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Not sure what you mean by "head unit," but I guess that refers to the radio itself - the box in the dashboard with dials and buttons on the front and colored wires coming out the back?
I recently replaced the speakers (04 LS EXT, if it matters), and it improved the sound quality considerably. The factory system bass was muddy, particularly at high volume. The factory radio/CD can generate perfectly good audio signals, if you have quality speakers to turn them into correspondingly good sound. I would only replace the radio unit based on features, not sound quality. IOW, if you want to play MP3s, you'll need to replace the radio (bonus - you get rid of the d@mn chimes). If you're primary concern is sound quality, you should at least start with the speakers. If you're still not happy, you can always change the radio unit later -- whatever you replace it with will still need quality speakers.
If you're simply replacing the speakers, get ones with a high sensitivity rating (preferably over 90 dB) and that can be driven with low power (e.g., an RMS power range of 2-50 or 2-75). For optimal audio, of course, you really should put a power booster between the radio and the speakers. This also opens up the option of component speaker systems, which are less efficient and require more power (but produce even better sound).
FWIW, I swapped out all four with Infinity 6002si, which I found on eBay for $50/pr. The polypropylene woofers with rubber surrounds punch out bass like the fabric cones in the factory speakers couldn't dream of.
Any 6.5 in. coaxial speakers should fit. The factory ones are installed with an odd fastener whose name escapes me -- you will need a driver with a star-shaped head. There are two little locating tabs or bosses on the plastic brackets that you will need to cut off. Nobody carries the GM 2-wire connectors (and a dealer will probably want to sell you the whole harness); I just soldered the wires to the speaker tabs in the rear door. The speakers in the front door are mounted on a separate bracket (with an offset tweeter). I ran wires soldered to the speaker tabs through the bracket, and soldered those to the speaker wires for the front door, sealing the connections with heat shrink. The biggest hassle is getting the door panels off (the speaker "grills" are formed into the door panels).
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