So from searching I think I understand it correctly. The bose system consists of a bose deck and nissan seperates...bose amp etc..correct?

Anyways I have an 05 sedan with a bose system. I replaced the deck with a Panasonic CQ-VD6503U double din deck. I ran outputs for an amp and 2 10's. Everything works, but the interior speakers sound like crap...the subs over power the mids, even turned down almost all the way. What can I do, or need to do to get some mids that actually have an output? I have a great set 4 ohm Pioneer seperate door speakers that I would live to install..what is required to replace the bose system? do I have to run new wires to the speakers? or use existing? sorry for my ignorance, but I have always been a performance oriented person, audio is some what new to me..thanks in advance

 

The speakers and amp are Bose. Headunit is built to Bose spec (by Clarion).

Please give more details as to how you've wired the amp, subs and speakers.
Are you using speaker-level inputs from the Bose amplifier in the trunk? did you run RCAs from the deck to the amp? Did you use the Metra 70-7551 or 70-7550 wiring harness?

 

I used the metra kit to hook up my interior speakers. My subs/amp are run off the back of the deck. I ran an RCA cable from the deck to the amp.
I havent touched the Bose amp, the only thing Ive touched related to the speakers is when I hooked up the metra adapter. Thanks.

 

Since you didn't answer which harness you were using, I'll just assume you're running the 70-7551 harness - the one with RCAs on it.
There is a known problem with some headunits being very, very quiet when connected to the Bose amp with the 70-7551 harness. If yours is connected this way, and a real amp is also connected to the RCA outs, you'll never be able to get the volumes to match properly. Solutions for this are to get a new amp and kick the Bose to the curb, or try the PAC ROEM-NIS2 to correct the signal to what the Bose expects. You could switch over to the 70-7550 harness, but that'll introduce a lot of noise.

 

See, I come from CAF where there are a lot of budget-minded users asking for ideas.

Here, well... pardon my way of thinking, but anyone who's got the money to buy/fuel-up/insure a G, has the money for a system.

Wrathernaut nailed it on the head, the Bose amp is an official POS.

If you want to see a picture of what a Bose speaker looks like, comparing motors+VCs+cone material, have at her and search Google. You won't be impressed.

Bottom line here is that depending on what store you'd be willing to buy from, your (future) system will be hundreds of miles ahead of the Bose setup. This Pana HU is a tad old, but will do the job for sure!!!!

Side note, speaking of Pana...
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0043_large.jpg
I once had a CQ-C9701 in the Maxima, sweet & simple deck... 4 X 31w rms from an internal T-class amp *only used on rear fill, but still* and 5V preouts at an affordable price.

Back to your plans... would you mind stating what amp + subs you installed in the car? What's the preout V on the Pana DD, and what's the min/max input sensitivity on the amp? Not trying to insult your intelligence in regards to gain setting, just wanna make sure you're on the right track. What's your LPF setting @ amp, assuming you didn't cross the sub @ deck? X-over pts alluded to in the following thread, sorry for plugging CAF on here...
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=282954

What kind of music do you listen to, primarily? Are you a bass junkie, or more a picky SQ listener? [goal being __% SPL / __% SQ]

Are you willing to buy CA gear from online retailers who will only honor a 1-yr "retailer's warranty" (i.e. not through manufacturer, would get you a brand new unit if deemed faulty)? Or are you dead set on Crutchfield/local shops?

What other systems have you heard in the past, can you describe them to us? What did, didn't you like about them?

Hey, that's all for now, I need breakfast... later!

 

Nice choice of tunes

 

Pardon my ignorance, but I dont know manufacture part number. Your assumption is correct, I am using the harness that connects to the rca outputs.

How much improvement would be seen by swapping out the factory amp?

Thanks.

 

Thanks for the reply. I will start with my set-up..
As you know I have the panasonic DD touchscreen. the speakers are OEM along with the Bose amp. I have a Punch 300 and two 10" MA audio subs. I listen to a lot different music, anything from Rap (new and old) to Country and most anything in between. Ive found that 10'' subs have given me the best response. I have the gain turned down on the amp because they provide more than enough base for my listening pleasure. I bought them for my previous vehicle (3/4 ton ext pick-up) because the one 10" sub I had prior wasn't enough for that truck.

