Low-budget Fix For Crappy Bose Systems

[BigWill]

Crutchfield had it listed for $199.99 under 'Outlet'.

There is a more expensive model, the Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2, listed at $599.99

I once had a 1988 BMW 750iL, that I purchased used in 1995 for $23,000 (They depreciateFAST). It came with a sound board mounted in the trunk, separate amps & crossovers. I still needed (over time) to replace the head unit, put in a separate amp and enclosed subwoofer in the trunk, etc. It still did not sound as if it had over $5000 'invested' in it!

I prefer to make 'minimal' upgrades to things I buy. BUT, thats IMHO

I can relate completely. I have been riding the fence about new wheels and tires, although it is one change I want to make... I am having a hard time justifying dropping 3k or more right now!

[akbkr23]

I just bought my 2005 G35 Coupe w/Sports Suspension after Thanksgiving, it had 17K miles on it. It replaced my 2003 Porsche Boxster (long story).I purchased a new set of 18 inch Wedsport wheels and Ultra High Performance Avon All Season (all temperature seems to be a better term) tires from the Tire Rack for just over $2200. I live in OK, and my wife stated that NObody in OK buys a second set of wheels and tires. I have lived over 31 years in Alaska (still work there) and it is 'normal' for me to have two sets of wheels/tires in AK (winter and all season).... as long as the wheels and tires serve a somewhat 'different purpose'. Or you can sell the 'other set'.

Wheels are easy to buy, install, and justify (remove, if need be). I think that a modification that severely changes your vehicle, airplane, boat, etc. is VERY hard to justify, due to effort, cost, and other reasons. I say if you want a certain (fill in the blank), buy it that way, don't try to make something else into it. I base this not only on personal experience ($24K into 1972 Opel Manta Rally car), but that of others; again... IMHO. I am sure that there are others (probably younger others), that 'severely disagree' with that.

[BigWill]

I just bought my 2005 G35 Coupe w/Sports Suspension after Thanksgiving, it had 17K miles on it. It replaced my 2003 Porsche Boxster (long story).I purchased a new set of 18 inch Wedsport wheels and Ultra High Performance Avon All Season (all temperature seems to be a better term) tires from the Tire Rack for just over $2200. I live in OK, and my wife stated that NObody in OK buys a second set of wheels and tires. I have lived over 31 years in Alaska (still work there) and it is 'normal' for me to have two sets of wheels/tires in AK (winter and all season).... as long as the wheels and tires serve a somewhat 'different purpose'. Or you can sell the 'other set'.

Wheels are easy to buy, install, and justify (remove, if need be). I think that a modification that severely changes your vehicle, airplane, boat, etc. is VERY hard to justify, due to effort, cost, and other reasons. I say if you want a certain (fill in the blank), buy it that way, don't try to make something else into it. I base this not only on personal experience ($24K into 1972 Opel Manta Rally car), but that of others; again... IMHO. I am sure that there are others (probably younger others), that 'severely disagree' with that.

I can absolutely relate. I had my money-pit experience with a '67 RS Camaro. My '04 G Coupe has pulled the drain on my wallet a bit, but not too badly. I was able to stop the hemorrhaging early. LOL (It is tough to relate to always having a second set of rims and tires at hand, having lived in So Cal all my life). Not only that, but I am in an odd place tire wise. My rear tires are only going to be useable for another 5k miles or so, however, the fronts are only about 4 months old. It was my intention to look into tires AND wheels once I was in need of some new rubber. Now, It looks like I may have a stagger situation, where my backs get replaced, but the fronts are still good for a while, and then just the reverse.

I suppose that I could sell the old set, but my dilemma then becomes how to get the old set back to my apartment, and where to store them until they sell. Ahhh, decisions, decisions. As for constant 'modding', I think that for car guys, (and gals), it just gets in your blood... whether you want to have a sleeper, stock looking ride that could blow any other car on the street into the weeds, or you want to make your car a SEMA contender... once you have the feeling, I don't think that age is all that big a factor. Hell, I'm 49, and still went right out after buying my '04, and got all the usuall low-buck add ons! (And I'm happy I did!)
Modified by BigWill at 4:47 AM 12/23/2006

[sal7506]

well i just did the kappa swap...i put 50.7cs in the front doors and 63.7 i's in the rear doors on my 03 sedan...i have a pair of perfect 10's on order that i plan on installing in the next few weeks.the sound is better since both pairs come with crossovers(passive).i do also plan on installing an amp to power the subs ....to my very untrained ear the system still seems flat ....so i will update after the sub install....if i can recommend to someone that plans to do this swap go with 6.5 in the front doors ...the rear 63.7 fit great i used the supplied mounting rings and only had to drill one hole to mount them ..i purchased baffles to go behind them and was able to mount all the crossovers in between the door panel and the door...the total cost so far....kappas...297.00 with shipping from "etronics.com" .perfect 10's ....162.00 with shipping from "crutchfield"buy one get one free.stinger wire kit for amp..4 ga. the line output converter "saloc by stinger"rca cables and misc. terminals from "hifisoundconnection.com"140.00 with shipping .and approx another 100.00 in materials to install and build an enclosure...the amp i already had...if anyone has any ques...just ask....and thanks to all that gave input on this topic.....

