Just got a 08 QX56- Audio and Upgrade Questions

[redwings0921]

I am receiving my 08 with 44k miles on Friday. I want to replace the stock Bose system, but keep the nav/HU. I want to amp all the speakers. If I am correct, there are dash speakers, front door speakers, and trunk speakers? That would mean 2 amps. If I am wrong about that, please correct me. I also want to add a 12' sub and an amp. Can the car handle 3 amps? Does anyone have a breakdown of the speakers/sizes i could see? Crutchfield is telling me I just need to use their wire harness and it should work fine- http://www.crutchfield.com/p_120707553/ ... rness.html. Anyone ever used that? Any advice on this upgrade would be greatly appreciated!

[Timmbo]

Welcome to NICOclub! Glad to have you in the QX56 Forum. I have to be honest, I have never tinkered with the audio system on the '08 and newer models. I have been satisfied with the audio as it is. I know nothing about any of this, but is this something that you would be able to find in the factory service manual, because we do have that posted here on NICOclub.

[edrock200]

Try this:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/QX56/2008/AV.pdf

[C-Kwik]

The number of amps will depend more on the number of channels (speakers) you need to drive. Most amps come with 2 or 4 channels. Any combination of channels per amp will suffice so long as you have one channel per speaker (for a simple straightforward install). There are some other ways to set up amps, but its usually done to try and get much more power to each speaker and usually will require more amps than minimally necessary. For a single sub, you can either bridge a 2 channel amp (or 2 of the channels from a 4 channel amp) or get a mono amp designed for use with a sub. As for capacity, the only real limitations are space to put the amps and the vehicle's electrical capacity. For the latter, its really an issue of total wattage. Most cars will handle mild to moderate systems without much issue.

All that said, you might try just changing the speakers first and running off the factory amps. If you aren't satisfied by it, you can add amps to the system. Multiple amps can get pricey and with factory integration, sometimes you need extra devices to tap into the sound (factory headunits don't have preouts with the proper connection, and may not have the right type of signal). I can't speak to the 08 models but I know previous models used 2-ohm speakers. Most aftermarket speakers are 4-ohm. The factory amps should be able to handle it, but higher impedences will reduce the power going to the speaker. Infinity (the speaker company) has a line of 2-ohm speakers last I checked.