I've read so many damn articles and posts about the speaker system in the z32 if you have Bose.

Everyone says you can't just drop in a new speaker because Bose had some special size or shape. If you have a Bose system in a 1994 NA, that is just completely wrong. My rear speakers are 6.5". I am going to return the 4 x 6 brackets + 4 x 6 Alpine's I bought (way to go buying prior to inspecting!) and install 6.5" in the original Bose box. I will bypass the amp in the box and just use the wire coming out of the connector in the rear to use the stock wiring. If I had to, I could always run new wires through the console to the back.

Anyway, I was just pissed that no one else seemed to mention this, so there you go... 6.5" normal speakers in the back.

i coulda told u that.. all 300zx's with bose take 6.5' speakers but u need an adapter or u can make one

Just install the 4x6 bracket then put the 4x6 speaker in the bracket.... unless you were wanting to use the Bose box.

I assume you are replacing the Bose radio as well, since it doesn't have its own amp. On the Bose system (mine is 1990ZX) each speaker has its own amp. When one of the speakers when bad, I found out that its amp had died and that all the others would probably follow suit very soon. So I pulled them all out, replaced the speakers and radio. I modified the speaker boxes in the doors to fit my new speakers and did similarly the same thing in the rear.Bose was good in its day, but for far less money, I got a far better system.Good luck.BD

aidanair wrote:i coulda told u that.. all 300zx's with bose take 6.5' speakers but u need an adapter or u can make one

definatly not true i have a 92 NA and mine came with bose. the rears were like 4 inch speakers and i dont remember what the frnts were but i had to buy 6.5 speaker brakets from ebay(inclueded front and rear) for liek 30 bucks to fit the 6.5s. now i have 6.5s all the way around and a MA audio 12 sub powered by a 600 watt MA audio amp and a rockford foscate CAP. sounds awesome

big dawg wrote:I assume you are replacing the Bose radio as well, since it doesn't have its own amp. On the Bose system (mine is 1990ZX) each speaker has its own amp. When one of the speakers when bad, I found out that its amp had died and that all the others would probably follow suit very soon. So I pulled them all out, replaced the speakers and radio. I modified the speaker boxes in the doors to fit my new speakers and did similarly the same thing in the rear.Bose was good in its day, but for far less money, I got a far better system.Good luck.BD

The previous owner installed a JVC KD-SX980 receiver with 4 x 50 watt channels and 4 x pre-amp outputs. It is odd that when I removed the cd-deck, I found all 4 x 50 watt wires being used. I expected the two rear bose speakers to be eventually connected to the receiver's pre-amp outputs, since the rear Bose speakers have their own amplifiers. The only thing I can think is that maybe the Bose amplifiers regulated the power coming into them, and thus the 50 watt signal (20 RMS) amplified again didn't make things too distorted? I'm not sure, but I plan on attempting to directly drive the new speaker wires by splicing the blue connector and attempting to use just the speaker wires...or maybe I'll find a connector.

I'm no electrical engineer, but I wouldn't think that driving the Bose speakers with additional amps from the deck would be good for either the speakers or the deck, since Bose integrated an amp into each speaker and especially since it uses a proprietary ohm resistance in their speakers, that may be causing the deck to work very hard (overheating) to push sound out of the Bose. You really want to make sure that the speaker ohms match the deck amplifier requirements.You might want to consider laying new wire from the deck to the rear speakers. The only reason I say this is, I tried the splicing route because I dreaded running new wire, only to replace the wires anyway. The sound quality was not very good. Old wires +smaller gauge + higher wattage + lousy connectors=crap sound.Having said that, I really don't think you need to go with super expensive cables like Monster Cables. I think that is more about hype than actual "noticeable" improved sound. I have seen articles that suggest that you will not get any better sound from those types of cables as with any other decent gauge wire cable...especially since the run from the deck to the rear is really not that long.Good Luck.

