After doing a lot of research. I have created this Mini Guide for 1997-1999 (Potentially newer) Buick Regal owners that have the 8-speaker (Not 6-speaker) Monsoon System. Take everything in this guide with caution and at your own risk.
To start off, 8-channel Monsoon amp is placed in the trunk near the top and should be covered by some carpet. The amp only takes 1 connector and outputs 200 watts total.
In my personal experience, the Monsoon setup actually sounds good. The midrange isn't thick and the treble isn't bright. If you throw some lossless sources at it (Like actually good ones), it'll reveal a good chunk of detail. If you mess with the EQ, its just gonna sound bad but if you leave it flat, it sounds good.
Speakers:
Image Source: https://www.amazon.com/Buick-Regal-Monsoon-Audio-System/dp/B06X9C2B21
The Rear 4 speakers in the back do not have separate harness for speaker rather each side has 1 harness (4 Speakers share two separate harness). There is no aftermarket adapter and its best to cut into the harness or run new wire.
You can hookup a normal actual subwoofer (2 Ohms) to one of the rear sub channels. The sub channel is about ~100hz & below while offering enough power to make your mirrors shake (If you don't have rear midranges hooked up). Its highly recommended to run only 1 (2 ohm) subwoofer, as hooking up 2 (2 ohm subwoofers) dramatically cuts the volume so much, you wonder if there's anything back there. You wouldn't get stereo bass (because of your tapping into one channel) but 95% of music has equal bass in both channels.
Radio/Amp:
Every owners burning question when looking at this mess of wiring. Is the amp turned via traditional trigger remote on or is it audio sensed? The answer is audio sensed sadly. The amp is supposedly 200 watts total but feels like more.
In terms of radio adapters, the "Scosche GM03B" and "Metra 70-2001" both have 2 blue remote wires (Power Antenna [Blue] and Remote Amp turn on[ [Blue with white line]). I think Remote amp turn on is apparently used only on 2004 (and potentially 2003). Judging by the diagram provided by "Automotive Electricians Portal". The Power Antenna appears to connect to the "Radio Antenna Module" and would explain why I wasn't receiving any FM signals because I didn't connect the power antenna wire at the time. The milliamps of the module is unknown, be aware. The radio adapters also with come with 2 black wires (Radio Ground [Black] and Factory Amp Ground [Black with stripes]. The 2 black ground wires should be tied together if your plan on using the factory amp.
In terms of wanting to use the monsoon amp with a aftermarket headunit, its easy. Just solder your headunits harness to an aftermarket headunit radio adapters, take apart your dash, install connect the adapters, hope theres enough room to stuff that cabling, put dash back together and done. Although you do losing steering wheel controls unless you buy a headunit that supports a universal steering wheel module.
In terms of wanting to use just the headunit to power 4 speakers, you'll need to use pin jumpers or chop up the main harness.
If you want steering wheel controls, like mentioned above, you need headunit that supports a Steering Wheel Controls Module. A popular one is the "ASWC-1" by Axxess and has a helpful catalog. Very brief summary but the module taps into pin E6 (Dark Blue), which according to our diagram provided by "Automotive Electricians Portal" is "STRG CTRL". If your connecting a new Kenwood/JVC headunit, Axxess recommends using a "10k Ohm Resistors, 1/4 W" in the process with the ASWC-1.
There is "technically" 2 versions of the OEM radio. One says "Monsoon" and other says "Dolby" on the cassette door. The difference is visual. There is 3rd party sellers that take these radios and add Bluetooth but they cost between $200 to $300 USD. If want to keep your OEM radio, I would highly suggest you buy a cassette bluetooth adapter for $12 to $15 USD instead.
In my experience, when I got the headunit installed. I noticed I had to turn my fade almost all way the to back, just to hear my subwoofer. Beforehand with my OEM radio, I can set my fade to default and use the bass knob. The issue when setting the fade almost to the back is, the noise goes up and the clarity goes down.
