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I agree with Geo.

[quote="md06"]i'm a little shady about replacing the head unit. i already have a pioneer installed with decent options. would the auto-eq and mixed features do that much to help my problem? i'd hate to drop $300 plus for another if it's a toss up. these are the links to the one i have now and what i found looking around last night. i'm pretty sure it's what you were referring to..
[url]http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hL3Vd8qQX8z/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=130DEHP380[/url]
[url]http://www.teptronics.com/dehp8600mp.html[/url][/quote]
The issue IS that you replaced the head unit, and that you therefore eliminated the equalization that was compensating for your speakers.

So, you have four solutions.
We'll start with the most affordible:

[b]1)[/b] Live with what you have. Sounds like you are happy with the features it has. If you are happy with the sound, then it's a no-brainer. If you aren't happy with the sound - you'd do yourself a service to accept that in a rather direct way, it's due to the fact that you replaced the original head unit with one that doesn't have any compensating equalization. So - it has features, but it has less features than your original head unit in that very fundamental way. If you are happy with that, then that's good.

[b]2)[/b] Replace the head unit with one that includes compensating equalization. Most of them come supplied with a mic, and perform an automatic sweep, that allows them to work in lots of cars that have similar compensating equalization. There's lots of them out there that [i]also[/i] have the other features that you like. ]3)[/b] Buy an integration unit - something that either auto-EQ's or allows you to manually EQ (which requires RTA to get flat) - or buy an EQ if you have the ability to run it pre-amp (if you are running RCA's to your factory amps - which I doubt you are currently).

[b]4)[/b] You could replace everything [i]else[/i] in the system - and it IS possible (no, really) to replace everything, and manage the installation in such a way that you don't need any equalization - but [i]that's[/i] a very difficult, very advanced road to go down. :help:

Since you can return your current HU - or worst case, sell it - replacing the head unit with one that simply has all the features you need is the least expensive option. The more expensive option would be to integrate an external EQ - although down the road it would allow you more flexibility, since it's not just an integration unit. The most expensive option of course would be to replace everything in your car.

i'm a little shady about replacing the head unit. i already have a pioneer installed with decent options. would the auto-eq and mixed features do that much to help my problem? i'd hate to drop $300 plus for another if it's a toss up. these are the links to the one i have now and what i found looking around last night. i'm pretty sure it's what you were referring to..

[url]http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hL3Vd8qQX8z/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=130DEHP380[/url]

[url]http://www.teptronics.com/dehp8600mp.html[/url]

[quote="md06"]would my best option be to get a new amp and 2 speakers then to replace the factory subs/amp? if so, can i use the same hookups and wiring already in place? removing the paneling and working new wiring is a little too advanced for me.[/quote]
I would definitely say that AN option is to get a new amp and speakers - but I wouldn't say "best", if for no other reason than this is your most expensive option, and for several fundamental reasons more related to the whole "where your speakers currently live" thing (meaning their acoustical environment, not their physical location ]retaining[/i] a factory HU [that has EQ built in], and adding an amp and speakers... but there are units out there that are designed to facilitate your type of upgrade - the source unit, leaving the factory system otherwise intact.

Personally - though it's probably the last thing you want to think about - I think your best option might be to replace the new head unit you just bought.
What??
No, really - several HU manufacturers... Pioneer and Blaupunkt just to name two - have HU's that have fairly sophisticated EQ built into them, and are supplied with reference microphones that you place in your listening position and hit "auto-EQ", and let the HU do all the work. It plays pink noise (which is essentially "every frequency at once" - sounds like static), measures what it hears, and automatically builds a compensating equalization curve.
In essence, what you end up with at the end is an aftermarket HU with the features that you were looking for that our factory HU couldn't provide (whatever those might be), and a speaker-compensating EQ curve built in, pretty much just like your factory HU had. :cool:

I think that might be your most cost-effective option, since it's just a little more than the cost of one of those factory integration devices (less, after factoring out the money you get back from returning the HU you just bought, or selling it if you can't), and certainly is way, way less than the cost of new speakers and an amp.

