For those with Bose and a sub (and anyone else too)

[davis449]

I've been outside for about 20 minutes tuning my system. I have a question for those of you that have Bose and a subwoofer. Do you guys (aftermarket decks) ever worry about blowing up your Bose at elevated volumes? Now I'm not talking about ear bleeding volume, but in the higher range. I purposely bought this deck for it's lower-than-most RMS and max wattage, I tried to match it as close to the stock head unit output as possible. I read somewhere (I think it might've been mercedesshop.com) that the RMS of the Audio 30 is around 27 watts peak and 18 RMS.

I think I have mine tuned to the way I like it now. Trouble is that driving noise can interfere with what you have set when you are sitting with the car off, so I won't exactly know if I have it the way I want it until I drive it tomorrow. I went through this 20 min. ordeal cause I wasn't getting bass resonse worth a shit at the normal volume I listen to it at. I could only get a hit out of it at higher volumes. Mainly, it was my listening to my firend's system in his 1997 GTI that pushed me to get more punch out of my 12 (he has a 12 too, but with a higher wattage amp). I found that using the X-Bass feature (bass boost) accompanied with a lower bass setting at 80 Hz as the center frequency was optimal. I then put the Treble a touch lower and set it's center frequency at 12 KHz as opposed to 10. I have my sub set at 3/4 gain and use no filters as the LP filter gives me nothing in the car at all (even with bass settings and X-bass up). I avoided using X-Bass when I first set it up back in November because I didn't want to blow up the existing Bose speakers with too much bass. The hardest thing to pin down was the midrange, but I think I have a pretty even mix of all three now. What about you guys? What's your thing when it comes to how much bass you like?

[audiophile]

well when you add an aftermarket deck to the bose system, the internal amp of the radio isn't driving the speakers. the bose amp on the car is, unless you rewired the car and the now the radio is powering the speakers.
the noise you are taking about is probably alternator whine. in this case you might want to ground the headunit else were making sure to scrape away any paint. if that doesn't help, try a ground loop isolator. these work wonders.
as far as the bass issue is concerned it all comes down to personal perference.

[davis449]

Originally posted by audiophile
well when you add an aftermarket deck to the bose system, the internal amp of the radio isn't driving the speakers. the bose amp on the car is, unless you rewired the car and the now the radio is powering the speakers.
the noise you are taking about is probably alternator whine. in this case you might want to ground the headunit else were making sure to scrape away any paint. if that doesn't help, try a ground loop isolator. these work wonders.
as far as the bass issue is concerned it all comes down to personal perference.

Oh crap! My bad. I don't have alternator whine. I was referring to general road noise. Sorry about that confusion. As for the first part of your post, thanks for clearing that up. I was under the impression that the aftermarket deck would throw wattage at the amp and screw it up. Maybe just a mix up of things I've been reading over the years. This is my thrid Bose system (93 Maxima, 95 w202, and now my 99w202) so I've read a lot fo different information that has probably messed me up. What I don't get was when I had my 95, I threw my sony deck in there with a Line Level Converter as per recommendation from this board. It sounded like absolute crap! Now, for some reason, this one sounds great without it just hooked directly into it. Weird.

[ezbrown]

I have a 99 C280 with the Bose amp and I am running a Kenwood KCD-811 through mine and the Bose hasn't died yet. I must say though that when I had the Kenwood hooked up in my 94 without the Bose the sound was better. I don't particularly like the Bose amp I just haven't figured out how to bypass it without running all new speaker wires. I have a 10' Pioneer sub in a bandpass box with a 200 watt amp and I have plenty of sound even with the windows down, sunroof open at freeway speeds.

[davis449]

I drove around some today and I have to say I like the way I have it tuned now. My bass hits much harder at lower volumes now and the radio stations don't sound so hollow. I guess I just had to get over the fear of blowing up my stuff.

[benzonline]

davis,

Ive done the same things you've been doing when I first got the sub hooked into my BOSE system. I used to go to deserted parking lots to crank it and tune it. And yes, as soon as the engine is turned on and when you start moving, things are totally thrown off whack, in particular, the bass...it gets "drowned" out.

