Y33; Q45 Bose amp swap into bmw? worth it?

[ponchoyo]

Hi all,
used to have a 1997 Q45, real nice car for $400 dollars till a tree branch hit the roof of the car while parked...

Before i sold it, i ripped out the Bose amp(located under the rear deck)and the rear Bose 6' mini subs, you know the ones with the built in amps. Unfortunately I didn't rip out the wiring, so i'll need new plugs n harnesses I guess, right?

What I wana do is swap this amp and the stock subwoofers into my BMW E36, what issues will i encounter? Cause I really like the stock sound that came with the infiniti, gorgeous compared to the tinny sounding e36 HK sound system (nokia speaker based).

[Skibane]

I wouldn't even consider doing it.

The Bose is an oddball system - doesn't play well with other manufacturer's head units - and is really mediocre for sound. Lots of folks rip out the system to install something better, but NOBODY installs it as an upgrade over their existing system!

It might cost you a few extra bucks, but your time would be much better spent installing a "normal" amp and speakers.

BTW, welcome to the forums!

[ponchoyo]

Thanks for the reply,
I know it's a silly idea but i like tinkering and using what i have laying around. Should i hit a wall while doing this, THEN I will shell out the money for an amp and subs.

Where can i get the wiring loom and plugs for the stock amp and for the subs, besides scavenging another q45? Anyone here got a set of these wires laying around?

[qship96]

Those rear deck speakers are NOT subwoofers,not even close.

[ponchoyo]

yes i know, but thats what the FSM calls them.

[elwesso]

Agreed, the bose system isn't bad but it's not worth messing with. main reason is you'd have to use the bose speakers with the amp, and those leave a lot to be desired, and then you have the issue with the head units.

The bose system is pretty good (IMO) for a basic system, but if you start trying to piece stuff together it doesn't work good.

[Brew Q]

Also aftermarket components have come way down in price - just about chump change to swap out head unit and speakers now. I'm personally thinking of replacing my bose with a double din unit that isn't too flashy (probably not a touch screen - target for thieves!).

[Skibane]

Also aftermarket components have come way down in price - just about chump change to swap out head unit and speakers now.

True dat.

Nowadays, good, name-brand stuff costs less than crap-tastic, no-name stuff did just a few years ago!

The quality is better now, too. Stuff doesn't break nearly as often as it used to.

[Turbon8er]

as a previous car audio/electronics installer, i HIGHLY agree with what everybody here already said.

PLUS- the e36 doesn't have 6" (neither does any Q) in the rear. They are 4".. and you're not gonna fit a 6". There just isn't room. i promise. If you want more boom back there try these guys-

http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/produ ... -Adapters/

It's the best you're gonna do for sound in the back.

The sound system in the BMW is complex and if you're not great with wiring, it's gonna be a nightmare to integrate anything into the factory system, meaning deck also. The factory amp is in the trunk on the drivers side. It has a plethora of wires going to each speaker in the car. If you have the 3-ways up front, that's a little extra fun, because the only 3-way aftermarket speakers are pricey (Focal, etc). The 3-ways have 2 small speakers on the door and a 5.25 in the floorboard kick panel. Now each of these speakers is wired to the amp in the back, ALL CROSSOVER NETWORKING is done thru the amp, so if you do put an aftermarket amp on them, and don't design/implement a crossover for each speaker, they WILL blow. The head unit only feeds a LOW voltage output, so it requires an external amp. You can do a decent 2-way setup up front and swap out the rears, using the factory deck and an aftermarket amp. Not sure if you've replaced the deck yet, but if not... the BMW is by far the absolute worst deck to replace, simply because of the lack of space behind the unit. There is NO room in the 3 series.. they sucksucksuck... the car with the tightest space has the biggest aftmkt harness there is. It's possible, just not easy whatsoever.

When someone would bring in a BMW for an audio upgrade, we'd tell them up front "it's extensive and expensive".

Play with the Bose in your garage, don't waste your time putting them in another car. While being a 'good' sounding speaker, They CANNOT produce the clarity of a good aftermarket setup. It isn't physically possible, they (rears) are a one way speaker. All of the highs and lows play on a singular plane, which is a midrange cone. The cone is trying to vibrate at too many different frequencies that it just can't do all at once. You can't play a 12k hz note while playing a 50hz note on the same cone.

If you really want to upgrade the Bimmer, then do it right... i've setup some great sounding ones, and i've tried to help somebody with a budget setup. I'll never install another cheap setup in a BMW. It's too much work for downright poor quality sound.

[ponchoyo]

Well I've started cutting the rear deck for the bigger spears, but yeah you know what guys, you're right. It's not worth the effort,well to use the Bose amp. But can these little 6" woofers be salvaged for an aftermarket unit amp? Or even with my stock amp? they have two sets of leads, is the other set of leads for power, hence their amplication? OR should i also just toss them too.

My buddy is offering to sell his amp and 2 subwoofers for like $150, so i might just go with that. Thanks for your advice!

[ponchoyo]

Turbon8er,
My e36 has a midrange and tweeter on each front door, and the 5.25 kickpanels, making it the 3 way step. I have an aftermarket headunit that the previous owner put it in, can't i just hook up an aftermarket amp and two subs, with coxials running to the designated spots in the head unit with no problem? Isn't that how it's sopposed to work.

[maxnix]

There is a firm that specializes in post production audio equipment. There stuff is very well engineered and will work flawlessly if installed correctly. They are in Portland, OR.

Anything else is just urinating upwind.

[Turbon8er]

you can definitely hook up a Subwoofer amp to the aftermarket radio via the RCA output (rear or sub output) on the back of the radio. Make sure to use the blue/white stripe for amp remote turn on. Depending on the make/model of radio, you'll have to turn the Sub option on and set your level from the headunit, to send the signal to the amp. Having the battery in the back makes things a little more simple, just make sure your power fuse is no more than 18" from the battery terminal, for safety.

If the the headunit gets loud relatively quickly (very few turns, low volume number), then it's going straight to the amp with the high voltage output. If it seems like a pretty normal, gradual increase in volume then they probably put in a line level adjuster between the HU and the factory amp. That is the correct way to do it. In the first case, you may not see the subs being in balance, power output-wise, with the rest of the system. Turning the gain up isn't the answer though, that will increase distortion and eventually destroy the voice coils of the subs, and possibly damage the amp. Hopefully they used a line level adj.

One other note- Bimmers are very tight cars. If you've already started tearing into the car, then you've noticed all the crazy amounts of foam insulation under and between every panel of the car. That must the German way. BMW's more than any car (Mercedez, Audi included) insulate everything to the extreme. So that makes it quiet, right? Right! Now you want a bunch of boom to come through into the cabin.. but they designed it not to. Ever see a BMW at a sound competition? Probably not, lol. SO if you want to actually hear the subs, plan on cutting out some of the rear deck and make a vent panel covered with grillcloth. It's your only real chance of enjoying any bass. Otherwise its just some isolated buzzing in the trunk.

Everytime a Carolina college kid with a bimmer came in to get subs, they were unimpressed. The dude in the honda was shaking the whole install bay with the same setup.

What setup are you looking to run?? headunit, amp, subs..