[superblackz]

Few quick questions - 1. Did Infiniti change this system from 2004-present in the G-Coupe?2. My original 2004 specs list a subwoofer - never found one - ???3. Anyone had to replace their Bose HU? I am on #2 - first one died on one channel completely after <2 years.

Last question is my main concern - matching a goodly amount of $$$ in speakers to a HU that has failed once already on me, and won't be covered under warranty forever. If it fails again, does this low impedence speaker setup transfer well to an aftermarket HU? I am guessing the availability of the OEM unit will decrease over time with the release of the new G's in 2007/2008 model years, and IF available, will cost a bloody fortune.

- ST

[G_whizz]

Welcome to NICO!!

You might want to post this in G35 general or Mechanical for a better/quicker response.

[sal7506]

well i haven't looked at many coupes but in my sedan it (the woofer..?)if that is what u call it ...lol...the junck that it is .is located in the rear package tray in the center it is an 8"...the cutout is only 7" and i searched to find a replacement but i gave up most all woffers that size are not designed for free air use or use a cut out dia. of 7 3/16 to 7 1/2"....the hu may be burning out due to a shorted speaker wire or bad amp...have u checked all of the wires...has the car been wrecked?if it has that would be the first place to look?

[g35beaver]

...my sedan it (the woofer..?)if that is what u call it ...lol...

I had my G35 Sedan for less than a month and never played the stereo beyond volume level 20. few weeks ago, i started to hear rattle even on low volume coming from the subwoofer. i took it to a dealer and they replace the subwoofer and now it's fine. i wonder if anyone had a similar problem with the subwoofer.

[jimmy4645]

I have an 06 sedan i also hear the a rattle from the subwoofer...

[shimman]

I have an 06 sedan i also hear the a rattle from the subwoofer...

just for the hack of it, i set the volume to 60% of max, and i noticed little bit of rattle, and it turned out that screws were bit loose, so i unscrewed it and put some adhesive on the screws & put those back, and i did not hear the rattle.

it seems like nissan needs to work on the quality assurance although i could let them slide for this one as this is the newer model (2007)

[Crashtest77]

If you are looking for something a little higher end, I suggest the hd series. Thank god I never put mine in my car I'm trading,since they fit the g too. Here is the website...great gear, lots and lots of awards. http://www.cdtaudio.com/

[sal7506]

well i have finally finished the install...in my last post i said i was using an amp i already had...just could not do it...so i bought one to match the subs...a 611 a....it sounds great.it took me a total of about 30 hours to fab a box and roughly 6.5 hours to run a power lead and tap into the rear sub (factory) to supply power for the remote on...it was the green/white wire...i left the factory sub amp in the system so i would not create any problems with the factory hu or amp...one thing i did run into was i installed a cooling fan and a small accent light in the amp box ;the factory amp turn on could not handle the extra load....so i need to install a relay to power them

[thechronic]

yea, I have the Bose Premium Sound System, and I think its perfect. Maybe there is a huge difference between the stock speaker system. But I have run into a few problems with my CD player, for example, right now it is saying "CD ERR FO" on the screen when I go to the CD mode. If anyone knows what that means, please inform me

[speed3421]

I have the same error on my 6 disc cd changer bose piece of crap. I just bought a 03 Infinity Coupe and didn't realize the in dash changer wasn't working. I took it to the dealership they didn't even look at just told me it was broken. go figure. "CD ERR FO" anyone have any suggestions for an alternative i am looking for an ipod solution, not using fm modulation. i thought i was going to make out with the usa spec but it's not compatible for the 03 g35 coupe

[Nard]

Hello: I was reading your post about the cd error fo. Did you find a solution or do you know what it means? I have an 03 G35 and it just happened. Please email me at [email protected] if you have an answer.

Thanks Rita

[g35sedanlover]

After doing some more research and getting some 'professional consultation':The best Infinity Kappa speakers would be ... 60.7 cs (component system) in the front with crossovers and separate tweeters (to be mounted in the original location near the rear view mirrors).62.7i (6 1/2 inch), OR 52.7i (5 1/4 inch), both 2-way in the rear side location. These are not a perfect fit, but 'may' be able to be manipulated into position. 692.7i in rear shelf. These are two way and nothing else is needed, since the rears apparently recieve only bass signals. The 3-way 693.7i are apparently also slightly 'bigger/taller' and don't fit well.2-ways should be more than enough in the rear locations, as there is no apparent need for the extra tweeters in these locations.THIS (60.7cs, 62.7i, 692.7i) is what I ordered on an 'auction site' for $341 (shipped).