big dawg wrote:I'm no electrical engineer, but I wouldn't think that driving the Bose speakers with additional amps from the deck would be good for either the speakers or the deck, since Bose integrated an amp into each speaker and especially since it uses a proprietary ohm resistance in their speakers, that may be causing the deck to work very hard (overheating) to push sound out of the Bose. You really want to make sure that the speaker ohms match the deck amplifier requirements.You might want to consider laying new wire from the deck to the rear speakers. The only reason I say this is, I tried the splicing route because I dreaded running new wire, only to replace the wires anyway. The sound quality was not very good. Old wires +smaller gauge + higher wattage + lousy connectors=crap sound.Having said that, I really don't think you need to go with super expensive cables like Monster Cables. I think that is more about hype than actual "noticeable" improved sound. I have seen articles that suggest that you will not get any better sound from those types of cables as with any other decent gauge wire cable...especially since the run from the deck to the rear is really not that long.Good Luck.

Yeah, the stock wires are pretty small. I do have a set of wires already laying around, so I can just use those to route to the back. I was thinking of just connecting the stock wires to make sure everything works okay before I put down new wire.

And yes, your observation about running a 50 watt signal to the Bose amp is exactly why I was concerned: wouldn't it be too powerful or degrade performance?

I would think that at the very least it would degrade the quality. I'm more concerned that it could or has damage the decks internal amp. I could see the Bose amp back feeding power back to the deck's amp...not a good thing. Besides, as I said...the Bose has a very odd Ohm rating, different than normal speakers. This alone could also cause the deck's amp to work harder and shorten its life. Hope you didn't play the stereo very loud for extended periods of time, with the current setup.Disconnect those Bose speakers right away...front and back. Also, you should have a center Bose Speaker in the Dash...disconnect that too.Good luckPS If the Bose speakers are working OK, you might put them on Ebay for a Z owner who wants to replace his broken ones.

So, I tried a few things.

First, I tried to hook up the right rear Alpine speaker to the original factory wiring (via splicing the 4-pin connector), and the sound was barely coming out of the speaker.

I never really asked anyone about this, but did anyone eles have a green box behind their head unit called "Peripheral Connect" (assuming you had a Bose system)? I can see the 4 x 50 watt (8 wires) going into the box, in addition to one grounding wire. I'm starting to wonder if this is somehow screwing with the voltage or current going through the factory wiring.

I bypassed this and just used the direct output of my headunit to some new wires I ran to the back and the speaker sounds fine. The only issue is that the rear speakers are not that loud at a vol level of 20, while my front speakers are just right. I have to balance to the fade to be something like 60-70% rear.

Hmmm...I wonder if the rear speakers are too powerful for your stereo? I had that problem when I replace my system. I bought high end speakers that my system just couldn't handle...my stereo has 52 watts per channel. Have you checked the ohm rating on the speaker and does it match with what the stereo can power?

Some speakers are very powerful and need a lot of watts to power. If they are the same as the front speakers, then try switching the wires with the front to see if the rear still is not as loud as they should be. If the rear speaker gets louder, then it might just be the stereo.

If the speakers are not the same, you should look at the front speakers to see what their ohm rating is. If they are the same as the rear, then I'm back to the rears being too much for the stereo.

These are just guess...it could be something else altogether. Just don't' go through the Bose stuff to power your stereo.Good Luck.BD

PS I believe I saw a different post from you saying that you were thinking of painting your rims. Gotta say...I really think your Z looks great the way it is. If you must, maybe go subtle and paint the body color on the thin rivet area of the rims behind the spokes and leave everything else chrome or paint maybe the spokes, the body color and leave the rim chrome. In my opinion (which you haven't asked for) painting the rims and spokes is over the top gaudy. Just one man's opinion.
Modified by big dawg at 6:06 PM 2/7/2009

The new Alpines are 4 ohms, and I do not know what the Bose are yet.

I read online the Bose are either 1 or 2 ohm. Does this mean that the lesser amount of resistance equals more output to the speaker?

