Just in case anyone wants to know about installing an amp with a stock stereo, save yourself some time and read this.

Buy a $19.99 line-out converter in the car stereo section of your local Radio Shack. It runs off of the rear deck speakers and converts the signal to RCA plugs.

1) Disconnect your battery.

2) Turn the level selectors on the converter completely counter-clockwise with a tiny flat screwdriver. Get behind your stereo and splice in the converter. The small harness on the radio contains the two rear deck speakers. Blue = Right(+), Pink = Right(-), Red = Left(+), Green = Left(-). Follow the directions for the converter using the wire codes above and the wire codes for the converter in the manual. Then connect your amp RCA's to the converter RCA's.

3) Run your remote wire to your fuse box, located on the left of the steering wheel. Locate the 10amp Radio/Radio fuse, or any other fuse that is ACC only (See fuse panel diagram). Using a BATT (Battery) fuse will keep the amp running all the time and kill your battery. Wrap the wire around one prong of the fuse and replace the fuse. Make sure that the fuse is pushed completely in so that it won't come loose and blow itself out. The only purpose this connection serves is to turn the amp on and off by way of relay.

4) Test the system. Turn the amp down and the converter level adjustments completely clockwise. Adjust the amp to suit your needs.

Note: This should work on both Bose and Non-Bose factory stereos, thought I am not 100% sure of this. If anyone else is sure let me know.

This took me two threads on the .org, three trips to the Radio Shack, and a lot of cussing to figure this out. I'm glad I did it though. It is a sure way to hold yourself over for that perfect headunit. With Maxima's stock with six speakers, the added base sounds beautiful. I have added and old MTX 280 amp with a 10" Pioneer sub.

 

Will this work with a bose headunit?

 

Yes it should. But check with someone to be 100% sure.

 

It will work with bose but you should get the signal from the speaker side. It is not as good as a low level signal that comes from an aftermarket radio but it should suffice. NOTE: your sub will only be controlled by your settings for your rear speakers but most stereos are like that anyway .

 

This should be a sticky and put in the How-To's

Definitely a good tip for someone who wants to put an aftermarket amp/spk and not chnage the stock headunit for fear of disabling the steering wheel mounted audio and trip computer controls.

... like me hehehe

 

I gotta say this is asking for trouble. That mechanical connection you have is not secure enough in a vehicle environment where vibration will eventually work it loose. Also the connection will be prone to get dirty and corrosion will set in degrading the sound.

 

Your better off getting a lead from a switched acessory sorce inside the vehicle or putting in a toggle switch off a constant power supply. but you have to make sure you cut it off if you use the switch. The acessory will always be off when the cars keys are in the off position.

 

I think these are all valid notes, but for most people who aren't really into perfect and ideal systems, this is the best answer.

I agree that having a switch or a more secure connect would be better, but I don't ever see a fuse coming out or becoming corroded. Plus the fuse is just responsible for turning the amp on and off. It doesn't really have anything to do with sound quality or signal strength/clarity. Most new stereos don't have a special remote wire.

As for the converter connection, this is where I see most of the problem. As long as the connections are strong and clean, there shouldn't be any problem with the signal. Possibly a problem could arise with the converter itself. I'm not too sure of the problems with using a signal coming directly from speakers and being converter in this manner.

I am always open to suggestions and warning though. Thanks everyone.

 

You could have just as easily spliced into the power antenna trigger and made a soldered connection that's what I would have done.
Another thing though DEI has an adapter that outputs a remote trigger for amps and accessories when an input signal is sensed i.e. from a headunit speaker wire or other source. These are cheap around $12-$15 from any DEI Audio or Viper alarm dealer.

 

Thanks for the input. I was searching for ways to use the remote and mine was the only way I could think of. I hope this thread helps others.

 

for the remote turn on i used the red wire on the left rear speaker i will check later for sure but its back there already so why not just use it, i got the "bad boy" converter monster it was about 60 bucks i think from ultimate electronics but it had four speaker wires total and one set of rca's.... i dont remember seeing anything that would allow me to adjust the output but i was in a hurry and didnt even look maybe i should huh? thats my 2cents if you want more details email me

 

Why don't you use the + lead for the cigarette lighter socket? It's only on when the ignition's on (on a Max, that is...)

 

I know the converter at Radio Shack (thought I can't stand the place) is only $19.99. The level adjustment really doesn't serve a purpose except for those with smaller amps. I turned mine all the way up and the signal came through fine.

