Uberdread Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Hi, I've been trying to find some answers to this and it seem a little confusing. I have the original Bose unit (without satnav) but the sound quality is a bit rubbish compared to the system I built in my old 200SX. Does anyone know if there is a dedicated amp for the sub in the original Bose setup? Is it driven by piggy-backing the left or right speaker channel or does it have it's own dedicated sub channel on the head unit? I ask this because there is no sub control setting on the head unit. I want to put my old head unit in to test to Bose speakers to see if I will need to replace them too or if it's just the weak Bose head unit that is making it sound a bit hollow. Any help would be good. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 PM spursmaddave, he had his sorted this week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Yes there is a tiny amp attached to the plate in the sub which gets a filters signal from the main amp. You can keep everything and just change the headunit just getvthe right loom and a head unit with front and rear pre outs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 If you want anything like a decent sound you will have to change pretty much everything.... I got a Pioneer f900bt almost as soon as I got the car and got it fitted, it sounded better that the stock HU but still wasn't great and also had to boost the signal or have the HU turned up almost to full Just got some very nice Hertz speakers of a member on here and had them fitted this week. Front components and rear composites. I didn't want a sub enclosure so I kept the bose sub and the guy that fitted it put in a 4 channel amp for the speakers and left the bose amp just driving the sub The sound is 1,000,000 times better, obviously would be better still with an aftermarket sub but I am more than happy. I don't know enough to answer your technical questions, but whatever Bose equipment is in there it is all pretty weak im afraid Now I maybe need to get a slightly quieter exhaust so I can enjoy it more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 The standard speakers and sub are not that bad if you run them of a decent aftermarket headunit. I have an alpine 9886R and with the imprint processor doing its thing the bose speakers and sub sounded very good with plenty of bass coming from the bose sub. Although very good I like others wasnt happy as i like my music so i started all over and went JL Audio throughout. Having the sub behind the drivers seat can be annoying as it punches you in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 The standard speakers and sub are not that bad if you run them of a decent aftermarket headunit. I have an alpine 9886R and with the imprint processor doing its thing the bose speakers and sub sounded very good with plenty of bass coming from the bose sub. Although very good I like others wasnt happy as i like my music so i started all over and went JL Audio throughout. Having the sub behind the drivers seat can be annoying as it punches you in the back. Hebei kinda like my vibe being right behind me , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 The standard speakers and sub are not that bad if you run them of a decent aftermarket headunit. I have an alpine 9886R and with the imprint processor doing its thing the bose speakers and sub sounded very good with plenty of bass coming from the bose sub. Although very good I like others wasnt happy as i like my music so i started all over and went JL Audio throughout. Having the sub behind the drivers seat can be annoying as it punches you in the back. Agree about the JL Audio, I got a J320.4 fitted for the speakers, what a difference! As you said though the Bose speakers/sub with an aftermarket HU is a definite improvement and then you can upgrade the rest as and when you can, that's exactly what I did. They guy that fitted mine wasn't pushy but when I asked about maybe a sub in the future he said there is loads of room in the cubby behind the driver for a custom enclosure but to be honest I dont want a heavy bass so the bose sub is fine by me! * * I reserve the right to change my mind if someone decides to sell their aftermarket sub and amp cheap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 Cool cheers guys. For now I'll probably just run the Bose speakers off my Alpine iDA-X303 and leave the tiny amp running the sub for now and see if it's any better. So does that Bose amp run all the speakers in the default setup? My old setup was with Vibe components in the front, with the tweeter mounted in the a-frame factory locations and the woofers in the doors, then kenwood 6x9's on the parcel shelf and a 12" Fli trap sub in the boot with 1000watt amp running it. Sounded great! The headunit has a built in cross-over too so I can isolate the sub freaquencies from the speakers and send them to the sub. The Bose unit doesn't even have a sub volume level! I was hoping to be able to run the existing sub via the sub pre out on my head unit, but I'm not sure what the Bose amp inputs are or if it even has pre in's, anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 If you want anything like a decent sound you will have to change pretty much everything.... I thought as much. Did you get 6.5" for all 4 locations? I read somewhere that the rears are 6 3/4" or something. Also is the sub 10"? Now I maybe need to get a slightly quieter exhaust so I can enjoy it more Dont you dare!! I'm running the 5Zigen pro race, at least you have a choice of listening to good music or and awesome exhaust note! