mikeymarvin21

I've got a 2005 Chevy Equinox. If I'm playing a CD the sound system sounds fantastic but if I'm listening to just the radio it is really quiet and I've got to turn it way up just to get to a decent listening volume, then when I change over to a CD it is WAY too loud. Any one else experiencing this issue and is there anything I can do to correct it?

gogmorgo

Does it happen on all radio stations, or just one in particular? Is it the same for all cd's or just one?
Not everything you listen to has the same standard volume.
If you're having trouble picking up a radio station, the volume can be drastically lower than it should be. Do you think you might be on the edge of the broadcast coverage?

Another thing you could look into is the equalizer settings. I think on your radio it'll be called autotone or something like that. With a lot of those presets, sometimes it can be really hard to hear spoken words without cranking the volume. If you're trying to pick up the news on the radio, I'd recommend switching to the "news" setting. I don't know which radio you've got in there, so I can't tell you exactly how to set it, but check the owner's manual.

mikeymarvin21

All of the CD's sound fantastic, all of the radio stations sound weak. I have changed the EQ settings and it doesn't change anything. I have a 2005 LT. It has the 6 cd-changer. I can't believe how much better the CD's sound than the radio. The CD's sound like I have the bose system, and the radio sounds like something you'd hear out of a really crappy boat radio.

gogmorgo

Huh. Well, the thing about radio is that it's not always coming in clearly. There may be other things running interference, you might have trouble with your antenna, there may be some things not connected right. And in that case, the radio would be pretty fuzzy. If the radio is crystal clear and still needs the volume raised, well, there's not much that can be done about it, to the best of my knowledge. And if it is fuzzy, you could tear your car apart looking for a problem that doesn't really exist. Radios are fickle things.
It may be easiest just to learn to live with it.

mikeymarvin21

It's not fuzzy at all. I questioned if I had issues with the antenna but I didn't think that would correlate to problems with the volume.

Chevrolet Customer Service

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I'm sorry to hear of your frustration with your Equinox radio. Is the stereo system the factory installed system, or have you had a different system installed? It sounds as though it may be a wiring issue. I offer that as a suggestion, not a diagnosis.

I encourage you to take the vehicle in for an inspection.

Please keep us posted.

Louis
GM Customer Service

Southwest1124

I have a 2005 Equinox, I was wondering if I could swap the stock radio for a newer style GM radio.The 2009 at least has the next the gen GM radio with the AUX port, which is what I am looking for. Is this a plug and play swap? I thought that this would be cheaper than an aftermarket radio and would have a closer to stock look. The pics attached should clear up what I'm looking to install.

ruley73

No, it is not possible to install a 2007-2009 radio in a 2005-2006 vehicle. The older BCM won't be able to communicate with the newer radio because 2005-2006 models use a different communication protocol (Class II Serial Data) than the 2007-2009 models (Low Speed GMLAN Serial Data). It's also probably not possible to program the newer radio with an older VIN.

If you have the premium factory stereo with the subwoofer in the cargo area, installing an aftermarket radio is a challenge.

If all you are after is an aux input, I recommend installing an RF modulator aux input adapter like .

AlexanderM

We were just gifted my mother-in-laws 2005 Equinox, it had only 138K kilometers, my wife wants to keep it so we're selling our 2011 Malibu which has over 100K more kilometers, not trying to sell it here. So it has the 7 speaker premium sound system, I am at some point going to upgrade the speakers, no problem with the doors and tweeters, but if I want to replace the subwoofer I'm having trouble finding info on how to get into the box. For instance, if I just want to change the speaker can I just remove the grill and change it or do I have to remove the box?? I would love to see a video or diagram for removal. I'm currently under the impression that the current 8" sub is 120 Watts, 2 Ohms. I would love to find some detailed information on the overall system. Thanks!

ruley73

The grille that you see on the rear right quarter panel isn't removable. You'll need to pull that panel off. Once you have access to the subwoofer enclosure, you should be able remove the driver itself. The OEM subwoofer is an 8" dual voice coil design. Each coil has a nominal impedance of 2 ohms. I'm unsure of the wattage rating, but 120 watts sounds about right.