As for using the cigarette lighter as a source for the remote, that would of course work. One of my issues with using a power source that was constantly on as the car was on was my amp overheating during use. I had run into times when I just wanted to turn the amp off to let it cool. This most likely isn't a big issue, I just want everyone to keep that in mind.

 

Hey all. I've been laboring over adding amp(s) and speakers to my 2K1 SE w/ Bose. I found an OEM interface made by Peripheral that plugs into the back of the stock Bose HU. It claims you can add an aftermarket amp and/or speakers to the system. It "looks" like it's too good to be true. They offer one for the front and for the rear speakers. They are $50 each at http://www.sounddomain.com I'm more than likely going to purchase these in the near future, but I thought I'd share it with you. If you guys try it, I'd love to hear about your results. This seems like a MUCH better way to do this than the Radio Shack coverter method.

Tony

 

Even better solution for the remote wire lead... just splice it into the 12Volt accessory wire in the stereo wire harness...that way, the amp turns on only when the stereo's turned on.

 

what colors are the + & - wires for the bose system??
i'm going to hook up the converter to the rear speakers...

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=69111
hey wicked...isn't ur car black with custom black and silver leather w/ tv screens and shiet???

 

the car didn't have screens in it.. i had the car traded into nissan w/ the old interior, with a lease all good things come to an end.

 

i need to know the + & - colors for the back speakers..

 

read the link that i've added to the above reply...that should help...that's the color code for the bose system for 4th gen from the haynes manual...

 

isn't that just for behind the radio? i need the colors at the rear speakers in the trunk...

 

What would I need to do to amp tweeters with an amp straight off of the stock head....?

 

the wire's color should be the same from behind the deck to the speakers...check it out...if not then i can look in my car and tell u...

 

Thanks, i hooked it up and it sounds bad a$$..

 

cool....if u or anyone else here on board have any questions about the bose system on the 4th gen...i am pretty much THE if not one of THE goto guy...i've been playin around with the wiring along with different setup....

 

o.k. can i hook up my aftermarket cd player and still have the factory bose speakers working?

 

Check out the OEM interface made by Peripheral (spelling?) at sounddomain.com. It says it can allow you to use an aftermarket head unit w/ the Bose speakers. I don't know how, but that's what it says.

Tony

 

yes u can...but i do not know what the long term effect will be on the headunit due to the bose's low impedence...i've had my new headunit pushing my bose speaker for only a month and it still sounds good...but prior to that i had my rf fosgate 800 push my bose for atleast a year...the amp is still fine and the speaker still works...all u have to do is bypass the bose amp....or u can buy a thing-ma-jig...that's suppose to plug and play and supposedly balance out the impedence so the deck would see a 4 ohm load...

 

The safest thing would be to either replace everything (head unit, speakers & amps) and start from fresh...thus eliminating the Bose complications. Or keep the head unit, use the OEM interface, and hook up your own amp(s) and speakers. If you use your own amps and speakers, then the head unit will only be supplying the source signals and it should last as long as it would have lasted originally. However, even though the Peripheral product claims to be able to run any combination of the above, I am highly suspect of this. I don't see how it'd be capable of dealing with the whole impedence problem.

Tony

 

well before my jvc deck i use my bose deck w/ my rf amp to push my bose speaker and my sub....but now i have no amp...just my bose speakers....premiere component...and my jvc...if i have any defect to the speakers or deck due to the low impedence then i will notify ya'll....but as of now...it's running just fine...

 

Glad to hear you're not having any problems. Wouldn't it make it a LOT easier if Bose would be a little more consumer-friendly and give us some more info on their car audio products? I've emailed them about 3 times and they always give me back some cheesy answer that has little to do with my question. At least they're responding, but they're making it all the more difficult to work with their products. Whether or not they know it, I doubt I will purchase any of their products in the future because of this.

Tony

 

well u have to keep in mind that bose came with the top notch line-up of the model...meaning luxury...it was placed there intended NOT to be replaced...that is why bose or any other premium stock stereo sounds better then any other stock setup...part of the reason why i got my gle was because i did not intend to upgrade anything...but the bug got to me...so i slowly changed the setup to try to make it sound better then before...man i really need to stop before i break my bank...

 

So what was your setup? Did you had a subwoofer and an amp to go along with the Bose System? I have a 12 inch sub and an amp, too. I have been reading and found out that most of the people here states that it is better to run the converter from the head unit as oppose to the rear speakers....

So let me know what was your setup and I might just setup it up like urs cause removing the Bose headunit seems like a pain in the a$$