Mix 'n Match Bose Components - Help

[John Nordling]

Have a '90 Q with the trunk mounted CD changer. Worked fine when I started to do mechanical work about 20 months ago. Now it has a LOUD squeal/hum when turned on - all speakers, tape or radio. So maybe time to change things, but I want to stick with BOSE.

I checked some of the threads, but there's so much information I got lost. Here's what I want to do.

1. A bose head unit with a single in-dash CD player. (The monster in the trunk is in the way.) Will the '97-'01 Q unit work for this?

2. Tweeters for the front, as the original sound system seemed to be weak in this area. Will the '94-'96 front door speaker/roof pillar tweeter work/fit?

3. Possibly replace the rear speaker amps if any of the different year speakers are superior.

Oh, if anyone has had their speaker amps rebuilt, did the repair shop also replace the speaker cone material?

I don't need a subwoofer unless it is an easy upgrade.

If this will work, then I'll look at the threads for the harness adaptors.

Anyone done this exact combo in an early Q??????????

Thanks for any help/opinions...............John in Seattle

[Rex]

Have a '90 Q with the trunk mounted CD changer. Worked fine when I started to do mechanical work about 20 months ago. Now it has a LOUD squeal/hum when turned on - all speakers, tape or radio. So maybe time to change things, but I want to stick with BOSE.

I checked some of the threads, but there's so much information I got lost. Here's what I want to do.

1. A bose head unit with a single in-dash CD player. (The monster in the trunk is in the way.) Will the '97-'01 Q unit work for this?

2. Tweeters for the front, as the original sound system seemed to be weak in this area. Will the '94-'96 front door speaker/roof pillar tweeter work/fit?

3. Possibly replace the rear speaker amps if any of the different year speakers are superior.

Oh, if anyone has had their speaker amps rebuilt, did the repair shop also replace the speaker cone material?

I don't need a subwoofer unless it is an easy upgrade.

If this will work, then I'll look at the threads for the harness adaptors.

Anyone done this exact combo in an early Q??????????

Thanks for any help/opinions...............John in Seattle

A few quick answers.

Yes, you can swap a later model Nissan/Infiniti Bose into your Q. An adapter is required, there's a thread here somewhere on the "how to", I'll see if I can find it.

People have talked about swapping the 94-96 A-pillar's into the earlier years to egt the tweeters, but not sure if any one has, there may be a slight "fit" issue, and then there's the wiring??

Search for Bose Recall to find the customer service number, there was a recall on them for catching on fire, and they will most likely swap them out/rebuild them. Polite and courteous conversations has gotten all 4 swapped/rebuilt.

Jesda has an earlier Q and may be able to weigh in some as well.

[PoorManQ45]

I suggest keeping the BOSE HU and possibly the amps, but replace the speakers themselves. That'll improve sound quality quite a bit.

The squeling/humming you are talking about is most likely a ground problem

[Rex]

Here's the link I was talking about.

zerothread?id=95021

Jesda's attempt wasn't that great, mine was. FWIW, he has/had a 92, I have a 94.

Edit: It's been one of those days . Funny thing is over an hour later and the URL was still in my copy/paste buffer.

[PoorManQ45]

I think you forgot something rex...THe LINK!

LMAO

[John Nordling]

OK, so I'll look for a '97-'01 head unit and try the '94-'96 front speakers with the tweeters in the windshield trim pieces. Then I will follow the threads about the adapters available. Should I leave the rear speakers alone, or update to the '94-'96 as well?

Right now I'm still trying to find out why I get the loud squeal/buzz when either the radio or tape is turned on. I took someone's advice and looked for a missing or unconnected ground wire, but can't find anything.

I have the trunk mounted remote CD player out of the car and didn't see anything there either. Wanted to check that because I had removed it earlier to gain better access to the shock absorbers.

I even bought another used head unit that was know to function, but the same thing happened to it. Must be in the wiring. I think I need to solve this before I make any changes. Any ideas????

[PoorManQ45]

Seriously man, PLEASE get aftermarket speakers. Just take the quality of the 94+ bose system and mulitply that by 10, and that'll give you a "picture" of what a descent set of speakers will give you. Just try it out, if you don't like them you can always return them

[John Nordling]

I used to build my own car stereo systems, including crossover networks, back when the best Japan had to offer was about 10% THD in their top of the line Cressida. It was a Clarion - same brand as in my '90 Q, which begs the question do I really have a Bose system?

Anyway, factory stereos got much better and I quit trying to build my own. I understand that replacing the speakers is a problem because of impedance matching. But, if you have some actual speakers in mind, please share the information with us.

Much appreciated..................John

[PoorManQ45]

NOpe, you don't have a BOse system.

The 89-93 Q45 system was designed by Mcintosh! I found that out while reading up on the history of Mcintosh.

