Replace Bose Subwoofers with Aftermarket Brand?

[tchuck]

First off, WTF. How do you know so much?...

I don't know that much. I know the few basic rules of audio (impedance/wattage/current draw/heat relations), I have the schematic (thx Andy), and I am well versed in reading electrical drawings. We are however rapidly approaching the extent of my knowledge and usefulness...

...

Will the Kicker woofers hit harder than the Bose woofers? I'm assuming the answer is yes, but I have no idea on the specs of the Bose woofers. If that's the case, I'm ordering the Kicker ones.

...

Theoretically yes, though I couldn't find any specs on the Bose drivers either. The facts are that the oem Bose amp is rated at 100w and it powers two drivers rated (and labeled) at 1ohm each, in parallel. That would imply a 50w @1ohm rating for each of the woofers. Bose isn't exactly known for over engineering their stuff, so it's safe to say that even if the drivers are more capable than the amp, it's not by much. Bose is also famous (notorious?) for using mediocre drivers in very well engineered enclosures to get above average results... 2+2+2=Kicker woofers>Bose woofers.

...

I have this thing running:

Digital Equalizer with SUB woofer output

...

And I think my cousin (doing the install) ordered this too?
http://www.kicker.com/zxsum8

And your are right, my door speakers come with cross overs:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/spx-17ref/


So can I still buy an aftermarket center speaker and throw on in there with all this crap, even though I lost the Bose Amp?

Soundstream - Do you want to use this for the sub alone or the whole system?

Speakers - Awesome. You'll need to power each x-over with one of your amp's output channels, then connect the pairs of drivers to the x-overs. No sweat.

Kicker zxsum - This is the part where I give the disclaimer that I am not a pro stereo installer. That said, I'm a little confused as to why you need this thing. TBH I don't even think it will work at all... It basically allows you to use the speaker level signals instead of the low level outputs from the head unit. (For head units without RCA outputs) The thing is, the Bose head unit has four low level outputs and your amp has four RCA inputs, so you could just connect them directly and bypass the Bose amp entirely. To use the zxsum you would need to intercept the signals AFTER they leave the Bose amp, which will leave you with the Bose processed ten channel mix, and the zxsum doesn't have ten high level inputs. It has eight. This means that the "summed" signal will be excluding the whatever sounds Bose has determined should be sent to the center channel and the subwoofer channel. (because you are picking up the signals on their way out of the Bose amp.)

Unless the low level outputs from the head unit are some connection type other than RCA, I think you can simply connect the four HU outputs to the four inputs on your amp and be set. You'll be bypassing all the Bose processing and reducing your equipment list by two pieces.

I could totally be missing something obvious here, IDK. Feel free to show this post to your cousin and see what he says.

---------- Post added at 12:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 AM ----------

...

So you think I should get the newer one? The older ones are almost 50% off vs the newer ones.

...

As far as I can tell there are three differences; The color, the size, and the frequency response range.
Color - It's up to you. I prefer black personally but I wouldn't pay two extra pennies for it vs silver.

Size - Both will still fit, and both will require slight modifications to the stock sub enclosure.

Freq response - You'll probably never notice the difference between a 25Hz rating and a 30Hz rating. Both will reproduce a 25Hz signal, but the old drivers will do so at a very slightly lower volume. Again, you'll probably never notice.

I'd get the old version.

 

[Chedman13]

Theoretically yes, though I couldn't find any specs on the Bose drivers either. The facts are that the oem Bose amp is rated at 100w and it powers two drivers rated (and labeled) at 1ohm each, in parallel. That would imply a 50w @1ohm rating for each of the woofers. Bose isn't exactly known for over engineering their stuff, so it's safe to say that even if the drivers are more capable than the amp, it's not by much. Bose is also famous (notorious?) for using mediocre drivers in very well engineered enclosures to get above average results... 2+2+2=Kicker woofers>Bose woofers.

Already talked to him and you guys are on the same page. He said exactly what you said about the woofers, yeah they might be a little better, but not by much. In such a small enclosure and size of the woofers, it wouldn't be worth the effort to replace unless I blow them -- and he agrees just to tune them so they don't distort. He played one of my jayz CD's and said it does bump with the extra juice from the Alpine.

He said Bose is good with woofers and he wouldn't change them.

Soundstream - Do you want to use this for the sub alone or the whole system?

Whole system.

Speakers - Awesome. You'll need to power each x-over with one of your amp's output channels, then connect the pairs of drivers to the x-overs. No sweat.

Yup, I think he finished this.

Kicker zxsum - This is the part where I give the disclaimer that I am not a pro stereo installer. That said, I'm a little confused as to why you need this thing. TBH I don't even think it will work at all... It basically allows you to use the speaker level signals instead of the low level outputs from the head unit. (For head units without RCA outputs) The thing is, the Bose head unit has four low level outputs and your amp has four RCA inputs, so you could just connect them directly and bypass the Bose amp entirely. To use the zxsum you would need to intercept the signals AFTER they leave the Bose amp, which will leave you with the Bose processed ten channel mix, and the zxsum doesn't have ten high level inputs. It has eight. This means that the "summed" signal will be excluding the whatever sounds Bose has determined should be sent to the center channel and the subwoofer channel. (because you are picking up the signals on their way out of the Bose amp.)

