Is the Monsoon system really that bad in F-bodys?

**david_viny** · 05-17-2009, 03:46 PM

I personally think its fine except for needing some bass. My friend has a 2000 Pontiac GTP and thinks his system is head over heals better then mine. We have the SAME EXACT head unit accept it doesn't say Monsoon in the corner, probably the same speakers too. Now my car is louder then his with some rear end whine and the exhaust so that's why I'm guessing he thinks mine sux, the sound does get lost with those noises if its on real quiet. Crank it up with a CD in there and it sounds great too me.

He claims that the tweeter being way up near the dash makes the difference, I agree that is probably a better place but I'm not hearing the difference really.

IDK whats your guys opinions lol? Am I in denial and his system pwns mine?

**Poppn** · 05-17-2009, 04:17 PM

My first car was a 77 beetle with no radio.

Second car was a 74 nova with no radio.

Third car was a 85 firebird with a broken head unit. Swapped in a sony cheapie and some craptastic 4x6's in the dash. It worked, but sounded like ass. At least I was getting somewhere!

Fourth car is my 99 camaro. It's got the Monsoon system in it. To me it sounds AFREAKINGMAZING. That's probably because this is my first car with a REAL sound system in it.

**cj3489** · 05-17-2009, 06:37 PM

i must say i'm a little disappointed in the monsoon system... i blew the speaker behind the seat..... everyone says it's good... it gets the job done... but not impressive IMO....

**ksstamp09** · 05-17-2009, 06:42 PM

mine sounded good at first. till the speakers started blowin.

**JaycenK** · 05-18-2009, 06:41 AM

Stock units are good enough for most people. I had the Bose in my 99GTP sounded great untill you really crank on it. That’s when most people say it sucks, but I don't like the fact that amp tech has been so old school for years, Big ass amps that don't really have a lot of mounting options to them. Now days the amps are getting way better because they are finally getting smaller and more stealth with places you can mount them simply because people have been modding these things for years. I just don't like components getting in the way of the functionality of the car or truck but if you know what you are doing and use the right stuff you can make a clean install and make it sound like the difference between the 60's mono radio's and a modern surround sound system and not even tell there has been anything done.

**KahanaReef** · 05-18-2009, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by david_viny

I personally think its fine except for needing some bass. My friend has a 2000 Pontiac GTP and thinks his system is head over heals better then mine. We have the SAME EXACT head unit accept it doesn't say Monsoon in the corner, probably the same speakers too. Now my car is louder then his with some rear end whine and the exhaust so that's why I'm guessing he thinks mine sux, the sound does get lost with those noises if its on real quiet. Crank it up with a CD in there and it sounds great too me.

He claims that the tweeter being way up near the dash makes the difference, I agree that is probably a better place but I'm not hearing the difference really.

IDK whats your guys opinions lol? Am I in denial and his system pwns mine?

I had mine put up top. I like it better. Stock speakers are gone. And, my HU is fine until I find 1.5 DIN that I really like. May never happen. There are a lot of double DIN's out there that I like though

**VENOMOUS** · 05-18-2009, 07:25 AM

The Monsoon stereo system F'n rocks! Most of you who are complaining probably do have blown/missing/nonfunctional speakers. The subwoofers behind you in the passenger seat area are 6.5" and do get dry rotted. Come on though they are 10-11 years old in some cases! I had bought a Brand new 98 TA and Brand new 99Ta both of which were Monsoon and rocked for not having a dedicated "system " in there. Many people thought it had a box or something with big 10's or the such. When they realized it was factory and contained no box or big power robbing amp, they were shocked.
Now I bought an 02' WS6 used and you guessed it the subs were blown. I checked around and I think Kicker and Infinity are the only ones that make a replacement speaker in 2 ohm like the Monsoon is. I went ahead and replaced mine with a pair from the dealer brand NEW, and to my amazement it sounded like my TAs I had bought new! Great investment and if they last another 5 years or so I'll be happy with my investment.

**Smittro** · 05-18-2009, 08:34 AM

I guess it's a loaded question. LOL I call it the Monsoontobebroken! Never had a factory GM system that was'nt a POS. Just my opy but their just not worth pissin' with when there are so many much nicer and better quality head units out there.

