Those are so funny, maybe worse than the 10" frisbee that was in the 350.
I bet Bose doesn't have 20 bucks invested in those.

I'm doing the upgrade right now with factory nav having issues with the output of the HU getting clean signals
I've had 2 Alpine amps installed 1 PDX 4-100 bridged powering the Focal 165 KP front speakers and a Alpine V-power mono 300 watt powering the JL 10"sub but something doesn't sound perfect as it should with the upgrades still working on it. Custom Sounds and I have about 32 labor hours invested.
They seem to think there is some DSP chip built into the HU so not as clean as aftermarkrt unit. I had a 06 Civic w/factory Nav did the same thing and it rocked.
Not sure what to do now keep tweaking? JL audio make a product call clean sweep takes all signals from factory HU to flat and work up from there.
:eek:

Sounds like Bose stuff alright. Not only do they give you crap equipment - they sabotage it so you can't hook anything decent to it.

The fact that the "upgraded" sound system was Bose was the primary reason I didn't go for the Touring package. Good luck with the install - it sounds like it should be sweet if you can get it working.

That would be the next step. The clean sweep is a nice product but a little pricey. You might also want to check out the audiocontrol products. I used one of the LC8s a few setups ago and was pleased with it.

Thanks for the pics, I thought the amp would be sitting elsewhere and not in the container... hmm all I wanted to do was to put in 1 amp and 2 subs (which i had in my 350) via high level input, connected to the connector plugging into the tyre well box. But now am I right to assume that two of those wires would be used for Power/ground or trigger etc?

There is a total of 6 wires going into the connector. The yellow is a constant power, black is ground. I am going to guess that one is a remote turn on, and only 2 of them are sending sound signal. That leaves 1 wire for ??? I have no clue someone that knows this stuff better than me might be able to answer that.

But if you run your own amp i don't see a reason why you wouldn't be able to tap into the remote wire and hopefully the sound signals are clean you can tap into those also from the harness.

I might mess around with with this weekend.

Yeah thats a good idea, the stock 350z bose unit was running almost rca's to the amp so this could be the same, and with the trigger wire tapped into no high level input necessary..... curious to see if it'll work....

I'm an audio engineer, and please realize that Bose has a different business model than other audio companies. With Bose, you will always find the smallest speakers which put out the "biggest sound". In America we're used to machines being engineered for more than they really need to be for those few times we want to "turn it up". Heck we're all driving a 330 hp car with two seats. Do we need that at all really?? But you get what I'm saying.

Bose has been in business because they don't just make the biggest amps and speakers, but they can make it sound pretty darn close! Of course you won't get your Bose system to sound like you have an 18 in the back. But in almost every other characteristic, for a stock audio system, it's amazing! The frequency response is almost totally flat, crossover characteristics are excellent, and it sounds like that given any input, at any volume. This is mainly because of Bose's relentless tuning and EQ of their systems, and their advanced DSP.

I know that a lot of people just want loud loud loud and bass bass bass (I listen to mainly electronic and have an 18 in my living room). But for the space and budget Bose had to deal with in this car, I think they did an amazing job.

Being a audiophile I have to disagree. They are far from anywhere near a quality sound reproduction. My 16 year old martin logans will run circles around any of their new systems. Back before the started making small speakers and building the systems with sound processors, they had some pretty nice stuff. but ever sense the plastic speaker boxes and the paper woofers came out. They have been utter junk.

I for one am not a loud loud loud bass guy by any means. My listening sessions include artists like Norah Jones, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Garry Moore, and so on.

I go listen to bose setups at any give time and my ears scream with pain. As the volume goes up you can literally hear things being faded out from the sound processor. What you are lest with is a muffled lifeless sound.

Obviously Porsche is thinking the same way with the “Infotainment Package with BOSE® Surround Sound System” option in the new redesign 2013 Boxster S! Of course you will see & hear some individuals who drive around in their Civics, Altimas etc. with $5K systems that would consider "anything less is not the best"!

I sense sarcasm...;)

I am not big on Bose but it is not as bad as it has been made out to be. We have to understand the confines of package engineering when designing for mass production. Mass produced cars are full of compromises (the tires, exhaust system, intake, etc, etc, etc) and the audio system is no exception. Taking the Z system to point, the Bose system is good at what it does, which is to produce decent sound for ALL musical tastes, produce at a decent level and in a price point and packaging that is not unacceptable. It cannot compete with a well designed aftermarket system but it's not meant that way. It's for the masses that will accept the system as an integral part of the Z. For enthusiast and audiophile, it is a compromise. As a whole, it is decent not necessarily worth the money but decent.

One however has to give Bose credit for designing as system with minimal footprint and decent sound quality. When view that way, it is not so bad.

^^ Sarcasm…….maybe just a little! You are absolutely 100% correct with Bose!! Obviously it’s designed for price & footprint. If the 2013 Porsche Boxster S had a Mark Levinson designed audio system as an option, it would probably push its gross weight over 3K…..lol

Actually I pulled one of those out of a ISF and integrated a MS8 in it's place. Ran new amps and speakers as well.

That system sounded good but the speakers were just what you would guess, nothing like aftermarket.

^^ The person who settled for an “IS F” over a M3 probably needs more than just new amps and speakers………’sarcasm’

Actually he was a previous 370z owner but hey both the ISF and M3 are nice cars. I would take either.