Unless the low level outputs from the head unit are some connection type other than RCA, I think you can simply connect the four HU outputs to the four inputs on your amp and be set. You'll be bypassing all the Bose processing and reducing your equipment list by two pieces.

I could totally be missing something obvious here, IDK. Feel free to show this post to your cousin and see what he says.

You're right, he said he didn't even order this and is using the SoundStream instead.

I really want something in the center, so he is going to try to put tweeters in there, but he said he doesn't want it too loud in the front.

---------- Post added at 02:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:05 PM ----------

As far as I can tell there are three differences; The color, the size, and the frequency response range.
Color - It's up to you. I prefer black personally but I wouldn't pay two extra pennies for it vs silver.

Size - Both will still fit, and both will require slight modifications to the stock sub enclosure.

Freq response - You'll probably never notice the difference between a 25Hz rating and a 30Hz rating. Both will reproduce a 25Hz signal, but the old drivers will do so at a very slightly lower volume. Again, you'll probably never notice.

I'd get the old version.

Sounds good, looks like I will keep an eye on them in auctions to see if I can snag them for a good deal, if not I'll keep the bose.

 

[tchuck]

One minor clarification: I think the Kicker woofers are much better quality than the Bose, but the fact that the enclosure is so well suited to those Bose woofers will partially negate the benefits. Like you said, if you blow the oems, pick up the Kickers for sure. $110 is nothing compared to an Orbit stroller... :wub:

Also, in regard to the center channel; The problem is that you are no longer going to have a center channel signal, so whatever you put in that place will either be a left or right (or both). This is going to give each front passenger a left and a right in one of their ears, which will make your stereo imaging worse instead of better. If you think of your project in terms of a huge upgrade to your sound system, you aren't really "losing" anything by deleting the center speaker. The four component speakers you install in the front will sound 10 times better than the five speakers you will have removed.

 

[Chedman13]

Nice, makes sense. Thanks.

Orbit stroller.... you are a infinitiscenealcoholic like Jonas...

 

[arlieafton]

I know the post may be stale, but my $.02 and what I did in my 05 FX35. I replaced the factory speakers with Infinity coaxials. 6.5's fit in the doors with a baffle made from MDF, and 3.5's drop right into the dash. I left the stock center channel, rear door and hatch speakers Bose. For the sub, I built a custom enclosure that sits exactly where the stock subwoofer goes, so I still have full access to my spare tire. It is a 10" sub, powered by a Kenwood 300w amp. It looks good, sounds 100 times better than stock and I still have all my trunk space and spare tire.

 

[mbarb15]

I know the post may be stale, but my $.02 and what I did in my 05 FX35. I replaced the factory speakers with Infinity coaxials. 6.5's fit in the doors with a baffle made from MDF, and 3.5's drop right into the dash. I left the stock center channel, rear door and hatch speakers Bose. For the sub, I built a custom enclosure that sits exactly where the stock subwoofer goes, so I still have full access to my spare tire. It is a 10" sub, powered by a Kenwood 300w amp. It looks good, sounds 100 times better than stock and I still have all my trunk space and spare tire.

post pics, i added a boss amp to power the bose existing subs and sounds night and day... wish it had more low low end but it does the job over the stock ones... i made a DIY on here somewhere

 

[boostedforlife]

I know the post may be stale, but my $.02 and what I did in my 05 FX35. I replaced the factory speakers with Infinity coaxials. 6.5's fit in the doors with a baffle made from MDF, and 3.5's drop right into the dash. I left the stock center channel, rear door and hatch speakers Bose. For the sub, I built a custom enclosure that sits exactly where the stock subwoofer goes, so I still have full access to my spare tire. It is a 10" sub, powered by a Kenwood 300w amp. It looks good, sounds 100 times better than stock and I still have all my trunk space and spare tire.

+1 for pics.
Did you take out your spare all together?
when I looked at my friends 1st gen we had about the same space given the spare was in.
I have a fx50 and the spare rim/tire is just too shallow to get enough cubic space for a 10, let alone a 8. Please share how you got it to work/ your specific set up?
Also where did u place the amp?

Ty

 

[carguy75]

It is possible to use shallow mount subwoofers in an enclosure that will fit in the spare tire like the OEM bose subwoofer. A 10 inch shallow mount can fit, but an 8 inch shallow mount will probably be the best way to go because it will have more volume to work with. The enclosure will have to be fiberglass and molded correctly, but it is possible yet expensive. In addition, the spare wheel hold-down will have to be shorted and the enclosure base needs to have an cup in the base to allow the enclosure sit on top of the spare wheel holddown, so the wheel will not move around when driving. I used to be into speaker enclosure building and speaker installing several years ago. Mostly simple installs, not car show quality builds.

