I am about the change the head unit on my max. Its a pioneer with 2 pre-amp outputs for subs. I also want to change the speakers as I have a couple of nice 300 w kenwood 9x6 for the rear.
I have read suggestions that rewiring the speaker is the way to go. How difficult is this? I have also read that you can run the speakers through an your amp, but does this apply to the front speakers also? Would it make more sense to rewire the front speakers and run the rear one through the amp?
Thanks for any advice

 

I'm not fully understanding what you are asking. Is your current radio Bose? What amps are you talking about? rewiring speaker...running new speaker wires from the dash to the rear deck isn't that hard, but you may be able to get away with using exsisting wires.

 

I am suddenly talking a lot about converting from the Bose system because I just did it on my 92 Max. Here's the situation.

You can't use the original Bose speakers with a Pioneer head unit unless you use the pre amp outputs from the head unit to feed the auxillary amplifiers at each speaker. That's the most important thing because the Bose speakers will probably blow the head unit's power amplifiers.

Since your head unit only has a rear pair of pre amp outputs, you will have to change the front door speakers to 4 ohm speakers and bypass the amplifiers in the doors with the audio wires -- or buy a $50 adapter that will convert the front output to preamp levels.

In reading the Pioneer owner's manual, it says that you can feed a pair of rear amplifiers with full frequency output using the RCA jacks on the head unit. However, when you switch to subwoofer mode, both the preamp and the rear amp outputs become subwoofer mode, so you have front full range and rear subwoofer only. No rear full range at the same time as subwoofer. The manual says you don't have to use an auxialiary amplifier in the subwoofer mode, but it doesn't say of there is a preamp subwoofer output also.

 

 

 

Let me clarify .. i do sound somewhat confused.

My max currently has the bose stereo in it. I will install a pioneer car stereo with 50w per channel and 2 sub pre-amp outputs.

I have 2 large speakers for the rear and will buy 2 more for the front.

I will bypass the amps, BUT what i was trying to ask was whether it was worth rewiring the whole system to get better sound. ie: run new wires from my new head unit to my new speakers becuase i have been reading that it is worth it.

Now if i wanted to rewire the whole car... how much trouble is it?

 

My opinion* is that the existing audio signal wires will carry 20 watts RMS to the trunk and front doors. You just bypass the audio in and out of the suxiliarry amplifiers and connect the head unit to the original harness using the Scosce Nissan adapter. Figure out the diversity antenna (just connect the rear one in a pinch) and Viola!

*There is a school that says you can't make speaker wire too big. This is true from an audio standpoint, however, you get into connector resistance problem the bigger you go. You have to really make it little to hear any high frequency loss. According to the literature, 22 ga wire will carry powered audio (2.2 amps or 20 watts) from 6 to 10 feet with no audible loss. I believe you now have 20 ga wire carrying preamped audio from the front harness to the rear amplifiers at present. Remember, you probably won't play at a constant 20 watts of heavy metal even with a big bass, even though the Pioneer can peak at 50 watts. 20 watts is over 100 db which is like listening to a chain saw all day.

 

Let me add to what I wrote on existing wiring.

It's really not hard to run new wire anywhere except the front doors, which requires a contortionist with a leader wire to get it through the weatherproof boots. You just hide the rear wires under the floor sills and door posts and run it beside the rear seat into the trunk. You might use a little spiral shielding in tight places. You connect all the wires from the wiring adapter to the original harness except the audio pairs you are replacing, which you connect directly to your new wires.

The biggest problem I have had with new wires it they tend to make a birds nest under the dash and fall out on your feet. Wire ties will help hold them in neat order.

I Currently have two - 160 watt Jensen biaxial 6 X 9 speakers in the trunk. The existing Bose 20 gauge wires connect them to a Pioneer DEH P6400, 22W RMS/channel-50W peak. I listen to more instrumental and classical than rock, but The "Stokowski Transcriptions" by Eric Kunzel and the Cincinnatti Pops will really peak the needles in extended full orchestra creschendos at several places. I couldn't read the volume level because of sun glasses, etc, but it was approaching the limit of comfort and probably around 90%. The good thing about undistorted music is that it sounds good no matter how loud it is played back. This was loud and smooth because there was absolutely no audible distortion. The clarity was such that the high frequencies such as triangles could be heard clearly as I felt the bass fill the car.

This isn't going to win any "Loudest Radio" contest*, and it's not likely to annoy the driver beside me at a traffic light, but I am satisfied that the existing Bose wires will carry 20 watts of bass and high frequencies.

 

Thank you a5d for the extremely informative reply.