I'm not much of a sound guy and just wanted some advice since my HU is acting up... i need a new one. I have 03 touring bose stereo w/o nav. My HU starting to skip all of my CD and my rear sub comes on whenever it wants to. Basically I need new HU and that little amp next to the sub. The sub speaker seems to be working fine but the little amp for the sub is not. I'm looking into getting a new HU and I would like to use my stock bose speakers. Here are my questions:

1. What HU should i get that works well with stock speakers?
2. Is there aftermarket replacement amp for the stock sub?
3. If I were to install aftermarket HU, what components do i need?
4. If there is a aftermarket amp for the stock bose sub, do they work with aftermarket HU or is there another component that make this work?

Sorry for the long questions but I wasnt able to find these questions searching online and it seems everyone is moving away from bose. Thanks for your answers in advance!

 

Thanks for the info... since i know nothing about stereo do you have any recomendation for HU and speakers? I'm not looking into spending a lot of money...

 

I'm just looking for replacement so double dins w/o nav... what do you recommend in kenwood line?

 

Hi, I read your thread and would like to offer some comments.

The first thing is to do what bigaudiofanatic recommends in his Message #3 on your thread:
Although that might appear drastic (i.e., expen$ive), it’s really not. In fact trying to blend non-Bose equipment into your Bose system can co$t more than just doing a complete replacement.

Why? …Because Bose uses a proprietary structure that requires adapters when adding or replacing equipment. It becomes expensive and frustrating when you attempt to blend replacement speakers, amps, and an H/U into an existing Bose system. You get better results just replacing everything.

I think the first thing you should do is set your budget. Once you determine what you are willing to spend, start planning your new CES. The research stage is actually fun. Go to audio stores and examine different equipment, search online for pricing, and search the A/V forum on my350z.com for more information.

You ask about double-din devices and mention Kenwood.
Kenwood is a good choice if you want a double-din device. That’s especially true if you are not sure you want navigation, but want to leave this option open for a future addition since many of the Kenwood double-din devices that are sans navigation allow adding this.

However, don't ignore single-din H/U's. Your Z has a plethora of cubbys where you can place A/V equipment. For example the upper/forwaqrd cubby is perfect for a 7" LCD screen. The two large and two small cubbys behind the driver and passenger seat allow you to install mutliple devices that you can run from your H/U or even the LCD screen you put in the upper/forward cubby.

People keep telling me that my posts are way too long (and long posts get boring and difficult to read), so I’ll cut it here and wait for any additional questions you may have.

Spike

 

So I have the Blose system as well where the bass comes and goes at will. Like to get better sounds but like the person earlier, I don't want to spend a fortune. If I get a decent HU (single Din) $150-$180 would I still have to bypass the entire Bose speakers and install aftermarket speakers? How do I deal with the Sub? Do I need a new amp/sub? I would like some bass. Would this be night and day improvement over the Bose? (provided I get a decent HU). Thanks,

 

Thanks spike for you detail comment. Since I dont know what is expensive vs good deal its hard for me to come up with the buget. I'm sure I can replace speakers, sub and HU for $1000 but not sure if $1000 worth of all that equipment is good or bad. Searching through the forum brings so many questions... it just seems i could do so much and there isnt a right answer.

So it seems I need new front/ rear speaker, sub, HU and amp. Is it possible to get 1 amp to run all speakers or it is better to run front and rear on HU and have seperate amp for the sub?

Once again sorry for the long questions... and thanks in advance!

 

$1,000 is a reasonable budget although you will have to forgo a SubW (for now anyway, but you can add this later). Here’s what you can get with this budget (I’ll list two different setups):

Option 1

• A decent single-din H/U
• An external amp
• A pair of good component speakers for the front

Option 2

• A double-din H/U
• A pair of coaxial speakers that operate with lower power (so that you can drive them with the internal amp in your H/U)

Additional Points

• Don’t bother with replacing the rear speakers. You really don’t need them. But don’t connect the rears you have now since they are so poor they only pollute the sound you get with the better components you are installing.
  
• Either setup will fit well inside your budget, including professional installation. My examples include intermediate equipment that will provide good sound.
  
• You can spend less, but buying really cheap stuff doesn’t make sense if your goal is to fit a SubW in the budget.
  
• You can spend more, but it becomes a matter of diminishing returns. The really high end stuff sounds better, but costs a lot more than the quality sound you gain with this type of equipment. And, the Z isn’t exactly the best listening environment.
  
• Single-din H/U’s are a great value leaving you with additional funds to install better speakers. Better speakers need an external amp, and you can use the leftover cash to buy the amp.
  
• If you decide you want a double-din H/U, you will have less cash left for the speakers. That’s why I recommend buying some good coaxials that you can drive with the H/U’s internal amp. If you want a little better sound, add an external amp and better component speakers to Option 2. However, that might go over your budget.
  
• Adding a SubW, and doing it right, is expensive. The reason is simply that a proper SubW installation requires some custom fabrication, and you will need an external amp. If you go with Option 1(or add an amp to option 2), you can buy an amp that will drive both the fronts and your SubW. With that said, I think most members here would recommend a dedicated amp for the SubW.

The Z is great for installing a CES because you have so many cubbies to hold your equipment. It’s one reason CarPC’s are so popular in Z’s. The upper/forward cubby is perfect for a large LCD screen. You have a double-din slot where you can place either a double-din H/U or a single-din H/U along with a storage slot or an addition component. The two large and two small rear cubbies (behind the driver and passenger seat) can hold a lot of electronic gear (amps, GPS black box, DVD player, CarPC components, etc.).

The Z's "modular-CES-design-capability" is one reason I favor the Kenwood KOS system. It's a perfect fit for the Z.

Spike

 

Pioneer P3100

 

Hey, just checking, I asked nearly the same question a while back and folks said if you have a BOSE H/U you can replace just the H/U...I was worried about the proprietary BOSE stuff too...

"Yes. The head unit will work if...

It can provide line level signals to the power amplifier.
It has a remote ON-OFF signal to power the amplifier ON and OFF. "

I'm headed to replace just the head unit when things warm up. Do you really have to replace more than the head unit? Thanks again.

 

^^ Are you looking for better sound, or do you want more features from the H/U?

--Spike

 

To me, a better unit did improve the sound, but, it shows the shortcomings of the Bose amps and speakers. The aftermarket Hu has better bass output which will make the sub actually work. The problem with that is the sub will either blow or the amp will quit. The door and rear speakers ar'nt able to handle the full range and tend to get muddy at higher volumes. You can start out with a HU and build in stages, say speakers next, amps last, but you or a shop need to know what their doing.