d95gas Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I currently have the AVIC-F900BT with current maps, hooked up to my Bose system (minus headunit). Despite doing the RCA mod the volume is week to say the least. Max volume is 62, and you are on 58 before you even hear it above the engine noise. So time to do some upgrading I think as I am not happy about the way the unit was previously wired in. I am looking at the Hertz Dieci DSK 170.3 Slimline components for the fronts. first question is anyone running them, and what was the fitting like?. More importantly what do they sound like, I do like a bit of bass, but I also like clarity, and my previous Hertz in my MR2 gave me both. then once I have my bonus, I can move onto AMP and doing something about the rear sub, where I am open to suggestions. My criteria is that I have to use existing space as I want to keep the interior as OEM as possible, so would be ideal if I could replace the existing sub with something that will go straight in. I don't want thumping....annoy the neighbors levels, just normal listening levels. Any advice from the Audio Buffs, would be most welcome Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adem Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I'm no audio 'buff' but it sounds to me there might be something wrong with the way your AVIC-F900BT is hooked up if the sound is 'that' bad! Just as a quick trial before you decide to spend money on a new one I would test and see if there is a way of getting your current one to sound better as its not a bad head unit by the looks of things. first thing you could do as a really basic test would be to test each speaker individually without removing anything. Just use the fade and balance on the head unit itself to see if all speakers are working correctly! they should all be fading and balancing correctly and all sound the same I would then take the unit out and have a play with inputs on the back to see if there is anything you can change to get it sounding better. the only thing I can think of that might be wrong with the unit itself would be if the pre-amp stopped working but that's 'really' unlikely and you should, 'with a bit of tweaking' be able to get a banging sound out of the current one without spending! Just my opinion, sorry if it doesn't help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I had older Hertz in my Zed, you won't be dissapointed. I think just have a look at your RCA hack, from memory I had to turn my F900 up to high 50's without any hacking, if yiu have spliced correctly is should be PLENTY loud enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Something is definitely not quite right there my Alpine is now running with the RCA mod, upgraded Alpine speakers front and rear and the standard Amp & Sub and for me it's more than loud enough, it's that effective I'm afraid to turn it up too high as distortion kicks in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Something is definitely not quite right there my Alpine is now running with the RCA mod, upgraded Alpine speakers front and rear and the standard Amp & Sub and for me it's more than loud enough, it's that effective I'm afraid to turn it up too high as distortion kicks in. Or you blow up the Bose amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d95gas Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Thanks for the great responses guys. Just been on the motorway today, and to even start to drown out the motorway noise it had it sat at 61/62 which is crap in my opinion. I work with electronics all the time so am pretty adapt at soldering and wiring, so was very careful and particular to do things right when I did the RCA mod. My only concern is some of the other wiring may not be correct. To be honest when I took the unit out, I was a bit taken back by the spaghetti mess, with all sorts of bits plugged in which I felt was unnecessary, and I only concentrated on the RCA side. Listening to you guys, it sounds like my best bet is to totally strip it out and start again with a clean slate. To be honest I don't even know if he has the correct wire in for the Bose Amp, there was just a mass of connector blocks and other bits. I think you have just convinced me of what next weekends job is. Really appreciate guys, thanks Graeme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Good luck, some really good guides in the ICE section , more than a few actually using an F900bt, mine included Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d95gas Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 To some degree the F900BT is driving me nuts :-) Went out Sunday and was listening to some music, continually got over speed warnings in the guise of a police siren sound.....Crapped myself first time round. All features on Nav side are disabled. I think this weekend there is going to be a reset. What volume position does yours go to for decent volume, I currently have to use 58\62, can hardly hear it up to around 50. Hopefully weather will be fine this weekend and I can rip it all out and start again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) I have the same HU, and I never had to turn up the volume past 30 before upgrading the speakers and amps. Did you make sure the auto volume feature on the Bose HU was turned off before you removed it? What it does is measure cabin noise and adapts the volume via the Bose amp in the boot, the mic is located under the steering column. Also check that the ACC mode isn't turned on, like the mute function. Other than that, I can only suggest upgrading everything and burning all the Bose gear in a neat pile on a BBQ Here's what I did http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/73153-mould-on-speakers/ Edited November 1, 2013 by BulletMagnet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I have the same HU, and I never had to turn up the volume past 30 before upgrading the speakers and amps.Did you make sure the auto volume feature on the Bose HU was turned off before you removed it? What it does is measure cabin noise and adapts the volume via the Bise amp in the boot, the mic is located under the steering column. Also check that the ACC mode isn't turned on, like the mute function. Other than that, I can only suggest upgrading everything and burning all the Bose gear in a neat pile on a BBQ Here's what I did http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/73153-mould-on-speakers/ Sent from the golf club... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d95gas Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Unfortunately I never removed the Bose head unit...... Although I was given it as part of the package when I purchased the car. Do you think its worth putting the bose back in and seeing if its still enabled. I dont mind doing that as the plan was to rip it all out and get to the bottom of the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I did find that when running the F900BT on the Bose setup, you really need inline volume boosters, never did the Buster Mod myself. But since you are thinking of upgrading to proper amps anyway, I'd just wait and gather all your upgrade parts and then just upgrade. No point in wasting time and effort now for a temporary solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I did find that when running the F900BT on the Bose setup, you really need inline volume boosters, never did the Buster Mod myself.But since you are thinking of upgrading to proper amps anyway, I'd just wait and gather all your upgrade parts and then just upgrade. No point in wasting time and effort now for a temporary solution +1 I got boosters for my f900bt but then got better speakers and amped them Sent from the golf club... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d95gas Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Yep I think you guys are correct on upgrading the hardware. Really fancy the Hertz components again, had them in the MR2 and they were a fantastic sound. Not too fussed about the rear as I only have them barely on just for a bit of infill. Will need to look at amps, something small and discreet that I can get under the seat or out of the way. Not sure what do do about the Sub......might just try and find something that fits in the stock location, I dont have thumping base, but do like the sounds to be rich. Cheers guys. Graeme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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