[s-cars] Stock Bose Head Unit (HTH)

[TODD KRAMER]

Kevin,

Having tried sooo many audio configurations on the stock system, I eventually pulled the entire system and installed Blaupunkt San Francisco with Kicker components all around.

The issue you will have with the stock head unit is that it is designed to work with a 1 Ohm speaker system.  The stock speakers all run at 1 Ohm; aftermarket speakers added to the stock amp system, or aftermarket amps added to the stock systems will cause an overheat situation and will trip the amp or cause the head unit to turn itself off due to overheating. Stock speakers, stock amp ... aftermarket speakers, aftermarket amps.

If you try and connect aftermarket speakers to the "powered" output leads (the stock unit does have them, but does not use them), running standard 4 Ohm speakers on these leads will cause the head unit to overheat and trip off (if you like the volume LOUD).

Food for thought: the front speaker have tiny amps in the doors, mounted inside of the wave guide/expansion chamber that runs in the lower part of the door and are wired to the midrange in the chamber and wired to the tweeter in the upper door ('95 S6).  I pulled the amps, kept the chambers, and rewired the new speakers (4" - 4.5") through the chambers .. these were acoustically designed for the small midranges and produce phenomenal sound.  

Most component speakers use crossovers; I mounted the crossover above the kick panels in the footwells ... attempted to put them in the doors, but the constant vibration from opening and closing of the doors damaged my first pair of cross-overs.

The amp for the rear speakers is a small black box mounted under the hat tray; small, powerful, and can't stand to push anything but the stock speakers ... and does not like aftermarket head units.

Todd Kramer
'95 S6