Symptoms of a failing Bose amp?
 

My 2004 (stock) system has a problem with certain tones, such as voices, where they tend to resonate and "buzz" a little. Bass is fine, highs are fine, it's just certain mid-range sounds that sound distorted.

Same problem from all speakers, and whether playing CD or radio.

The sound never cuts out, no static, nothing obvious like that. Just certain mid-range tones sound distorted when played.

Does that sound like a failing Bose main amp? Do amps lose quality over time, or is it more a work/fail completely thing?

Or could it just be all the speakers aging?

If the amp goes, it goes.

Happens at all volume levels?

My guess is speakers.

All volumes yes, but barely noticable at very low volume. And seems more noticable in front speakers, though backs seem to do it too.

And it seems to be a "creeping" problem. Didn't just happen one day, it just got worse over time I guess until I now notice it.

So yes, I'm guessing maybe just all speakers getting older (7.5 years) too. Just a tricky thing to troubleshoot though :(

I mean you MIGHT be able to troubeshoot it will a variable tone generator. Disconnect the Bose amp output harness, then back probe the harness with the tone generator for each speaker. But most variable tone generators that are built for troubleshooting don't output tones below maybe ~500Hz, that I've seen anyway.

An 04? Pshhh.... time for an upgrade my friend. Go all aftermarket. Fix that problem and blow that Bose system clear to Mars.

Since it is happening on all speakers I would suspect the head unit. You have the separate amps for the speakers, so it is unlikely all would go crazy at once. Look on the for sale forum and get a cheap head unit and try it out.

If you really wanted to do that, you could just remove the factory headunit, put 12V on the Bose amp turn on wire, then cut one end off a 3.5mm cord and use an MP3 player to send audio to the Bose amp. Not exactly easy, but should work without having to buy anything special.

But like I said, I'd use this as an excuse to just replace everything. Every piece of your audio system has quite a bit of age on it. Invest the money, receive better audio and a slew of extra features.

It's kinda tempting, as the Bose never impressed me much. It's OK, but the stereo in our '03 Civic actually sounds better, deeper.

But I'm NOT a tecky mechanic type like most of you are, I can't do it myself. Are there reputable businesses that can replace the sound system in an RX-8? I see there are tons of shops around me, but I also read that you need special kits and things for the RX-8, you can't just swap it like with many other cars.

haha It's really not that hard.

The is the kit you would need to replace the factory headunit with a large touchscreen one (called "double din" size). If those style headunits are too much money, you can buy any regular CD/MP3 player and install it with the 99-7510HG kit instead.

Though I wouldn't call it simple, but it's really not hard. Just look at all the people on this board that have done it themselves.

If you're really worried about it, scout out some shops in your area. If they carry high end name brands, that's a good sign. If they have show cars on display, that's a good sign. If they have a photo album of previous work they've done, that's a good sign. Really depends on what all you're looking to do. If you want to replace the headunit, all speakers, add a subwoofer and amps for them all... expect roughly ~$500 in labor alone provided you use a pre-fab subwoofer box (no custom fiberglass or anything). If you have a Best Buy in your area, you might think about stopping by there for a talk with the installers. Best Buy's can be hit and miss. Some locations have installers that just started and learn on the job, others have great people that do great work. And all locations are the same reasonable price with a lifetime warranty on labor. So it's worth a shot. Maybe one of the installers even drives an RX8? Who knows.:)

Thank you so much for the advice, I'll look into the Best Buy thing and others around here (bit north of Philadelphia).

I peeked at your photos, and I LOVE the look of your stereo! Wow, an actual real display and everything... I'd forgotten what they look like, lol.

As an older gal of 48, I wouldn't need anything QUITE as boomy as what I see you have. But I do like SOME bass, enough for me, but not enough to shake cars around me. I realize it varies, but if I went to an installer and said, "recommend and put in a system that has a more bass than I had, but don't take up much trunk room..." what's it going to cost me labor and parts? $1,000 - $1,500ish?

My stereo was installed using a different kit that's no longer available. The Metra kit is cheaper.

And those two 10"s subwoofers are overkill for me too. lol One would have done, but then my trunk looked lopsided. Had to get the other box to even things out. hahaha

The price for a complete system overhaul really depends on the equipment you choose. Bare minimum for headunit, speakers, subwoofer, amp(s) and installation would be roughly ~$1300 (labor being a solid $500 of that). That's figuring buying mid-tier quality equipment from online retailers. Buying equipment locally is going to be a good chunk more money.

You might think about doing this in steps. Replace the headunit first. This will yield an increase in sound quality in itself. If you want more, add in a or the . This will give you some extra boom, which you can then use your new headunit to pull some low-end out of the factory Bose speakers. This should allow them to play a little more clearly. If you still want more, replace the speakers and factory amp.

I said:

I just wanted to mention I finally figured the buzzing out. It's that silly center dash speaker buzzing.

I shoulda realized it easier, but it's kinda tricky to troubleshoot by ear as I don't think the Fade control completely cuts out the fronts/rears, plus when I noticed it buzzed worse from the front I just assumed it was probably the door speakers. But if I open the doors and listen to each (gets them isolated more), they sound fine. It's JUST that silly little dash speaker which buzzes, and pretty much only with voices.

Which is interesting, because I found this old post https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...z#post1394782:

So future searchers, if you find your Bose system sounds buzzy, but mostly only with voices, have a listen to your center dash speaker :)

Just to put a close to this, I did have that center dash speaker replaced today, and the stereo sounds perfect again! So it truly was just that silly dash speaker crackling and buzzing, as I suspected.

The downside is I don't have an excuse to get an aftermarket system now lol...