Audio Wiring Question
 

I am replacing my stock Bose system with better equipment but will be keeping the stock HU. The new amp has speaker level inputs which I will be using. I know that normally you would use the speaker outputs from the Bose amp and feed them to the speaker level inputs on the new amp. Why can't you use the inputs (coming from the hu) and connect them directly to the new amp bypassing the Bose amp altogether? Would this work? Also, I have searched both thru this site and the service manual for a diagram of the the Bose amp connections but it is a little confusing. Does anyone have that diagram readily available? Thanks.

No the reason this will not work is a bit complex. You will not be able to just use your speaker level inputs either way. the reason being is the bose system constantly changes the volume, and also cuts out freq that it can not produce. So this will give you a none full signal going to your new amps which is not what you want. What you need to do is use something like the Jl clean sweep or the mtx re-q "if your using the new amp for a dedicated sub amp" These devices analyze clean and rebuild the signal for all freq that the bose system omits.

So to answer your question no you can not sue your level inputs on your new amp with the bose system you need a jl clean sweep or a lot of people are going with the RF 3 sixty in order to hook up your new amps. Keep in mind that you do not want to use your bose speakers with your new amps because of the ohm rating of them.


Your other option is to take all the bose system out and start over with new speakers, amps and a head unit.

Thanks for information. I notice the MTX re-q is a much cheaper option. Is it as effective as the other two you mention?

if you go with the re-q your going to have to get the re-q 5 for all 5 channels so they are all about the same price range. The regular re-q is just for a sub if you fallow me.

I'm just going to use it for new front speakers (and tweeters) and a different sub-woofer.
I assume I would just need the re-q 3 or do I need the re-q5 for the summing feature? Thanks.

Your can certainly use the re-q 3 if your not going to use rear speakers "which I encourage not using rears" Just make sure that the wires you connect to are the front speaker outputs and not the rear.

Bigaudiofanat,

Thanks again. I notice that the Bose amp has outputs for the tweeters so I assume there is some type of crossover inside. The re-q5 has tweeter inputs (and a summing feature) to get the high frequencies back into the signal but I don't see that available on the 3. Is there a work around?

I have not done a bose z yet so I can only say that you should be able to do it either way. But if the amp has its own outputs for tweeters and the woofer plus the sub than your going to have to go before the amp.

From the way I have researched it the speaker wire has a built in crossover inside the doors that send the signal to the tweeter and the woofer, so the output of the amp should be a full signal until it gets to the crossover. Than the sub has its own amp so you have to run that output to the re-q as well.

I hope I am saying this clearly to you.
So in other words I think your not going to have any problems getting the signal after the amps.

I am looking at the wiring diagram for the Bose amp. There are no inputs for the tweeter on the amp but there are tweeter outputs which lead me to believe that the crossover is in the amp. The re-q instructions say that you must connect after the the factory amp. That must have something to do with the way it reads the problems with the factory base. I don't see how you can recover the high frequencies with the re-q3 with limited inputs.

Try to stop thinking of them as being tweeter outputs they are a full range that go to the tweeter AND the woofer in the door but first have to go threw a crossover in the doors. So you will be able to connect the re-q to the amp.

Got it. Thanks for your help.

To answer your question you pm'd me, there are no crossovers in the doors. If there are, I didn't see them. So I believe the Bose amp is handling all that. Does your amp not have built-in HI/LO crossovers? You definitely need a device like mentioned above. I purchased an AudioControl LC6 (old model, new model is LC6i and can do channel summing). So you need to cut the wires coming OUT of the Bose amp and feed them into the LC6i or ReQ device, then send the RCA's out of this to the amp. From the amp, run new speaker wires to your speakers.