Hey, so I did some reading, and it seems like replacing the speakers on the stock bose system will make a hell of a difference for a cheap price (somewhere south of $200?).

I read that it'll make the music sound more crisp, and the bass will hit much better. I've never seen myself doing audio in a car, but the stock bose really is lacking.

Does anyone have any suggestions? And is it worth it to get component speakers (from what i recall, this is the setup with many difference devices, ie. tweeters?).

Thanks in advance. I know... it is very difficult dealing with noobs like me lol. just trying to learn

 

Dunno what you've been reading, but the speakers are the least bad component of the Bose system.

A new amplifier that can take differential-balanced inputs (JL almost all do) will get rid of the horrible EQ from the Bose amp and give you much better sound.

 

so a good starting mod would be to get a new amp, rather than upgrade the speakers? would that just replace the bose amp?

also, would the eliminate that crappy bass the bose gives out?

 

It would help a lot with the crappy bass from the Bose, since it actually has the power to put out, and doesn't have the terrible built-in EQ that the Bose amplifier does. It will allow you to get the best sound you can out of the Bose speakers, and will work fine with replace them with down the road.

Just remember that the Bose amp is a 5-channel for sedans, and 6-channel for the coupes. Purchase a replacement or replacements accordingly.

 

would you mind linking me to a budget amp that you'd recommend? im really bad at this stuff.. the only EQ i know how to adjust on my own would be the one on my iPod... LOL

P.S. I may think about putting in a sub later on, but as of now, I just want some improvement over stock. I have no intentions of rattling off my rear view mirror just yet haha

**edit: i have an 06 coupe

 

If your major complaint with the bose system is bass then just add a sub/amp. Changing just the speakers you will gain highs and clarity but would loose bass due to the highs covering them up more. Putting an amp on all the factory speakers would improve the bass output as much as the speakers can handle but its moving out off noob territory and you would probably want to take it somewhere to have it done.

If I had to guess on cost doing the amp I would say 600-800 depending on the cost of the amp but a 5 or 6 channel sould be fine. If going that route I think I would personally go with an old PPI PC650(i think) amp from ebay. I had a couple PPI amps in the past and loved the hell out of them but never worked anywhere that sold them and hate paying full price for car audio.

 

If you can find one of those old ones, might be ok, but I think their actual value is inflated by people who are infatuated with old-school ones. If you could buy a new PPI PC650 for what it retailed back in the day, good choice, otherwise get something new, with a warranty.

This JL amp here:
http://www.woofersetc.com/p5584/A645...-Amplifier.htm

Accepts differential-balanced inputs, and will easily support upgraded speakers in the future, and you can bridge channels 5+6 to power a decent subwoofer as well.

 

All of this stuff is still a little difficult to grasp haha. I'm gonna have to keep rereading stuff on audio. And I wanted the speakers for clarity, but I think I can only purchase one thing, as I also want to get coilovers and wheels. Ahh damn this mod bug lol

So just to clarify, Wrathernaut, you would suggest this amp as a starting point (possibly a finishing point) in car audio modification? I'm not looking for much, so I don't want to start modding my stereo like crazy. Sorry for being so redundant, and thanks for being patient with me lol

 

It's an excellent amp that can definitely stay with any upgrades. So long as you're not looking for a door rattling subwoofer, it will power a good 10" sub and fill the car well, but it won't be a heavy thump with only about 90watts for the subwoofer, but it should balance well.

For a bit more, the JL 600/6 would give you 150watts for the sub, but for the price increase over the other amp, you could just save and get a 300watt monoblock in the future.

 

Should I purchase sound deadener to complement the amplifier?

Also.. How would I tune the amp? Do they include a manual of some sort? :x

 

Yeah, there's stuff in the manual on how to set the gains, you can find test CDs online.

Tuning speakers is a bit art and science, you can probably google your way to some guides, but having a test CD with different tones is the key.

 

The amp you linked looks pretty comparable to the PPI I reccomended, price wise the JL is a little more than a used PC650 but I think you would be safer with the JL. Used car audio is a crap shoot.

 

any suggestions for the location of the amp? would it fit in that storage area about the glove? probably not right :/


edit: this guys amp is 300 obo. is this i a good decision, since hes local? how is the amp hes selling?
http://g35nyc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35720

 

Not sure there'd be enough airflow to keep the amp cool in that spot. Under the passenger seat would probably work fine.
That amp is a single channel amp. Won't work at all for powering your setup. Great for a single subwoofer though.

 

I was also thinking about upgrading the factory bose amp. However, why are there 6 channels on the coupes amp? Does the tweeter get powered separability making up the other 2 channels? Also what ohm are the factory speakers? A friend of mine with a Maxima mentioned they were .5. My plan was to use a four channel and put each set of speakers in series to get to 1 ohm. Even if I needed to amp 6 speakers that would only use 4 channels and I can use the last channel for a dual voice coil 10" sub (2 ohm). Any opinions on this vs the 5 or 6 channel amp route?