cheap car audio question!

[nuQ]

i posted this over on the car stereo spot, but figured more Q experts would read it here........

i'm looking to get rid of my stock (90Q) bose system, and get a cd player. might consider getting a bose head unit off ebay to keep the stock look, then running to an amp then aftermarket speakers, just a thought.

been out of the game for a while, and looking for decent quality components on the cheap, i.e. head units, speakers (6x9's and 6.5's), and amps (ideally 4 channels). *might* want to eventually go with a sub, so keep that in mind.

since i don't use the Q as my everyday drive,,,dont want to spend a ton. thanks guys.ps---also looking for a remote starter good for the Q!

[MiniMan]

nuQ, what's your price range (ie: $400-$600)?

Corey

[nuQ]

yup,,,in that ballpark!

[Rex]

I replied to your other post.

I could copy and paste into here, but I'm all for creating some traffic in the Car Audio Forum, it feels lonely over there at times .

[MiniMan]

Audiobahn A1004DP True Digital Series $289.99 Audiobahn DUB269 6" x 9" DUB Series ( DUB MAG AUDIO ) $59.99Audiobahn DUB265 6-1/2" DUB Series $54.99Audiobahn AKIT1Q 8 Gauge Amp Kit $29.99 Total $434.96

That's the type of quality stuff you can get for cheap! No HU there though... but I don't know if you're looking for a double DIN unit, or single DIN...

Corey

[nuQ]

is the a1004dp an amp???????

[dareo]

While on the topic of upgrading the stereo, is it extra difficult to change out the head unit? I would like a CD player and a din pocket instead of a huge old tape deck.

[MiniMan]

is the a1004dp an amp???????

Yessir, here are it's specs:

Amplifier Specifications:Number of Channels 4RMS Power (4 ohms) 100 watts x 4 ch.RMS Power (2 ohms) 200 watts x 4 ch.RMS Power (1 ohm) 300 watts x 4 ch.Bridged RMS Power 200 watts x 2 (4 ohms); 400 watts x 2 (2 ohms)Peak Power Output 2400 watts approx. (1 ohm)Min. Impedance Unbridged 1 ohmMin. Impedance Bridged 2 ohmsTHD @ Rated RMS Power 0.05%Speaker Level Inputs NoAmp Preamp Outputs Yes - 1 PairBuilt-in Crossover HP (50-250Hz), LP (50-250Hz)Bass Boost 0 - 12 dBSignal-to-Noise Ratio 100 dBFan Cooled Yes (Dual Cooling Fans)Fuse Rating 25A x 2Warranty 1-year SE

Corey

[MiniMan]

While on the topic of upgrading the stereo, is it extra difficult to change out the head unit? I would like a CD player and a din pocket instead of a huge old tape deck.

I have yet to swap a headunit (HU) in a Q45, though I have done a couple in other cars. They aren't *that* hard, but it does take a bit of reading and such. You need to make sure you know which wire goes where... that sort of thing. You can find which wires are what, color wise, on the net.

Corey

[pito11213]

It is easy to wire up if you have the existing wiring in tact. You just have to get the wiring harness and do the splices. It is better to do them with soldering with heat shrink wraps to ensure longevity. I want to personally go with a nice double din with a screen to fill up the gap.

Try http://www.crutchfield.com they have alot of stuff on there.

[PoorManQ45]

I posted in your other thread, but it's obvious that this one gets read more.

Here's my two cents(all that I have).There is nothing wrong with the factory headunit and the amps. They put out a descent amount of power at I think a 1 Ohm load.

The problem with the stock system is the speakers themselves. It is very hard to have a speaker with only one cone that can produce anywhere near 20 -20,000 Hz at higher volumes, without creating a ton of distortion and/or causing the Doppler affect.

What I did to solve this problem is I bought a $20 pair of 6x9 3-ways from Walmart. They have a much better frequency response than stock, also, they have a descent sensitivity rating. And they play alot louder than the bose ones. I think that I may have lost a little bass, but I made up for it ten-fold in the higher frequncies.

My suggestion to you is to just replace the speakers. Try to find some that have an efficiency/sensitivity rating of 92 db 1w/1m or more.

Replacing the HU may get a little expensive(depending on what you choose). It's up to you whether or not to change the HU. An aftermarket HU may draw a little too much attention, potencially leading to theft and/or damage.

Keep in mind one draw back (in the stereo wolrd) to the Q is the gas tank over the rear axle. This isn't really too big of a deal with sub frequncies being non-directional, but you will see some db loss due to this.

Another problem is that the trunk is sealed. Meaning that the bass frequencies will not traverse into the passenger compartment very smoothly. This will cause it to sound muffled and distorted. I would suggest porting the sub into the compartment somehow. Either mounting it in the rear deck(use trunk as enclosure), or mount the sub where the rear arm rest is(This would probably look pretty good), or put a TUNED port(measure volume of trunk) in either the deck or behind the arm rest.

