Great-sounding Chevy Impala Stereo Upgrades for Jax Client

A client from Jacksonville came to Audio Designs & Custom Graphics looking to upgrade the stereo system in his 2015 Chevrolet Impala. One of our team did an audio consultation with him, going out to his vehicle and looking it over, sitting in it and listening to the stock stereo system, and exploring the overall vehicle together. We listened as he explained his goals for the upgrades, and his likes and dislikes about the factory system.

Once we were finished with the vehicle, we went in the shop and had him listen to equipment that we thought would work well for him. After doing all of that, our team took all of the information we had gathered and worked up a solution that we thought best fit his needs. He liked our idea, so we set an installation date.

Audiomobile Summing Device Allows Factory Radio Retention

We knew early on that there was no reason to change the stereo system in the dash. It looked right at home in the vehicle and had the features the client wanted. The problem in this vehicle was sound quality and output, which it sorely lacked. For this reason, we chose an Audiomobile LDV6 summing unit. It takes the musical signal feeding the front woofers and tweeters, and sums (combines) the musical signal to provide a complete, full-range sound. Chevy takes the music and divides it up into lower frequencies that they send to the door woofer and higher frequencies that they send to the tweeter. You can purchase the LDV6 here.

Clean Hertz Power

The trio of Hertz amplifiers provides this system with loads of clean power.

Once we had a full-range signal, we sent the music downstream to a total of three amplifiers. They were all made by Hertz, one of our favorite Italian car audio companies. An HCP4 was used to power the front speakers in bridged mode, sending over 190 watts per channel of power to them. The rear speakers were powered by an HCP2, getting 65 watts per channel, and the subwoofer was powered by an HCP1D, with 700 watts of clean power. We mounted all of the amplifiers on a simple amp rack behind the rear seat, allowing for easy accessibility, yet keeping them completely hidden under normal circumstances.

Front Speaker Upgrade

Our technicians custom fabricated this tweeter adapter plate for a perfect fit in the Impala.

The Hertz midbass speaker seals to the door with the help of the FAST foam ring.

The front factory speaker grill was modified to provide room for the new Hertz speakers.

When it came time to choose front speakers, we went back to Hertz and the HSK165.4 6.5” component system. These are some of our favorite speakers for the money because they combine sound quality and output in an attractively priced package. We machined custom speaker adapters from PVC to mount the woofer and the tweeter in the door properly.

Modern vehicles have gone away from using standard mounts for speakers, so almost every vehicle has to have speaker adapters made for it. Our speaker adapters for the Impala can be purchased here.

Rear Speaker Upgrade

All of the doors were treated with sound deadening material to maximize the performance of the new speakers.

The rear doors got a big upgrade in sound with the addition of the Hertz coaxial speakers.

In the rear doors, we stayed with the Hertz brand and used the HCX165 6.5” coaxial speakers. Again, we machined custom speaker mounts to hold them in place properly. We applied sound-damping material to the front and rear doors to quiet down the interior and eliminate the possibility of rattling or vibration from the new high-performance speakers.

Custom Ported Enclosure For This Chevy Impala Stereo Upgrade

The JL Audio 12w7 is the standard by which all other subwoofers are judged, it sounded incredible in this Impala!

The custom enclosure features a two-tone finish utilizing grey and black carpet.

Now that we had everything covered for the higher frequencies in the vehicle, it was time to turn our attention to the subwoofer, since any good car audio system needs a sub. For this Impala, the team at Audio Designs & Custom Graphics turned to JL Audio, using a 12W7 12” subwoofer, which has become legendary in the world of car audio. We made a custom ported enclosure for the subwoofer to the exact specifications of JL. We fitted it perfectly in the trunk with a custom trim panel that had a black plexiglass Impala logo, along with pressed grilles to cover the ports in the enclosure.

Our technicians chose a carpet that blended well with the existing trunk material, giving the finished product a clean, classy look. Our Impala enclosures can be purchased here and are available to hold one or two speakers.

The Difference Is In The Details

Once the audio upgrade was completely installed, our technicians spend significant time on tuning the vehicle, looking for every last ounce of sound quality available to them. We have seen so many vehicles come through the install bay here at Audio Designs where another shop didn’t take the time to properly tune the system, robbing it of sound quality. That will never happen here because we feel our clients deserve all the performance they pay for.

When the client came to pick up his vehicle, he loved the design of the trunk and how all of the speakers fit behind the factory Chevy grilles. The first time time he turned it on, he was all smiles. The music now played with authority, revealing every last nuance. To top it off, he now has the power to listen at concert levels for as long as he likes, so recreating his favorite concert is as simple as cranking up the volume.

For an in-depth look at this build, take a few minutes to watch this video:

When you are ready to upgrade the sound system in your vehicle, we invite you to stop by Audio Designs & Custom Graphics in Jacksonville, Florida. Our team will work with you to find the audio system that best fits your needs, and we will back it up with one of the finest-quality installations around. Let us show you why Mobile Electronics magazine has named us one of the Top Retailers in the Nation. You can also contact us about any of our products and services by clicking here.