[s-cars] Timing Belt - R&R / Bose system comments

[Paul Gailus]

I'm no fan of the stock Bose system either.
But I strongly suspect that they went with 1 ohm speakers simply
to lower the overall product costs. Cornering the replacement
speaker market for these systems was probably a minor consideration.

To get the desired audio power output, I''m sure it was cheaper to lower
the speaker voice coil impedance (and bump up the size of the output
transistors for the resulting higher current levels) rather than raise the
supply voltage with a more costly switching power supply.

To maximize the available output power with the 12 volt supply,
it's also very likely that they're using two amplifiers in a bridged
configuration providing two balanced (differential) outputs.
This maximizes the available peak-to-peak voltage across the speaker.

Paul

----- Original Message -----
From: Calvin & Diana Craig <calvinlc at earthlink.net>
To: <mdbishoff at attbi.com>; <s-car-list at audifans.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 11:28 PM
Subject: RE: [s-cars] Timing Belt - R&R


> Mike,
>
> I absolutely HATE the Bose radios in these cars.  The head units, the
> amplifiers, everything about them sucks.  My advice would be to replace it
> with a more conventional setup.  That's what I finally had to do in my
'91.
> Of course you will have to replace the speakers too as some genius at Bose
> figured that if they used 1 ohm speakers they could force you to stay with
> the same brand.
>
> Windshield wiper reservoir is most likely the seams where the plastic is
> molded together.  The seams have a tendency to separate over time.
> Sometimes two-part epoxy works, sometimes it doesn't.  I wound up having
to
> replace mine.
>
> --Calvin