Can i use my stock bose speakers with an aftermarket headunit?

 

Yes, but you'll need to purchase a wiring harness adaptor, which is usually expensive ($40-50). This is because the BOSE speaker / amp combos run at 1 Ohms each, which is too low for regular aftermarket HUs to handle. I am running a Panasonic HU with my stock BOSE and it sounds good enough for me.

 

What Mizeree_X said. I have an ALPINE HU with the BOSE speakers and it's great. Way better than stock. Go with ALPINE btw.

 

I had a peripheral adapter in my car (with an Alpine HU) when I first got it and it sounded much better than stock. Even though it sounded good, eventually the amps/speakers went to crap and I got rid of the whole thing.

I would recommend saving your money to at least replace the speakers down the road.

 

my bose were going out on my so i went for new speakers and HU. i looked at the connections and it looks like they just too the two wire for the speakers and used those and just totally bypassed the amp wires.... i never asked them if thats what they did, but it really looks like that (and they charged me $75 ta do it)

 

That's most likely what they did, because if they wired your new head unit directly to the factory wiring, they'd be going through the amps, and that would create a problem.

If you're handy with electronics, you can wire resistors to each speaker wire, to reduce the effective resistance to 1 ohm, that's basically what the BOSE adaptor does, however if you want a clean and easy install, go with the adaptor.

It all depends what kind of sound you're going for. The BOSE speakers were probably good in their day, and some people are fine with them. Others as you can see, have replaced them. Guaranteed if you replace them, you'll be getting better sound. But it's all relative to what kind of sound you're looking for, and what you want to spend.

 

where can these adapters be purchased from?

 

I got mine from Crutchfield.

 

ok, so what's better, aftermarket h/u and bose speakers....or aftermarket h/u and speakers? Or are they just as good?

 

aftermarket head & new speakers
depending on how much road noise and how good an year you have, it may not sound any different

 

imo, after all my friends aftermarket stereos, mine still kicks there a$$ like a champ with a pioneey hu and the conversion on stock speakers, people think i have some subs but i dont, well back then i didnt now i can make you cry from pain in the back seat

 

I have and a panasonic H/U and pioneers all around, two 10' Kicker comp VR's with a MTX amp running them and it wasn"t that hard to install, pics soon!

 

go to ur local radio shop and they should have the adapter. i have mine with a Panasonic CQ-C5110U HU with my Bose speakers, 2 12" Audiobahns with a Power Acoustik amp and it still sounds good to me.