another Bose replacement thread

[wyntka]

Hello neighbors. Just joined this community after fulfilling a long-time desire to own a Maxima, and buying an 03 GLE. But as other threads here have discussed, the stock Bose is doo-doo and failing fast. I've seen the FAQ on replacing the head unit, and pictures of successful aftermarket upgrades, but here's my question: Is there a seperate amp after the HU in the '03? If so, I'd probably want to bypass that with a new HU and go straight to the speaker wires. But Bose home systems used to have some active electronics that provided EQ, and I'm wondering if the factory amp (if there is one) is providing some kind of sound tweaking that would be missed if it were bypassed.

As for the sub: it seems like it is linked to the rear speakers, so that fading out the rear speakers also fades out the sub. Is it getting its own speaker level send from the amp, or is it tapping off the speaker-level sends to the rear speakers?

And am I making any sense here? Thanks for any thoughts!

[lightsout]

awesome post!!! WELCOME TO NICO!!! another one joins the group

[davskins97]

As far as I can tell the 2003 Bose is just like my '01. There is an amp mounted to the underside of the rear parcel shelf in the trunk. An Aftermarket HU requires an adapter and will likely sound better than the stock Bose. After I installed my Pioneer and the Sub actually hit harder. Bose (Clarion I think) HU's are a joke. The speakers are actually decent. I got a good deal from Crutchfield on my HU and it came with the dashkit, the Scosche adapter (discounted, not free) and detailed instructions on how to install it. Go to crutchfield, enter your car specs and it will show you everything you need even if you are not going to buy from them.