cheap car audio question!

[louiegz]

Louie - have you considered getting a newer Inf/Nis Bose in dash CD HU off ebay (about $120) and the adapter. Should be able to upgrade to CD in dash then??

You know Rex, that's a good idea, but I'd prefer not to get rid of the OEM look of the original HU. The look isn't bad, but it doesn't look OEM. If they had MP3 playback, which they don't, the decision would be easier. If I just wanted to have CD playback, I'd get the trunk changer. You know what, I've been all this time without it, and my commute to work is just 15min each way, I guess I can live with it for a couple of years. By the way, for which years and Infiniti/Nissan cars is the HU your talking about? I saw someone did it, but I forget which HU they used.

By the way, Rex, I like your Q. Very tasteful rims. What size are they?

[Rex]

It was me, I used about a 97 Pathfinder HU and I think it looks "factory" enough. Though if you have a 90-93 (I'm not sure), then I understand it would look much different. If you do have that year, I have a trunk mount factory I'd let go real easy, bought it thinking I could make it work and then decided not to .

Thanks for the compliment. The rims are 17's, I think 7.5 or 8 wide as I have 245/45/17's that fit with no issue. They were on the car when I bought it, so I don't know much more than that. the only markings I can find are the load ratings which THANKFULLY exceed the Q's needs.

[nuQ]

i don't think any of the infiniti/nissan HU would look "bad" in the 90-93 Q. ideally i'd like to go that route, get the adapter then to an amp, then aftermarket speakers,,,,but,,,,,,mp3 playback might negate all that thought!!!! we'll see

[JT_MONEY_2004]

What does it cost to have your speakers and amps reman'd my Bose?

This thread is the most interesting i've read in a while, cause my bose is an neusance to me, haven't been able to enjoy one in a Q yet!

Let me ask...Any ideas what would cause the radio to become distored when the key is put to the second or ign positions? I get more distortion when "everthing" is on, much less when key just turned 1st ON position.

[pito11213]

Yo J... The reason why I said dont bother with changing the speakers and keeping the bose HU is because the amps in your Q may likely be bad. If you connect aftermarket speakers to the Q and keep the bose you have to use the bose amps because the HU doesn't produce any power to the speakers itself. For the price of getting your amps reman through bose you might as well get another system in the car. Or keep the HU and get after market speakers with a good 4 channel amp. Get a bass tube or a 10" woofer ported to inside the car somehow. You could go on ebay and get the stereo you want but without the warranty at circuit city or whatever you use. It isnt that hard to do a system yourself.

[PoorManQ45]

Let me ask...Any ideas what would cause the radio to become distored when the key is put to the second or ign positions? I get more distortion when "everthing" is on, much less when key just turned 1st ON position.

It sounds like you have a grounding problem.

[Rex]

Well, since it's being/been discussed and I enjoy showing it off, even though I'm critical of the "up close fit", here's the "swapped" HU.

Click pic for a JUMBOTRON version.

[louiegz]

The look isn't bad at all. The fit a little off, but not too bad. Does it sound as good as the original HU?

[Rex]

Yeah, I've been meaning to pull the trim back off to try and tweak the alignment/spacing, but just haven't.

As far as sound, it's a factory Bose signal feeding the existing speakers/amps. If I had the say anything, I think it's a touch louder, but there's no logical explanation for how/why it would be louder.

[PoorManQ45]

I think the alignment looks very good. I don't think anybody would notice it unless they knew what was wrong.

[Rex]

Yeah, Wes accuses me of being somewhat obsessive about it, and the pic (taken with the flash turned on) actualyl makes it more noticable.

[Jesda]

I remember seeing it, and I'd have to say youre over-critical. The first thing you pointed out to me was the alignment issue, so I cant say if its noticeable or not.

Neatest thing about that head unit is the giant volume knob. To the japanese it must seem twice as big.