So I'm pretty sure that all the touring models 2003+ have bose premium sound.

I understand that Bose Premium sound is better than your average stock stereo system.

My question is, without putting a lot of money into my car's audio system could I replace the stock bose speakers/subs etc with some aftermarket product w/o spending a fortune that would outperform the bose speakers.

I'm talking like something from bestbuy?

Maybe this thread goes under the audio section most likely.

Any thoughts? I'm just looking for something a little louder and a little more bass.

If I replace the speakers I wonder if its a good idea to go ahead and replace the old school bose player anyway.

 

wow i had this question in the back of my mind too. ill keep checking up on this thread and see how it goes. I wanted something with more bass, but i like my bose and didnt wanna spend too much money on new audio.

 

Welcome to our site. This may help: Flowchart

 

I have a base Z so I never had the Bose option but from experience with the Bose factory systems and from hearing what others have to say about it, it does not perform that well. I think you'll be able to easily get something that will sound a lot better and will not break the bank.

I've been slowly updating my car system with the right parts to make it sound good. I've been doing this slowly as I have higher priorities right now for my money so it's kinda 'do it as I go' thing. I started with a head unit, then I did my front speakers, soon after that, I picked up an amp to power them and I'm about to replace my rears. I noticed many people don't bother with the rears and just use the fronts. I like to have the fill in sound from the back so I decided to replace them myself. My cost so far:

HU: JVC KW-AVX800 - $500
Front component speakers: Polk DB6501 - $150
Rear speakers: Polk DB651 - $100
200W 4 channel Amp: Alpine MRP-F300 - $200
Installation: $220

Total cost so far: $1170

My system will not win any awards and is not the loudest system on the planet. It's not complete yet as I will eventually add a 10" sub to add decent bass. It's a budget setup that does sound incredibly clean and clear. 5V preamp outs and very good amp are key. Polk are very efficient speakers so everything ties in together very nicely given the money I spent on it. You don't have to spend $5K on a system to get decent sound as long as you spend the cash on the right parts.

I don't know what kind of music you like but be aware that some speakers do better/worse depending on the type of music you like to listen to. I'm a heavy metal guy so I need speakers that can handle a lot of midrange without drowning out the highs. EQ was also very important to me which is a reason why I chose the JVC deck (has a pretty good EQ setup and control). I will do a 10" sub because I need a very fast responding one due to a lot of double bass in metal. A 12" may not handle that as well so I'll compromise on the amount for quality, accuracy and overall balance. Good luck.

 

well you can save a lot of $$$ and improve the sound performance just by replacing your woofers and amps, or even the hud if you need an mp3 reader.

imo the rest of the speakers are good enough unless you're looking into joining a sound-off competition.

 

Replace your HU first. You'd be amazed how good the speakers actually can sound when you've got something driving them that has some adjustability. I have a Kenwood DNX8120 (which is probably out of the price range that you're looking for) and my system sounds a lot better than stock.

 

on my 05, I had the bose system. on my 04, the regular pos. i upgraded the 04 with a headunit and some mb quart component speakers and I would say that the sound quality is about the same.. maybe slightly better than the bose. You really need to get an amp and the whole deal to hear the drastic difference.