# Upgrade Pioneer Sound System



## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

My Cruze has the Pioneer upgrade which sounds decent for what it is, but I have been finding it lacking lately. What I'd like to do is upgrade the door speakers in it, and possibly add a small sub. I do understand that the amplifier is tuned to the stock speakers.

I'd like to solve is how the factory speakers feel maxed out around volume level 20. I'm not sure if this is caused by the speakers or the amp. From what I understand, it sounds like a pain in the ass to do anything with that Pioneer amp. Has anyone done something similar, or have any suggestions? I'd like to not spend a ton of money on this if possible.


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

jmlo96 said:


> My Cruze has the Pioneer upgrade which sounds decent for what it is, but I have been finding it lacking lately. What I'd like to do is upgrade the door speakers in it, and possibly add a small sub. I do understand that the amplifier is tuned to the stock speakers.
> 
> I'd like to solve is how the factory speakers feel maxed out around volume level 20. I'm not sure if this is caused by the speakers or the amp. From what I understand, it sounds like a pain in the ass to do anything with that Pioneer amp. Has anyone done something similar, or have any suggestions? I'd like to not spend a ton of money on this if possible.


Not really much you can do with the pioneer amp, aftermarket speakers will also be maxed out as the HU/amp is tuned to protect the factory speakers and it won't know better ones are in there.


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## ayyeeeitsammy (Jan 10, 2016)

My '12 2LT has the Upgraded Pioneer System in it as well. Is the only way to get better sound by replacing the Pioneer Amp? What all does that entail? Rewire etc...?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

I ended up replacing my door speakers. The front speakers I got JBL component speakers and the rears I got Rockford Fosgate Prime speakers. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The muddy bass and shrill highs are finally gone, and the rears got some highs to them as well. The speakers don't distort even turned up to about 40, which the stocks used to completely suck at that level.

Now, I would like to note that this is not going to fix the crappy audio dynamics in the rear seat. Bass-y songs are still going to be really strong on the rear 6x9s. The rears are also still significantly quieter than the fronts. I'm considering unplugging the rear 6x9s at some point and getting a dedicated sub for bass duty.

Here are some pictures I took doing the install. It gives an idea of how crappy the stock GM speakers were compared to the new ones. I used the Scosche GM adapter kit to mount the speakers.


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## brendonk22 (Feb 26, 2018)

jmlo96 said:


> I ended up replacing my door speakers. The front speakers I got JBL component speakers and the rears I got Rockford Fosgate Prime speakers. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The muddy bass and shrill highs are finally gone, and the rears got some highs to them as well. The speakers don't distort even turned up to about 40, which the stocks used to completely suck at that level.
> 
> Now, I would like to note that this is not going to fix the crappy audio dynamics in the rear seat. Bass-y songs are still going to be really strong on the rear 6x9s. The rears are also still significantly quieter than the fronts. I'm considering unplugging the rear 6x9s at some point and getting a dedicated sub for bass duty.
> 
> ...


Did you end up getting the sub?


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## brendonk22 (Feb 26, 2018)

Also, this is my post if you have any suggestions: My question is in regards to my 2016 Chevy Cruze Limited 2LT with Pioneer Premium Audio package. To begin, I plan on eventually replacing the front speakers, tweeters, rear, and rear deck speakers. Debating whether or not to change rear 6x9s as I plan on adding a 12" JL Audio Subwoofer in the trunk. 


My first purchase is going to be the front door speakers & potentially the tweeters at the same time. The *passenger side door speaker is blown** and overall everything sounds shitty bc of this. So I first need to replace those front speakers. 


What recommendations do you have for replacement? I don't plan on changing head unit or upgrading stock amp. 


I was told by a local audio shop to get metal tweeters. 
He recommended this for front: 
JL Audio C1-6506-1/2" component speaker system
^ on crutchfield 




Are there better options/suggestions for replacing fronts and tweeters? Keeping stock headunit and stock amp. 
MMAT 6.5 cone rear 
Only found on eBay




Thoughts? Any help would be great. 


Note: I know this topic has been discussed all over here but I couldn't find a solid list of suggestions with links or a list of top options to replace.*


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

brendonk22 said:


> Did you end up getting the sub?


Actually, no. I ended up putting the stock speaker back in. What made the difference was the sound deadening I put in the doors. I got tired of chasing rattles from speaker brackets, and eventually one of the aftermarket speakers blew up. 

If you are unhappy with your system, I highly recommend putting down some sound deadening.


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## brendonk22 (Feb 26, 2018)

Recommendations for sound deadening? 

Any suggestions on what I should replace my fronts with? 

Tweeters?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

brendonk22 said:


> Recommendations for sound deadening?
> 
> Any suggestions on what I should replace my fronts with?
> 
> Tweeters?