[Rex]

While on the topic of upgrading the stereo, is it extra difficult to change out the head unit? I would like a CD player and a din pocket instead of a huge old tape deck.

I replaced my in dash with a newer model vInfiniti/Nissan Bose In Dash CD player. It uses a Nissan adapter to allow the new unit to plug into the old harness. This will not give you the DIN slot for a pocket, but is the "simplest" CD upgrade.

If you want to add a aftermarket single DIN unit to allow for the "pocket", several sites offer harnesses to allow you to "adapt" to the Bose. Keep in mind that the Bose spekares are 1 ohm and that replacing them while trying to maintain the original amps may shorten their lives or the speakers lives.

One mis-conception alot of us (used Q owners) have is that Bose is not good car audio. In most of our cases the paper cone substance used in the speaker construction has aged significantly and therefore decreased their performance. Ask any Bose owners that have replaced the speakers (& amps) and they'll (generally) tell you they never knew it could sound so good.

I'm sure I was going somewhere with this prattle, but lost my train of thought when I wento to make dinner. Feel free to ask questions or challenge any of my comments and we can discuss. ( I just wish there was more of this type of discussion in the Car Audio forum ).

[JT_MONEY_2004]

Man man, i thought you couldn't use non-Bose speakers w/ a Bose head unit, because of the ohms. Misinformation ?!?

PMQ which Q do you have?

What did you look for when purchasing the speakers... besides the price. ;-)

[Rex]

JT - Your question needs a little clarifying.

From what I can tell PMQ used the factory amps with aftermarket speakers. While I think this could be problematic, there's nothing to say it won't work for a period of time (6 weeks, maybe 6 years??).

You can also use the factory HU with an adapter to an amplifier and then run your speakers off that.

Does that help clarify?

[Jesda]

JTMoney:

Mathematically, its not supposed to work. But a lot of folks (I think Jeff Williams is one of them) have used aftermarket speakers connected to Bose amplifiers without any trouble. I dont know the effects on long-term reliability, but you can apparently use aftermarket speakers without doing any crazy wiring or getting an aftermarket amp.

-Jesda Hates Bose

[nuQ]

that was my thought (at least one of them), use the factory HD, get an adapter to an aftermarket amp, then to aftermarket speakers. has anyone done this before???????

[Rex]

that was my thought (at least one of them), use the factory HD, get an adapter to an aftermarket amp, then to aftermarket speakers. has anyone done this before???????

I've got to think someone's done this, but I don't know of anyone personaly. The main reason would be the cost/effort for no "visible" change just isn't worth it for most. They want the flash/bling bling adn that's accomplished by doing the opposite.

To do this, I would strongly recommend running new speaker wires from the amp you add ot the speakers. The existing wires are "signal" (think RCA) wires not powered speaker wires and aren't designed to carry any real wattage.

More than likely you would run RCA's from the adapter on the HU to the amp in the trunk, then run wires from there to the speakers. Simple enough for the 6x9's in the rear deck, much more difficult/complicated for the door speakers. One tip would be to use the existing signal wires to the bose amps as the lead/stringer wire for running your new speaker wires.

Good luck.

[PoorManQ45]

Keep in mind that the Bose spekares are 1 ohm and that replacing them while trying to maintain the original amps may shorten their lives or the speakers lives.

Rex: your a little bit off with this statement.

A 1 Ohm load on the amplifier is very stressing. Eventhough it was designed for a 1 Ohm load, it is still under alot of stress. 1 Ohm is close to a short circuit. Using 2 or 4 Ohm speakers on a 1 Ohm amplifier is actually better for the amp than using 1 Ohm speakers. A higher Ohm speaker actually "draws" less current/power from the amp. This decreased "draw" in turn Theoretically increases the potencial life span.

By increasing the Ohm load, you do lose some power. Lets say the bose amp puts out 50w @1 Ohm. It would probably put out 45w @2Ohm, and 35~40w @4Ohm.

PMQ which Q do you have?

Do you mean what model/year Q I have? If so, I have a 1992 standard model, with TCS.

What did you look for when purchasing the speakers... besides the price. ;-)

First of all, I look at price . If it's above a certain amount, I don't even look at it. Here's a little chart of the prices I look for:

Standard speakers:6.5 or smaller - $40 or less6x9 - $50 or lessSubwoofers:10in - $60 or less12in - $80 or less15in - $110 or less18in - $200 or less

Now, there are other things that I take into consideration after the price.

