[OhioX14]

I'm new to the board but have already gained from some of the great threads that have either helped me learn more about my vehicle or confirmed what I already knew.

I have an Onyx Black SLT2, V6, with Nav, 19" Chrome Rims, Cargo Package, and Hitch. In other words, with the exception of the Rear Seat Entertainment System (which I didn't need or want), it has everything you can get and the price reflected that. I really love the looks and handling of the vehicle (have about 2,000 miles on it now), and the Nav system is a massive improvement over the one that comes in most other GM products. That all said, there a few things that I feel are real shortcomings, especially in this trim level. Many of them have already been discussed on this board (lack of passenger power seat, express up windows, Homelink, etc.) but I do not see a thread that discusses the Premium Pioneer Sound System.

I've tried all types of music and sources (CD's, iPod, FM, HD w/ MP3's, etc.) and find this sound system lacking in high end clarity (treble) that I have become accustomed to with other "premium" systems, and in particular, the Bose that comes in many other vehicles. The bass in this system is very good with the sub and 250 watt amp but I think they missed the boat on the rest of the speakers. I've played with the three equalization settings for each input a bunch of times and am convinced that this vehicle may find it's way to my local audio customization house one of these days for new speakers.

Anyone else?

 

[monaco]

My 2008 Enclave had a Bose stereo & auto up windows. I am glad the Terrain dosen't have either. It was very hard to get your window partially open. It wanted to go up or down all the way. And I think the sound from the Pioneer is better than the Bose in the Buick.

 

[scottyyyc]

Various brands of stereos will always vary slightly in how they sound. Some are better at lows, mids, etc. Mostly just taste and preference at that point. Personally, I think it's great that vehicles come from the factory nowadays with half decent sounding stereos, versus paper-coned speakers of yesteryear.

Every car should have auto-up windows. Sometimes the button's suck (i.e. hard to manually go up or down), but the feature itself should be in every vehicle, standard..

 

[GMCdriver]

Try adjusting the fade control 2-3 clicks to the front first and then make your treble adjustments after.

 

[OhioX14]

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions. Yes, this is subjective and everyone has their own personal preferences, I just liked how bright the Bose system in my Acura MDX was and it's about the same in my brother's Enclave. I'll play with it some more and if all else fails give Pioneer a call.

Anyone know who manufactures the actal Navigation/Audio Head Unit? Is it Pioneer as well?

 

[brisket_lover]

If anyone finds out if XM is built in or a separate component also post. I want to switch with with a Sirius unit.

 

[canadianwolf]

http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-connect-sirgm2l-p-6600.html

I will be doing this also when I get an equinox/terrain

 

[gearhead]

Is it just a Canadian thing?
I always hear "Sirius XM" on some stations, now that I think about it.
Did I read something about a joint venture between the 2 companies last year or am I dreaming?

As far as the sound quality goes, remember the source is the main reason for sound quality or lack thereof.
A store bought audio CD will sound better than an MP3 burned at 192kHz, IMO anyway.

 

[brisket_lover]

http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-connect-sirgm2l-p-6600.html

I will be doing this also when I get an equinox/terrain

Have you found out if there is a swappable unit in in the equinox/terrain yet? Ive only spent about 1/2 hour searching but haven't located one yet. Ive looked in the rear side panels, near the spare tire, and a little under the dash but it has been cold outside so I haven't spent enough to find it yet. My fear is that it is built in to the head unit and then we are SOL and Ill have to use my PnP.

 

[GMCdriver]

Is it just a Canadian thing?
I always hear "Sirius XM" on some stations, now that I think about it.
Did I read something about a joint venture between the 2 companies last year or am I dreaming?

As far as the sound quality goes, remember the source is the main reason for sound quality or lack thereof.
A store bought audio CD will sound better than an MP3 burned at 192kHz, IMO anyway.

Since the merger, the content/programing has been the same for both of the services but depending on the hardware you have, the specific channel numbers are different. My buddy has had Sirius for years while I have had XM and now we listen to all the same shows & DJs.
He's convinced that his reception is better then mine when downtown in between the tall buildings but mine still works downtown and even in parkades and stuff so... whatever, if mine ever gave me any trouble then I might care.

