That amp is unreal. When those were being produced I didn't have my license yet but I remember a couple kids that had those in their cars. Not the same amp but the same design. Brings me back to the first time I ever sat in a car with an aftermarket system(1990?). He had 4 10's being pushed by something like that. It was amazing to me.

 

I bought an Alpine 9856 headunit to run this stuff. Do you guys think this will be a good compliment to the sound?

 

It should sound great, just get some good quality RCA's cables and keep them away from your power runs, and you'll be happy with the end result.

 

I've read a few posts that say that an aftermarket headunit will not sound good hooked up to the factory Bose speakers. I had planned on just leaving the rears in. Have any insight on this?

 

I really haven't had any experience mixing the Bose system with aftermarket components, so I couldn't say. But..

If your really set on having rear fill, I would run them off the headunit and bypass the Bose amp . I've read the posts your referring to, sounds like they know what they're talking about. Try it and if it sounds bad you can replace the Bose rears or disconnect them altogether until you can pick up some decent coaxials. You dont have to go crazy on the rear speakers since they are just for rear fill and the fact that there are two seats directly in front of them. A low to mid range set of co-axials should work.

 

I was planning on running them off of the headunit but like you said I might just pick a mid range pair of speakers up. Didn't want to have to deal with that part of the install really. If I run into a great deal on some high quality rears that would be a plus.

Thanks again

 

Anytime, dont forget the pics!

 

I'll deffinitely post pics. My order is being shipped sometime next week and then I'll be looking to find time to get it to my installer in Houston. I'm thinking mid July.

 

Had my Alpine 9856 installed yesterday. Sound is much better through the stock blose speakers but still not up to my standards. Can't wait to get the rest of the gear in to complete the system. I'm a little disappointed with the fitment of the deck itself. It does not sit flush and the trim is deff. not a perfect fit. I was wondering if this is common to our cars.

 

I just decided to take some pics of the headunit. As you can see there is a bow in the bottom/middle of the unit. Have no idea why. Also the edges do not line up very well. In the second pic you can see the unit seems a little pushed in. Again, I don't know if this is normal or not. Opinions please.

 

Usually that bow is caused by the radio cage tabs (the ones used to attach the cage to the mounting kit).

If it bothers you (it would bug me) remove it and examine those tabs. Take a needle nose pilers and re-bend them so they don't push into the plastic

What kind of mounting kit is that? I see what you mean about not being flush

 

I'm not sure what mounting kit it is. It's the one that Crutchfield sent me for the install. I chose what kind of deck I had and this is the kit they sent.

Now HOW do I get to the part you are talking about? I didn't install this thing. How do I pull the deck out? Actually how do I get the face plate trim off the top part first LOL. I'm scared I'll break something.

 

Unfortunately the mounting kit is attached to the back of the console. To do the adjustments you need the console has to come out. There's a good walkthrough on another site....

 

Ahhh that sucks. I didn't want to have to take the console out so I won't. When I get Aaron from www.innovativerides.com to install the rest of my gear I'll ask him to work on it while he has it out. Thanks for trying to help out though.

Talked to my hookup today about my gear. He says it will all be shipped out by next Tuesday at the latest. Looks like I'm a little behind on my install date but that's ok. I'm pumped though!

 

Just got back into town from my install. WOW is all I can say. The PPI stuff is very impressive. Even my installer was impressed. The work he did on the doors to get the comps to fit was about 2 1/1 hours of custom fitting and trimming on handmade MDF spacers alone. They fit perfect now without any bumping on the factory grill whatsoever. The external crossover had to be taken half apart to fit in the door due to it's size. All the wiring was done in wrapped braided insulated lines. Very professional all the way around. Better than I expected and I expected a lot.

The most surprising thing about the entire install is the quality of the single PPI sub in the single Zenclosure box. Before the Z I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a ported box and 2 x 10 Kicker Competition's. The single PPI sub takes it easy. Even my installer said he couldn't think of a sub that he'd take over the PPI with the limited airspace the Zenclosure has.

I highly recommend Aaron at www.innovativerides.com His work is 2nd to none and the other work he's done on other vehicles is a testament to his range. I wish I had pics but Aaron's camera went on the fritz right before my install. Just imagine a 19" long amp mounted inside the factory bose sub location. The PPI logo in bright red shining through the grill when you look at it....I'll get some pics of that eventually though.

Thanks to everyone that threw in their input to this thread. A big thanks to Aaron and his two employees @ innovative. 8 hours of work and one mad system...