Colonel

OK, I have read lots of people wanting to change out parts of the 5th gen Bose stereo system. BUT I have not read of people actually doing it. I am sorta a radio retard and can pull stuff out and replace, but dont necessarily understand what EQUIPMENT is needed, and the proper method of hooking up said equipment.

I really only want to replace the "substandard" speakers with better speakers. I know that the 5th Gen Bose runs on 1 Ohm (minus the pillar tweets) and are NOT compatable with aftermarket speakers with the current Bose Amp setup.

I have looked at this website Bose PD4 and it seems I can buy the PD4 to replace the stock amp and still use the factory head. But it says its a 4 channel amp, would I not need a 5th channel? I have the "sub" (really a woofer) and not sure how that all works. I live in a high crime area so moving to a non-stock head is currently NOT an option. But then you go to this site replacing anything bose is bad and it says..bad bad bad idea?

So there is my problem. I need good speakers and the proper method to drive them, but using the factory head unit. I KNOW that I might be able to use an after market amp, but I have to use a high end input which I have read is not a good idea because of sound degradation. Also would I be able to use the existing wiring or have to rewire all the speakers?

I appreciate all input and am trying to make this a good source of "basics" for the 5th genners.

THANKS!

ojman

I am looking for thge same info so I'll send this one back to the top.

studman

You can keep the factory BOSE HU and run aftermarket speakers, but you'll have to run aftermarket amps AND wires to the speakers. PAC make an adapter set (ADD-NIS2, OEM-1, and AMP-RCA) for the 5th gen that takes the BOSE signal from the HU and converts it to RCAs. They sell the whole kit (3 pieces) for around $80-100 + shipping. You then run RCAs to your amps in the trunk. From the amp, you run speaker wire to each of the speakers.

For the front doors, you will HAVE TO DRILL HOLES. The factory grommet for the front doors uses a connector that doesn't have any free space in it. Drilling is required to run wires into the front doors.

For the rear doors, you can use the factory grommet. There is room in there to run the wires into the rear doors.

All in all, expect to spend around $1000+ for 4 speakers, wiring kit, PAC adapter kit, excess parts, and a semi-decent amp. Components work nicely in the front of the car, but I wouldn't put them in the back unless you just have excess money to spend.

I'm sure that there are things that I'm forgetting.... oh yeah, I have the PAC kit. I've installed 2 subs in my car (yes they work with the BOSE HU). I haven't replaced the doors because of the expense, but it's definitely in my budget.

Good luck.

ojman

If I wanted to start by adding a little more bass could I not use a line-level input amplifier with the inputs as well as the remote and power wire coming from the Bose sub? Just to keep things extremely simple. Would there be enough power? I don't want to run speaker wire throughout my whole car (yet anyways - I know I will change my mind an go all out in 6 mos). Can I do this sub setup and then direct speaker replacments?

specialist23

i work at audio king, and as of now, there are no kits for them. i am hoping to put this into my car, but have to wait for any type of kit unless i want to do a "custom" job which i do not feel like doing.

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productTypeId=37&sortBy=price&productI d=2375

kinda sucks cuz i put down $2k less for all my audio stuff, but didn't do research before hand. hopfully they'll be out soon. plus there is a part coming soon which will allow the steering wheel controls to be used with a "non factory" deck. just to let you guys know. any ?'s or comments, just pm or email me.

Specialist23

studman

No. The line level adapter draws too much power (and creates resistance) from the BOSE amp. BOSE amps are designed to work with minimal resistance. The amp will overwork itself and "burn out".

Also, another reason for not doing this is because the amp also has an EQ and a crossover in it. If you tap the rear speakers, you'll never get the full signal, and your bass may not come through because it got passed to the sub instead of the speakers.

If you use the PAC line level convertor kit, you tap the signal directly behind the HU, where it's closer to line-level than after the amp. Your chances of damaging the amp are much much much less than if you tap the signal after the amp, as well as tapping the FULL DYNAMIC RANGE (before BOSE amp) instead of just a certain portion of it (after BOSE amp).