Honestly I just went on Amazon and found some sound deadening. It might have been Rockwell? As for the tweeters, I’d honestly leave them. There isn’t much wiring to play with. The ones with the JBL speakers were worse than the stock ones. The factory amp is very picky. GM uses all kinds of odd resistance values.


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## brendonk22 (Feb 26, 2018)

what about for the 6.5' front speakers?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

So a little update to this thread. One of my front factory speakers blew up. I ended up putting in one of the Rockford Fosgate Prime R165x3 I originally had in the rear. I was pleasantly surprised at how much it woke the front of the system up. For a 40 dollar pair of speakers, its a great upgrade. 

Some good things to note:

1) I bought some *Road Kill RKFR6 *"fast rings" to install. These pieces of foam help with the bass and send the sound out the opening of the door panel. Well worth 16 bucks. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076MM4DJV/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2) I bought the *Metra 82-3006* speaker adapter. It worked a lot better than the Spectra one I had prior. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIC6G78/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3) Crutchfield now carries speaker wiring harness adapters for the Cruze. Now you don't need to hack up the factory wires. 

Also Note - I bought some Focal Integration Components to try in the front. That was a big No No. They sounded absolutely horrible and lifeless when powered off the stock Pioneer AMP. 

Now if only I can get some sound to the rear so my passengers don't hear Bass the entire time!


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

jmlo96 said:


> My Cruze has the Pioneer upgrade which sounds decent for what it is, but I have been finding it lacking lately. What I'd like to do is upgrade the door speakers in it, and possibly add a small sub. I do understand that the amplifier is tuned to the stock speakers.
> 
> I'd like to solve is how the factory speakers feel maxed out around volume level 20. I'm not sure if this is caused by the speakers or the amp. From what I understand, it sounds like a pain in the ass to do anything with that Pioneer amp. Has anyone done something similar, or have any suggestions? I'd like to not spend a ton of money on this if possible.


I was wondering what you finally decided to do with upgrading?


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

anthonysmith93 said:


> Not really much you can do with the pioneer amp, aftermarket speakers will also be maxed out as the HU/amp is tuned to protect the factory speakers and it won't know better ones are in there.


So are you saying that there is no benefit to installing a higher quality speaker?


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

jmlo96 said:


> I ended up replacing my door speakers. The front speakers I got JBL component speakers and the rears I got Rockford Fosgate Prime speakers. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The muddy bass and shrill highs are finally gone, and the rears got some highs to them as well. The speakers don't distort even turned up to about 40, which the stocks used to completely suck at that level.
> 
> Now, I would like to note that this is not going to fix the crappy audio dynamics in the rear seat. Bass-y songs are still going to be really strong on the rear 6x9s. The rears are also still significantly quieter than the fronts. I'm considering unplugging the rear 6x9s at some point and getting a dedicated sub for bass duty.
> 
> ...


Were you able to achieve better sound just by replacing speakers on a car with the Pioneer Sound System? Were there any complications, or did you just take out and replace?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Wem51 said:


> Were you able to achieve better sound just by replacing speakers on a car with the Pioneer Sound System? Were there any complications, or did you just take out and replace?


No, actually I tried multiple sets of speakers in the car. They all sounded good while the car was parked. I ended up putting the stock speakers back in. I sold my Cruze, but I found I was happiest with the factory speakers and sound deadening. Sound deadening the doors and trunk made a HUGE difference.


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

Do you have any idea why the sound deadening was of use?


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Wem51 said:


> Do you have any idea why the sound deadening was of use?


Yes, it helps the sound from the speakers stay in the car instead of being lost to outside. It also gets rid of some road noise that interferes with the sound coming from the speakers.


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

jmlo96 said:


> Yes, it helps the sound from the speakers stay in the car instead of being lost to outside. It also gets rid of some road noise that interferes with the sound coming from the speakers.


But it must make the car heavier, and as a result, use more gas?


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## Wem51 (May 8, 2020)

jmlo96 said:


> I ended up replacing my door speakers. The front speakers I got JBL component speakers and the rears I got Rockford Fosgate Prime speakers. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The muddy bass and shrill highs are finally gone, and the rears got some highs to them as well. The speakers don't distort even turned up to about 40, which the stocks used to completely suck at that level.
> 
> Now, I would like to note that this is not going to fix the crappy audio dynamics in the rear seat. Bass-y songs are still going to be really strong on the rear 6x9s. The rears are also still significantly quieter than the fronts. I'm considering unplugging the rear 6x9s at some point and getting a dedicated sub for bass duty.
> 
> ...


Do you still have your Cruze? And if so, do you have any more thoughts or suggestions concerning the Pioneer Sound System? I have a 2016 Cruze with it and plan to upgrade the speakers shortly.


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