As for fear of blowing up the stock BOSE, what I try to do (since im running the stock deck and it has no HZ settings so everything is full range) is keep the bass setting on the head unit at -3bars and the gain on the amp a touch higher to compensate for lost bass so the BOSE doesnt stress...it is loud and very clear at all volumes.

This is one thing I push the crap out of in my car and it hasnt let me down yet - the sound system.

Im running the stock deck with a 12inch Clarion Sub/Amp at 400watts. If nothing is fastened in the car it will shake and move.

Took a week or 2 to get it perfectly tuned and now its great.

[davis449]

Originally posted by benzonline
davis,

Ive done the same things you've been doing when I first got the sub hooked into my BOSE system. I used to go to deserted parking lots to crank it and tune it. And yes, as soon as the engine is turned on and when you start moving, things are totally thrown off whack, in particular, the bass...it gets "drowned" out.

As for fear of blowing up the stock BOSE, what I try to do (since im running the stock deck and it has no HZ settings so everything is full range) is keep the bass setting on the head unit at -3bars and the gain on the amp a touch higher to compensate for lost bass so the BOSE doesnt stress...it is loud and very clear at all volumes.

This is one thing I push the crap out of in my car and it hasnt let me down yet - the sound system.

Im running the stock deck with a 12inch Clarion Sub/Amp at 400watts. If nothing is fastened in the car it will shake and move.

Took a week or 2 to get it perfectly tuned and now its great.

I haven't had any problems with shaking or the sub moving around in the trunk and I don't have it bolted down. The damn thing is heavy enough that it never moves and I've driven it through some pretty hard corners. Good to see that someone else experiences the same type of thing I do.

One thing I do is when I have it sitting there tuned to the way I like it, I open the doors and get close to the Bose speakers and check for distortion before I finalize them. So far I have yet to hear any distortion coming from them.

[benzonline]

No, my sub doesnt move...I meant the bass vibration makes everything shake!

Bose without the sub, I recall having at full volume with little to no distortion because it turns down the bass slightly and is basically, "controlling" the distortion for cleaner sound....I noticed the door speakers especially when open, sound tinny and hollow.

What music you play on it by the way?

[davis449]

My bad. I play mostly metal and hard rock on it. The occasional Rap/Hip Hop can be heard coming from car, but not too often these days.

[benzonline]

Its harder to get anything to distort with rock music compared to trance/dance.

[davis449]

Very true, the bass is hitting harder and way more often with dance/trance.

[Polestar]

I'm not an audiophile like the rest of you guys and I like my factory Bose with sub system just fine. However, I was thinking of upgrading the two front door speakers for more clarity (and perhaps the tweeters-are they above the vents?). First, question: does Bose make better speakers that will fit in my doors to replace the oem speakers? Second: what other speakers will work with the oem Bose head unit and amp and fit in the preexisting speaker cut out?

[davis449]

Originally posted by Polestar
I'm not an audiophile like the rest of you guys and I like my factory Bose with sub system just fine. However, I was thinking of upgrading the two front door speakers for more clarity (and perhaps the tweeters-are they above the vents?). First, question: does Bose make better speakers that will fit in my doors to replace the oem speakers? Second: what other speakers will work with the oem Bose head unit and amp and fit in the preexisting speaker cut out?

Bose does not make aftermarket car stuff period. Their stuff runs at 2 ohm and normal aftermarket stuff is 4 ohm, so in short, you cannot just replace the two front speakers and tweeters. You will need to change everything out or run some screwed up setup where you still use the Bose amp to power the rear doors and deck speakers and an aftermarket deck or amp for the front speakers and tweeters you replaced. If you want more clarity out of the front Bose speakers, replacing the stock Alpine/Becker deck with an aftermarket one will help immensely. Plus if you do this you will no longer need a line level for your sub (I'm assuming this it what you're doing currently because you still have the stock deck), you can just RCA them to your new deck.

