No bass, mids or lows

[OhioGuy]

Recently bought this 99 Buick Century and the stereo only puts out highs. It sounds like it only has tweeters but the audio is coming from the door speakers and the rear dash speakers. The OEM radio has a bass knob which changes nothing, so I assumed the radio was the problem. I replaced it with an aftermarket head unit and I still have no bass. Now I hear some distortion (clipping) when I should hear lows. Did this car really come with horrible speakers? Or am I missing something?

 

[MelsRegal]

Recently bought this 99 Buick Century and the stereo only puts out highs. It sounds like it only has tweeters but the audio is coming from the door speakers and the rear dash speakers. The OEM radio has a bass knob which changes nothing, so I assumed the radio was the problem. I replaced it with an aftermarket head unit and I still have no bass. Now I hear some distortion (clipping) when I should hear lows. Did this car really come with horrible speakers? Or am I missing something?

The system is 24 years old. It probably needs new speakers.

 

[OhioGuy]

The system is 24 years old. It probably needs new speakers.

I've never heard of speakers wearing out like that, due to age. There are plenty of speakers, much older than mine, that still produce mids and lows.

 

[assidreemz]

I've never heard of speakers wearing out like that, due to age. There are plenty of speakers, much older than mine, that still produce mids and lows.

Sounds like you figured it out then bud

 

[OhioGuy]

Sounds like you figured it out then bud

Nope, I still have no mids or lows. I haven't messed with it lately because I've been busy with more important things. If I get the time, I'll do some more testing. I was just hoping, maybe, someone on here knew something I didn't about the stereo in this car.

 

[02LTD]

Recently bought this 99 Buick Century and the stereo only puts out highs. It sounds like it only has tweeters but the audio is coming from the door speakers and the rear dash speakers. The OEM radio has a bass knob which changes nothing, so I assumed the radio was the problem. I replaced it with an aftermarket head unit and I still have no bass. Now I hear some distortion (clipping) when I should hear lows. Did this car really come with horrible speakers? Or am I missing something?

How did you install the aftermarket stereo? Did you use an adapter harness or did you just hardwire it into the existing harness?

 

[OhioGuy]

How did you install the aftermarket stereo? Did you use an adapter harness or did you just hardwire it into the existing harness?

I bought the adaptor harness and soldered the wires to the aftermarket radio's harness. I mean, it is a cheap Boss Audio stereo, but the reviews were good. It has a bass adjustment that goes between 0-7. I can't hear any difference when I change the setting.

 

[02LTD]

Did you also change your speakers?

 

[02LTD]

As far as the Boss Stereo you get what you pay for!!! If you want great sound you gotta spend more money.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

As your vehicle may have a amp #27, note has nothing to do with a Boss Stereo quality, you need to check as that may be a issue with the sound if it's passing the speaker lines through and no longer active.

Other possible things to confirm if the harness and headend wires match on the description and not the wire color codes, have seen that on a few.

Check with a direct wire from the headend to a speaker to confirm if it's the speaker, harness or headend.

 

[OhioGuy]

Did you also change your speakers?

No. I'm not spending money on new speakers because there is some other issue. New speakers are not going to fix this.

As far as the Boss Stereo you get what you pay for!!! If you want great sound you gotta spend more money.

I'm not looking for a premium stereo, nor would I expect it for a $25 head unit. My 1990 walkman cassette player had better sound. That does not at all sync up with the excellent customer reviews on this head unit.

 

[OhioGuy]

As your vehicle may have a amp #27, note has nothing to do with a Boss Stereo quality, you need to check as that may be a issue with the sound if it's passing the speaker lines through and no longer active.

Other possible things to confirm if the harness and headend wires match on the description and not the wire color codes, have seen that on a few.

Check with a direct wire from the headend to a speaker to confirm if it's the speaker, harness or headend.

View attachment 42391

This is more of what I'm suspecting. The question is, where would the amp be located? I can't quite tell from your diagram, is that indicating that the amp would be under the dash near the stereo?
As for the wiring, I used the wiring diagrams in my Haynes manual and the directions from the head unit. The wire colors did match up, though.
When I have time, I'll have to get some speaker wire and bypass the vehicle's wiring to see what happens.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

As a guess the amp may be on the trunk shelf or up underneath the dash but honestly don't know either. Not clear if the previous owner(s) had tried a repair or a head swap which could add another layer of suspects.

 

[02LTD]

Wouldn’t the amplified version be called Concert Sound III instead of the standard Concert Sound II? There should be a label on the front door panels to identify which system it has.

 

[OhioGuy]

Wouldn’t the amplified version be called Concert Sound III instead of the standard Concert Sound II? There should be a label on the front door panels to identify which system it has.

Well there's a label on my driver's door but not the passenger. It says Concert Sound II.

 

[02LTD]

Then it’s probably not amplified. I have Concert Sound II and there is no amp. If you had one it would be in the trunk and mounted under the rear parcel shelf.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

If the sound issue was with the old unit and no amp then it would leave the harness, connector or speakers as the suspect to check.