[V8] planning a new stereo upgrade

[J123fs at aol.com]

I put aftermarket stereos in both my current and previous V8.
Two things I learned that are necessary to bear in mind if contemplating  
replacing the Bose system: 
1. remember if you bypass the bose amps output the speakers impendence  is 3 
ohm, and not compatible with the 4 ohm output of most amps. You  - might-  be 
able to use the speakers, but at the peril of the amp  lasting any period of 
time. 
2. Also, do not start playing with the wiring till you have a schematic  
showing the power lead to the amps from the head unit to remotely turn the  
individual amps on, mistaking it will cost you dearly if hook up a + 12V to a  
speaker lead by accident.
Some of my other observations are that I was lucky on my 2nd V8 as the  owner 
had already installed an aftermarket system (saving me the pain of running  
all new wires), but it was not to my tastes sound-wise, so did a few mods. I'm  
pretty finicky with stereos and like systems that make Jazz sound good, not 
just  massive crappy Bass like most "rock" tuned systems are capable of.
Notably, using the factory bose front boxes which are a tuned-port design  
specific to Bose drivers make most speakers sound awful at the low end (bass) as 
 their specific port system will not be a good match for 99% of the drivers  
out there. Best to stuff the small port with closed cell foam or put Bass  
blocking capacitors on them so they do not "muddy" up the sound. 
Also, the ski sock hole in the rear seat is a perfect place to put a sub,  
just make sure you seal the trunk from the interior if you want nice flat and  
low bass. Also Dynamating the underside of the rear deck and rear seat  
sheetmetal (even with stock Bose speakers) makes a massive difference in  Bass output 
and smoothness. 
Also placing some non- metallic tweeters (metal tweeters sound too  "bright") 
in the dashboard pods (displacing the factory phone speaker on the  pass 
side) can do wonders for the stereo imaging. 
I build my own home speakers and love dabbling with stereos and could talk  
all day about stereos, so if anyone wants to chat off list let me know. Also,  
Huw Powell on the Quattro list is a great resource (speaker guy by profession 
I  think).
Jack
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 12/9/2008 10:39:23 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
v8-request at audifans.com writes:

Re:  planning a new stereo upgrade 

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