If that is the case, then it all makes sense. My Alpine is 4 ohm, the Bose is 1/2 ohm, and thus, it seems like volume level 35 on my Alpine is equal to volume level 20 on my Bose.

You might have me confused with someone else. I do not have any intention on power coating my wheels. I don't like the look. If anything, I'd go with some Ray 17" track or gram lights, but I doubt I'll be doing that any time soon. I'd like to maybe switch to a single piece aluminum shaft and maybe a new exhaust but that's for later.

Right now, I still have to work on getting to the valve cover gaskets.

Thanks for the help.

skinZ32 wrote:definatly not true i have a 92 NA and mine came with bose. the rears were like 4 inch speakers and i dont remember what the frnts were but i had to buy 6.5 speaker brakets from ebay(inclueded front and rear) for liek 30 bucks to fit the 6.5s. now i have 6.5s all the way around and a MA audio 12 sub powered by a 600 watt MA audio amp and a rockford foscate CAP. sounds awesome

can you read... i clearly said u need an adapter.. wow

So if the 4 speakers are all the same...did you try switching the speaker connection from front to back and back to front, to see if the problem changed location from the back to the front?

Oh, my bad...for some reason I thought you were the one wanting to paint the rims.

aidanair wrote:
can you read... i clearly said u need an adapter.. wow

Apparently you can't read. I don't need any adapter to fit any of the new speakers. My rear speakers are 6.5". I don't know what in the hell you are talking about.

I think now I'm only trying to find out why the Nissan wiring doesn't seem to send the power correctly to the rear 4-pin connector.

If you replace the factory radio but use the factory bose amps and speakers, you need to use an interface to make the aftermarket deck work with the bose amps. That is what the Peripheral SVEN4 was. If you are disconnecting the bose amps and replacing the speakers, then you need to remove the SVEN4 and run directly from the radio speaker outputs to the speakers.

evan_aggie wrote:
Apparently you can't read. I don't need any adapter to fit any of the new speakers. My rear speakers are 6.5". I don't know what in the hell you are talking about.

I think now I'm only trying to find out why the Nissan wiring doesn't seem to send the power correctly to the rear 4-pin connector.

you don't "need" an adapter but with the ones they sell on ebay you can make it direct fit with perfect alignment and no issues. without an adapter its not as clean

EW wrote:If you replace the factory radio but use the factory bose amps and speakers, you need to use an interface to make the aftermarket deck work with the bose amps. That is what the Peripheral SVEN4 was. If you are disconnecting the bose amps and replacing the speakers, then you need to remove the SVEN4 and run directly from the radio speaker outputs to the speakers.

Exactly. I found a similar item on crutchfield. It lowers the voltage output.

I wonder if the nissan gauge is too small for the stronger current through the entire harness.

aidanair wrote:i coulda told u that.. all 300zx's with bose take 6.5' speakers but u need an adapter or u can make one

I have a 93 it came with what looks like 4in bose speakers front and back.
Modified by Ryan300zx at 5:11 PM 2/15/2009

Ryan300zx wrote:
I have a 93 it came with 3.5in bose speakers front and back.

Hah, like I said... I did thorough searches and many numbnuts kept saying the same thing (ALL 300zxs!!!! pffft ) That is why I was really surprised to find out they were 6.5" speakers.

I have yet to get to the doors.

Hello, I have a 1993 300zx 2+2 n/a with bose.
The rear speaker is actually a bose black plastic box with an opening of a smaller speaker with 3 screws and the outer shape of the speakers is not round.
A 6.5 does not fit in the rear in My Year with BOSE unless I use an adapter; I don't know others. It is funny that the left and the right adapters I got are slyly different from each other but I just tested one of them in the actual bose box and it fits perfectly. the 4 x 6 speakers that everyone says fits this vehicle do not fit my BOSE box unless I make a custom cover like the adapters for 6.5... now the 4x6 is a tiny speaker so trash that idea. lol

I try also to fit a 6 3/4 but it does not fit in the adapter so depending on your speakers depth you might need to raise with another adapter on top of the one you already got to make them fit.

