Stereo... Why do they sound so BAD?

[larry milo]

What's up with the sound? I have not heard a good stock Viper radio yet!

 

[Silver Snake]

I have not heard a good stock Viper radio yet!

And you never will. They are all sub-par. They are all the same. Doesn't bother me though, I just roll down the windows and enjoy sound that comes from mashing down the go pedal!

Mark

 

[2001 Sapphire Blue]

Same with the exhaust...you gotta upgrade!! You pay for a huge motor and never-ending thrills!

 

[CROM]

I actually think my stock stereo sounds pretty good.

 

[Phil Lee 94 red RT]

cheap speakers for a start. Change them first.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

You pay for a huge motor and never-ending thrills!

Exactly.

Dodge's biggest mistake was putting a stereo in the Viper. They should have just routed wires and let people put their own system in.

 

[ChicagoGTS]

Who needs a stereo? I make my own music! It goes something lik this: Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh pop pop pop crackle crackle!!!

 

[MichaelP]

I actually think my stock stereo sounds pretty good.

ditto here

 

[01sapphireGTS]

For a stock system, mine sounds very good. A 200W external Alpine amp is fine for those speaker sizes. Of course you can go the MB Quart component rout with larger amp(s), but I'm not cutting into this car. The GTS acoustics are probably much better than the RT's... (guessing)

 

[VIPR GTS]

Stereo? Is that what that thing is on the dash? The motor and exhaust should be all you need to listen to, sweet music.

 

[SNKEBIT]

Who needs a stereo? I make my own music! It goes something lik this: Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh pop pop pop crackle crackle!!!

we don need no steenking stereo

 

[unreelviper]

I went to an aftermarket stereo(Kenwood KVT911DVD). It was a little expensive but at least I can hear some nice tunes while traveling.I can watch DVD's,listen to C.D.'s or listen to the radio while driving. Well, at least my passenger will be comfortable while I'm driving."You have to pay to play"!

 

[ViperJohn]

The stock system is pretty pitiful, especially in a RT/10. Changing speakers would probably make most sense because mainly the problem is distortion.

 

[AG98RT10]

cheap speakers for a start. Change them first.

That's for sure. I spent about a grand on my RT and probably could have gotten 90 percent of the sound with just speakers. The built-in unit and amp is OK, just needs decent speakers.

For those with interest, I put in a new Alpine head unit with ACC-input so I could run my XM Roady, a new Alpine amp in the rear, and Boston Accoustic Pro's in the doors and a 6.5 inch Rockford Fosgate sub in the center.

Still doesn't have much bass, and when the engine is running, the stereo is not particularly great sounding (sounds really nice when it's off, doh). But the headers and Borlas make up for it!

 

[GraphiteGTS]

IMHO it's a race car. Vettes have nice stereos. Vipers have acceleration. I wouldn't care if my car had no stereo. I don't need amps, cruise control, pwr seats, and dual climate control. I trade those for power, noise, wheelspin, and an outrageous crazy fast and unusual car.
(No need to trash my thoughts. This works for me, I didn't say it would for you.)
Like a Harley at idle, the best music comes from the pipes.

 

[93Cobra]

I agree with GraphiteGTS. Allthough a good stereo would be cool, it does not really bother me and I used to have a $4k stereo in my previous car....

 

[Photo pro]

Hey AG98RT10,
Thanks for the detail on your installation. Could I change the speakers or do I need a pro installation? I heard that the stock amp only works on the stock speakers???

 

[garolittle]

The cupholders are lousy too.

 

[CROM]

The automatic skirt blowers aka ***** Exposers are quite nice however!

 

[mit]

I actually drive my car every day. No matter how much you love the sound of your motor, sometimes you get stuck in stop and go traffic. Sometimes you end up driving 30 miles on the highway in 5th gear at 80 miles an hour without accelerating. Sometimes you wait in the car for your woman to finish shopping and want to crank tunes.

