Hey Sam,The stock system sucks. I replaced six of the seven speakers(didn't want to get in the dash). I picked up some Alpine components from Best Buy, about $269-ish. Nothing crazy, but night and day better than stock for not much $$.
There is only one problem with the question you pose. Sound quality is subjective. I am sort of an audiophile and also a trained audio engineer. No matter what you do, it will sound different to someone else. 2nd, the amount of sound absorbing material needed for accurate acoustical representation would be detrimental to the performance of the GT350. You may be able to improve on the amplitude but quality of the sound will suffer as the acoustical physics in this car are not properly supported. And as I already mentioned, sound quality is subjective.I know I'll catch some static for even asking this question, but I'm just curious... How is the sound quality out of the stock sound system with the electronics package? I'm coming out of a Lexus RCF with the Mark Levinson audio and it was pretty nice. Although I should state that before the Lexus, I had an 05 GT that had headers and was cammed and it was crazy loud. I never even listened to the radio because you couldn't hardly hear it anyway. Truthfully, I would rather just listen to the exhaust note and be perfectly happy. But since I'm paying for a package that includes a radio upgrade, I thought I'd ask how it actually is - assuming anyone here has actually turned it on.
Yeah, a boom box from 1988 :lol:^^ Yeah what he said
Here's what I would tell you. I consider myself the average Joe (Jeff)...audio-wise. I know what "I" think sounds good and it's generally accomplished by buying not the cheapest but not the most expensive gear out there. I listen to many different kinds of music...I know I like to hear the bass line of a bass guitar just as much as the rest of the song...I've heard many stock systems and can generate a subjective opinion based on my experiences.......
It sucks. It sounds like I have a portable boombox (maybe not even that good) sitting on the dash. Good thing the rest of the car is so good. My 2007 Audi had a Bose (lol) system and it sounded quite a bit better. Admittedly, it was a 4 door and benefited from the extra speakers and door volume...but still.
Adding sound deadening material isn't going to hurt the performance enough for 90% of drivers to notice. Putting a system in the car is only going to make it better, not worse. Unless you bought a R and only track it, you're not going to hurt it.
Like you said, sound deadening will not hurt your audible exhaust note. However, It will create proper enclosures for your speakers (improves mid-bass response drastically), cut road noise (who wants to hear the tires?), and help your HVAC cool/heat the car more effectively.
I don't know about you, but I want to reduce weight and not increase the weight. Add up all the sound material, larger magnet on the upgraded speakers, additional amps and a sub woofer.....I pass. That would be nearly adding 50lbs. I love all the sounds this car makes, don't care for the sound from the audio system. I don't own an R but I track my and will track it regularly, I will notice the difference. In fact, once I establish a consistent time at Barber I am taking out the back seat, trunk liner and tire kit and will not be installing a rear seat delete kit. That will get me close to reducing 40+lbs.
I did the same reductions, and actually went a good bit further on that front. Then, I added a half cage and sound deadening. All in all, I'm still close to 100 lbs lighter than stock with a much more comfortable and safe car. And, my system is lightweight in itself. The speakers weigh negligibly more than stock, and my amps weigh a half pound each. Not everyone wants to go with full out systems, just a good improvement over stock. My entire audio setup may have added 30 lbs if that.
Yes yes YES!
Why can't people do both? :shrug:
TWO HPDEs!
;);)