Helpful Sources:
Automotive Electricians Portal (For your radio & amp diagram): https://portal-diagnostov.com/
Axxess ASWC-1 Official Page (Steering Wheel Module page with Vehicle Info): https://axxessinterfaces.com/product/ASWC-1
Axxess New Kenwood/JVC10K Ohm Resistor Process: https://metra-static.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/ASWC-1_Technical_Document_100A.pdf
Simple QA Section:
Q: How many watts is the Monsoon Amp?
A: 200 watts supposedly (8 speakers x 25 watts)
Q: How is the Amp turned on by the radio?
A: Audio Sense via high-level speaker inputs.
Q: Can the Monsoon Amp be adjusted (Ex: Frequency Low-High Pass)?
A: No
Q: Can I run 3 to 4 ohm speakers in place of 2 ohm speakers?
A: Yes but you'll probably get less watt output from the speaker.
Q: Can I replace the stock radio with an aftermarket one and be able to use the Monsoon Amp?
A: Yes
Q: Can I bypass the Monsoon Amp and use the power from my headunit?
A: Yes but you'll need pin jumpers on the amp side, or cut into the harness on the amp side.
Q: Can my aftermarket headunit (That supports SWC) tap into my steering wheel controls?
A: Yes
Q: I've bought a radio harness for my aftermarket headunit and there is 2 black wires?
A: Black one is for the Radio Ground and the Black with white stripe is for the Monsoon Amp Ground. Ideally if you want to use the aftermarket radio with the Monsoon Amp, you'll need to twist the 2 wires together.
Q: I've bought a radio harness for my aftermarket headunit and there is 2 blue wires?
A: Judging by the diagram, the Blue one is for the Radio Antenna Module while the Blue with White stripe one supposedly is remote turn on but it goes nowhere.
Q: How many milliamps is the Radio Antenna Module?
A: I don't know.
Q: Is there replacement harnesses for the speakers?
A: Yes for the fronts and No for the rear speakers.
Q: How is the Monsoon Amp powered?
A: Judging by the diagram, 2 Orange for Battery and 2 Black with white for ground.
Q: Can you post the wiring diagram?
A: I don't know if I can but it's free to view on that Automotive Electricians Portal website.
Q: I would like to replace the Monsoon Amp but want to use all 8 speaker spaces, how would I go about this?
A: Its up to you. You could grab a 4-channel amplifier that supports 2 Ohm on all 4 channels and run 2 speakers in Parallel on each channel. By doing this with most 4-channel amps, each speaker would get ~30 to ~40 watts, if running at the same time that is. If your speaker setup allows, run the front tweeter and rear 4" speaker as the highs and run the front 5.25" and rear 6x9 as the mids/lows. If you care about watt power you could just run 4 speakers total, just run with front 5.25" and rear 6x9 or just front tweeters with front 5.25". Running 4 speakers with these 4-channel amps, nets you ~60 to ~80 watts per speaker. If you run the new 4-channel amp with stock power wiring, the watt figures go down.
Q: I want to get a aftermarket radio but which one should I use? Single DIN or Double DIN?
A: Its up to you. Single DIN radios allow you to take off the faceplate for anti-theft and those brackets allow the other half to be used for space. Double DINs allow for bigger digit screen to almost full-space touch screens. These touch-screens have features like reverse camera support, support for Android/iOS, etc. These features can be found on Single DINs but are extremely rare.
Q: Can I run an actual subwoofer to the Monsoon Amp?
A: Yes. Its highly recommended to use only 1 sub channel With a 2-ohm Subwoofer (and to disconnect your rear 4" speakers for maximum power) . When you use 2 2-ohm subwoofers on the 2 subwoofer channels, it results in barely any watts. So few watts, you won't hear it in the drivers seat. When you use only 1 subwoofer, the result is amazing, enough bass to see your mirrors shake. The 2 sub channels are mostly likely stereo but 95% of music has equal bass in both stereo channels.