It is completely reasonable to want a decent stereo for the times you aren't gunning it. This predictable knee **** reaction to the effect of: "stereo. who needs a stereo. I just hit the go pedal" is patronizing and annoying.

Replace the speakers. Upgrade the amp. Both can be done without drilling a single hole in the car. I would also recommend running new speaker wire.
There is no need for rear speakers. You can't hear them when the car is running. In a GTS you can put a sub in the back. In either a GTS or RT/10 you can have a subwoofer put in the passenger foot well. I have a GTS with that setup. It added 30 lbs to the car and sounds phenomenal. It's not for everyone. You can interface the factory radio to any aftermarket amp if you build a DIN to RCA cable adaptor off the factory deck. You are probably better off also upgrading the factory deck.

 

[GraphiteGTS]

I'm thinking abount one of those JC Whitney 12V automobile coffee pots so I can have a cup in the staging lane. Fuzzy dice are neat. Does Woodhouse sell fender skirts?
Maybe a peppy stereo does make sense.
P.S. Is the radio that unit in the middle of the dash with all the buttons? How does it turn on?

 

[AG98RT10]

Hey AG98RT10,
Thanks for the detail on your installation. Could I change the speakers or do I need a pro installation? I heard that the stock amp only works on the stock speakers???

I replied to this once, but it's not showing, ***? Anyway, to summarize what I already sent once to the site, you can do the speakers yourself if you're familiar with that kind of thing. Be sure the crossover box for the speakers is installed clear of window glass travel. Stock amp works fine with upgraded speakers. I kept all wiring stock, works fine.

 

[ohiodoc]

I have a aftermarket stero and a Bazooka sub woofer that sits infront of the passenger seat and that makes a big difference.

 

[SingleMalt]

The ACTUAL weak link in the stock Viper stereo is:

The amplifiers. Change those first, then decide which way you want to go. 35x4 watt is more than enough if you buy a good quality unit. The speakers are bad, but they are not the root cause of the distortion.

Mike

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Stereos are for SUV-s, corvettes and yuck, -- ricers --.. A real car and music comes from a Ferrari and their smart enough not to even manufacture the car with a stereo. Or the Viper which can produce true Jazz with the stock BS system removed.

 

[motor602]

if you were to just change the speakers, what would you guys recommend? im assuming upgrading to the better speakers would AT LEAST get rid of the distortion.

 

[Ted B]

You can interface the factory radio to any aftermarket amp if you build a DIN to RCA cable adaptor off the factory deck. You are probably better off also upgrading the factory deck.

Actually, my '94 RT/10 came with a Chrysler desk with four RCA outputs on it. I didn't need an adapter. I replaced the TAPE deck anyway, of course, and was happy to realize i didn't need mounting adapter. The stock unit is single DIN size ad fits aftermarket decks diectly.

larry, do the '01 and '02 still come with two amps? You can replace the two with one, but you'll need an inline crossover to run the subwoofer if you do. In the double amp setup I think they were configured with one amp for mids and one for highs... nothing for subs... which probably answers the original question in this thread.

I'll try to post a couple pics here. I did the same as mit and put a sub in the passenger footwell... VERY good bass from that location... almost too much. I also unhooked the center speakers (after replacing them with eclipse co-axials... very good speakers). I didn't realize the passengers legs would block the right door speaker from the driver, so I'm hooking the center speakers back up. That's all they're really good for. The location is terrible for a sub so I wouldn't try to put one there. Sounds like G98RT10 didn't have much luck there.

I'm also going to experiment by putting some dynomat "deadening" material on the frame side of the side sills. This is to try to reduce the echo effect that carries through the cab at certain RMPS. It's made to reduce road noise and improve your stereo's sound. I might put it on the doors too. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[GraphiteGTS]

What WON GTS said.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

What's up with the sound? I have not heard a good stock Viper radio yet!

Because the Viper is a car to DRIVE. If you want good sound stay home and listen to your stereo.

 

[Andy 98 RT/10]

One thing I did is turn the BASS setting to -2, and it sounds a lot cleaner.