Audio upgrades for a Nismo Tech

twyrick

I'm kind of into good sounding stereos. Not looking for bass that rattles everything on the block or volume so loud you can listen to it in a whole parking lot from outside the car.... But some of the stuff they sell as "premium sound" in new cars and trucks today grates on my nerves.

So, I already spent way too much putting a decent system in my Jeep last year, and figured on this 2016 Nismo Tech Z I was buying, I'd surely be happy enough with the Bose system.

But already, I'm just not.... The Bose system in the Cadillac CTS Coupe I used to own, a few years back, really sounded nice. Wasn't going to compete with multi thousand dollar aftermarket stuff, but that was one I could completely live with. This Z is nowhere near that level.

Most of the audio upgrade stuff I'm skimming through here seems to refer to people who don't have the "Sport Tech" setup in the first place, right? I can see pulling a basic stereo head unit out and upgrading to a double DIN, but I don't want to tear out the whole navigation system and keypad that I just paid for in the price of the car.

So I guess what I'm asking is ... any opinions of best way to remedy this? Is it called, "Just deal with it until you're willing to dump the entire stereo/nav system combo.", or has anyone had a real improvement in the sound quality by simply adding a sound processor to the stock system, or what?

(From previous experiences, I know that going the route of just upgrading speakers and bypassing the factory amp, using a higher wattage aftermarket amp, usually gets you a lot more volume - but not a lot in the way of better sound quality. If the source is kind of muddy or "bleah", amplifying that signal isn't going to work any miracles.)

Jinxx

My wife has the 2017 nismo tech and I had the dealer turn off the ANC ...then I removed the factory "subs" and removed the spare tire ...added a 10 inch sub in a custom box ...I think it sounds better ......and I have a 2015 nismo tech and did about the same thing ..except there isn't any ANC and I used a 12 inch sub ....i think it's a improvement as well .....I may add some one inch tweeters and see if they improve it more if not I'm ok with it the way it is

twyrick

I considered that .... just upgrading the sub and leaving the rest alone, for now.
That seems like the easiest part of the system to upgrade while leaving the rest alone. I went that route with the old '97 Eclipse GST I owned, many years ago. I just put a small Pioneer sub box in the trunk with a 2 channel power amp and line level converter bolted onto it, and tapped into rear deck speaker wires. I think it was a single 10" sub, or may have even been an 8" -- but it really improved things.

I also found a really old message thread on an Infiniti forum where a guy was talking about upgrading his car's Bose system's speakers all the way around, but leaving the rest alone. Claimed he got a really big improvement out of it, since Bose just uses paper cone speakers, etc. Only problem with THAT is, pretty much all of the 2 ohm replacement speakers he sourced seem to be long out of production. I don't think it's going to be easy (if possible at all, today) to find perfectly matching substitutes for the OEM Bose speakers that are efficient enough to run at 2 ohms and have noticeably better quality? If I'm wrong, would love to know which ones to order!

Jinxx

Yea the cost to convert everything over would extreme ....and in my opinion not worth the gain ...rather put that money on engine upgrades

twyrick

Actually though? I've done some Googling for various speaker options, and the one thing I'm kind of curious about is if I'd get anything out of swapping out the factory Bose 6x9's in the doors with these Kickers:

Kicker PS69 Powersports 2-Ohm 6X9 Inch Ps Coaxial Car Audio Speakers Ps692 | eBay

They're actually 2 ohm rated, like the OEM Bose speakers - and I know I've heard big improvements in the mid bass frequencies when upgrading paper cone factory speakers in various Chrysler products with Kicker upgrades designed for them. (So that tells me Kicker can build a speaker that's efficient enough to have good, full sound even on the low power output provided by a basic factory head-unit.)

I don't think many people noticed this speaker as an option because it's really geared for motorcycles or ATVs, not cars.

RonRizz

there are many threads on here that discuss leaving the factory nav, and adding an LOC, amps and speakers. It can be done on a budget, and still be a vast improvement.
the new wave of mini amps does away with the excuse of not having room, as well.
there are also amps out there that have DSP built in, if you desire complete control over processing.

__________________
P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

twyrick

Well ... I decided to buy a Kicker 8" Hideaway sub and install it, for now.

I found this web page, where a guy installed a Bazooka bass tube in his Z, which motivated me to give it a shot:

Bazooka Sub install in 370z with BOSE. - Ontario Z-Car Owners Association

Unfortunately, when I took mine apart in my '16 Nismo, I realized they've changed things around! As per the attached photo, you can see that my Bose sub doesn't have the separate amplifier inside it anymore. The harness that plugs into the outside of it only has 4 wires, which get passed straight through to the 2 subwoofer speakers in the enclosure.

So is there still a separate subwoofer amp in my car, hidden someplace else in the vehicle? Or did Bose just use one 6 channel amplifier now to run ALL of the speakers, including the sub?

Attached Images

Bose sub.jpg (655.8 KB, 33 views)