Bose sound system help please

[Dan s3 audi]

Okay i seem to have a bose sound system in my 1999 audi s3. Now everytime i play music and there is some bass it goes all distorted and pops. Basical the sub speaker is blown and i need a new one. So i went into my loft and found from my old cars a kenwood dvd headunit with amplifyer, small sub with built in amp and some parcel shelf speakers. So i decided that i was going to wire this all in to my car. Went down to Halfords this morning to get a basic wireing kit as i have lost parts of mine and got speaking to one of the helpers there. He told me that i would not be able to wire onto the door speaks as they are fiber optic and that if i mess with the sound system it can put my car into safe mode. So the question is:
Is this true?
What have other people done to enhance their bose sound system?

Cheers people

 

[AndyMac]

You talked to some kid at Halfords about car audio?? in an Audi????
I think you've answered your own question there.....

No, there is nothing fibre optic in any Audi and nothing you do with the car audio will effect the running of the car, (I think he must have meant limp mode, not safe mode).

However, with the Bose system you will need to pretty much replace everything, or just upgrade the sub. You can use the PC9-410 adapter to link the Kenwood front & rear RCA's to the Bose amp, but it won't sound any better.
The speakers are all 1.5 ohm impedance so you can't drive them directly off a new HU as it will fry the amp. The stock speakers are 4" components in the front with 1" tweeters and 4" in the rear (mounted using a 6.5" spacer) but you can fit 6.5" coaxials. They will all need to be rewired.
Just adding the sub you have is the best option as this will make a big difference (depending on what it is).
Instructions are here:
http://freepdfhosting.com/c715a6781d.pdf

 

[Ste_Nova]

my a6 has fibreoptic

 

[AndyMac]

Fascinating!!! Fibre optic speakers? Really? Not sure they've actually been invented yet....
Very useful, thanks.
For the overly pedantic of you I meant to refer to 8L Audi's as we are in the 8L section, sorry for any confusion.

 

[Dan s3 audi]

You talked to some kid at Halfords about car audio?? in an Audi????
I think you've answered your own question there.....

No, there is nothing fibre optic in any Audi and nothing you do with the car audio will effect the running of the car, (I think he must have meant limp mode, not safe mode).

However, with the Bose system you will need to pretty much replace everything, or just upgrade the sub. You can use the PC9-410 adapter to link the Kenwood front & rear RCA's to the Bose amp, but it won't sound any better.
The speakers are all 1.5 ohm impedance so you can't drive them directly off a new HU as it will fry the amp. The stock speakers are 4" components in the front with 1" tweeters and 4" in the rear (mounted using a 6.5" spacer) but you can fit 6.5" coaxials. They will all need to be rewired.
Just adding the sub you have is the best option as this will make a big difference (depending on what it is).
Instructions are here:
http://freepdfhosting.com/c715a6781d.pdf

Well you have cleared that up for me i will wire up my sub. Yesterday i went and cut into the parcel shelf some 6x9 speakers. How will i go wireing these up? straight into the amp for the other speakers or is that asking for too much? I will get to grips with all this soon lol

Cheers again

 

[AndyMac]

No you can't use 6 x 9's on the Bose system, and mounted in the flimsy parcel shelf they will sound dreadful anyway. Even if you disconnect the rears and use the output on the new speakers they will be very underpowered. The Bose amp that drives all the speakers is expecting a 1.5 ohm impedance load. It will deliver 4 x 25wrms with the Bose speakers. All aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm (apart from a very few 2 ohm units), so you will be getting about a 3rd of the power from them compared to the Bose speakers, about 10wrms if you are lucky.
You would need to wire them directly to the new HU, so running new speaker cable front to back.

 

[Dan s3 audi]

No you can't use 6 x 9's on the Bose system, and mounted in the flimsy parcel shelf they will sound dreadful anyway. Even if you disconnect the rears and use the output on the new speakers they will be very underpowered. The Bose amp that drives all the speakers is expecting a 1.5 ohm impedance load. It will deliver 4 x 25wrms with the Bose speakers. All aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm (apart from a very few 2 ohm units), so you will be getting about a 3rd of the power from them compared to the Bose speakers, about 10wrms if you are lucky.
You would need to wire them directly to the new HU, so running new speaker cable front to back.

Okay then that wont be a problem, i will run some speaker cable to the new head unit then. Now final question then, so i guess i can connect a new headunit onto the bose system? Sorry if you have already mentioned something about this i am just a little slow at times

Cheers

 

[AndyMac]

Yes you'll need the PC9-410 adapter to hook the front & rear pre-outs into the Bose amp loom.

 

[Dan s3 audi]

Yes you had already told me lol sorry about that

Thanks again i will give it a go in the next few weeks. You may be getting more questions asked lol

 

[S3 Es]

Dan, I had similar prob mate, got a friend of mine with an audio shop to order in the replacement subs, went down to get them installed and found it was the Bose box was cracked, not the subs at all, got that repaired so now have 2 x spare bose subs in excellent condition, theyre £80 each but Ill take an offer.