 

[GMCdriver]

There is still some content (primarily sports related) that is only available on one or the other because of licensing agreements (i.e. NFL is only available on Serius). However, you can pay more money and get the "best of Serius" on XM. My guess is that if you call up and tell them you'll only subscribe to XM if they throw in the Serius stuff, they'll cave.

That's good to know although that would also explain why we haven't noticed any programing differences, we only listen to the music stations, no talk or sports at all.
He was pretty happy to get Tom Petty's & Bob Dylan's radio shows and I was pretty happy to get The Underground Garage in the merger but was disapointed that they canceled Joan Jett's radio show at that time.
The loss of Fungus53 was a big blow to me, Faction is a poor subsitute.
The 80s on 8 got way better with the addition of the old MTV VJs that Sirius had on contract but I really don't like that Vin Scli..(IDK) guy they brought over for the Loft.

 

[z73421]

For those of you with the Pioneer sound system, are you happy with the bass? The highs and mids are outstanding but I think the bass is poorly defined and you cannot feel it at all despite the subwoofer. Even with the equalizer set to higher bass output. I am certainly not a expert but the Bose system in my CTS did not suffer from a lack of bass and I was hoping for a similar sound which justified buying the SLE-2 over the SLE-1.

 

[gearhead]

For those of you with the Pioneer sound system, are you happy with the bass? The highs and mids are outstanding but I think the bass is poorly defined and you cannot feel it at all despite the subwoofer. Even with the equalizer set to higher bass output. I am certainly not a expert but the Bose system in my CTS did not suffer from a lack of bass and I was hoping for a similar sound which justified buying the SLE-2 over the SLE-1.

We find the bass acceptable, clean and tight, not muddy.
It all depends on the recording and source of the audio.
The same song as an MP3 or CDA (CD Audio) file may sound different.

Listening to something like the Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" or "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night" as an MP3 downloaded as an FLV from youtube then converted to or directly downloaded as an MP3 as opposed to listening to a store bought CD definitely shows the downloaded version is lacking punch on the low end bass notes.
Something's going to get lost in the compression/decompression, IMHO.

The CD audio quality of the 2 songs sounds excellent, IMO.

Remember that the sound system is geared toward a wide variety of music, so it must cover the full spectrum and in the end, it's all a subjective call.
Try a few different genres of music with a few different file types and audio sources of the same songs to compare against.
I notice the same things with our Clarion, Sony and Alpine heads in our other cars as well as our Yamaha home theatre system with CF150 JBL's that have 15" woofers in the front main speakers.
It all depends on whether I'm playing from the Tuner, iPOD, turntable, cassette tape, CD changer, PC, TV, etc. as well as the type of music being played

 

[z73421]

Then I will have to experiment some. I have been exclusively listening to XM since I bought the car. I figured that would be a good source but not ever having XM or Sirius I could be mistaken. I will try some CDs which I know played well in the CTS.

 

[scottyyyc]

...I will say that the majority of people that consider themselves "audiophiles" won't touch Bose speakers (I've known them to give away Bose speakers they have received as gifts).

Everyone I know who really knows their stuff, in particular a friend of mine who actually designs headphones and has a PhD in acoustic engineering, all say Bose is incredibly overpriced junk. Personally, I've only ever heard small snippets from Bose systems, but they do tend to be a bit of a running joke amongst pros. Oh well.

In my humble opinion, having done a couple after-market systems and a couple home theaters, is balance. People often go for too much in one area. I'd rather spend a bit more on a decent head unit and crossover, versus blowing the budget on speakers or a sub.

 

[gearhead]

I'm trying to set up a trip down to Charlottesville, VA to visit the research guys for Crutchfield. If you've ever dealt with them, they are top-notch at providing detailed instructions on how to install stuff in vehicles.

I had them do some installation work on my wife's Avalon (my daughter and her friends blew her speakers - oh yeah, they were Bose),[/color] and I could get a kicker sub in the space but it required cutting metal - something I'm not willing to try). While I was waiting, I was talking to my sales guy, and told him I had just bought the new Nox. He's called me just about every week asking me to come down so that they could do their research and they'll cut me a deal (cost) on whatever upgrades I want to do.