As far as your thinking, thats your way and I understand where you are coming from, but my priorities are in different order than yours. All the aftermarket components in my car are from my previous vehicle. It's not a matter of having the money or not, it's more the fact that I dont care to invest a lot into a system, I have a lot of other things to worry about. I just want a clean clear sounding stereo.

I guess in all my researching I didnt uncover the "your stereo will sound horrible" post. I most likely would have just sold the stereo equiptment and kept the OEM ...less crappy version

I guess my question, given my current set-up, what path do recomend for improving the sound quality? Replace the Bose amp? replace the crappy speakers (which btw I have a nice pair that I had in my truck that sounded really crisp and clear that will fit) Both?? If replacing the speakers, can the factory wiring be used?

There are the specs I found on my deck.
Max power out: 50w x 4ch
compatible speaker impedance : 4 ohm
Pre-amp voltage: 2 Vrms
Pre-amp Impedance: less than 600 ohm


Sorry for the short quick repsponses but im trying to reply to as much as I can as fast as I can. I have a big interview tomorrow that I still have to prepare for.

I probably missed a bunch of your questions, but I will review this again tomorrow and try to update it a little better. Thank you for your time and help so far, I do appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

Since the Amp is to blame for your lack of any real sound right now, replace it first.

The Bose speakers, although not great, will be tolerable until you replace them with something better.
My recommended path:

1) Remove the rear deck bose woofers (free) & swap the Bose amp for an aftermarket amp for the four remaining speakers
2) Replace the front components. Try listening with and without the rear speakers connected to see whether you like the fill or not.
3) Replace the rears with decent coaxials if you prefer rear fill.

 

Any recomandation on an amp or what wattage range I should look for? I will start with the amp and go from there. Thanks again for the input/advise thus far, its much appreciated

 

The linear excursion (xmax) and transient response of a sub are not dependent on size... design makes all the difference. You could make those 10's sound very, very good to your ears - or make a box that will make them sound atrocious.

What Punch amp is it? This one?
http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/ga...php?photo=6355

...because I still don't know the input sensitivity range of it, it's not mentioned anywhere - please check the manual, should be 4/5/8/12V for a max V input (which would be associated with your 'lowest' gain setting).

And in this case, you want the gain set @ around 2V on the amp. Just so that when your HU's max'es out on capability (just before reaching clipping pt - you can test this using a 1kHz test tone and a DMM to confirm the max V coming out of the preouts), your amp works at its highest possible amplification lvl and won't drive the signal into clipping. Say the gain @ amp was set around 1.5V, and your HU be sending 1.9V to it at max unclipped volume, then the amp (vs HU) would be inducing clipping into the signal going to your subs.

By the way, which exact MA subs are they (link)? Sealed/ported/bandpass box? What's the net volume, per?

Enclosure details & driver specs will help us advising on amp settings... I see you didn't have time to check your LPF; the picture I linked above seems to be scaled 45-55-100-etc Hz. Good starting point, assuming the slope is 24 (even 12 would do) dB/oct, would be halfway between the 55 & 100 Hz points. Especially for someone who listens to a bit of everything... had you had a single 15, I probably would have advised you to go a tad above the 55 Hz point just for power sake (generally takes a good amount of power to cross a 15 higher than 60 Hz and not perceive 'muddiness').

Understood. An exact budget (and again, willingness to buy online from stores other than Crutchfield, no pun intended) would be prime in this endeavor.

Wrathernaut made some good suggestions with respect to the preferred 'path'. It's gonna be budget dependent, here. Replacing stock speakers with aftermarket ones that you'd run off of the Bose amp doesn't make sense, since you must eliminate the 'weakest link' from the source (HU) --> to the speakers. In between is the Bose amp - there's a reason why these guys are not listed in ROE's amp guts (linked below, have fun).

http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/gallery/

Would you be doing this install yourself, or have a shop do it? That's to be factored in your budget, obviously.

Little example out of the blue, of a comp set + stereo amp that would give you entire satisfaction...

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...dio_D662S.aspx
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6856/FD-2...-Amplifier.htm

...just a teasing example, right?

How did the interview go?

Glad we can help you out!

