Are you listening to your Stock Bose/GM system and wondering why you can not get any sort of Bass from it. Well, its not your deck, not the Bose amp, in most cases it will be the Bose 6x9'* in the rear deck. The Bose 6x9s are worthless after a short while, they can not handle the output from the Bose amp under the Head Unit.

The cheap and easy fix is to replace the Bose 6x9 with a QUALITY (No wal-mart end cap specials) aftermarket 6x9s. The install is easy, just remove the rear grilles by pulling up and toward the front of the car. Remove the (4) hex screws holding down the Bose 6x9s, unscrew the harness from the Bose speaker, undo the connections and install the aftermarket 6x9s in the reverse manner. Remember to match the polarity on the speakers. You will be AMAZED by what you hear!

Ok, so you want to rattle some windows, but want to keep the Bose stuff because the imaging is good and the highs are not too bad. Plus you like the stealth look of the stock deck and the steering wheel controls. This can be acheived by using a aftermarket amp and quality subwoofer. Now you need to get the signal from the HU to the amp. You are going to need a line level converter for this. They can be gotten for $20 at a stereo shop.

Now, your first thought will be to tap in by the 6x9s. This will work, but the results will be disapointing. The Bose Dynamic Equilization pumps up the bass output at low levels to the 6x9s. This will cause the aftermarket amp to over amplify the low frequencys at low levels giving you bass that will not stop at low level. It is very annoying. Plus the output from the sub will be muddy and inaccurate. Adjusting the gain at the line level converters will NOT help this.

The solution is to tap into the outputs at the headunit BEFORE they get to the Bose amp. Remove the factory HU, and remove the large Black/White harness from the back of the head unit. Turn the harness so the wire side of the harness is facing you. The rear speaker outputs from the HU are the (4) wires in the cluster in the white section of the harness. There should be (from right to left) a brown wire, another brown wire, a blue wire and a black wire. The brown wire on the right is the (L+), the next brown wire to the left is the (L-) wire, the blue wire is the (R+) and the black wire is the (R-). Splice into these and then connect the converter respecivly. Now, the yellow wire next to the orange one at the end of the black harness will work as the amp turn on lead if you splice into it. Make all the connections to the amp and sub. Remember to use the correct sized wire and fuse.

Enjoy the sound!

Karfreek

(Karfreek not responsable for any damage caused by use of the above suggestions)

If the admin staff feels this info is good stuff, they may use it in the Tech/DIY section, if proper credit is given.

That is great information ! I have had my 99 SSEi just a few weeks now, and that has been a nagging question with my Bose system..... where did my bass go ? My 92 SSE stock stereo blows this thing away (bass wise anyway). As far as a quality 6x9 replacement, what is needed ? 2 way or 3 way 6x9 ? Just curious what speaker brand and type you ended up using. I don't really want to spend $200 on Alpine 6x9'* if I dont have to. I am not that pickey, I just want more bass than I am getting now.
Thanks again for solving the mystery....

Kicker makes some 6x9 subs. Albeit those would sound great with the bose setup.. I don't know any model numbers or where you can buy them, but I do know that they are out there. I'll have to do some looking. If you're only going to be using the 6x9'* for the bass though, I'd go with only a 2-way setup. They'll only be playing lows anyway so you won't need the 3-way setup.

The stock system in my RIV is the same story as the bose though. It does not have BOSE, but rather Concert Sound II but the 6x9'* were complete junk. I put some crappy Rampage 6x9'* in my LeSabre before I tried to sell it (so I could take the good ones out ) and the Rampage 6x9'* sound a lot better than the stock ones in my RIV. that'* pretty sad if you ask me. So, I threw some Jensen 6x9'* back there and they sound 100% better compared to stock. I only used these as a quick solution until I can get my sub hooked up, and my new front speakers then I won't be using 6x9'* anymore.


BTW, great write-up!

I have yet to try this.. but I think it'* an excellent timbit that should go into techinfo... I too have experienced this no Bass Bose system.. and would've tapped the wires from the 6x9 if not for reading your post..

I will try this setup later on when I get the accessories.. and I"ll tell ya how it went

Hey Jay,

Thanks for the excellent post. So it comes down to the Bose speakers being poor quality then ? Do they deterioate over time or something and they cant handle the bass ? :?

Did you happen to get the part numbers from those Bose speakers yet ? I know they may be crap speakers but my friend at Bose is gonna send me some for free so I would like to take advantage of that offer.

Also if anyone else can spare a few minutes to check the Bose part number on their speakers, i will be eternally grateful

Cheers,

I dont think the Bose Speakers can handle the long term output of the Bose amp.

I am tryin on the part numbers, unfortunately I am at the mercy of my younger bro...

Jay

Thanks Jay,

I know what its like, I have a younger Brother who never listens to me

Cheers,

Andrew

if a 2000 SSEi with the bose setup would be the same as your car I'll look at my mom'* tomorrow for you..

Hey Custom88, that would be great !! THanks