Car stereo

[Omar]

I have a question for you guys. I dont know much about stereos and everything else that is related to them. My Bose stereo is going bad. Half of the time I cant even listen to it. It just wont work. It will be quiet. Then all of a sudden, I will hear cracking sounds. Sometimes if I am lucky, I can listen to the radio.

My question is that when I replace the head unit, what else do I have to replace? Also, what do you guys recommend me to get? I dont want to go overboard and spend like $2K on a stereo system. At the same time I dont want a crappy one. Last thing I wanted to ask was where should I get it installed from? Thanks guys for all your help.

By the way, my pictures are coming soon...

Take care. Later...

[juiceman]

I am sending my stero unit to these guys, much better to spend 200 on the repair then to replace the whole system. I also liked the sound of the stock system too.

http://www.carstereohelp.com/

[infinitinut]

These guys will do you right! I have used them for my 92 Q, and 92 M head unit tape repairs (I would recommend you have them do a total checkout of entire head unit while they have it). Bose covered rebuild of my front amps, and Nissan the rears on the Q. Excellent sound if system in good condition. And, keeping the OEM head units is in keeping with the simplistic design concept of the original Q, and you do not have the pinball machine effect of dancing light displays so common in most aftermarket units. The early Qs sole purpose was understated awesomeness! Respect that, and, it will respect you with being one of the finest mass produced vehicles on the road.....BAR NONE! (On the M, the OEM head unit is the only one that will match up to the dash aux controls....I believe!)

[j30t]

you can just get the head unit replaced and get a harness attached or something...thats what circuit city did for my J. Sounds okay with the stock speakers and the new head unit but if you want higher quality id replace the speakers too.

[Eswift]

you are crazy to have the head unit refurbished or even replaced for 200 dollars when you can get a better quality new aftermarket head unit including installation for 200 dollars.

(unless of course you are a feng shui nut and think the stereo complements the ying and yang of the interior...BS...you get can an understated aftermarket unit (blaupunkt makes many such understated units, if thats what you want) that wont F*uck up every 5 minutes like the proprietary bose crap units.

[Sopdadope]

Better yet, take a look at the Nakimichi headunits, they look factory!

The bose system sucks, anyone who doesn't agree obviously hasn't heard a nicely-installed, quality aftermarket system. I can put together a nice system for a little over $200 and that's including speakers and a deck.

[infinitinut]

This site sure has changed a lot, folks, with such obvious Infiniti "afficiandos" as these guys! I think I will take my head unit and go home! Or, in the words of Waylon, "take this site and shove it"! Jeez, Sopadope! Do you wanna buy back that head unit I bought from you to help you out? Maybe Lexus has..........

[Sopdadope]

Infinitinut,

It's funny you mention that because I'm buying a complete Bose system to install into the car before handing it over to the new owner. C'mon, you know better than to take me that seriously. Don't be mad!

Playing in backround... "Do you really want to hurt me?" - Culture Club

BTW, I sold the Bose system because I, at the time, had no use for it.

[gdude45]

hello;

i am thinking of replacing the head unit in my J30. i've looked on carstereohelp site and it appears that the A/C controls connect to the head unit. what's the deal with that. what do you do with those connections on an aftermarket head unit. any info appreciated. thanx.

[Mayhem_J30]

you are crazy to have the head unit refurbished or even replaced for 200 dollars when you can get a better quality new aftermarket head unit including installation for 200 dollars.

(unless of course you are a feng shui nut and think the stereo complements the ying and yang of the interior...BS...you get can an understated aftermarket unit (blaupunkt makes many such understated units, if thats what you want) that wont F*uck up every 5 minutes like the proprietary bose crap units.

It was my impression that only the OEM bose head unit will work WELL with the current speakers and amps installed. There's no way you can get a good head unit installed and replace the speakers (which is what you'll have to do) for $200. Check the Car Audio section in NICO you'll see where people have tried replacing just the head unit and have ended up with static and distortion in their speakers.

[Eswift]

yes of course you will end up with a s*hit signal if you just bypass the oem bose amps and connect the bose speakers directly to the heard unit. you need what is called an "ohm converter" in the trade, to change the speakers from the bose 1 ohm (i think) to a more normal resistance of 2 or 4. If you have any sense of electronics you could buy a resistor and connect it in series with each speaker, to achieve the same effect.

i am not positive of the resistances on the bose vs. the "rest of the worlds speakers" but you could easily tell with a digital multimeter.

good head unit=150 dollarswire, resistors, wiring harness = 50 dollarsand there goes your 200 dollars.

[juiceman]

to each there own. That's why this is america.

I prefer the look and integration of the bose unit and love the sound. Have had some of the 200 and three hundred dollar units in past cars and they do not meet the sound quality of the stock unit when installed. Sure everyhting sounds great in the showroom. Remember , To replace the stock unit would cost over $2K and the system was designed for the interior of the car.

