[Shimmerydolmeo]

Hi all,

I am the proud owner of a 3.2 GT with std Bose system. I will be upgrading to a mech less head unit but I have some lovely infinity reference speakers. They are 5" components and 4" co-axials. Would infinity be an upgrade on Bose?

Another question; the sub, is it active or passive? Haven't had a good look yet.

Cheers!

 

[_The_Editor_]

Are you gonna pull the whole Bose system, or just replace the drivers?

There's a dirty dirty amp in the rear driving all 4 speakers, mounted to the back of the sub housing (and powering that too)... The amp does a load of audio f**kery to the sound signal to make it sound bassy and loud, but you lose clarity and quality...

You can replace just the drivers in the door, but be aware that they may not sound their best because they'll be fed by the Bose hardware in the boot...

FWIW the boomy Bose system hasn't annoyed me enough to be ripped out yet... If I had the standard stereo I'd already have upgraded, but the Bose isn't quite bad enough to force me to do so...

 

[Shimmerydolmeo]

Are you gonna pull the whole Bose system, or just replace the drivers?

There's a dirty dirty amp in the rear driving all 4 speakers, mounted to the back of the sub housing (and powering that too)... The amp does a load of audio f**kery to the sound signal to make it sound bassy and loud, but you lose clarity and quality...

You can replace just the drivers in the door, but be aware that they may not sound their best because they'll be fed by the Bose hardware in the boot...

FWIW the boomy Bose system hasn't annoyed me enough to be ripped out yet... If I had the standard stereo I'd already have upgraded, but the Bose isn't quite bad enough to force me to do so...

Thanks, I was thinking of getting a 6ch amp and bridging it for the sub. So if I go for a head unit I can get one without a built in amp? Is the Bose amp a bit rubbish?
I guess new mech less/amp less head unit first and then upgrade speakers/amp/sub at a later date?

 

[_The_Editor_]

Bose amp is better than no amp, but a decent head unit will usually have a decent on board amp....

Also the Bose amp takes a high level input rather than the pre-amp output that's more common, so you need to use an amplified out from the headunit...

Finally if you're wanting to replace the Bose amp, you'll have to run a new +12v cable from the battery... Original harness uses two skinny wires that aren't really up to the job of powering anything a bit meatier!

 

[115686]

The point about the Bose needing a high level input is really important, and is why it doesn't sound very good. I've done the same upgrade - Alpine mechless head and decent speakers with a proper damping job done on the doors. It sounds better, but not that good - you can hear huge hiss from the noisy connections to the amp, and the treble is all mashed. Ripping out the amp and putting proper shielded low level connections in to a new amp is the way forward.

 

[_The_Editor_]

TBH I'd imagine that the on-board 4x50W Mosfet amp in the head unit would do a decent job... Certainly since it'll be driving speakers at 4 ohm rather than 2 ohm like the Bose system...

That's another point actually... The Bose setup uses 2 Ohm speakers (makes it nice and easy for a low-power amp to drive them loud), and the majority of aftermarket kit is 4 ohm... You might have to turn the stereo up a bit to get the same volume levels in the car!

 

[Shimmerydolmeo]

Thanks for the replies people. So really I need to replace the whole lot in 1 go? Or find a head unit that has hi + low line outs? I don't want to drive speakers off a head unit amp as even with good quality kit it sounds rubbish at higher volumes.

Where is the crossover for the components? In the door or amp? Am happy using original cables and putting a new power cable in.

 

[jwq]

Thanks for the replies people. So really I need to replace the whole lot in 1 go? Or find a head unit that has hi + low line outs? I don't want to drive speakers off a head unit amp as even with good quality kit it sounds rubbish at higher volumes.

Where is the crossover for the components? In the door or amp? Am happy using original cables and putting a new power cable in.

There is no seperate crossover filter.... In the standard setup there is just a capacitor mounted on the tweeter, in the Bose setup co-axial speakers are used (and tweeter housing in the door is empty)

 

[Shimmerydolmeo]

There is no seperate crossover filter.... In the standard setup there is just a capacitor mounted on the tweeter, in the Bose setup co-axial speakers are used (and tweeter housing in the door is empty)

Interesting. Kind of makes the Bose badge over the tweeter a bit silly.