I was thinking about replacing the speakers in my sons '14 GT with the Shaker 500 system. I have a 2006 Silverado with the Bose system that sounds so much better than the Shaker!! I was reading posts about speaker upgrades and it seems most are upgrading the base stereo speakers. I have seen some Shaker upgrades, but that conflicts with what I just heard from Crutchfield.

The person I spoke with at Crutchfield said there are issues with the amplified speakers and there aren't many options. He said I would need a new amp to drive any new speakers and the amp is "married" to the head unit. He said they work best when together and keeping just the head unit, but with new amps won't improve my audio experience.

Can I replace the door and rear shelf speakers only on the Shaker 500 systems? If so, what is recommended to provide a fuller sound. The factory system sounds kinda flat! I'm looking for a fuller range of sound and not the booming bass you hear so much of. My son listens to Chevelle, Sound Garden, Avenged Sevenfold, etc type of music so any recommendations on what's needed is appreciated
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I have a 14 GT with the Shaker 500 too and replaced the front speakers with a pair of Pioneer speakers. I just could not remember now the exact model. It made a ton of difference. I was ready to spring for a JL Audio Stealthbox and a JL Audio mono amp but decided to hold on to it once I got to experience the new front speakers. I might still get the sub and amp but I am not in a hurry now. In reference, my BMW 540 has Diamond Audio speakers, 2 JL 10 inch subs, a JL Audio 4 channel amp and a JL Audio mono amp.

 

Hes not really correct about the amps and HU being "married". You can bypass them if you need to, or replace the HU and still use them. There is no reason you can't replace the factory speakers on the stock shaker 500 either. I did it in my 05, until i completely redid the system, and had no issues. Sure they will sound much better with an aftermarket amp, as the stock ones are pretty weak and low quality, but you are not going to screw anything up by getting new speakers.