Custom Stereo Upgrade for Glen Allen Chevy Camaro

A client from Glen Allen visited Extreme Audio in Mechanicsville to inquire about upgrading the stereo in his 2018 Chevy Camaro SS. He already had some audio equipment for the vehicle and wanted our expertise to complete the system design and installation. After inspecting the car and consulting with the client, we came up with a plan to create an audio system that would sound amazing while offering cosmetics worthy of this awesome muscle car.

Sound Deadening and Wiring

Adding SoundShield to the interior surfaces has numerous benefits.

The trunk lid was treated with sound deadener to help reduce resonances.

The project started with our technicians removing the factory speakers from the vehicle and preparing to install several packages of SoundShield sound deadening material. We applied SoundShield to the doors, the floor above the gas tank, the rear parcel shelf and the trunk lid. The combination of butyl rubber, aluminum and foam in the sound deadening goes a long way in keeping the interior of the vehicle quiet by minimizing noise that passes through the body panels. The foam prevents buzzes and rattles by keeping trim panels from coming into contact with the metal structure of the vehicle.

Focal and AudioFrog Speaker Upgrades

The client supplied speaker pods for the midrange and tweeters.

Focal woofers were installed with foam rings in the front doors.

The efficient Audiofrog 6×9’s were a good match to the Focal speakers.

The client supplied a set of three-way Focal speakers for the front of the vehicle, along with compact mounting pods for the tweeters and midrange drivers. We mounted the tweeters at the base of the A-pillar and the mids farther up, just in front of the sail panels. The woofers are installed in the factory door speaker location on custom adapters. We added a set of Fast Rings foam gaskets around the woofers to seal up against the factory grille in the door panel. These rings help ensure that the output of the woofers is fed directly into the cabin and isn’t allowed to bounce around inside the door panel.

The client wanted a high-quality rear speaker upgrade as part of the system. We installed a set of Audiofrog GS693 three-way 6×9’s in the factory locations on the rear parcel shelf.

Custom Subwoofer Enclosure and Amp Rack

Careful planning left the client with plenty of usable trunk space.

The amplifier trim pieces feature acrylic laser-cut accents.

The layered trim pieces look great.

Power distribution was handled with Stinger blocks.

The DRC-205 was placed within easy reach of the driver.

The highlight of the new stereo in this Camaro is the subwoofer enclosure. We created a cabinet for a pair of JL Audio 12W6V2 subwoofers that the client supplied. The enclosure faces the drivers toward the rear of the vehicle. We created a four-piece trim panel that fits tightly against the factory side panels. The trim pieces include a red accent layer that mimics the red stitching on the floor carpet. The design of the enclosure retains access to the storage area under the floor.

The audio system is powered by three JL Audio amplifiers. An HD750/1 provides 750 watts of power to the subwoofers. A VX600/2i powers the woofers in the doors with up to 180 watts each. Finally, a six-channel VX600/6i powers the rear speakers, the mids and the tweeters with up to 75 watts per drive. As you can see from the photos, we used a four-position Stinger power distribution block to provide current to each amplifier.

The VXi amplifiers include a built-in digital signal processor that our team used to set crossovers, signal delay and equalization for each of the speakers in the vehicle. This calibration process is crucial to ensuring that the audio system will create a realistic soundstage across the dash and deliver a smooth and natural frequency response that’s fun to listen to. We used our calibrated microphone in conjunction with a real-time audio analyzer to configure the equalization settings for each speaker in the vehicle.

We added a DRC-205 remote to the dash and configured it to serve as a remote level control for the subwoofers.

Chevy Camaro Stereo System Upgrade

With the stereo system installed and configured, it was time for the client to pick up his Camaro. He hopped in for a listen and was absolutely thrilled with the performance. After a short listening session, we gave him a tour of the installation, including the amp rack behind the rear seats and the subwoofer enclosure. He loved it! If you are thinking about a custom sound system for your car or truck, drop by Extreme Audio in Mechanicsville or Midlothian and talk to one of our product specialists. You can also reach our team by e-mail using our online contact form, or give our store nearest to you a call.