Actually th eimpedence difference isn't really a problem. YOu probably know that it's perfectly fine to run higher impedence speakers then the amp is rated. It won't cause any harm.

I personally recommend Infinity Kappa Perfect of Reference series 6x9s for the back. For the front a set of components of your choice with an external amp will sound AWESOME! I can't really give you advise on components becasue a pair that I may like you may not.

[tkd_q45]

I thought some had tried using aftermarket speakers w/bose/stock amps but the stock amps are tuned for those particular speakers and the sound w/aftermarket can be a bit off/harsh?

[PoorManQ45]

Yep. The Bose amps have built in equalization.

I installed a pair of Infiniti Kappa 6x9s in the rear and am using the bose amps to power them. It sounds MUCH better then the bose speakers.

Also, the bass is absolutely astonishing for such small speakers. I mean, they're about the equivolent of a low/mid level 8in driver.

[xekushnr]

I installed a pair of Infiniti Kappa 6x9s in the rear and am using the bose amps to power them. It sounds MUCH better then the bose speakers.

if you have to actually read one thing PMQ tells you, this should be it. if i could have sex with those speakers i would do it. but i wouldnt call in the morning.

[Jesda]

I thought some had tried using aftermarket speakers w/bose/stock amps but the stock amps are tuned for those particular speakers and the sound w/aftermarket can be a bit off/harsh?

Yep, and it varies with each aftermarket speaker, making shopping for them very difficult.

[PoorManQ45]

YEah. I personally have found the Infinity Speakers to be a very good match for the bose amps.

From what I can tell the bose amps emphasize the low and high frequencies. Most likely around 45hz and 15khz. The Infinitys perform AWESOME with this equalization.

[3Q Jay]

I installed a pair of Infiniti Kappa 6x9s in the rear and am using the bose amps to power them. It sounds MUCH better then the bose speakers.

Also, the bass is absolutely astonishing for such small speakers. I mean, they're about the equivolent of a low/mid level 8in driver.

PMQ- i'm intrigued by this setup. i want good speakers, but like my '94 factory headunit.did you use the kappa 693.7i [3-way]? i noticed the 69x.7i are 2-ohm, and the reference series 960xI are 4-ohm and 3dB less sensitive. so you just gutted your old bose rear speakers and attached the powered segment to the underside of your new infinity's?sorry if I'm daft, i'm not an audiohead--just appreciate good sound quality, not so much SPL, and want to do the minimum invasion to my oem factory look.i note your Q is a 90-93--do you know if the powered bose speakers are different between 90-93, and 94?

btw- i'm not quite to the stage of the custom sub enclosure, but what you are doing there looks worthy of a Q....keep going!

[PoorManQ45]

did you use the kappa 693.7i [3-way]? i noticed the 69x.7i are 2-ohm, and the reference series 960xI are 4-ohm and 3dB less sensitive.

The reason that the Kappa reference shows a 3dB lower sensitivity is that the ohms are doubled. Remember, halving the ohms doubles the power. So, the kappa actually takes two watts to acheive its stated sensitivity, whereas the Reference series takes one watt to get there. Also, everytime you double the power you get approximately a 3dB increase. So as you can see the two end up having the same efficiency.

I used the 4ohm model, I can't remember exactly which one though as I got them for free. They're a few years old. Stated power handling is 100rms, 300peak.

so you just gutted your old bose rear speakers and attached the powered segment to the underside of your new infinity's?

I seperated the amplifier from the bose speakers. Then I took the bose speakers out and replaced them with the infinity 6x9s. NOte, the bose amplifiers have standard speaker wire outputs. IIRC they're red and green. Just hook those up to the new speakers. I personally went with red = positive, green = negative.

sorry if I'm daft, i'm not an audiohead--just appreciate good sound quality, not so much SPL, and want to do the minimum invasion to my oem factory look.

I understand, that's what I wanted too. So I'm using the stock HU, with aftermarket speakers. Next comes aftermarket amplifiers. I tested out the infinity's with an amplifier that I have on hand and they really sing. So now all I have to do is get around to actually installing the amp(s).

i note your Q is a 90-93--do you know if the powered bose speakers are different between 90-93, and 94?

The back speakers are the same, but the fronts utilize two seperate drivers, the midrange in the door, and the tweeter in the a-pillar. If you are going to change the fronts I recommend that you go with a set of component speakers. They'll cost a bit more(~$150~$300), but their sound quality is well worth it. Also, if you do go with components up front you'll need an aftermarket amplifier to power them.

Note, the 90~93 Q45 didn't have the tweeters. The factory bose speaker is something like 4.5in. I made a custom mount and put 6x9s in the door. If you're wondering why I used 6x9s it's because that's what I had on hand

btw- i'm not quite to the stage of the custom sub enclosure, but what you are doing there looks worthy of a Q....keep going!

