Hello.

I have a 2005 mt sport sedan with the bose audio and no nav. I detest the bose system.

I plan to replace all the speakers, amp, and head unit. I do not plan to add a sub woofer or do any customizing. $1K budget (max).

What have you guys done? thanks

 

Simple answer for the best w/o a subwoofer:

$300-400 on some excellent 6.5 components
$300 on a 300w amp that can take the differential-balanced audio signal from the bose headunit (JL audio all do)
$50 on an amp wiring kit
$100 on sound deadening (CLD tiles and etc. from sounddeadenershowdown.com)
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Put the rest in savings because that '05 factory headunit is going to die, and it's a very bad idea to replace it with another failure-prone factory headunit. Replacing it with budget parts (single-din cd player and metra kit) can go for under $200 easy, but to do a decent unit and the JDM kit can run $700+ easily.

 

What Wrathernaut said. Just be careful - you asked "what you guys did" - because you might find yourself wanting to go further than you did initially.

I replaced my head unit with the intention of adding a sub, now I've invested over $1k in door speakers and the amp to power them alone. Am I happy? Heck yes, I love this set up - best I've ever had. But just a word of caution..

 

Thanks guys. I'm going to replace all the speakers, head unit, and amp to drive a replacement rear deck subwoofer. I will look into the sound tiles too (the car has far too much road, exhaust, and engine noise). This effort apparently necessitates buying a $320 adapter (JDM DD).

- Have you found a better price than this for the dash adapter - JDM DD ?
- did you replace the amp that drives the rear sub woofer (I'm assuming the bose system has an amp in the trunk to drive the rear deck sub ?


(yes, it looks like this is going to cost closer to $1500 all in. crap.)

thank you.

 

- That's a fair price. I'd PM Phill @ Grubbs, that's where I got mine.
- The amp in the trunk powers all your speakers, not just the sub.

 

thanks. FYI: Crutchfield has a unit that's $200, but only $100 if a system is bought. I'll have to investigate this further. regards

- did you go with a sub woofer that is free-air compatible ? This means it does not require a cabinet, and can go on the rear deck. The alpine swr843 looks intriguing.

 

That's the metra kit.

Investigate it in the FAQ section of this post:
https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-v...urce-list.html

The rear deck is not recommended for a sub with any decent power. It'll rattle like CRAZY.

 

If you want to actually upgrade the sound in your vehicle you need to use a subwoofer that requires an enclosure. You will be pleased with the results.

 

I just did an audio upgrade just like you are contemplating. I started by replacing the Bose radio/head unit with a new Pioneer AVH-P3400BH DVD radio. I had to use the double din (DD) kit with the A/C adapter. I opted to use the JDM DD trim kit and A/C adapter to fit the radio in the dash. I think the finish and durability of the JDM version is better than the Metra one (which Cructhfield sells). I got my JDM double DIN kit with the A/C controller for $320.

Next I decided to replace all my speakers -- the front door, rear seat side panel, and the rear deck. I opted to use the Infinity Kappa for the front door and rear deck, and the Infinity Reference slim profile for the rear seat. I know there are better speakers out there, but these were 2 ohm and a simple replacement (swap out) for the factory/OEM speakers. The sound is definitely better than the OEM speakers, even without replacing the Bose amp.

Originally I was not going to replace the Bose amplifier, but after recommendations and advice from Wrathernaut and Top Teke (both whom I respect for their opinion, advice, and knowledge) I have decided to replace my Bose amp also. I will most likely get the JL XD600/6 6-channel amp. Again, this will be a straight fit/in-line swap of the Bose factory amp. I plan on running RCA cable from the radio to the new amp, and then using the existing power and factory speaker wires (from the amp harness) for the new speakers.

Again, I know there are many better components and "better ways" of doing this (e.g. running new speaker and power wires, etc), but I am on a budget, my car is old, I don't know how much longer I will keep my car (1~2 years maybe), I did not want to invest many HOURS of labor into the effort. Plus -- I just wanted "better" (not "perfect") audio/sound than the standard Bose setup -- I am not an audiophile or sound junkie that can discern the sound between a pair of $1,000 or $2,000 speakers... Also, I am not planning on adding sub-woofers to my audio setup. The bass that I get from my current setup is sufficient for MY taste...

So here is what I spent:

• Pioneer AVH-P3400BH radio = $399
• JDM double DIN kit and AC controller = $350
• PAC ROEM-NIS2 (use part OEM-1) harness = $40
• Metra AXXESS ASWC steering wheel remote control adapter = $70
• 3 pair of Infinity speakers = $250
• JL amplifier = $350
• miscellaneous parts and accessories (wire, connectors, harness) = $100 ~ $150

I hope this info helps you

Regards -- Cameron