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Honestly i wouldnt bother replacing the rears and spend money on the fronts and amping them. The Alpine IDA-X303 is Imprint ready and although a little expensive i'd highly recommend the PXA-H100 IMPRINT processor. Theres a tiny amp in the rear that runs the bose speakers, this then sends a signal to the tiny amp that runs the bose sub, i'm not sure if the signal has been filtered at the speaker amp stage or if the sub amp does it itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 Honestly i wouldnt bother replacing the rears and spend money on the fronts and amping them. Don't you get really unbalanced sound with the fronts running so much better then the rears? Theres a tiny amp in the rear that runs the bose speakers, this then sends a signal to the tiny amp that runs the bose sub, i'm not sure if the signal has been filtered at the speaker amp stage or if the sub amp does it itself. Hmm so no way to run that sub via the sub pre out on the Alpine then, damn! Do you know what size the sub is? If it fits I'll use the subwoofer from my Fli unit and use the 1000watt amp I already own to power it, remove the Bose sub all together. Are the cables easy to get to? I'm assuming the seats will have to come out to get to the sub and run a power feed for the amp...oh wait, could I use the power feed from the Bose sub amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 The Alpine IDA-X303 is Imprint ready and although a little expensive i'd highly recommend the PXA-H100 IMPRINT processor. Will this fix the low volume issue some of the guys on here have been talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 The low volume is easily avoided by simply choosing a headunit with good high voltage pre outs of 4-5v mine us just as loud as it was pre change . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 The alpine 303 should be fine with the volume, its pretty much the same headunit i have but more focused towards ipod uses. I like others fade mainly to the front, about 80% as the rears just are not needed so its not really worth spending alot upgrading them. I was going to get some JL coaxs but the cheapest they do is about £70. The sub is 10" but its an open air subwoofer, its not in an enclosure so i'm not sure how an aftermarket subwoofer would sound in its location. There is alot of space to build a box but squeezing a 10" in there would be tricky due to the shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 The alpine 303 should be fine with the volume, its pretty much the same headunit i have but more focused towards ipod uses. I like others fade mainly to the front, about 80% as the rears just are not needed so its not really worth spending alot upgrading them. I was going to get some JL coaxs but the cheapest they do is about £70. The sub is 10" but its an open air subwoofer, its not in an enclosure so i'm not sure how an aftermarket subwoofer would sound in its location. There is alot of space to build a box but squeezing a 10" in there would be tricky due to the shape. few of us have 8's there only way i could see a 10 would be either faceing upwards or at some really harsh angle but as you said lots of space if you will to put the effort to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 21, 2010 Author Share Posted August 21, 2010 Would it not be possible to seal the cavatiy and use the original mounts for a 10" sub? This is all theoretical at the moment as 1] I've not taken even so much as a screwdriver to my car yet and 2] I thought I had sold my old car but turned out to be a scammer , so I'm a little low of funds till it's sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 The 4 speakers I fitted were all 6.5 inch. 2 Component in the front and 2 composite in the rear. My Pioneer unit can switch between the rear channel just being sub or sub+rear and I tried it, the difference is quite noticable. With all 4 speakers + sub the whole car is filled with sound, really crisp and big if that makes sense. So if you can afford it I would change all 4 speakers, just look at where the rear ones are sited, right behind your ears!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberdread Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share Posted August 22, 2010 The 4 speakers I fitted were all 6.5 inch. 2 Component in the front and 2 composite in the rear. My Pioneer unit can switch between the rear channel just being sub or sub+rear and I tried it, the difference is quite noticable. I'll be changing the speakers at some point for sure. Just out of interest did you manage to mount the tweeter in the original factory position (on the wing mirror back panel)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 The 4 speakers I fitted were all 6.5 inch. 2 Component in the front and 2 composite in the rear. My Pioneer unit can switch between the rear channel just being sub or sub+rear and I tried it, the difference is quite noticable. I'll be changing the speakers at some point for sure. Just out of interest did you manage to mount the tweeter in the original factory position (on the wing mirror back panel)? As I got the speakers of a member here who had removed them from his car, he had already mounted the tweeters onto some of those panels and included them in the sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Bringing in the rears ruins the sound stage in my car so i fade them out, i believe Ikarus does also who has a very big JL install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Bringing in the rears ruins the sound stage in my car so i fade them out, i believe Ikarus does also who has a very big JL install. I agree that having the rears set too high normally is a bad thing as it pulls the sound away from where you want it in the front of the car.... but in a Zed the 'rear' speakers are as close to you as the front so imo having decent rear speakers and having them set higher than you normally would is a good thing, but each to their own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 End of the day it's your car your money , just try and get a listen to somone regarded as having a good setup , See what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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