The main question is whether it is possible to get a decent signal w/ high-level inputs and the Bose HU. Any info on this?

To the ear, I have a fairly good signal to my sub with the high-level inputs on my RF amp, but subs are less picky about signal quality (unless gain and/or volume is maxed out).

I plan to swap out the front (and maybe rear) speakers. In the front will be Infinity Kappa Components, in the rear (if I get a new HU) will likely be Polk GXR6 coaxials.

I don't really want to shell out the cash now, but I want to have the new components sound good. Can I keep the Bose HU and still get a decent signal w/ the speaker-level inputs on my amp?

If I get a new HU, I will have to shell out @ least $50 fo rthe new rear speakers, plus $100-$180 fo rthe HU that I want. This is not counting the cost of the stereo "pocket," the wiring harness, and the antenna adapter, plus the pain of routing wiring to the rear deck and removal of the rear deck to mount the speakers themselves.

So what do you guys think- can I get a decent signal out of the Bose?

 

I don't believe that you can use the Bose with your new components...reason being that the Bose speakers are 1 ohm, and that is what the headunit is designed to work with. YOu will have to get a new HU if you don't want to blow out your new speakers. You might just want to wait until you get the new HU, hook up the front speaker and run the wiring for the rear speakers, and wait until you have the cash to put new ones in. Hope that helps.

O

 

Maybe I should have clarified-

I will b epushing the components with an amp, not the HU itself. The question is, "Can I get a decent signal TO the amp using the bose's signal?" I have my sub amp getting signal from the bose HU, but like I said before, subs are generally less picky about signal quality than are mids and highs. So will the signal sound like garbage if I use the speaker-level signal from the bose, run it into the high-level inputs on the amp, and then run the speakers off of the amp?

 

Geez. If I had a nickel for EVERYTIME I have answered this question.

Yes it is possible. BUT...

Don't tap the speaker levels. The BOSE amp will fail (over time) due to the excess work, causing it to burn out.

PAC makes a kit that will interface with the HU. It includes a "Y" cable, a line-level convertor, and a cable with 4 RCA outputs. You insert this cable BETWEEN the HU and the factory cabling that plugs into the HU. It allows the BOSE signal to pass-through to the BOSE amp, while "copying" the signal to the convertor/RCA outputs.

Any more questions about this? Search this forum (and search by my name) and you'll find a wealth of information about it.

 

I had the PAC setup and it did not sound any better w/ my sub than what I have. I did NOT know that it would kill the Bose amp to have it hooked up like it is now- thank you for that tip.

 

Now that I read more of your posts, studman, I am thinking that i amy NOT have used the same kit that you have...mine was seperate components, none of which directly interfaced with each other. i had to do a lot of splicing. Was this the case w/ yours?

 

No. The parts in my kit are as follows:

ADD-NIS2 (Y-Cable for HU)
OEM-1 (Line Level Convertor)
AMP-RCA (4 Channel RCA Output Cable)

They didn't sell it as a kit when I bought it, but they do now. If you call them up, they'll know what you are talking about. You probably bought the OEM-2, which requires splicing. The kit is now sold with all 3 pieces as the "AOEM-NIS2" for 1995-2002 and the "AOEM-NIS1" for 1989-1994.

More information is available at:

http://www.go2pac.com/oem1kits/oem1search.htm