To start off, 8-channel Monsoon amp is placed in the trunk near the top and should be covered by some carpet. The amp only takes 1 connector and outputs 200 watts total.
In my personal experience, the Monsoon setup actually sounds good. The midrange isn't thick and the treble isn't bright. If you throw some lossless sources at it (Like actually good ones), it'll reveal a good chunk of detail. If you mess with the EQ, its just gonna sound bad but if you leave it flat, it sounds good.
Speakers:
Image Source: https://www.amazon.com/Buick-Regal-Monsoon-Audio-System/dp/B06X9C2B21
The Rear 4 speakers in the back do not have separate harness for speaker rather each side has 1 harness (4 Speakers share two separate harness). There is no aftermarket adapter and its best to cut into the harness or run new wire.
You can hookup a normal actual subwoofer (2 Ohms) to one of the rear sub channels. The sub channel is about ~100hz & below while offering enough power to make your mirrors shake (If you don't have rear midranges hooked up). Its highly recommended to run only 1 (2 ohm) subwoofer, as hooking up 2 (2 ohm subwoofers) dramatically cuts the volume so much, you wonder if there's anything back there. You wouldn't get stereo bass (because of your tapping into one channel) but 95% of music has equal bass in both channels.
Radio/Amp:
Every owners burning question when looking at this mess of wiring. Is the amp turned via traditional trigger remote on or is it audio sensed? The answer is audio sensed sadly. The amp is supposedly 200 watts total but feels like more.
In terms of radio adapters, the "Scosche GM03B" and "Metra 70-2001" both have 2 blue remote wires (Power Antenna [Blue] and Remote Amp turn on[ [Blue with white line]). I think Remote amp turn on is apparently used only on 2004 (and potentially 2003). Judging by the diagram provided by "Automotive Electricians Portal". The Power Antenna appears to connect to the "Radio Antenna Module" and would explain why I wasn't receiving any FM signals because I didn't connect the power antenna wire at the time. The milliamps of the module is unknown, be aware. The radio adapters also with come with 2 black wires (Radio Ground [Black] and Factory Amp Ground [Black with stripes]. The 2 black ground wires should be tied together if your plan on using the factory amp.
In terms of wanting to use the monsoon amp with a aftermarket headunit, its easy. Just solder your headunits harness to an aftermarket headunit radio adapters, take apart your dash, install connect the adapters, hope theres enough room to stuff that cabling, put dash back together and done. Although you do losing steering wheel controls unless you buy a headunit that supports a universal steering wheel module.
In terms of wanting to use just the headunit to power 4 speakers, you'll need to use pin jumpers or chop up the main harness.
If you want steering wheel controls, like mentioned above, you need headunit that supports a Steering Wheel Controls Module. A popular one is the "ASWC-1" by Axxess and has a helpful catalog. Very brief summary but the module taps into pin E6 (Dark Blue), which according to our diagram provided by "Automotive Electricians Portal" is "STRG CTRL". If your connecting a new Kenwood/JVC headunit, Axxess recommends using a "10k Ohm Resistors, 1/4 W" in the process with the ASWC-1.
There is "technically" 2 versions of the OEM radio. One says "Monsoon" and other says "Dolby" on the cassette door. The difference is visual. There is 3rd party sellers that take these radios and add Bluetooth but they cost between $200 to $300 USD. If want to keep your OEM radio, I would highly suggest you buy a cassette bluetooth adapter for $12 to $15 USD instead.
In my experience, when I got the headunit installed. I noticed I had to turn my fade almost all way the to back, just to hear my subwoofer. Beforehand with my OEM radio, I can set my fade to default and use the bass knob. The issue when setting the fade almost to the back is, the noise goes up and the clarity goes down.
