1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
here is my take on replacing the stereo for what its worth.
as far as STOCK STEREOs go, i think SAAB did a pretty good job.
it is by far alot better than most. that is, if you have the premium sound package (with amp & subs in door).
my previous vehicles have always had aftermarket stereos in them.
my old saab and jeep both had alpine decks, kenwood amps, boston acustic speakers.
to be completely honest, just replacing the head unit will do nothing for the sound of your system. putting replacement 6 1/2" speakers in the door will SOUND WORSE, unless you have a seperate subwoofer. the speakers in the door are designed to play at a lower frequency then most speakers (full range).
if you are going to do anything, i think you should do the whole thing!
ie, replace head unit, add amps (min of 50watts per channel) and you will need a sub. go components in the front (tweet in dash, woofer in door) and you will need a sub, if you dont, it will sound really wimpy compared to the stock saab setup.
if you are not going to do that, i wouldnt bother trying to add an amp. the amount of improvement will be minimal. i have been debating on upgrading mine, but i really dont think its worth it, unless you go all out. trying to run speaker-level inputs to an amp is not going all out in my book. neither is keeping the stock speakers!!!!
my jeep had an alpine CD deck with a kenwood amp running 50 watts continuous to Boston Acuoustic components (6" in door & tweets mounted on the pillars) Bostons in the rear run from a small (2*20watts) kenwood amp. all monster cable.
this sounded good... but without having a sub, i like the sound of my stock saab stereo better.
i wouldnt try using a crossover unless you replace all your speakers, and use a separate amp and head unit.
basically do all or nothing!!!
my $0.02
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