Car Stereos

[rapidacid]

I bought a used 09 Chevy Tahoe a couple months ago to replace a car coming off lease. I tend to listen to my music in the car on the louder side and now one of the speakers is making the cracky-staticky sound. What does this usually mean? I've jarred a connection loose or I've screwed up / broken the speaker?

Either way, I think I'd like to upgrade the stereo a bit and potentially put in a GPS receiver combo that also has Bluetooth because as of now it's just a basic receiver, no GPS, and I need to plug into the aux jack to connect my phone and play my music that way.

Should I seek out a local stereo shop and buy / install that way? Or should I buy something online from like Crutchfield that says the system is compatible and then bring the components to a local shop?

I plan to have the truck for a while which is the reason I'm even considering making modifications. I really know nothing at all about this so any help is appreciated.

[navyasw02]

I think the deciding factor is if installation is free if you buy at a store vs buy online and bring to them. I dont think price variance will make up for installation cost. Probably worth upgrading the whole thing to what you want instead of trouble shooting if you're going to keep it for a while.

[rayray]

It could be a loose or maybe a corroded wire/connection or maybe the speaker just got damaged? Have you tried to play with the bass/treble buttons to see if you can make it sound better? Might be able to just get a replacement speaker from a junk yard.

I went through that whole car stereo/speaker thing years ago...now it's AM ESPN radio on a regular basis so I hear all kinds of static and noises no matter what I do.

[Kerim]

If you spend any appreciable amount of time on the road and you enjoy listening, then it seems like a worthwhile upgrade. I love having a nice sound system, with bluetooth, in my car. If the quality and price difference is not too significant, I'd lean toward buying from the place that will do the work. That way there is no question of who will be helping you out if there are any issues.