Blose upgrde re-wire question

[tubebrner]

Here is my plan to upgrade the Blose system speakers: I would like to run an 8" JBL sub in the stealth enclosure powered by a 4 channel Alpine PDX 4.100 (4x100W RMS @ 4 ohms), bridge 2 channels to power the sub and use the other 2 channels for components in the front doors. I'm leaning toward the CDT 6.5" components. I'm wondering if it is absolutely necessary to run new speaker wire to the doors for the components, or if I can use the factory wires. I'm not sure if I'm up to the major PITA of going through the molex door connectors but I am sick of the Blose so something must be done. Is anyone running a similar set-up using factory wiring? or does anyone know how much power the factory wires can actually handle?

 

[Swerny]

Bose, there's no L

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Bose, there's no L

As much as it actually kind of scares me, I'm going to assume you are serious.

The OP knows how to spell the name of the stereo system. He is making a statement (childish as it may be) that tells us what he thinks of it, as in, "this system Blose!"

To the OP, from the description of your upgrades, it sounds like you are going mostly for sound quality as opposed to trying to annoy the people three lanes over. I have done a lot of stereo installs, and experience tells me that if your goals are what I just stated, the factory wiring should be fine. If you are going to be leaning hard on the volume regularly, I would upgrade the wiring. I'm currently running an amp capable of delivering an honest (clean) 100w/channel to the front doors through the factory wiring. I don't crank the heck out of the system, the extra power is there for headroom, the ability to handle those occasional difficult passages that need a little extra juice. Unless you are cranking the volume, you would be surprised how little power the speakers are actually drawing most of the time. With the sub (and its dedicated wiring) handling most of the grunt work, the need for upgraded wiring in the doors is even further reduced.

 

[tubebrner]

Ok so I overdid it with the Blose, but yes I can read the emblems on the speaker grilles of my car that I drive every day and realize that it says Bose, aside from the fact that my original post indicates that I have at least a minor working knowledge of car audio and some of the decent brands out there.

Anyways, MidLife you are correct that I am mainly intereted in SQ. I do enjoy loud music but I'm not looking to rattle the rearview mirror of the guy sitting next to me at the light. I want crisp clean sound and a full range of sound that the Bose 5"(?) sub could never hit, while keeping my hatch space fully available. Ok so assuming I can go with the factory wiring, is it possible to purchase an adapter for the speaker connectors so that I do not have to cut them off in case I would like to reinstall the Bose speakers in the future (when I get rid of the car)? Also do you have any recommendations on a LOC? I don't need anything with a fancy processor or anything, apparently the Bose HU sends out a pretty flat signal. Just something that will get the job done.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Sorry, but I don't know of any adapter harnesses for the under seat connections, which is where you would be tapping in. As far as the connections in the door, I'm pretty sure Crutchfield has them. In fact, if you buy the speakers through them, I think they throw in the adapters. I don't know what your budget is like, or if you already bought the Alpine amp, but I recommend you visit Crutchfield's site (or your favorite autosound supplier) and check out the new Blaupunkt amp. It could be the answer to your installation problems. Not cheap, but a very easy install and very versatile. I wish they had been out when I started upgrading my stereo.
As far as a LOC is concerned, you shouldn't need one. The Alpine amp you are referencing has variable line-level inputs. The Bose HU outputs in line level to the amp under the driver's seat. You will probably need a ground loop isolator, which can be picked up at the nearest Radio Shack.

I have attached some documents and a jpg that should help with wiring questions..

 

[tubebrner]

Thanks for the diagrams!
I think that amp is a little out of my price range. Sounds like a good idea but not worth the money IMO when I can just tap into a couple wires and get the same effect. Any problems with the sound quality via the line-level inputs? I was under the impression that a LOC would produce a better signal.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Thanks for the diagrams!
I think that amp is a little out of my price range. Sounds like a good idea but not worth the money IMO when I can just tap into a couple wires and get the same effect. Any problems with the sound quality via the line-level inputs? I was under the impression that a LOC would produce a better signal.

All a LOC does is reduce the voltage level from Speaker to Line level. It should have no effect on sound quality. In fact, if it is not needed, it is just one more piece of electronics in the signal path adding its own noise/distortion to the sound. Remember that this system has an amp under the driver's seat, so the signal coming from the HU is already line level. The factory HU and that Alpine are using the same voltage levels for signal processing, so you shouldn't need a LOC. I would try it without first, and if you can't seem to get a strong enough signal to properly drive the amp, then put in a Line Level Amplifier, which is the exact opposite of a LOC.
Now if you are really thinking of something like one of the many processors that removes the factory equalization curve from the signal, that is another story. Pick your favorite brand that fits your budget. They all have their supporters. The only problem I had was alternator whine due to a ground loop. A Radio Shack ground loop isolator took care of that nicely. The extra bonus of the RS isolator is that the current versions have an extra input jack for MP3 players and the like.

 

[tubebrner]

Ok I guess I was a little confused. Basically I thought that you have 2 options for amp input: 1. Run RCAs, in this case using a LOC converter or 2. Speaker level inputs (which I don't want to do because I want to tap the signal before the Bose amp messes with it). So now what you are saying is that I can tap the line level input (before the Bose amp) and send that signal to the Alpine amp? From looking at the pictures of the Alpine amp's connections I don't see where this would hook up. Is there some sort of adapter included that allows you to plug the line level speaker wire into the RCA input jacks?

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Ok I guess I was a little confused. Basically I thought that you have 2 options for amp input: 1. Run RCAs, in this case using a LOC converter or 2. Speaker level inputs (which I don't want to do because I want to tap the signal before the Bose amp messes with it). So now what you are saying is that I can tap the line level input (before the Bose amp) and send that signal to the Alpine amp? From looking at the pictures of the Alpine amp's connections I don't see where this would hook up. Is there some sort of adapter included that allows you to plug the line level speaker wire into the RCA input jacks?

You're sort of right. H/U puts out line level (pre-amp) or speaker level (already gone through the internal amp). What is throwing you off is that you expect line level to always have RCAs. This is a factory system, so all cabling ends in some kind of multi-wire connector. You need to either track down a connector that will allow you to tie directly into the harness, or you need to do some creative splicing so you end up with the signal wires terminated with RCAs. You can almost certainly find an adapter to tie into the signal leads behind the H/U. Then you still need to tap into the speaker leads under the seat. I recommend there because all the speakers and the signal leads are accessible at that one location. Why pull all sorts of panels off when you can take out one seat and have access to all the wires you need? I wonder if you could buy just the harness for that Blaupunkt? That might make things a lot easier. You could cut and modify that, then just plug it into the factory harness instead of cutting the factory harness.

Edit: I am now confused with regards to the Blaupunkt harness. I just went and checked, and it says it works for our vehicles, but there is a warning that the adapter is not suited for vehicles with factory amps.

 

[MadOzodi]

Great thread! Now I can replace the stock fronts with my Boston Pro separates and add my 10" sub.