Helpful Sources:
Automotive Electricians Portal (For your radio & amp diagram): https://portal-diagnostov.com/
Axxess ASWC-1 Official Page (Steering Wheel Module page with Vehicle Info): https://axxessinterfaces.com/product/ASWC-1
Axxess New Kenwood/JVC10K Ohm Resistor Process: https://metra-static.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/ASWC-1_Technical_Document_100A.pdf
Simple QA Section:
Q: How many watts is the Monsoon Amp?
A: 200 watts supposedly (8 speakers x 25 watts)
Q: How is the Amp turned on by the radio?
A: Audio Sense via high-level speaker inputs.
Q: Can the Monsoon Amp be adjusted (Ex: Frequency Low-High Pass)?
A: No
Q: Can I run 3 to 4 ohm speakers in place of 2 ohm speakers?
A: Yes but you'll probably get less watt output from the speaker.
Q: Can I replace the stock radio with an aftermarket one and be able to use the Monsoon Amp?
A: Yes
Q: Can I bypass the Monsoon Amp and use the power from my headunit?
A: Yes but you'll need pin jumpers on the amp side, or cut into the harness on the amp side.
Q: Can my aftermarket headunit (That supports SWC) tap into my steering wheel controls?
A: Yes
Q: I've bought a radio harness for my aftermarket headunit and there is 2 black wires?
A: Black one is for the Radio Ground and the Black with white stripe is for the Monsoon Amp Ground. Ideally if you want to use the aftermarket radio with the Monsoon Amp, you'll need to twist the 2 wires together.
Q: I've bought a radio harness for my aftermarket headunit and there is 2 blue wires?
A: Judging by the diagram, the Blue one is for the Radio Antenna Module while the Blue with White stripe one supposedly is remote turn on but it goes nowhere.
Q: How many milliamps is the Radio Antenna Module?
A: I don't know.
Q: Is there replacement harnesses for the speakers?
A: Yes for the fronts and No for the rear speakers.
Q: How is the Monsoon Amp powered?
A: Judging by the diagram, 2 Orange for Battery and 2 Black with white for ground.
Q: Can you post the wiring diagram?
A: I don't know if I can but it's free to view on that Automotive Electricians Portal website.
Q: I would like to replace the Monsoon Amp but want to use all 8 speaker spaces, how would I go about this?
A: Its up to you. You could grab a 4-channel amplifier that supports 2 Ohm on all 4 channels and run 2 speakers in Parallel on each channel. By doing this with most 4-channel amps, each speaker would get ~30 to ~40 watts, if running at the same time that is. If your speaker setup allows, run the front tweeter and rear 4" speaker as the highs and run the front 5.25" and rear 6x9 as the mids/lows. If you care about watt power you could just run 4 speakers total, just run with front 5.25" and rear 6x9 or just front tweeters with front 5.25". Running 4 speakers with these 4-channel amps, nets you ~60 to ~80 watts per speaker. If you run the new 4-channel amp with stock power wiring, the watt figures go down.
Q: I want to get a aftermarket radio but which one should I use? Single DIN or Double DIN?
A: Its up to you. Single DIN radios allow you to take off the faceplate for anti-theft and those brackets allow the other half to be used for space. Double DINs allow for bigger digit screen to almost full-space touch screens. These touch-screens have features like reverse camera support, support for Android/iOS, etc. These features can be found on Single DINs but are extremely rare.
Q: Can I run an actual subwoofer to the Monsoon Amp?
A: Yes. Its highly recommended to use only 1 sub channel With a 2-ohm Subwoofer (and to disconnect your rear 4" speakers for maximum power) . When you use 2 2-ohm subwoofers on the 2 subwoofer channels, it results in barely any watts. So few watts, you won't hear it in the drivers seat. When you use only 1 subwoofer, the result is amazing, enough bass to see your mirrors shake. The 2 sub channels are mostly likely stereo but 95% of music has equal bass in both stereo channels.
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