I'll let you know how it sounds, after installation.

Hey,I am curious to know how this system sounds. Have you installed this yet? Please let me know.

Thanx

[odecca]

After reading this post I am so happy to see that I am not the only person who had this problem with BOSE speakers.

I bought a 2004 G35 C in summer of 2006 and to this date I had my entire system changed 2 times. Within the first 2 months my front (drivers side) speaker blew, following by my physcial stereo having defects that required me to change the actual system. Once the dealers changed the system I learned that my back speakers were faint in sound too. Now that it is April I have been to about 5 shops that offered me to "upgrade" my system. I am personally scared because it will #1 void my sound warranty with infiniti and #2 I thought it was just me and I wanted more then was possible out of this car.

Anyway I read through all the comments on this thread and it has been very helpful for me.

Thank you

[AZhitman]

Glad this thread is getting some mileage!

[FUSCO1]

Hello just found this thread today, purchased my G35 Sedan in Nov 06 been unhappy with the audio system from day1 was also thinking about going with the infiniti speakers , do the 2003 G's have a amp at each speaker & are the xovers at the speakers,what about that so called sub is there anything i can do with that ............thanks steve

[rfojr]

Just bought an 07 Sedan with the Premium package and even with this I'm not impressed. I find my wife's I30 has more punch than the G. The problem really seems to be the rear seat compartment. The rear door speakers sound like an AM radio and the woofer in the shelf barely has enough volume at full clip to get its effect up front. The front setup is accepatble.

Does anyone know anything about this particular set up? My guess is the rear door speakers are on a cross over because they seem to have zero bottom to them. I would like to get the full signal to these and maybe find a better woofer (or amp) for more punch. Any thoughts anyone?

Thanks

[bdg55]

Going to add to this, I have a new 2007 G35 Coupe M6 and the sound is really iffy at best, I was told that for 2007 they had changed the speakers, apparently I heard wrong, has anyone with a 2007 done a swap out of the speakers that can relay some feedback?

[NewNismo]

Sounds like a nice upgrade. My friend ahs a g35 that the factory system sounds way better than the rest I have listend to. She had a higher time modle. Not shure if that has anything to do with it but here souds so much better than my buddys dad's.

[g35x2007]

Keep it simpleOn the G35X SedanGet a good pair of co-axial speakers to repalace your rear doorspeakers and run them off of a 2 channel amp 75w x2 minLeave the head unit/nav and the front speakers alone.

You won't win any contests for sound or modifications, but you will dramatically improve the system and make it bearable to listen to.

Amp $200Speakers $200adapters $35install and adapter $ 150 (optional if you know how to do the install yourself)

zerothread/260029

[joas007]

how r u?

have u come across a problem where the SLIP in the dashboard blink for 3 second and went away. It only happened once 5 days ago.

[verbal assassin]

Orion has the best, most crisp sounding speakers so far. go with Orion.

[AMAG35]

Hello,

I have an 06 Sedan and it comes with the Infiniti System I think is the base model, does any one knows what should i do to improve my sound System>?

Please let me know i have asked diferent places for the sytem and they say they do not make anything that fits my car and i have to get it custum made and that will be to pricey

[joe603]

The 03-06 sedan should have the same specs. They are standard sizes for all speakers. Your front and rear speaker sizes are 6.5"...If you have a rear deck, they are 6x9's. Just buy the speakers listed in this thread and do the install yourself to save cash. You'll have much better sound! Now, if you want more bass, you'll need to break the bank and get an enclosure with an aftermarket amp. The sub can be integrated into the factory system by using a speaker-level output for the amp's input. (make sure the amp supports high level inputs...I recommend MTX)

[2mhighside]

I just joined this forum and am finding all the little tips so usefull. I have another question. I have a set of 10'' subs i want to add with a 350w amp. How will this work with the 2ohm speaker setup. in my 06 chev truck i just pulled of the rear speakers. Can i do something like this?

[joe603]

What I did was use the rear seat speakers (6.5" on the sides) as an input for my sub amp. To do this, you have to have an amp that accepts speaker-level input. The side speakers are supposed to be the car's subs (!LOL!) You won't miss the sound at all. The rear deck 6x9's will provide rear fill.

Here's a few pics of my setup:

[audtatious]

And it sounds great...

How do I know? Cuz I was given a demo at NOPI