Bose Sound System

J

Joshua312

New member
In my 99 Grand Prix GTP I have the Bose sound system. When I went to Best Buy to see if I could get a new cd player or add subs, the people said I would have to re-wire everything and have new speakers put in. Basically it would cost a lot they said. But I see GTP's or any car in that matter with subs and different cd players...are the people at Best Buy just full of b.s. or is there some way I can get subs and a cd player in my car without it costing an arm and a leg
 
My Camaro used to have a Bose system similar to yours, and I was told a similar thing at one point. I believe there is a slightly more simple solution that "re-wiring everything," but I'm sure someone can tell you more accurately.
 
Not exactly BS, but close. It all depends on how far you want to go.



If it's just a matter of replacing speakers, there are kits that

can be used to allow for aftermarket replacement. If replacing

the head unit and speakers, same thing applies. However, once

you start getting into adding subs, amps, or upgrading existing

subs and amps, then a rewire is usually recommended. this is

because the factory wiring is usually high gauge (14 or higher number).

When adding subs/ amps, you want to go with low gauge (usually 10

or lower number). This insures sufficient power and signnal get

to where they need to be.



You can got to Crutchfield to get the help you the help

need in figuring out what's right for you. It's not the definitive

solution, but it's a good start off point.
 
You can add a new head unit. I added one to the factory Bose system in my Mazda 626. Had it done at Best Buy too. My brother had them install an Aiwa in it about 2 years before I bought it but it didn't sound any better than stock. I was going to pull the whole system out of my Honda and put it in my 626 and my brother wanted the Aiwa HU back because it wasn't closing up properly and he had the extended warranty. I figured I'd start the process by having the Aiwa HU swapped out and my Pioneer DEH-P6400 HU installed and also get an estimate for transfering the rest.



The guy at the Best Buy installation center said it would take him an hour or so to wire my Pioneer HU into the Bose system correctly so my son and I waited. And waited. Then we heard my Grateful Dead CD playing and DAMN! did it sound great! My son looked at me and said "Is that our car?" and I said it must be unless they are using my CD to test the other car. We go out and you can actually feel the bass outside the car. Not like a sub but you could feel the bass. I get in and the sound is crystal clear. Pretty much every Bose system I have heard has boomy bass, the midrange is too forward and the highs are muffled. Mine sounded like that no longer! Tight, deep bass, proper sounding midrange and crisp, clear highs. The highs are what impressed me the most since my speakers are 6 x 8 and 6 x 9 and no seperate tweaters. It sounded at least as clear as the HU did in my Accord with a Kenwood 4 channel amp, JBLs and Infinity Kappas...and the bass was deeper. I never bothered pulling my old system out of my Accord.



Find a competent installed and let them handle it. If they know what they are doing, you should be very pleased. This applies to the HU only though, most Bose speakers are very low impedence (mine are 1 ohm) so any aftermarket speakers won't play very loud without replacing the amp as well.
 
I assume you haven't got any subs at the moment?

If that's the case, then adding subs will require a fair bit of work to get the new wiring in.

I don't know why they'd say you have to get new speakers but depending on the current setup, may require some work on the existing wiring.

A new headunit would need to be rewired.

Seriously though, if you're the DIY type then I'd seriously recommend doing it yourself. I figured out what I had to do over the Internet in a day, and did the actual installation all in about 6 hours myself. Just make sure you get suitable wiring, 8 gauge won't work very well for powering a 500w amp all the way from the engine bay to the boot.
 
Right now I have my stock bose system-no subs. I would like to either get a new head unit or add some subs, but it sounds pretty confusing. I know I can get an adapter to get a different head unit, but then still have to re-wire for a sub. Maybe I should just find a good headunit to add instead and hope to get better sound quality. Any suggestions/links for a good headunit under $300 Thnx
 
you best bet is to find someone who has been in the installing biz for years, and knows about the BOSE systems....



when you have a bunch of sales guys looking at you with dumb looks on their faces,,then time to move on to a new dealer/installer
 
I don't know about the '99 Grand Prix Bose system, but the Bose system in the '95 Camaro is not easily convertable to another head unit. In the Camaro, each speaker has its own individual amplifier in its speaker box. I have had to replace a speaker before and this is what was wrong (a bad capacitor in the individual amp). If you don't know if it's made that way or not, pull one of the speakers and see if a circuit board is connected to the speaker. I am not sure if all Bose systems are configured in this manner. Good Luck!
 