For the front (door speakers I don't know what's up yet. cause I haven't taken the door apart. but I will do soon.

PS. I dont' what to spend a lot of money. so it will not sound amazing but I hope that it will sound very good...

i had a 91 with bose..4(.5?)" all around....built custom brackets from the components in the front and kinda cut the speaker bracket for the back..on a side note NEVER BUY POLK AUDIO COAXIALS.

My 92 TT with Bose had the triangular shaped 4" speakers all around as well. I dremeled out the front boxes and custom fit a 5.25" bracket to each. I now have a stock sealed box in each door that houses Phoenix Gold 5.25" components. I bypassed all factory wiring and ran new wiring properly through the door looms. Plan on doing the same to the rears... sound quality should be great!

Did the exact same thing as you Morgan. Except, I have 4.5" up front. Sounds good man.

A Paratroopers 300zx wrote:My 92 TT with Bose had the triangular shaped 4" speakers all around as well. I dremeled out the front boxes and custom fit a 5.25" bracket to each. I now have a stock sealed box in each door that houses Phoenix Gold 5.25" components. I bypassed all factory wiring and ran new wiring properly through the door looms. Plan on doing the same to the rears... sound quality should be great!

LOL....get that s*** done. If you did the doors then you have the hardest out the way. I dont know about you but i almost cried trying to get that s*** through the doors rubber boot without f-ing the wire up.

And all i will say to this post is that EVERY 300zx i have seen DID NOT come with 6.5 speakers stock all around. But who knows.

The non-Bose systems were 6.5" all around.

Ace2cool wrote:The non-Bose systems were 6.5" all around.

Thanks for that. I was speaking for Bose equipped cars only. I should have specified.

All good. Just making sure there was not confusion. Specs should be as follows:

Non-bose: 6.5" all around
Bose: ~3.5" all around (actually something ridiculous like 3.47" or something like that)

I've never heard of any setup having both 6.5" and 3.5" from the factory. Only time there will be 2 different size speakers in a Z32 is when they have been replaced by a previous owner.

dantesdoom wrote:LOL....get that s*** done. If you did the doors then you have the hardest out the way. I dont know about you but i almost cried trying to get that s*** through the doors rubber boot without f-ing the wire up.

And all i will say to this post is that EVERY 300zx i have seen DID NOT come with 6.5 speakers stock all around. But who knows.

Haha yeah I know! It was a PITA, but the easiest way I found to do this was... I undid the black boot over the wire loom on both ends. Then, fed the speaker wire through the door hole and threaded it up the loom with a grabber tool (could potentially use a coat hanger too.) I then threaded the wire through the body hole and into the interior. Sounds A LOT easier than it was... but I didn't want to cut the loom boot or anything like that.

Rears will be a ton easier!

Ace2cool wrote:The non-Bose systems were 6.5" all around.

You sure about that? AFAIK, all non-Bose systems were 6.5" front, 4"x6" rears.

Ace2cool wrote:Bose: ~3.5" all around (actually something ridiculous like 3.47" or something like that)

Technically 4.5", they're very similar to the drivers used in the Bose 901 speakers, but there are over 35 varieties of the "tri-lobe" 4.5" driver (I did a search when I used to work there )

Evan's rear speakers were replaced by the previous owner. Period. They were not there from the factory.

1990 Bose systems = 4.5" front, 6.5" rear
1991+ Bose systems = 4.5" all around

As covered a million times by a million people, you should not drive the Bose speakers with a non-factory head unit without a PAC line output converter. This will overdrive the input to the amp, and clip and destroy them. Bypassing the amps is equally bad for your headunit, as it's designed to "see" a 4 ohm load, when the Bose drivers are 1ohm.