Many Vette owners believe that a high end sound system in their car will disturb the factory appearance. Some fear that the car has to be radically modified to accomodate super sound system components.

That need not be the case. A super sound system can be installed in a late model Corvette, and you won't even know it's there until you want to listen to some tunes.

I recently came upon two examples. One is a new ZR-1 Corvette owned by Alpine, makers of car audio component products, and a 1989 Corvette convertible owned by Isaac Goren, owner of Sounds Good Stereo in Canoga Park, California. Goren is a well-skilled and experienced designer and installer of car audio systems.

1989 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE

The sound system in this car is valued at $5000, and has also been designed to maintain the integrity of the car. Since this car is a convertible, noted its owner and designer of the sound system, Isaac Goren, road noise is a problem which had to be overcome. "Any system designed for a convertible has to take into account the noise, and compensate for it by allowing the owner to play the system louder," said Goren.

This system is designed to give front imaging, just as in the case of the Alpine Vette.

An AM/FM stereo radio/CD player occupies the opening which was previously filled by the factory radio. The factory head unit (radio) is 4" high and 7" wide. The aftermarket AM/FM stereo radio/CD player is only 2" high and 7" wide. Since the radio/CD player alone does not fill the space, Goren placed a pre-amplifier under the head unit. The pre-amplifier allows Goren to adjust the level and tone of the sound system. The combination head unit and pre-amplifier fits nicely in the factory opening on the dash.

The Delco Bose speaker enclosures were removed from the car. Goren chose to keep the enclosures so that he could restore the vehicle to original condition sometime in the future. By the way, he did not use, but he did keep in place, the factory sound system wiring, so it can be used when the Bose speakers are restored to the car. The new aftermarket system utilizes new wiring, which was added at the time of the installation.

Factory openings for Delco Bose speakers exist in the corners on the top of the dash. Goren used the space to hold a midrange and tweeter. The speakers burst out sound close to the windshield. This is ideal, because the music bounces off the window and provides good front staging.

In the doors, Goren replaced the Bose enclosures with enclosures of his own. First, he placed a piece of plywood where the Bose speaker enclosures were in each door, then he mounted a 5-1/4" midbass speaker over the board. He situated the speakers so that the factory grill on the door panels could be utilized. The plywood was mounted so that the vibration of the speakers would not resonate on the doors.

Next, Goren wanted to achieve rear fill. This means that he wanted sound to come from the back of the car, but not enough to overpower the front staging of the sound system. He noted that when one goes to a concert at a club or stadium, most sound comes from the front, but some sound also bounces off back walls and appears to be coming from the rear. He wanted to mimic the effect.

So midbass speakers were placed into the factory enclosures. As in the case with the doors, a plywood board was mounted first, then the speakers were placed over it. The speakers are covered by the factory grill.

Two 8" subwoofers were placed in the back for bass sounds. Space in back of a 1989 Corvette convertible is limited, so Goren chose to place the speakers on the panel directly behind the seats. Eight inch speakers were used so that there would be enough room for the convertible top to fold down. Moreover, the storage area in the hatch is still factory carpet, which has been perforated so that sound can escape.

The amplifiers that power the system, along with an octave equalizer and electronic crossover, are mounted onto the back wall of the car. The carpeting and padding was pulled up, and the components, which are mounted on a board, were installed. The padding and carpet were cut to accomodate the products. The amplifiers, equalizer and crossover, therefore, are visible. Still, only about 2-1/2" of space was used. So there is nothing to obstruct the convertible top whenever Goren wants to take it down.

The equalizer is included to allow Goren to fine tune his system so that the transition of frequencies is smooth, and the sound system is balanced.

Goren learned a lot when he designed and installed this system in his Vette. He noted that space in the Corvette is limited where a sound system is concerned. Yet, he found that the factory openings designed for the Delco Bose speaker enclosures can be used for aftermarket products. He also noted that grounding problems could be common on aftermarket sound systems in Corvettes, simply because Vettes feature a fiberglass body. A bad ground in the system will cause a high pitched noise to run through the speakers. A good installer, however, will be able to devise methods to avoid the trouble.

Goren did suggest that where convertible Corvettes are concerned, some installers may measure space for subwoofer enclosures while the convertible top is up. He advised that, if you are considering a subwoofer enclosure in your sound system, be sure that your installer does his measurements with the top down. Less space is available in the back of the vehicle when the top is down, and the installer must be certain that the subwoofer enclosure does not take up space needed for the top.

Goren also learned that installers who place an aftermarket radio in a Vette should not place the fuse behind the radio. He counseled that they should use the factory fuse. If more fusing is necessary, said Goren, installers should extend the fuse out from behind the radio, and leave it in an accessible place. "If the fuse blows, you want to be able to replace it easily," he concluded.