Sensitivity - Must be 92db 1w/1m or higherFrequency response - ~35~20000 Hz. This really depends on the size.Surround Material - Preferably butyl rubber. Treated foam is acceptable.Cone material - Anything that's not too weak. Contrary to popular belief, paper cones are acceptable. I usually "poke" and "prod" the cone. If I break it, I won't buy it Voice Coil - I usually prefer a 3~4 inch voice coil. But, not many companies make these anymore. They usually make 2.5in coils. Or Dual voice coils.Magnet - Usually bigger is better.Suspension - Move the cone(s) in and out with your hand. If it's really stiff, that means that it will require alot of power to get any accoustical output from it. If it's really soft, the driver might not travel linear, causing distortion.

The speakers that I have are RoadMaster 6x9s. They have a frequency response of 35~20000 Hz. Sensitivity of ~91db 1w/1m. Butyl Rubber surround. 3in voice coil. The cones are injection molded fibers. The suspension is a little bit stiff, but not too much. They have 20oz magnets on them. And they only cost me ~$20.

[AZhitman]

I must be one of the few that likes my Bose.

Perhaps it's just better-preserved that those in other Q's.... But I know it sounds WAY better than even the system in the new G35, and audiophile friends have listened to "reference" CD's on mine and said it's pretty decent for an OEM system, and that replicating it or improving on it would cost well over $3K.

[pito11213]

Hitman...If I put in $3k into an audio system in the Q it would blow that Bose out of the water. It's good but not that good.

[psychic_mechanic]

I'm with you, I dig the Bose! Even if I don't have a display on the radio. I need to buy another HU one of these days.

I wouldn't mind upgrading if it were expensive to repair the system, I like the idea of sat radio.

[dareo]

Forget 3k, less than 2k would easily devastate the bose stereo. Get some MB Quart speakers, two good amps and a sub. hook that up to a 400-500 buck alpine deck and you got an awesome stereo.

[AZhitman]

I just think some people have bad speakers - perhaps mine were rebuilt by Clarion for the prior owner.

I've been in several Q's, and none had as good a sound as mine.

[Jesda]

I've been in several Qs too, and pretty much all of them sound -better- than mine. I guess since I'm sticking with the stock system, its time to invest in new amps.

[Jeff Williams]

My Bose speakers in the 1994 California Black Q45t, built in November of 1993 sounds 500% better than my Bose speakers in the 1994 Silver Q45 built in February of 1993.

I have put Sony Xplode $59 6 x 9 speakers in the silver car, and the lows are lower, and the highs are piercing. The problem, is the Bose amps are not puting enough power into them, for "good" lows. The 1 OHM / 2 OHM thingy.

I have a couple of Rockford Fosgate amps and a couple of 12" subs sitting in my office, for installation, but no time to install.

The ultimate upgrade, would be the Kenwood Excelon DDX-7015 head unit, and a few Kenwood amps, with the interface, with Infiniti Kappa speakers. About $3,000 for the system.

[pito11213]

The Bose system is ok but if you want the lows and highs and higher volumes you are better off going after market. Like I said I would love a double din face. Right now I have a sony headunit with polk speakers all around. With the setting I have now it sounds real good when you turn it up. When the volume is low you have to use the D-bass function to get it to sound right.

[PoorManQ45]

Thanks for letting me back Az. I sorry.

Actually, I like some of the newer Bose car systems. One of my friends has an '05 Trailblazer or something like that. He's got the upgraded system with sattelite radio integrated. All the speakers are made buy Bose. And I can truely say that they sound awesome. The problem is, they are so expensive to have repaired or replaced.

[louiegz]

I'm like the Hitman. I find the Bose system as one of the best OEM systems you could have. My buddy has a 03 TL with a Bose, and mine sounds better. My wife's 330i has the Harmon Kardon, and mine sound better. My biggest gripe is that I only have radio and cassette. Radio lately sucks and I haven't recorded a new cassette in over 10 year. On long trips, we use my wife's I pod and cassette adapter and it sounds very good. On a daily basis, I just listen to sports radio and news radio on AM. FM is just the same old crap. Moldy Oldie, Classic Rock, but the same old songs, Top 40 garbage, "not so" Cool Jazz. I use to listen to an alternative rock station out of Long Island that was good, and they turned to Spanish music. I'm looking forward for when I get a new car, having XM, MP3 playback on I pod integration. That and Nav, I'd be a happy camper. No point in doing this to my Q now. I only plan to keep it for 3 or 4 years more. I'll just wait till my next car, a G or M.

[Rex]

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??

[Rex]

... The problem is, they are so expensive to have repaired or replaced.

That's primarily cause they don't just make 1 speaker or 1 amp for all cars, but each speaker and amp are designed for the specific application. you'd be surprised by the amount of time Bose puts into tuning the amp/speaker combo (including equaliztion) for each application. That drives up the cost, unfortunately.