Hey all,
I'm almost convinced that I'm going to replace the stock BOSE unit in my '02 Max. I have the NAVI, and the 6 disc changer in the trunk, so I really would prefer to keep the stock headunit (not to mention I prefer the stock look on the dash). Anyway, I've spoken to a bunch of different people at Crutchfield, and I can't get a straight answer out of any of them. Please help:

1. Some reps say that if I replace the speakers in the car, I need to do a complete re-wire. Other reps claim that I can merely remove the old speakers and hook-up new ones to the factory wiring using free harness adapters.

2. Some reps claim that the stock BOSE amp can power aftermarket speakers. Others claim that a completely new amp is needed, but can power the speakers using the factory wiring. Still others claim that both a new amp and new wiring is needed.

3. Some reps claim that, if I wanted, I could replace the headunit with an aftermarket model (with features like XM or Sirius). Others claim that since I have the NAVI, I HAVE to keep the stock headunit.

As you can imagine, I'm quite confused. I know a lot of people don't like Crutchfield, but I've had a lot of good experiences with them in the past. I know a decent amount about car audio, but not nearly enough! Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

 

You can keep the Bose unit. In fact since you have Navi you will need to. If your looking to replace the speakers, you will need to do a rewire, and you will need a 4 channel amp to power it all. You will need a converter to change from the Bose HU output signal to RCA level signals, and you cannot use the BOSE amps to power the new speakers...

Crutchfield reps are morons...

 

Echo on that....I have adapters to pull out line level from my head unit that I used to run an additional sub. The output could be better though. I'm being a critic though being that I used to have a major system in my last car. If your looking to build a high performance system you may wanna add some line drivers from Audio Control.

 

The information age! Information that comes out can only be as good as the information that goes in.