat in the back and right away said it was uncomfortable, to the point that it gave her a headache right away. I had to turn the base down to -8, which made the front sound tinny. I have been to two dealers five times for this problem, the first three times an outside tech said it was fine, they did nothing. the forth time I got the manager of one of the dealership to sit in the back with me, he didn't stay long because he hated it and agreed that there was something wrong. After that he arranged to have the system looked at again and the amp was replaced.( so they say, because at the time, I did not know the amp was in the trunk and had left the truck full of stuff; stroller and things like that, and when I picked up my car nothing had been moved. I doubt that they put everything in my trunk back the same way it was). I just took it back to the first dealer I bought it from and had them look at it again and same thing. I was told that is the way the system is. So suck it up is pretty much what they have to say.

I don't care about the money I spent or that the system is not the best in the world.

What I do care about is my son! What car company makes a car audio system that makes it uncomfortable for rear passengers to listen to the radio. I have come to the point when I have to turn off the radio when my child is in the car. 

For those of you that will say "its a baby you shouldn't listen to the radio loud" I am well aware of that. When my son is in the car the radio is played at level 18 at the most with T3 M0 B-3 before I knew about the heavy bass. Now I turn the base all the way down.

I have bought gm cars for more then 25 years , 7 to date, but this is making me rethink my loyalty. If a car company cant even get the radio right! 

I love my cruze other then the radio and it would be a shame to sell a car just because of the radio.


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## Onthelo2 (Jul 2, 2012)

Good thing I only sit in the front I love my Pioneer system, nice bass and clean sound although it can't be cranked up with the windows down but either way it is a stock upgrade so it serves its purpose imo.


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## scott allen (May 10, 2013)

My pioneers does the same thing. It sucks might as well not even put speakers in the rear door. No sound, and all the dealer has to say is ... its the way it is?


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## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

The main problem with the Pioneer system is it takes a lot of adjusting to get it to sound good. But when properly adjusted, I think it is well worth the $450 upgrade over the base radio. With my settings, I get very good quality sound from all seating positions in my Cruze, with slightly more bass for rear passengers(but not overwhelmingly so). *Note*: I listen to classic rock/rock mainly, so slight adjustments to your Bass/Mid/Treble may be necessary depending on your music preference, but the fade should be the same.
Bass: +3 clicks from the bottom
Mid: dead center (no adjustment)
Treble: +2 clicks from middle position
Fade: -6 clicks from middle position (towards rear)

A couple of extras: I noticed that if I lean my leg against the door while in the rear seat, my leg blocks the speaker. But if I give a little space by adjusting to a different, but still comfortable, seating position it doesn't block the sound. I imagine this would be a similar problem with the base radio. Yes, rear passengers will get more bass due to the setup of the system speakers (2 rear deck speakers are bass only), but properly adjusting the radio can mitigate this. The Pioneer system creates a forward sound stage, as if you were at a concert. This is why it may feel like the system is so front biased. But when you accept what the system is trying to do, you can enjoy it much more. I personally love the Pioneer sound system in my Cruze and feel it was worth the cost. But I have not really listened to rap or bass oriented music, so it may perform differently with that kind of music. My advice is to take some dedicated time and play around with the settings.


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## killis00 (Feb 18, 2013)

Honda's sound much worse than GM's even with the 4X10's LOL


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## cdncruze (Dec 9, 2012)

I too have the 'premium' setup. The reason I think it sounds the way it does is the fact the speakers are a very low impedance ie: 2.5 ohms, whereas after market speakers tend to run 4-6 ohms. Also the amp appears to have a very early bass crossover, which is fixed so it can't be adjusted to crossover at a higher frequency.
I did disconnect the two 6x9 subs to see if it helped and it improved the sound noticeably. They are both 2.5 ohm rated, meaning it makes driving the bass to them very easy for the amplifier. I'm thinking it did help due to freeing up resources so to speak on the amplifier. Ideally, if the factory amp could be accessed and replaced with a 4 or 6 channel amp, then we as the end user would be able to adjust it accordingly to our tastes.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

cdncruze said:


> I too have the 'premium' setup. The reason I think it sounds the way it does is the fact the speakers are a very low impedance ie: 2.5 ohms, whereas after market speakers tend to run 4-6 ohms. Also the amp appears to have a very early bass crossover, which is fixed so it can't be adjusted to crossover at a higher frequency.
> I did disconnect the two 6x9 subs to see if it helped and it improved the sound noticeably. They are both 2.5 ohm rated, meaning it makes driving the bass to them very easy for the amplifier. I'm thinking it did help due to freeing up resources so to speak on the amplifier. Ideally, if the factory amp could be accessed and replaced with a 4 or 6 channel amp, then we as the end user would be able to adjust it accordingly to our tastes.


If you unhooked the rear 6X9 speakers you just eliminated 99% of what the pioneer upgrade offers(minus the center speaker up front). All other factory speakers are the same.


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## LizzieCruze (Feb 17, 2014)

My 2014 1LT base sound system sounds rather flat. When I received a rental from enterprise due to the right axle recall, I was thrilled at their sound. Very rich sounding. I listen to classical, and it sounded like the orchestra was surrounding me. I tried to mimic it when I went to "visit" my cruze which is sitting in the dealers back lot and could not do it. I will try Spiffster's suggestion and will report back if the sound quality is improved.


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