[unHookt]

Originally posted by davis449
If you want more clarity out of the front Bose speakers, replacing the stock Alpine/Becker deck with an aftermarket one will help immensely. Plus if you do this you will no longer need a line level for your sub (I'm assuming this it what you're doing currently because you still have the stock deck), you can just RCA them to your new deck.

I'm currently using the stock deck with the bose system and an Infinity Basslink in the trunk. Are you saying that I can just drop a newer head unit in and get substantially better sound from the Bose amp/speakers? Do I need to implement the line level converter trick posted elsewhere on this forum?

I know that a new head unit will enable me to run an rca straight to my sub (which would allow me also, with some units, to control the sub volume independently) - which makes me really want to go in this direction. This would also make the sub sound better, right?

BTW, I pulled one of the mid-bass drivers from the rear deck in my car and that definitely improved bass response by effectively creating a "port" from the trunk into the passenger cabin. The bass is much clearer without having to run the sub at such high volume levels.

[davis449]

Originally posted by unHookt
I'm currently using the stock deck with the bose system and an Infinity Basslink in the trunk. Are you saying that I can just drop a newer head unit in and get substantially better sound from the Bose amp/speakers? Do I need to implement the line level converter trick posted elsewhere on this forum?

I know that a new head unit will enable me to run an rca straight to my sub (which would allow me also, with some units, to control the sub volume independently) - which makes me really want to go in this direction. This would also make the sub sound better, right?

BTW, I pulled one of the mid-bass drivers from the rear deck in my car and that definitely improved bass response by effectively creating a "port" from the trunk into the passenger cabin. The bass is much clearer without having to run the sub at such high volume levels.

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying.

[benzonline]

wow lots of people running subs with the bose! I still have a fairly new Pioneer MP3 unit from my previous car but wanted this time the stock look in this time and kept the MB unit.

[unHookt]

are you implying that it is FS?

[benzonline]

Oops...no wont be selling...cause I know it will be in the car one day.

[unHookt]

If there were a bluetooth head unit out there that could integrate with my cellphone the way the stock HU was designed to work with the car kit, I would be ALL OVER IT.

I really like the Becker trafficpro units but they look like they're never going to make it across the pond.

[davis449]

Originally posted by unHookt


If there were a bluetooth head unit out there that could integrate with my cellphone the way the stock HU was designed to work with the car kit, I would be ALL OVER IT.

I really like the Becker trafficpro units but they look like they're never going to make it across the pond.

A solution would be to search for a Harmon Kardon Traffic Pro or start looking for businesses that import Becker electronics and see if you can get your hands on one that way. Might be a bit $$$, but worth it if that's what you want. I think the best looking aftermarket decks in terms of maintaining a somewhat stock appearance are the Nakamichi decks a few of our members have.

[benzonline]

Becker has an aftermarket line too? How are their speakers and why are the MB Becker ones so crappy?

[unHookt]

they make head units - awesome ones. but all of the nav units aren't compatible with existing US map cds. sucks.

they even have a one-din nav unit with built-in bluetooth, mp3/cd/wma.

[davis449]

Originally posted by unHookt
they make head units - awesome ones. but all of the nav units aren't compatible with existing US map cds. sucks.

they even have a one-din nav unit with built-in bluetooth, mp3/cd/wma.

Yeah...forgot about the Nav incompatibility with the US. However, since it and the HK are one in the same, I would wonder if the HK Traffic Pro US Nav CD's would work in the Becker version.

[unHookt]

I think I asked on another forum once, and the response was that the CDs wouldn't work. I would love to know for sure, though...

[JDoggery]

Originally posted by unHookt


If there were a bluetooth head unit out there that could integrate with my cellphone the way the stock HU was designed to work with the car kit, I would be ALL OVER IT.

I really like the Becker trafficpro units but they look like they're never going to make it across the pond.

There are acutally a few headunits with bluetooth. Parrot, and some of the new 06 Alpine and Pioneers. Take a look. Anyone have any, or others. I know some of the other Parrot models work quite well.