Yeah, I'm not actually planning on using the enclosure in my Q45. I'll test it, but I probably won't leave it in there. I personally feel that the infinity speakers offer plenty of bass.

[3Q Jay]

thanks for the reply.

so i infer that 4ohm are a good match to the bose rear amplifers, and you would not recommend 2-ohm? physics was a few years back, i seem to remember that P=i^2R, so does halving the ohms QUADRUPLE the power? dumb noob audio question--are audio amps constant current or constant voltage?

i found some discontinued kappa 2way 6X9s for $99 that are 4 ohm, but 'power hungry' 90dB sensitivity, so not sure if that's asking too much of the stock amps. if you tell me the factory bose speakers are like 85dB, then what am i worrying for?on the otherhand, the 'new model' kappa 693.7i is about $200, and 2-ohm.

as for 2-way vs. 3 way i'm kind of torn-- i like the advertised feature of a 'steerable' tweeter on the 2-way since the highs are directional.

i understand components desirable for front, seems like the midrange is a really goofy size with 3 mounting screws? why the need for separate amp? wouldn't the bose amp be ok with the bose outputs going to a passive xover feeding the components? i think that was how i did my g35 sedan when i had it, but that was a few years ago and my memory is hazy now.

ok, i'll stop rambling for now...

[PoorManQ45]

i understand components desirable for front, seems like the midrange is a really goofy size with 3 mounting screws? why the need for separate amp? wouldn't the bose amp be ok with the bose outputs going to a passive xover feeding the components? i think that was how i did my g35 sedan when i had it, but that was a few years ago and my memory is hazy now.

Unfortunately the bose amps don't have that much power. IIRC they are 50w rms at 1ohm. so that's 25w @ 2 ohm, and 12.5 @ 4 ohms. So as you can tell that's not really enough for components, but it is enough for regular coaxials.

I would suggest making your own mount to fit a 6.5in driver in the door. It's not too hard. I'll help you through it if that's the route you want to go.

so i infer that 4ohm are a good match to the bose rear amplifers, and you would not recommend 2-ohm? physics was a few years back, i seem to remember that P=i^2R, so does halving the ohms QUADRUPLE the power? dumb noob audio question--are audio amps constant current or constant voltage?

Haha, it has been awhile sinse you've taken physics. P = E 2 / R, or P = E x I, and finally, P = I^2 x Rlets assume E = 12, and R = 4. That's mean P = 12^2 / 4. So 144/4 = 36w

Now lets make R = 2. Then P = 12^2/2. 144/2 = 72.

So as you can see, if voltage remians constant and the ohms halve the power doubles.

As to the amp question. They are constant voltage

i found some discontinued kappa 2way 6X9s for $99 that are 4 ohm, but 'power hungry' 90dB sensitivity, so not sure if that's asking too much of the stock amps. if you tell me the factory bose speakers are like 85dB, then what am i worrying for?on the otherhand, the 'new model' kappa 693.7i is about $200, and 2-ohm.

The bose speakers are 1ohm. So it's hard to judge their true sensitivity compared to a 4ohm. I'm going to guesstimate that they're in the neighbormhood of 88~89dB.

IIRC my infinity's are like 92dB sensitivity. They are MUCH louder and sound MUCH better then the stock bose.

as for 2-way vs. 3 way i'm kind of torn-- i like the advertised feature of a 'steerable' tweeter on the 2-way since the highs are directional.

For the back speakers I would recommend going with the 3-way as the reflection off the back window aims the highs right at you.

Now, for the fronts you'll want an adjustable tweeter.

ok, i'll stop rambling for now...

That's ok, you're just asking. At least you're not making declarations like some people do.

thanks for the reply.

You are welcome.

[3Q Jay]

got it, PMQ--thanks.

i might take you up on that custom mount for the fronts--will work on the rears first.

do we know of anyone who has redone the a-pillar tweeters in a Q?

[PoorManQ45]

I don't personally know if any members have done it, but I'm sure there are a few.

It's not too hard. You take off the a-pillar(clipped on a believe). Then you remove the stock tweeter. Then you put the new tweeter in its place by following the instructions provided with the components. If I were you I would NOT try to run new wires into the door, I would tap into the existing ones. Place the crossover inside the door to keep it consealed and to make wiring it easier.

For the custom mount I personally used a piece of plywood that I had laying around. To get the pattern really easy you take the bose pod out, and place it face down on the material your making the mount out of, and trace around it. Then use a tool of your choice to cut it out. Then make a circle the size of your driver cutout. Then cut that out. I personally found that with the speakers I used pipe insulation as a gasket. What it is is a rubberized foam. SO it was air tight.

You know how to remove the back seats and deck, right? If not just ask. Same goes for the door panels