Guy, do what is right for you. Wish you luck anyway you go.

[Eswift]

my bose hasnt failed be yet, but i am not going to put up with it when it starts failing for more than maybe 5 minutes.

I do enjoy the bose system, and it does a decent job of "showing up," especially for a system that was designed over a decade ago.

chris, you are right in the assertion that the stock speakers should be replaced, because at this point it is likely that they are getting a little old, and they are paper cones, no? I am sure a decent pair of aftermarket speakers will provide a much crisper sound than the 10 year old bose ones, not to mention a slightly better bass response.

But like all electronics, it has a certain shelf life, and when it fails, the cost of reburbishment greatly exceeds the cost of replacement with a newer, and hopefully technologically superior unit.

[carlos_knology]

hello;

i am thinking of replacing the head unit in my J30. i've looked on carstereohelp site and it appears that the A/C controls connect to the head unit. what's the deal with that. what do you do with those connections on an aftermarket head unit. any info appreciated. thanx.

Gdude, the ac controls are not electrically/physically connected to the head unit in any way. They just share the same outer bracket. You'd have to remove the head unit from that common metal bracket. You need that bracket so that the ac controls will still be in the same location. They have separate wiring harnesses.

You'd need a mounting kit for the aftermarket unit (again using the stock bracket that held your old head unit and ac controls), you'd also need a wiring harness adapter (crutchfield carries one that allows you to use the Bose speakers/amps with an aftermarket head unit). You'd also need a Nissan antenna adapter for the J30's diversity antenna plug.

Carlos

[j30t]

juiceman....to replace the stock unit wouldnt cost over 2k. I got a kenwoord cd/mp3 HU for 350 installed and now plan on installing Infinity Kappa 6x9s in the rear of my J and 4x6 plate speakers in the front for around 320 with the amp and all wiring.

[Mayhem_J30]

my bose hasnt failed be yet, but i am not going to put up with it when it starts failing for more than maybe 5 minutes.

LOL. I hear ya there bro. I've already budgeted for it. I've been lerking in the audio section for a while getting some ideas for that day it fails. It's been flawless up to this point. :xfingers

[juiceman]

I meant the original unit not aftermarket

[Sopdadope]

There's no way you can get a good head unit installed and replace the speakers (which is what you'll have to do) for $200.

You sure about that? Because I already DID. When I first installed a system, I bought a basic Sony CD player for $80, cheap Kenwood 6x9's and 4's for $80 altogether. I used the factory speaker lines and install was a breeze.

Even a basic system like that sounded slightly better than the Bose.

I don't know about distortion people have been talking about, my last head-units, the Eclipse and Nak, were crystal clear. The distortion I believe has more to do with the install (signal wires too close to power wires? overlapping? etc.). Quality of headunit is also a factor, some of the less-expensive decks do have bad FM/AM reception.

[maxI30t]

i agree with j30t, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get an aftermarket system. you just need to do alittle home, if you want my advise look around at ebay. i bet you will find a some great deals there.

[CyberCJ30]

You sure about that? Because I already DID. When I first installed a system, I bought a basic Sony CD player for $80, cheap Kenwood 6x9's and 4's for $80 altogether. I used the factory speaker lines and install was a breeze.

OH man I would never disgrace my Infiniti with a Sony head unit, even though the earlier Q's used a Sony disc changer, which btw is the only part of the system that is broken on my mom's Q.

[Sopdadope]

I'll admit, Sony head-units generally suck but I needed a CD deck with internal amp and new speakers. It sounded better than the Bose system too.

I ended upgrading to an Eclipse 55430 and then to a Nakimichi 45z which sounds absolutely breathtaking.

In short, the Bose system is decent but pales in comparison to a high-quality aftermarket stereo system that could be put together relatively inexpensively.

[slaughtermimms]

Hi guys! could not help myself. However, I think the bose is the greats. You might take look on ebay, there is a guy that sales repair just for the bose system. Just giving info., take it or leave it, just trying to help.

[jdmmba]

I would recommend what I have done. It is the cheapest method and probably easiest as well. The CD player in my 98 I30 went bad and I spent months trying to figure out what to do before running across the Car Stereo web-site linked referred to earlier in this post. I used his instructions to remove my defunct stereo, sold it to Car Stereo Help for $75, and bought a newer one used off E-bay for $60. I made money and upgraded my stereo.

I just bought another headunit off E-bay because my stepfather's 94 J30 headunit is going bad as well. The Car Stereo web-site specifically mentions that you can buy an adapter to make the 93-94 J30 or 90-96 Q45 compatible with newer headunits. That is your best bet and by far the cheapest option. The adapter is offered through Car Stereo Help for $35, but can be had cheaper elsewhere. The total cost to do this is anywhere from $35-$75, depending on how savvy a shopper you are.