Some comments on Bose.
Yes, they took the audio world by storm in the late 70's or early 80's with their 901 series direct-reflecting speakers.
I believe they had a total of nine, 8" speakers with a tuned port or two, I don't recall.
You had to place them in a corner at a 45 degree angle to get optimum sound because they gave the feeling of spaciousness by bouncing audio waves off the walls.
That being said, I don't think they've ever had the low end punch that today's listeners demand and after their 901 series they didn't produce much that impressed me, anyway.
My friend just paid about $600 for his home Bose "Wave" or whatever it is and is extremely disappointed.

My 92 Vette came with the Bose gold head and four powered speakers (50 watts each).
First, the CD player skipped then totally went bye-bye, then the cassette player went then every speaker failed (power amp failure).
Instead of getting it fixed, I replaced it with an Alpine system.
The CD player never (okay, rarely) skipped and the sound was equal to or tighter than that of the Bose powered speakers.

I've had Pioneer SuperTuner heads since the early 80's and they had some of the best reception and signal to noise ratio and still do.
Give the Pioneer system a fair chance with a dynamic selection of music.
I'm not a teenager anymore but I've had the tunes in the Terrain cranked to over 90%.
The sound rocks the Terrain (the wife gets concerned "you're going to blow the speakers!!!"...LOL) and is dangerously deafening, but notably clean and undistorted with lots of low end punch, for sure!

 

[gearhead]

No, XM is actually an excellent source - it is a digital signal, so you are getting the full spectrum[/color]
Without going into the specifics of how Bose achieves the Bass that you are feeling, I will say that the majority of people that consider themselves "audiophiles" won't touch Bose speakers (I've known them to give away Bose speakers they have received as gifts).

Yes, you may have felt the speakers, but it wasn't because they were good.

I've actually cranked my nox up (bass on about 3-4) on XM and enjoyed watching the glass vibrating. The difference is that the combination of the sound proofing and the way that the system has been designed by Pioneer to work within the vehicle, produces a nice tight bass that has punch.

Now having said that, I have toyed with the idea of getting a post processor that would allow my to add an additional amplifier and a bass box. Probably won't do it because a) it would take up far too much room and b) I'm really not at all upset with the quality of the sound.

You got far more power, a center speaker, a sub-woofer and an excellent crossover unit for your extra money. Trust me, it was worth it.

If you haven't seen it, here is an arcticle on Pioneer's web site on the stereo:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/BusinessProducts/CarAudioSystems/2010-Chevy-Equinox

One thing to remember...analog is for the most part a true representation of the original source. Digital can never truly match analog, because digital only samples at a specific frequency.
The sampling rate determines the accuracy of the reproduced sound.
Analog has infinite signal/time events.
Digital only takes a # of samples per time.
I realize I'm being a little anal here, but that's why true audiophiles prefer the old tube amps and analog power amps.
No disrespect intended whatsoever or ego (I know more than you do type stuff) just stating what I know from college studies and real life experiences.
If I'm mistaken, please accept my humblest apologies!

 

[gearhead]

Totally, absolutely agree.

I had a good laugh the other day. My daughter came home raving about how great her friend's father stereo sounded. You guessed it, he was playing some classics (Pink Floyd, The Stones, Who) on good old vinyl through a series of tube amps.

So, of course, I had to open up the front of my stereo cabinet and show her all of the same goodies...

Yes, we have made it so that we can carry thousands of songs in our pocket, but at a serious degradation to the sound quality. Just the fact that Creative has a market for a processor that will restore some of the lost layers of sound is an indicator that many people do remember the old days when the music was a little fuller and richer (and the voices weren't all digital manipulated - but that's for another discussion board...)

SnowItch, we're showing our age my friend!
LOL!
It's good to take the kids down memory lane and also to take a moment to discuss "how/why things work".
You just might light a fire in them for a passion they may never have known they had!
OK, you're right, we're getting a little off topic, but hey it's Friday!

 

[lromero]

Has anybody installed this into a vehicle that didn't come with it from the factory? Are the speakers from the 06-08 models the same as the 10+ and would fit into the space for a 10?

I found some pictures and it's just a 6.5" sub from what I'm seeing them pictured to be.


Our new 10 Nox didn't have the sound system and in the near future will be looking at doing something. I'm not after looking to change the whole radio as I like the factory look, just trying to get more low end sound.

 

[dsulli37]

Pioneer doesn't make the radio...just the amp and speakers.