This is yet another audio system upgrade thread, but bear with me. After reading a lot of the other threads, I've come up with a plan. I'm hoping to hear some constructive advice from the members as to (1) whether the plan will work, (2) what should I watch out for while installing, and (3) options/alternatives I should consider.

Thanks in advance!

My car: 2004 C4S with Bose system

My requirements:

• Ipod integration (don't need CD player)
• Bluetooth hands-free, integrated into audio system
• A usable radio, mostly for my primary passenger

Note that neither audiophile sound quality nor street cruiser sound volume are needed. The Kinks, the Stones, the Who, Pink Floyd, CCR, and Bob Dylan would all sound pretty good playing from a boom box belted into the passenger seat. That said, I don't want to do a low-end job on such a sweet car (whose Fabspeed exhaust note sounds better than my music, anyway).

My plan:

• Phase 1: Replace head unit and amplifier
• Phase 2: Replace door speakers with 6.5" subs
• Phase 3: Replace dash and rear speakers

Equipment choices:

I'm considering Alpine iDA-305SBT (lacks radio preset buttons, generally poorly designed controls), Alpine CDA-117, and Kenwood units similar to these. I don't require a navigation system, but I would consider a double-din one (hate the motorized slide-out screens). Other than the cost of a HU with nav, it's the controls that bother me: few have volume ***** and most require lots of screen-reading to operate the basic audio functions.

I'm looking at 5 and 6-channel amps from JL Audio, Audison, Alpine, and Boston Acoustics. (The BA GT5750 has great specs for the price. Anyone have experience with this model?) These amps look like they are happy with 2-Ohm drivers, which I believe is the impedance of the stock Bose front and rear speakers.

Thinking of using passive crossovers on the front channels (e.g. the MB Quart crossovers used with their 6.5 inch "add a woofer" systems) to feed bass to the doors (250Hz crossover) and the dash with the rest. The rear speakers would be fed directly by the amp. And the subs would be driven by the amp's sub output. It seems like this would work with the stock speakers if I wired the 1-Ohm subs in series so the amp sees 2 Ohms.

But how do I control the gain of dash-versus-door? Suppose the stock door speakers start to distort at moderate volume... how can I reduce their gain relative to the dash speakers?

Another wiring option I'm considering is to leave out the factory sub altogether, and to drive the door speakers from the sub output of the amp (thus eliminating the passive crossovers I mentioned earlier). I'm sure the bass would be weak, but I will at some point replace the door speakers with 5.25" or 6.5" subs. I hold out hope that 6.5" door subs will be good enough for my needs, which will then allow me to remove the existing sub enclosure behind the rear seats to get some extra storage.

Is it crazy to consider removing the stock Bose subs+enclosure and to rely only on door-mounted subs?

For speakers, I'd love to get the Focal 3-ways for the front that people on these boards rave about, but they are too pricey. There are some MB Quarts that look pretty good at a more reasonable cost. I'd put 4" components in the dash (adding the extra wires and putting the crossovers in the luggage compartment), 3.5" coax in the rear (saving space, money, and install time), and the above-mentioned 6.5" subs in the doors.

As you can see by my requirements and proposed phases, I'm most interested in getting the iPod and iPhone BT functionality first. Because I'm doing the work myself, I would do the HU+Amp this year, and put off the speaker replacements to next winter.

So, what do you think? Advice on equipment choices, alternative strategies, and "things to watch out for" would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

Whatever you do, hang on to the CDR23 head unit. The CPM is essential in getting some readings from the DME. I just experienced this as my local P dealer had to remove my aftermarket Pioneer AVX and temporarily replace it with my (kept) CDR23 to get a reading of engine problems.

 

ogun228: Thanks! I would never have guessed this. (How strange...)

 

Check out the Alpine head units with no cd player. They have a larger screen and you get more features (less a cd player) for the same price. if not the alpine cda 117 is excellent, also check out the alpien cda-9833 or cda- 9835 , older but better units

 

I've never heard of this. Can you give us any more details about what they were diagnosing or what readings they were trying to get that required the CDR23? (I wonder if the system was showing an electrical error and they wanted the CDR23 to make sure the new audio system wasn't the source.)

 

Yes. The car just stopped at a red light and would not restart although it turned over. Towed to the nearest dealer. No faults. Long story short, access to DME stored info could not be gained since no PCM. Finally after the temporary swap of the audio front end, it turned out o be a broken intermediate chain tensioner guide that threw the timing. Engine kaput. They showed me pics of the engine internals with the debris floating. Don't ask me how they did it...

 

JL AUDIO XD600/6 is a good amp. Im not sure how the 996 BOSE amps are but if the are small like the 997s then this would be a better amp. Its small and packs a punch. This is what I'm getting. Im having to redo the whole system.