 

Wattage doesn't matter... 50w rms to a decent set of efficient speakers, say Focal Access series, will sound better than 100w rms going to a set of top of the line JBLs because they're inefficient and 'need' those 140-150w rms to reach xmax and to produce decent midbass... choose speakers that you like based on what you hear/heard @ shops and in other people's cars, or based on what us internet commandos will recommend (we don't know exactly how you'd like your system to sound, sometimes it takes years to determine personal preferences).

 

I was asking in reference to keeping the OEM speakers and replacing the amp. The speakers that I might be putting in the car are Pioneer TS-D1720C, I have them left over from my previous vehicle. I know they probably arnt what you would consider high quality speakers, but for the price (just a tad over cost) they were by far the best sounding I had to chose from without spending $200+

 

I dont know the exact specs of the amp, I searched but couldnt find them. I bought the amp quite some time ago so I dont have the manuals. Here is a link to the amp.

http://www.bizrate.com/car-amplifier...pid1274212264/

I will have to look into the input sensitivity range, that makes complete sense to me. This is new to me, my experience has been limited to picking the subs/Amp I want to run Then listening to different Mids and picking some that sounded to good to my ears and wallet. Ive never really done any "tuning" of a system. Now ask me about making HP, thats another story. Ive torn down, built up, boosted, tuned engines and made some some cars really fun to drive. Thats my fortay.

The subs are MA Audio MA10QS. It's been a while since I built the box, but If I recall correctly they share between 1.5-1.6 cubic ft of sealed enclosure. I know that I had them pretty close to the recomended internal volume with the speaker displacement taken into account.

I have no problem buying online. I've never bought any stereo related items online (crutchfield,etc). I have a problem when it comes to buying stuff. I research it, research it more, narrow my options down then decide what it is that I want, then I want it now.. I cant wait for the shipping.. Usually I go to the larger chain retailers (car toys etc) to get a feel of what I like and want, then go to another discount retailer and find it there (usually saving %20 or so).

All of the work has been and will continue to be done by me. I dont drive my vehicle a whole lot, usually just to run errands and what not so Im not looking for the "top of the line" set-up by any means, just something that is going to sound halfway decent and not cost an arm and a leg. If I can get away with spending less that $750 on my set-up I would be more than estatic. I'm already $300 into it (Metra + harness) and hope to be able to get by with just replacing the Bose amp. The deck, subs, amp and Pioneer seperates are excluded from this "budget" as those are items I already owned prior to starting my quest for better sound.


The interview went quite well I believe, I should hear back early next week.
Thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff in detail.

 

http://outlet.crutchfield.com/p_675F...ures_and_specs

http://outlet.crutchfield.com/App/Pr...P3001&tp=13643

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftec...chMono-MAN.pdf

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...Fdlw5QoddTJuvw

...searched in that order.

"Signal Voltage Adjustment Range Variable from 150mV to 5V (RCA Input)"

5V it is!

So your gain should be somewhere between positions 5 & 7 depending on true max rms voltage coming out of your deck preouts, and I'd cross the subs halfway between the 60 & 125 Hz notches. You're a bit short for power, but as long as you keep it clean @ deck and @ amp there shouldn't be any issue since you're limiting their mechanical power handling by having them in an enclosure that's ~50% bigger than what they call for (max sealed volume is 1.0cu ft per). If you ever change that mono amp, make sure to change the box accordingly hehe...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...S-D1720C?tab=B

...sounds good. All you need is an amp for that component set, or did I miss anything?

I'd tear the OEM Bose sub grille apart, dampen the rear deck with lots of cloth or foam, ride with the ski trap wide open (all for bass venting purposes), and run the OEM rear door speakers off of the HU. I'd fade the HU signal ~60% to the front, not too send too much *sigh* power to those Bose speakers.

2 X 75-80w rms is what you need for that set, just to have a bit of headroom.

http://www.powermaxelectronics.com/p...&idcategory=10

Give a call to Jason, he's a great guy to deal with... that ZRS Cadence amp is of very high quality, will run you $170 and will cover for any front stage upgrade you might think of down the road. 9V max input, gain setting is key - don't let those 150w rms per chan scare you.

No problem!! Pics of the install would be sweet!!