**pajeff02** · 05-18-2009, 05:01 PM

For a factory stereo, I think the Monsoon sounds pretty good. I had one blown speaker that I had to replace after we purchased the car and it has been fine since. I will not be abusing the system -- unless my daughter gets her fingers on the volume control. As noted, the staging could be a little better, but it plays loud, plays clear, and I have no plans to replace or upgrade it.

**Firebirdjones** · 05-18-2009, 06:28 PM

I like it. Sounds fine to me in my car. When we bought my wifes 4th gen someone pulled all that stuff out and installed some high end thumpin stereo, with an amp that filled the entire rear deck.
I pulled all that crap out and put the car back together with the factory monsoon setup too,,,,couldn't be happier,,,,and now we have trunk space again

**ZedTwoEight** · 05-19-2009, 01:49 PM

When my '99 Z28 was new, I was pretty impressed with the Monsoon system. But after about 4 years, the CD player started skipping/stopping/acting up, and about a year after that the speakers got a little buzzy. So just this last weekend, I finally replaced the head unit with a new Blaupunkt. I cant believe how much better it sounds than the Monsoon unit, even through the stock speakers. My main point is that I thought the weak spots in the Monsoon were the CD mechanism and the speakers, Now, I think the whole Monsoon system must be pretty weak.

**palmharbor** · 05-24-2009, 05:25 AM

Remember that GM charged on the sticker about $700 for that system. My third
power amp went out this week. Other than used, they are not available for purchase.
They made about $650 profit on each customer just for the radio. I would guess
that the 2010 Camaro has the same Delco/Bose stereo. It would be better if they gave you a choice between 3 different manufactures. VW used to use GMs Monsoon and they dumped it.

**guitarjay76** · 05-24-2009, 07:13 AM

My only complaint is a blown driver's side door speaker in mine. Had no problems until one day I was listening to Metallica. When that first drum beat hit on One, it was toast. Probably my own fault. lol.

**anniversary30** · 05-24-2009, 07:21 AM

I had two 96's with the old monsoon and 2 LS1"s with the newer version and thought they all sounded great.

**Firebirdjones** · 05-24-2009, 07:31 AM

Originally Posted by anniversary30

I had two 96's with the old monsoon and 2 LS1"s with the newer version and thought they all sounded great.

Yep, both of ours currently have it too. I don't have a problem with it. Although we don't put emphasis on stereo's and don't care for the boom thing. If it plays well enough to hear it I'm happy. Even with the top down it's fine for us. I really didn't buy these cars for the stereo's anyway.

**palmharbor** · 05-24-2009, 09:05 AM

Does anyone buy ANY car just for the sound system? I never heard of it. When
you lay down good money for a car you deserve better and that's why GM
is bankrupt. Where the Japanese think how can we make it better, GM always
thought, how can be get away with making it cheaper.
By the way, hold on to your money, within 6 months GM will be offering
big rebates on the 2010 Camaro which is actually imported from Canada

**allbaugh_04** · 05-24-2009, 09:14 AM

Replace all the speakers with good quality speakers and get an aftermarket head unit. It's the best sounding stereo i've had in a car. Granted I've only owned a few cars.

My friend has a T/A and asked what I did with my stereo, he was really impressed.

**SiggyZ** · 05-24-2009, 09:27 AM

For a factory system, the Monsoon is pretty good (the HU and amp). The real problem is the speakers. They really aren't all that great in quality and can go out easily. I've had it happen plenty to mine. My two door speakers went bust and I replaced them with my MB Quart Reference Series speakers and the difference is night and day. At some point, all of the speakers throughout the car will be replaced.

**allbaugh_04** · 05-24-2009, 09:35 AM

I think you'll be as happy as I am when you finally do. Make sure you get some with a high sensitivity rating. Mid 90s is decent. They'll play louder with less power.

**SiggyZ** · 05-24-2009, 09:41 AM

I'd honestly like to go with MB Quart all around. They make great speakers.

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

I think you'll be as happy as I am when you finally do. Make sure you get some with a high sensitivity rating. Mid 90s is decent. They'll play louder with less power.