Mid-Life Cruiser said:
I don't know about the '99 Grand Prix Bose system, but the Bose system in the '95 Camaro is not easily convertable to another head unit. In the Camaro, each speaker has its own individual amplifier in its speaker box. I have had to replace a speaker before and this is what was wrong (a bad capacitor in the individual amp). If you don't know if it's made that way or not, pull one of the speakers and see if a circuit board is connected to the speaker. I am not sure if all Bose systems are configured in this manner. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I think you've got it nailed. My '99 Miata came with a Bose system and it was absolutely the worst sounding factory stereo I've ever heard. I'm not a fan of Bose to begin with, but seriously, I've never heard anything this terrible before. Same setup though - Bose headunit, Bose amps buried somewhere deep, and 0.5Ohm speakers in the doors. Yep, half an Ohm impedance! You can't just plug a new HU in and then plug in new speakers like you can with most factory systems because you still have those Bose amps hardwired in there somewhere, designed to drive 0.5Ohm speakers. You either need to do a complete "Bose-ectomy" or, for the Miata at least, pick up a pair of Clearwater Audio 0.5Ohm speakers. Night and day difference.



Still, with some work you should be able to run wires from a new HU to new speakers/amps/etc. It really shouldn't THAT big a deal. I do agree with steck's comments though.....find a shop with a clue. Generally the smaller independent shops seem to be a bit more on the ball than the larger places like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc where they tend to have kids working their first job.
 
Mike-odd, I am sure my Mazda 626 has a similar Bose setup and all the guy did was put in my Pioneer HU. He got it to work with the Bose amp and speakers and I swear, I have never heard Bos e speakers sound so clean and clear. :nixweiss
 
The problem is simple. The ohms aren't muscho different in a Bose system. The Bose speakers are special and are probably .5 ohms. Regular speakers are 4 ohm or even 8 ohm. You'll have to at least replace the head unit and the speakers. Wires would be wise since they will probably use a less resistant wire for you new speakers.
 
Bose systems definitaly use a .5 ohm set up. The best way to upgrade the system is to bypass the factory setup and install a new HU, new speakers and new wiring. The gauge of the wire will depend upon the amp wattage.
 
An alternative to rewiring a entire bose system is to remove the door panels, and find the colors of the wires going into the speaker (you'll have to remove the speaker too). Do this on both doors, and then follow the wires as far close to the HU as possible. For the drivers side, look for the wires under the steering wheel, and on the passenger side, take out the glove box (the RIGHT hinge at the bottom pops off, and the left one will slide out). Then simply cut these wires when you get close to the HU and splice extensions to run direct to the HU (i was able to go all the way to the left side of where the glove box would be on the passenger side, which made it really easy to splice in the extensions, and basically the same thing on the drivers side, got all the way to the right side of the center console). I haven't done the rear speakers yet, but this should bypass the bose amp ****. Just make sure to label whatever wire you make the extensions with, or you'll have to retrace everything.



The reason this works is because you cut off the wires that come directly from the speakers before they get to the bose amp, and then extend the existing wires so they are long enough to connect directly to the HU. I believe the Bose amp is below where the cig lighter/ashtray thing is, down behind the shifter.



This worked out great for my car, and I was able to get clear continuity from the head unit all the way to the speakers after the work was done. All connections were made with 14-16 gauge inline wire crimps (the blue ones). My head unit is a Pioneer DEH 3700MP, and I have some Pioneer 6x8's in the front whose Model Numbers i cant remember. The rear speakers are still stock, and therefore still connected to the Bose amp thing. I will be overhauling those either the end of this week, or the week after next, cause I'm camping all next week, and will let everyone know how that goes.
 
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