Pontiac GTO Forum banner

Subwoofer Opinions

17K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  batmans 
#1 ·
Greetings!

I am curious about adding a bigger subwoofer to the system in a 2004 GTO. It sounds like there are a few owners that are not very impressed with that aspect of their Goats.

I do not have the GTO yet; I'm going to save for a few more months and buy a used one this spring. Assuming that the stock system doesn't sound like what I want, I would like to install my current amp and woofer. It sounds pretty good in my current car and I'd love to keep it in use.

My main complaint is that my car rattles a lot when there are big surges of bass. I am worried that the GTO will also suffer from a slight rattle. To be honest, though, my car isn't the sturdiest thing ever built. It's a 1999 Sunfire SE with 222,000 miles on it. ;) Hopefully the GTOs are able to handle it without much noise.

What are your experiences with larger subwoofers in GTOs? I could always have the trunk and doors covered in Dynomat if it is a subtle shake.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any suggestions or opinions.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I have a rockford fosgate shallow p3 12'' in the trunk of my 05 goat the rating that they give them is like 800 watts and the amp is just a cheap 1200 watt sony, but it thumps pretty good and the only thing that rattles is the third brake light in the spoiler simple fix just haven't and thats all the rest sounds great.
 
#4 ·
Larry Kings Shoes,

Its good to see another guy on here saving for his dream car. I'm hoping to hit the highway with a new set of horns in the near future too! ;)

Here's the deal. I typed out a very decently sized message explaining my take on your situation, and of course, as I was concluding the message I bumped the mouse and the window closed. So, sh!t. :/ Anyway, here is the abridged version...

The great thing about new cars (especially those of GTO class which were crafted to be perfect) is that they are tight; there really shouldn't be a whole lot to rattle. I drive a 1999 Mustang GT, (which by no means can be considered "new", but definitely has not been put through the motions of 222,000 miles ;)) and I find that my few "rattle" issues are caused by small things such as my sun-visor or speaker covers. Easy fixes. If you ever get the chance to test-drive a GTO, I'd suggest you burn a CD with some nice bass lines, simply crank the bass up a bit, and watch for any trouble areas. I'm assuming you are looking to install something a WEE bit larger than the factory speakers ;) but this little trick should at least give you an idea of what to expect. Keep in mind that the stock system may distort at a certain level simply because it's not made to run with the bass clocked at 10; ignore the speakers as best you can and listen to the car. As far as the actual installation goes, I'd definitely consider having a professional take a look at it. A guy with the user name Larry Kings Shoes obviously knows his stuff ;) but if you're wanting the perfect tones for the perfect ride, might as well pay the extra buck to know its done right. Just make sure the enclosure gets bolted down and the trunk stays clean of any debris that might vibrate and contribute to the rattle.

As far as Dynomat goes, it can never hurt. A friend of mine, ironically driving a car similar to yours, installed a MASSIVE watting sub in his older car. I mean really, this thing is a beast. Yes, it still rattled the car (and several cars around it) due to its age, but the Dynomat definitely added some shape to the low tones, allowing you to FEEL the bass, without overpowering the vocals, guitar, key-tar, whatever ;).

Save that money, buy that GOAT, and make it bark. ;) Good Luck!
 
#6 ·
We got a future 50 Cent out there looking for a GTO. Sorry I had to.

We have stock subs built in. Just get a slightly bigger amp and some better speakers, how load do you honestly need it to be. Plus the GTO trunk is far from spacious so why take more from it.
 
#7 ·
personally, i think the stock radio is fine...and good luck with a sub box...GM decided to put the gas tank in the back....haha. That i can reccommend is that you pay to upgrade the speakers. i use the exhaust as my radio, but thats just me...;)
 
#8 ·
personally, i think the stock radio is fine...
You're kidding, right? You just might be the only person I've ever heard to say that! Even though I have no desire for a amp/subwoofer setup, for me, the stock radio fails on so many levels. It has no aux input, no USB or memory card slot, won't play MP3's, no RDS or ID3 tags, no pre amp output, etc., etc. Pretty acrhaic even by 2005 standards. My wife's HHR radio is head and shoulders above the GTO stock radio. It was one of the first things I changed. (After the skip shift.)
 
#13 ·
I have a JLW7 in the rear of the trunk along with a Memphis Mojo Amp. the two of them run me about 1500.00 bucks. i drilled three holes into the bars that hold the gas tank in place and have my Amp hanging from those bars. Amp doesnt move at all. Then i have the Bad A$$ W7 right behind it. If you like Music and you can go about your business without lugging around some extra junk, then install your Music. I do not carry anything in my car at all, other than myself and my radio. maybe a passanger once in a while :)
good luck with finding cars and keep us posted!
 
#16 ·
I'm assuming that you would need a stronger amp then too? And could the amp be placed where the stocker is without overheating?
 
#20 · (Edited)
batmans said:
I know with Bose it's a closed loop system. All Bose or nothing.
Not sure what you mean by that. I have an aftermarket head unit with the stock speakers and I've seen GTOs with the stock Blaupunkt unit with aftermarket speakers. If it truly was Bose then the statement would make sense to me having been through that with the Bose system in my wife's Infiniti.
 
#21 ·
You can swap out speakers however to add any external amplification you would have to gut the whole stock system, And you guys do realize are radio is a Blaupunkt not Bose right? But make sure id you swap speakers that you have an equivalent or higher rated ohm speaker.

As far as subs the right thing would be to put the gas tank in the proper place(under the car) and make a false floor.....

Honestly though, a 12 sub in a truck box is prefect in the corner of the trunk not to mention the goat has AWESOME cabin gain :)
 
#24 ·
1 small GoaT's elaborations didn't really need to be given much creedence here since they don't really address the initial question and and then add further confusion by answering a question about Bose which took the thread somewhat off track. I was just thanking you (MJ) for the correction as I did also say 'Bose' when I meant 'Blaupunkt' based on that misinformation and subsequent rambling about buying an amp, etc. Simple answer if you're not building a complete system but rather just changing the speakers or head unit: Blaupunkt systems are considerably less proprietary than Bose systems. Blaupunkt units will work with other speakers and other brand units will work with Blaupunkt speakers. Bose? Not so much.
 
#25 ·
I really wasn't talking to yo lol, you just happened to post when i was making my next post. I'm not mad at you just the damn flu bug called misinformation... hope we can be :cool

I have to admit I'm still vary confused where Bose came from when it says Blaupunkt in white letters in your car LOL, bose can be a hit or a miss I would rather just gut stock Bose system than try to integrate, You want complicated mess with a monsoon :( use the wrong ohm speakers and POOF goes that ch.
And all threads get Off topic at some point :(...... My bad
 
#26 ·
I knew you weren't talking to me and I didn't think you were mad. I was responding to the guy who 'bashed on Bose' (his words). I thanked you for reminding us that OEM was Blaupunkt rather than Bose. You weren't the one who took us off on that tangent. I removed the Blaupunkt about 3 days after I bought the GTO so the brand name wasn't clear in my mind. A couple of years ago, I had dealt with problems with a Bose system during an upgrade on my wifes Infiniti J30 so I had crossed up the names.
 
#30 ·
This is the last thing I'll say about this since there is such misunderstandig going in this thread. 2004-2006 GTOs don't have a Bose system. I only mentioned my wife's car because Bose was mentioned. The OP wanted to install a better subwoofer. He can do that. He has said 'thank you' and moved on. We need to do the same. All of the rest of this superfluous 'expertise' is really unnecessary.....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top