| Re: Later stock stereo; other GM cars compatibility; CD mechanism replacement; etc. |
Subject: Re: Later stock stereo; other GM cars compatibility; CD mechanism replacement; etc. by bogus on 2012/4/22 17:02:07 This is a good time for a general refresher on 1990-1996 Corvette audio system topography. 1. There is a head unit. 2. There is a receiver/amp/line driver module. 3. There are speaker/amp modules. On the base Delco system, the head unit talks to the receiver/amp/line driver module. In this installation, this module is a receiver/amp and powers speakers directly. On the Bose system, the head unit also talks to the receiver/amp/line driver module, but in this installation, the module is a receiver/line driver and the speakers are powered by small amps, one with each speaker module. No matter the system, all head units are dumb and compatible with each other. If you have a base Delco, you can install a Bose based CD head unit and it will work fine, for all years . The only real difference is color of the silk screening. Speakers are not all the same, they differ for coupe vs convertible, there was a power bump in 92 so. And, very important, 1990 speaker modules were HARD WIRED. As for internals, I would be interested in knowing what is interchangeable. If another CD transport can be retrofitted, that would be cool. I am sure a to of other units are available out on the used market for chump change. One final thought, this topography is, to the very best of my knowledge, unique to the Corvette. I don't even think the Cadillac systems were of this nature. This means if you wish to update to an all new GM head unit from a later vehicle, it could be tricky. Also make sure that the new system doesn't have secondary controllers and things like that... The C5, and newer, Bose system is totally different, and would require a thorough retrofit to make work. And, to be honest, wouldn't be worth it. I would rather focus on aftermarket before that, or, a GM luxury car audio system - Buick or Cadillac. |
