Installed aftermarket headunit with stock bose amp today. *really long*
01-30-2005, 12:24 PM
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Installed aftermarket headunit with stock bose amp today. *really long*
This was pretty straight forward despite several audio shops telling me adamantly that it couldn't or shouldn't be done because of the non standard Bose ohms (blah blah) or other proprietary bose stuff (*BS*). When searching through these forums I saw that many others were told the same thing and they ended up gutting every piece of stock bose equipment including the speakers and wiring. If you are a car audio enthusiast you'd probably want to do that anyway, but this is absolutely not necessary if you just want a new headunit. I gathered information for the install from Jeff Bipes' site and the audio forums. The headunit I installed was a Clarion DXZ655MP because it's pretty stock looking and I didn't need a screen saver of dolphins jumping around and such. The sound out of the clarion is *much* better than the concert unit. I'm not really a car audio guy but I could tell right away the sound was "cleaner" with more bass too. I can actually hear the speakers in the back now since the stock HU never gave the rear enough bias. Also, now that I can hook up my XM roady to the direct aux input instead of the tape adapter it sounds crisper and there is no tape hiss. The ability to play MP3s on this unit is great.
*Install notes*
(These are intended for car audio retards like myself)
PARTS
You will *not* need a "line out converter" or what's sometimes refered to a "bose converter". Parts specifically for the bose portion only cost me $20 total.
The only parts needed are:
1. Standard radio stuff: The regular wire harness adapter for your model year, amplified antenna adapter, audi removal tool, fit kit.
2. For the bose portion: 1 rca cable cut in two *OR* an optional harness made to interface with the line in/outs if you don't want to cut anything. This is the only place I know that sells the specialty harness (note this also includes the standard wire harness):<a href="http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/product.php?productid=1470&cat=0&page=1">
Bose wire harness</a>
3. One ground loop isolator and 2 rca gender changers. This is needed because of a slight pop from the speakers whenever the amp powers on or when a source is switched on the headunit. After installing the isolator on the front rca outs from my headunit, the pop went away completely and I did not lose any clarity or volume. You can find the ground loop islolator at any electronics store, I got mine at radio shack for $14.
It's a litte more online:
<a href="http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=270-054">
Ground Loop Isolator</a>
Install:
1. Remove stock radio by fashioning the two removal "shivs" using Jeff Bipes'<a href="http://jbipes.home.comcast.net/ttr/fabup.html">
instructions.</a> I used a spare metal slot cover from a computer case as it was thin enough to be cut with scissors. After you insert the tools, the radio will not just "wiggle out" you need to pry on both sides with a thin flathead (careful not to mar the dash).
2. (skip if you bought the bose harness)
Chop an audio RCA cable in half giving you two cables with L+R rca ends (should be about 8" long). Strip the bare ends about 1" back. You will have two wires within each end. The wire that carries the audio signal is usually sheathed and the other group of wires is the ground. Strip the sheath off the signal wire to give you two bare wires.
Someone made a great picture gallery of this and the below wiring here: <a href="http://www.riocar.org/modules.php?set_albumName=albun12&op=modload&name= Photo_Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php">
Wiring the Bose</a>
See the picture below. This is how everything will interface into the stock plugs. It's basically the Bipes diagram, but modified for car audio newbies like myself. 1 and 2 will plug into the wire harness adapter (with nothing on 2 being used) so you don't need to worry about them. The third area is on the plug that contains the bose stuff. If you don't have the harness for this, you'll need to wire in the RCA cables. You can either tap into these lines or just cut them free from the stock plug. All four grounds from the RCA cables need to be wired together and then attached to the common ground on the bose(it'll be a brown wire). The remaining four rca signal wires go to the corresponding bose speaker line inputs.
<img src="http://j0nx.com/xlr8d/tt/wire.jpg">
This is for pre CAN BUS systems, but the bose portion is probably the same.
3. Wire your headunit's harness into the harness adapter like you normally would for a radio install. Since you will be using the stock amp, you don't need to do any of the speakers just the power, dimmer etc.
4. Connect the 12v from your antenna adapter to the power antenna wire of your headunit and power amp on line from the headunit to the bose wire (black).
5. The ground loop isololator will plug in between the front L and R rca outs of your headunit and the front L and R rca wires going to the bose. You'll probably need two gender changers on the bose end since an isolator has male plugs on each end.
6. Getting all the wiring back into the dash is kind of a pain, but there is room if you shove everything to the back and then down. If you are using the metra fit kit, plan on using a dremel.
Lastly visit the "experts" at your local audio shop and tell them what idiots they are.
*Install notes*
(These are intended for car audio retards like myself)
PARTS
You will *not* need a "line out converter" or what's sometimes refered to a "bose converter". Parts specifically for the bose portion only cost me $20 total.
The only parts needed are:
1. Standard radio stuff: The regular wire harness adapter for your model year, amplified antenna adapter, audi removal tool, fit kit.
