Installed JVC stereo in 08 Impala (No Bose) and now music is quiet and distorted

[crruuska]

Hey all, so I just installed a JVC stereo in my friends 08 impala with all of the fancy wiring harnesses needed. Everything works functionality wise. The steering wheel controls work and all.

The problem is that on max volume the sound is very quiet and distorted. My guess is that the speakers aren't getting enough power. I'm confused by this because the factory amp is still installed. I know that the head unit has its own amp for the speakers but it doesn't produce much power. Has anyone had this problem and know how to fix it? Do I need to bypass the stock amp?

Some edits.
-It does not have the bose system.
-We used the RP5-GM31 Wiring Kit. (This kit has RCA inputs, when plugged in to the stereo, there was no change in sound quality compared to being unplugged. I couldn't find what they are for.)

TLDR; Installed JVC stereo in 2008 Impala LTZ, everything works as intended besides sound quality and volume. You can only hear sound when volume is fully cranked and sounds very distorted. I believe all 6 speakers are trying to use power from the stereo instead of the stock amplifier. What can I do to fix it?

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[BCotrell]

You may have factory eq settings within the factory amp. That said you have a Flat signal from the headunit going into the amp has its own eq settings (not optimal). How many speaker inputs are there? (Find the factory amp and count or open the front door panel and check for online crossoverI) looked at Crutchfield and it’s a 6.5 and tweeter in the front and 6x9 in rear deck. If that 6.5 and tweeter share an input on the amp (if you count four speaker feeds into that factory amp) that means there is a factory inline crossover in which case you can bypass factory amp and put the front in channel 1/2 and the rear 6x9’s on the 3/4 of the jvc headunit..

 

[crruuska]

You may have factory eq settings within the factory amp. That said you have a Flat signal from the headunit going into the amp has its own eq settings (not optimal). How many speaker inputs are there? (Find the factory amp and count or open the front door panel and check for online crossoverI) looked at Crutchfield and it’s a 6.5 and tweeter in the front and 6x9 in rear deck. If that 6.5 and tweeter share an input on the amp (if you count four speaker feeds into that factory amp) that means there is a factory inline crossover in which case you can bypass factory amp and put the front in channel 1/2 and the rear 6x9’s on the 3/4 of the jvc headunit..

So the car has six speakers. When I was splicing the harness's I spliced + and - for front and rear speakers (total of 4) and then I was guessing that the RCA inputs that came with the GM wiring kit were for the two rear deck speakers. So are you saying that this is a settings issue on the stereo? Because I tried just about every type of combination I could. Some things made it sound better but not any louder.

 

[BCotrell]

If there’s 4 total sets of +\- for all the speakers that means the fronts have internal crossover( essentially making them a Comp set) You would then use a harness that allows bypass of factory amp. The factory amp also had eq settings which include limitations.

 

[crruuska]

If there’s 4 total sets of +\- for all the speakers that means the fronts have internal crossover( essentially making them a Comp set) You would then use a harness that allows bypass of factory amp. The factory amp also had eq settings which include limitations.

Comp set? I'm not sure what that means. If I were to bypass the factory amp, how would the speakers be getting enough power?

 

[BCotrell]

A solid headunit should be plenty of power for factory speakers. A Comp set is a tweeter and midrange ( in your case a tweeter and a 6.5) that has a crossover that distributes the frequencies to the correct speakers but allows it to be a single input into the amp(or headunit). I just googled it and there’s no factory amp unless it’s Bose. Check your sla on the headunit if you’re listening to phone/bt otherwise your deck may just ****, return it and get a pioneer.

 

[BCotrell]

Let me rephrase, it may be faulty. I suggested switching because I’ve had issues with the output on jvc single dins