I like my bumps...

How do you think the bass in the bose system is gonna sound?

Right now I have a pair of 400 watt 10" subs. (I had to go with what i could fit behind my seat, I have an F150 w/ no extra room in back) Is this system gonna be better than that?

If the bose system is not good enough for me I was thinking about putting a mono 15" in the trunk. Does anyone have any opinions on this?

How hard will it be to install an extra sub?
Is there a standard RCA output on the head unit?

Thanks for any info,
JiM

 

1) The Bose system will sound good, but not great compared to a good aftermarket system.
2) The bass of the stock system will not come close to the 400 watt 10" subs you're running now.
3) Adding a 15" sub in the truck won't be too hard to do as long as you're willing to go speaker level to pre-amp.
4) There are no RCA outputs on the stock head unit.

Good luck with the install and show some pics if/when you get it done.

 

woah, i though yuhkis pics showed outputs....
anyway, if you dont tune that right, youll have nothing but base lol, which sometimes is good! blahahahaa

the bose wont have any thump, but youll hear the base, just wont get that thump that can sometimes be really nice, at least i dont htink yiull get the thump.
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Mo

 

The BOSE does not have any RCA outputs. The only outputs are the multi-plug feed that goes from the head unit to the amp/controller, which we believe will be pre-amp level. But even then, pre-amp levels are not alike. There could be different voltage levels, different ohm levels, and might not be compatible with standard RCA jack inputs of aftermarket amps.

The other thing is that the BOSE doesn't have a dedicated sub in the setup, it only has mid-basses. So, you won't be able to simply remove the BOSE sub and install an aftermarket setup. You will have to tap into the "pre-amp" lines, or the speaker lines, and feed them through an adapter (if needed) to an aftermarket amp with an onboard crossover. You will also need to tap into a remote turn-on feed between the head unit and BOSE amp.

The problem is that when you tap into either the "pre-amp" or speaker line, you will change the load on that line. For example, if you tap into the "pre-amp" line, the head unit will be feeding two amps instead of one, doubling the load. This will negatively affect how the signal is transferred, and affect sound volumes and quality. Sometimes this effect is negligible, sometimes it is not.

---jps

 

hmm....

Sounds like this could be a bit of work...

Thanks for the info guys, keep the suggestions coming.

By the time I get my car though I'm sure there will be a couple of options by then.

-JiM

P.S. Cool, I finally get an avatar. What to put up though?

--JiM

 

Yeah, well, it might turn out that like other BOSE systems, it might be easier, and you'll get a better result, if you completely take out the BOSE setup and start from scratch.

We might be able to get away with keeping the head unit, and just replacing the amps and speakers. But that's if we can get the "pre-amp" outputs to work well with aftermarket amps.

---jps

 

Personally I predict the Bose system will sound killer except for maybe a lack of real low end thump.

The front midbasses might be overtaxed slightly but doing a proper crossover and adding a sub should reduce the work load on the front speakers.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

there is a "how to" sort of guide somewhere on the net for adding subs to bose, i saw how it is done on an Audi w/ bose, though i dont really know cause i didnt really care but it can be done and supposedly it wasnt as much diffivult as it was a huge hassle, cause every speaker has its own pre/amp or something and all kindsa other complicated crap, but it can be done

and remember, "lacking" low-end grunt is what the 8's all about, so its in character! lol
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**** XXX

 

If you want to replace the Bose woofers, it could be difficult -

from what I've seen, it would mean cutting the existing 'subs' out and sending the signal to a 'suitable' amp setup, then replacing the Bose 9" door speakers. Nine inch? Not the most common size.... better hope there is some cutting room to go tens.
And the nines are low profile aspect, probably not deep, not much room for magnets......which brings us to the weight - the Bose is spec-ed for very light weight, as is the rest of the car.
Neodymium-iron-boron magnets on a 9" frame? Very rare. High megagauss-oersted ratings in a small, lightweight package.

Bottom line is yes, you CAN do some serious damage to an RX-8 with some thirty pound woofers in the doors!

It will be interesting to see what the aftermarket does to the '8' at the '12 volt show' at C.E.S. in January (always assuming we have our '8's by then!)
S

 

Here is a FAQ on the BOSE site. http://www.bose.com/products/auto/faq.html

It does answer some questions about adding extra components to the stock system. An interesting question after reading the FAQs is did BOSE intentionally design the system the way they did so that you could not replace the stock radio or add subs? One wonders...

I found another link from a third party repair shop that seems to say the same thing. Adding subs is not recommended.

http://carstereohelp.net/gotquestions.htm

Putting both FAQs together, it appears that BOSE has patented sound level equalization that occurs whenever the volume is changed. It looks like if you add a sub, the sound level of the sub would not automatically change to reflect what the BOSE system is doing.

I'm sure hoping the bass is better than other BOSE systems I've heard in other cars. I play bass and love the deep punchy sound of a good system.

 

The thing with the Audi how-to is that every BOSE system is going to be different. We can get some ideas from what people have done with other BOSE systems, but it will be different.

The thing with changing out those Bose 9" door speakers is that it is not a subwoofer. It is a midbass. If you replace it with a subwoofer, it will sound pathetic. Even the lows will be compromised.

---jps

 

couldnt you put the subs somewhere else and leave the 9's in the doors?
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Accidental Death And Dismemberment Insurance Dicussion

 

It doesn't work ( at least like it should)!! I have wasted an entire day trying to properly tune my new sub. My amp even has an adjustable input volatge dial (JL Audio 500/1).

The problem is, at different volumes, the Bose system reduces lower frequency output, basically your bass sounds very choppy and when you you're playing your music at lets say volume 22, the Bose system will only allow bass output at aroung 10 or 11.

You can see how this would drive you freakin crazy!!!!!! At volume 20 , you're rockin away, but if you want to pump it up to 25, the bass virtually disappears.

Pain in the ASSSSSSS

 

I had a shop add two 12 inch JL w-3 subs in my 8
and it works fine-- I didn't do it myself so I can't help too much but I did post pics under subs in my rx8 thread and the shop was Advanced Car creations in garden grove . They tapped into the rear speakers and I added a audiobahn amp to power the subs.
I hope this helps somewhat

 

Well, I finally found the low-level input from the Head Unit to the amp and tapped into that. Same FREAKIN thing.....