2. For the bose portion: 1 rca cable cut in two *OR* an optional harness made to interface with the line in/outs if you don't want to cut anything. This is the only place I know that sells the specialty harness (note this also includes the standard wire harness):<a href="http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/product.php?productid=1470&cat=0&page=1">
Bose wire harness</a>
3. One ground loop isolator and 2 rca gender changers. This is needed because of a slight pop from the speakers whenever the amp powers on or when a source is switched on the headunit. After installing the isolator on the front rca outs from my headunit, the pop went away completely and I did not lose any clarity or volume. You can find the ground loop islolator at any electronics store, I got mine at radio shack for $14.
It's a litte more online:
<a href="http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=270-054">
Ground Loop Isolator</a>
Install:
1. Remove stock radio by fashioning the two removal "shivs" using Jeff Bipes'<a href="http://jbipes.home.comcast.net/ttr/fabup.html">
instructions.</a> I used a spare metal slot cover from a computer case as it was thin enough to be cut with scissors. After you insert the tools, the radio will not just "wiggle out" you need to pry on both sides with a thin flathead (careful not to mar the dash).
2. (skip if you bought the bose harness)
Chop an audio RCA cable in half giving you two cables with L+R rca ends (should be about 8" long). Strip the bare ends about 1" back. You will have two wires within each end. The wire that carries the audio signal is usually sheathed and the other group of wires is the ground. Strip the sheath off the signal wire to give you two bare wires.
Someone made a great picture gallery of this and the below wiring here: <a href="http://www.riocar.org/modules.php?set_albumName=albun12&op=modload&name= Photo_Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php">
Wiring the Bose</a>
See the picture below. This is how everything will interface into the stock plugs. It's basically the Bipes diagram, but modified for car audio newbies like myself. 1 and 2 will plug into the wire harness adapter (with nothing on 2 being used) so you don't need to worry about them. The third area is on the plug that contains the bose stuff. If you don't have the harness for this, you'll need to wire in the RCA cables. You can either tap into these lines or just cut them free from the stock plug. All four grounds from the RCA cables need to be wired together and then attached to the common ground on the bose(it'll be a brown wire). The remaining four rca signal wires go to the corresponding bose speaker line inputs.
<img src="http://j0nx.com/xlr8d/tt/wire.jpg">
This is for pre CAN BUS systems, but the bose portion is probably the same.
3. Wire your headunit's harness into the harness adapter like you normally would for a radio install. Since you will be using the stock amp, you don't need to do any of the speakers just the power, dimmer etc.
4. Connect the 12v from your antenna adapter to the power antenna wire of your headunit and power amp on line from the headunit to the bose wire (black).
5. The ground loop isololator will plug in between the front L and R rca outs of your headunit and the front L and R rca wires going to the bose. You'll probably need two gender changers on the bose end since an isolator has male plugs on each end.
6. Getting all the wiring back into the dash is kind of a pain, but there is room if you shove everything to the back and then down. If you are using the metra fit kit, plan on using a dremel.
Lastly visit the "experts" at your local audio shop and tell them what idiots they are.
02-04-2005, 10:36 AM
#7
Re: Installed aftermarket headunit with stock bose amp today. *really long*
How did you get the HU to stay in the hole there? Are these headunits screwed in to place... or can they just be pulled out with that tool you mentioned?
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10-30-2007, 07:34 PM
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Re: Installed aftermarket headunit with stock bose amp today. *really long*
Hi Guys, I know it's been a long time since this thread was created, but just today I changed my HU with this instructions, Seems everything is working, but I feel that The Amp is not kicking enough bass, could this be possible?
Thanks
JG
Thanks
JG
12-23-2009, 06:47 PM
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Does it sound like there is no bass and nearly no mid-range? I think this is what I have going on as well. It almost sounds like it's only tweets, but I know there is some sound at the main fronts. I guess I should have checked the rears.
At first I thought that it was just that I had no sound to the rear, as when I would try to fade back the sound just goes out. Then I saw there are no wires that the rear outputs from the head unit to go to. They are doing nothing.
As I look around and do my research it sound like the coupes have no rear output. It just doubles up the front at the amp.
Maybe I'm wrong, I wish someone would chime in with a clear answer.
What head unit are you using? I've got the Alpine IDA-X305.
It's pretty frustrating, I'm ready to just go back to stock.
At first I thought that it was just that I had no sound to the rear, as when I would try to fade back the sound just goes out. Then I saw there are no wires that the rear outputs from the head unit to go to. They are doing nothing.
As I look around and do my research it sound like the coupes have no rear output. It just doubles up the front at the amp.
Maybe I'm wrong, I wish someone would chime in with a clear answer.
What head unit are you using? I've got the Alpine IDA-X305.
It's pretty frustrating, I'm ready to just go back to stock.