I just had the stereo shop add after market speakers while keeping my stock six CD changer Bose Head Unit. Here are the details. The stock speaker sizes for my 2k2 SE are 6 3/4 in front, 6 in rear, and a 8 1/2 single sub. My measurements may be a bit off, I measured the widest width of each speaker. All the stock speakers were amplified by an outboard Bose amp which I bypassed all together for the new speakers.

I added an Alpine V12 40X4 at 4ohm and Alpine V12 130X1 at 4ohm amps. The amps were mounted under the rear deck, one on the left and one in place of the stock Bose sub. The front speaker are Boston Rally component rc620 6 1/2's, rear are Boston FX 5 inch and sub is a single detachable enclosed JL 10 inch in the trunk. In order to eliminate the engine noise I used high-low converters which also do a line conversion from speaker wire to RCA. The sound improved dramatically from stock speakers and amp. Much better high and lows. However, I noticed the volume control on the Bose really does not kick in sound until about on the 13 scale and sounds quite good and loud at 25. Also, for those who like deafening music the volume really doesn't reach ear piercing levels, but we just wanted a better sounding system then the Bose. I suppose you could go with higher watt amps to reach these levels.

My main point in posting this message is to thank all those who posted similar messages on keeping the stock Bose Head Unit and adding speakers. The posted notes were invaluable!!! Also, I hope my notes can help others who want to take this approach. Keeping the stock Bose Head Unit I keep the steering stereo controls, the cosmetic look of the stock Bose Head Unit and hopefully a lesser chance of theft. There are no exterior modifications to be seen.

Also thanks to the creators of this site who've done a spectacular and professional job!!! I'll be an ongoing supporter.

 

Well if you went all out for speakers, why not just get a new head unit as well. They come with good anti theft stuff, like hide away face, removeable face, and blank faces. Most people do it the other way around, like get a new HU and keep the speakers.

 

Hi gang....My .02 worth.
I'm actually going to perform the same task in my '02. The only reason I would replace a head unit is if it did not have the features that I desired. The Bose system has all of those features plus the 6-CD setup (I like the bose setup better than the Eclipse I have). Getting an aftermarket unit that compares to this one will cost twice the amount we paid when purchasing the car plus the hassle of dealing with converting the steering wheel controls and getting an aftermarket dash kit that flows well with the interior without looking cheap. Just MHO.

2K2MaxDaddy, you can get a pre-amp for your system to fix the problem you are having with your volume. I'd suggest against one with slide controls myself since they are very touchy and have been know to inject a lot of noise. You can get a 1/2 DIN unit and mount it in your glove box or console. Units are also available for trunk-mount with tons of options. There are also standard line boosters on the market without any form of equalization. I personally like the old Rockford PA1-HD's and PPI PAR-245's. Audio Control has some nice products as well. Good luck.

 

To make things look stock. No thief in their right mind would want to steal a stock headunit unless there's a demand for it.

Hideaway faces are too common nowadays and i'm sure the thieves already know what those "black panels" are.

Removeable faces are okay, but apparently a lot of people just leave the face stashed in their glove compartment. Additionally, it's not that hard to get a replacement face from the manufacturer either.

 

Good points.

However, to help those who wants to do otherwise. A PAC SWI-X Converter can be bought at Crutchfield for roughly $65 which will allow you to interface your steering wheel audio and trip control buttons with an aftermarket headunit (except Sony's for some reason).

For the perfect integration of the dash kit, you can get one from Sounddomain for around $10 if i remember correctly. It's made by Scosche and looks just like the OEM's

 

the dash kits made by metra are the best.

eric

 

I'm a bit confused on why you needed the high-low conversion kit to convert speaker to line level. The Bose doesn't output speaker level. Maybe that's why you have the volume level issue?

 

Most ppl will convert the outbound connections from the factory amp instead of attempting to convert the inbound to RCA, hence the need of the high-low conversions. Does anyone know if PAC or others have conversions for the amps in-bound plugs? I have not started my quest for sound yet, so, I have not looked into options at this time.

 

nm

 

nah..2k2's the bose amp is under the rear deck...on the passenger side....

 

nm?
Me no understand. U helpa me outta?

 

Oh nothing. I posted something about the Bose amps being on the speaker itself. Chinaonnitrous said it's not. So my post was misinforming you peeps. So i edited it with a "nm" = "Never Mind"

 

No prob...
Older Bose systems did have individual amps on the speakers. Definately needed to upgrade everything if the HU was being changed. On the '02, the amp is under the rear package tray in the trunk.