I'm not saying there's no benefit to new speaker and an amp - but it's a big bullet to bite at once, and this would let you upgrade as you want over time, with a pretty satisfying result in the meantime, and a solid base to build a system from.

You have a lot of options!

would my best option be to get a new amp and 2 speakers then to replace the factory subs/amp? if so, can i use the same hookups and wiring already in place? removing the paneling and working new wiring is a little too advanced for me.

^ That's what I was saying in lay terms.
But thanks for elaborating Geo :)

Not sure on '01 vehicles, but - ironically enough - you may have eliminated something important when you replaced the factory head unit!

Many vehicles these days (particularly with "premium systems") have a built-in fixed equalization circuit, meant essentially to compensate for the generally sub-par speakers that they want to get away with installing into the new car.

It's not a bad idea - it means a factory system can sound better than it otherwise would have, given those crappy factory speakers. At least it will have a relatively flat frequency response, even if the transient response isn't so great - non audiophiles wouldn't notice. ;)

But what that means is that your factory HU isn't sending out a "flat" response signal to the speakers - it's sending out some signal that's not flat, some signal that's compensating for certain deficiencies in those speakers.

If that's the case with this GM head unit, that means you removed a signal source that was helping compensate for your speaker's deficiencies, and replaced it with one that isn't. :(

This sort of situation is exactly the reason that JL Audio makes it's Clean Sweep integration products, btw... and why Rockford has the 3sixty.1 and 3sixty.2 with the built-in 32 band-per-channel EQ... and why Audiocontrol makes its LC6 and new DQX8... etc. ;)

If those subs in the back have some "previously EQ'd out" peak in the response that is no longer being EQ'd out, that could also cause the symptoms you describe - caused directly by the HU replacement.

Or - it still could be the two reasons I mentioned earlier (three, really). :o

Well I hate to say this and please don't take it personally, but your largest problem is that factory monsoon set up.
I've had many dealings with these and compared with a stock delco system they are much better, but compared to what is available in the aftermarket, not even close... and by upgrading your h/u you really didn't do the overall system any favor as they are specifically built to provide the best sound in conjuction with all of the components.
Now that's not to say that crutchfield is wrong, it just combines the problems.
If you upgrade your factory amp/ sub combo (something the h/u has more control over), you will be much more likely to find settings more to your liking.

When you say vibration, are you talking panel vibration? To much bass? I am a little lost in all of this, so set me straight if need be.

[i]but has excessive vibration from the subs on about 50 of the songs[/i]

Can you clarify this. What I am understanding is that some of the songs have more bass then others correct? That has to do with a couple of things. Number 1, quality of recording, and 2, frequency of the bass notes in the songs. Have you tried turning off the HPF on the deck. From what you told us that amp already crosses the highs, so it is not necessary that you do so from the deck.

sorry. it's just the factory setup (monsoon 10 speaker system) minus the head unit that i installed. i got the unit from crutchfield and asked a tech about the bass afterwards. he said it was due to the inconsistencies in mp3's and my best option was to mess around with the controls until i found the sound that best fits. for the subs in the rear seat panels, they give this description..

"The factory dual voice coil subwoofer in this location receives only bass frequencies from the amplifier. If replaced with an aftermarket speaker, the aftermarket speaker will only reproduce bass."

i've read elsewhere the amp has no adjustable settings on it. also, i'm able to use the HPF on the subs from the head unit. for example; with a cd of 100 random mp3's and the HPF setting on 80, the bass is strong, but has excessive vibration from the subs on about 50 of the songs. on 100, the bass is good, but not as strong and has the vibration on about 25. on 120, there is basically no bass at all. i've tried a ton of different settings, but it seems impossible to find one that brings decent bass without the vibration. i could put the EQ on flat or vocal, but the sound is horrible then. i understand the problems with mp3's and all, but i have trouble believing i have to live with crap bass or bad vibration as my only 2 choices? i usually reencode them to a high VBR, but no way would i have the time to individually adjust the bass so it's more playable in my ride, nor would i want to.