 

[mbarb15]

someone here did do that and created a fiberglass tub to fit in the spare tire like the bose one.. im sure if you're crafty with fiberglass you can rig the original bose unit to accept a 8 or 10in sub and use my install guide on installing an aftermarket amp

 

[boostedforlife]

I will try to upload a pic later, I had a FG one made for my is300. But that offset was 45mm on a full sized spare, not like ours. So the hole was a lot more deep and easily held the volume needed.

I wonder if there are any other full sized spares we can use that will fit/ clean the akebono. Then possibly have more volume for the sub.

The shop that did the one for my Lexus didn't take any measurements but said it was looking good as for me on the 50 has to have a more aggressive offset to clean the BBK, which takes away from the hole for the "enclosure"

 

[p1noyp1mp]

Loving this thread, and you guys are awesome! Just wondering, there is so much love for the Kicker 6.5" in here. But I'm more of a JL Audio fan. Will the JL 6W3 fit this enclosure? Have any of you guys tried it yet?

 

[WiND DANCE]

I don't think JLs can unless you make your own enclosure. The oem enclosure is not deep enough, even the kickers require a modification to fit. This is due to the stock sub mounting spot is more square like than a circle. You could thank Bose for that, they love to make odd shapes, sizes, and impedances just so you can't mess with it.

Oem sub cut out measurements: (think of a square with a slight roundness to it)
-Corner to corner 7"
-Side to side 6"
-Depth 2.65-2.75"

Kicker depth is 2.875" which is why it was brought up
JL is 4.25" deep which with spacer in place it might contact the floorboard.

I think the easiest way is to cut out a 1/2" wood spacer (square oem shape) to mount to the oem holes, then create a 1/4 to 1/2" wood spacer (6.5" circle) and glue/mount that to the first spacer and mount the sub on top of that. It will give you depth and clear the oem housing with minor work, BUTTTT is it worth the work is the major question. After all a 6.5 sub is still limited due to its size.

my 02

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:14 PM ----------

If you want there is another option that will work with just one spacer.

Tang Band 5.25" can fit into the oem hole but is depth is the problem. It's 3.67" so just one spacer needs to be created.
Still would a 5" sub out perform the Bose drivers??? Some have used aftermarket amps to the oem drivers with good results.

 

[p1noyp1mp]

Thanks for the detailed response Brother! You ROCK!

---------- Post added at 10:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 PM ----------

I just installed a Rockford Fosgate PBR300X1 in the spare tire compartment and it is currently powering an JL 8W3 in their JL's truck wedge box. It is a small box and it sounds powerful and clean. But, we all know how precious our trunk space is in our beloved FX.

So now I'm looking into routing the RF amp to power the OE Bose sub instead. Let see how it goes this weekend.

Next possible project is to replace the main Bose amp with an Rockford Fosgate PBR300X4. Does anyone know the dimensions of the main Bose amp?

 

[p1noyp1mp]

Finally routed the Rockford amp to the Bose sub. All I can say is WOW! It sounds so much better and louder than I expected. The sound quality and balance with the rest of the system is so much better than the JL 8W3 that I installed initially. The JL is definitely louder, but it drowned the rest of the setup with so much bass that it didn't sound so good.

I know this is an old post but thanks everyone for all of your guidance! Now on to the next project! BRAKES!!!!

 

[DRich]

Finally routed the Rockford amp to the Bose sub. All I can say is WOW! It sounds so much better and louder than I expected. The sound quality and balance with the rest of the system is so much better than the JL 8W3 that I installed initially. The JL is definitely louder, but it drowned the rest of the setup with so much bass that it didn't sound so good.

I know this is an old post but thanks everyone for all of your guidance! Now on to the next project! BRAKES!!!!

I'm using the same amp! What a diff.!! Are you using the EQ with it as well? I found it pretty helpful to have that adjustability at your fingertips.

Saw this and though it was a pretty good idea too..

 

[p1noyp1mp]

Yep! I love that amp it's so tiny and it fit perfectly in the small opening front right corner on the spare tire well. I am also using the PEQ remote bass knob. I'll post some pics when I get the chance.

 

[p1noyp1mp]

Here are the pictures of my recent install! By the way! I had a problem with my sub turning off intermittently while driving. Found that the spre was sitting on top my RCA leads and when I hit a bump or something, it killed the signal going to the amp. Move it to the side and taped it away from the spare and problem solved!:good:

 

[tchuck]

^That looks great! Where are you getting the rca feed?

 

[p1noyp1mp]

^That looks great! Where are you getting the rca feed?

Got it from the signal leads off the OEM Bose connection. Here's the DIY for it:

https://www.infinitiscene.com/search/1/?q=2811-DIY-Install-New-Amp-amp-Sub

 

[tchuck]

Oh, right. That's how I did it as well. I thought for a second you somehow circumvented the adapter, but just noticed that black and yellow box in the upper left corner of your pic.