NEED HELP Help an Audio Layman Choose a Sound System!

[therealsethallen]

So, I think it's time for some speakers! But I'm totally clueless about this so here goes!

I DO NOT want to modify the 9-7's fine Bose System in any way other than some higher quality speakers and tweeters. I do not want to run wires, mess with amps or replace the factory head unit unless it'll be super worth it. But I'm open to suggestions from the community and I'll listen to anything. If you follow me on Instagram, you know what I listen to.

My legitimate question though, no online resource seems to be completely in agreement over the size of ANY Speakers, or the dash tweeters. I know they're a 2-Way, since I replaced one blown one with from a junkyard Envoy, however I forgot to measure and tossed the old one immediately after I tested it.

Lastly, I really don't want to spend a fortune. $150-200 for the whole truck should be fine.

 

[DAlastDON]

Personally i think the bose system is a pile of shit that was put together for speaker efficiency and not sound quality. Speaker impedance are as follows. Dash speakers are 4ohm, Front door speakers are subs running at 1ohm, Rear door speakers are 2ohm. All of the speakers cones are made of paper. The front door speakers use an inverted magnet to save space. Currently i run the factory speakers. Replace the speakers and not match the impedance/efficiency with the factory speakers and you will get worse/less sound.

The head unit is the only thing that i replaced. Replaced it with a kenwood excelon dnx9140 from my previous car. When i first put it in i was not happy at all. After playing around with the 12 band equalizer, digital time alignment, speaker location, srs wow, and cross over settings i became content.

My previous car also had a pile of shit bose system with paper cone speakers and its own amp too. I was not content with it until i tore the whole bose system out and replaced it with JL amps, morel components in the doors, and a JL 13w7 in the trunk.

No highs and no lows. Must be a blose.

 

[MAY03LT]

Front door



Rear door



Dash tweet

All photos courtesy of nelson.

The measurements were meant to show cone diameter but you can see that asides from the 5 1/4" rear door speakers, the other two are oddball sizes. This is why there's a lot of conflicting numbers. Some of us made mounting plates to get aftermarket tweeters in the dash, and some modified the bose door pods to hold 6 1/2" speakers in the front doors.

This is a mount that I made for my dash tweeters:



You might be able to do a front component/rear coaxial for $200 if you can modify them to fit yourself.

 

[therealsethallen]

I've got a buddy with a 2014 Cruze Diesel, which also has Audio by Bose and he claims the basic sound system in his 2002 Jetta TDI was better. I'm sure I can mod something to fit, I'm resourceful enough. I mean, I do have a Master of Duct Tapeology from Jerry Rig University and a Bachelor's in Hogepodge Tech from the Gorilla Glue Institute.

The Bose system has been perfectly fine for me, the music I listen to doesn't include a ton of bass as it so happens John Denver was not all bout it you know.

Thanks for the pics @MAY03LT that helps a lot. I know you're running Rockford speakers yourself in those bitchin' custom pods.

If I put a set of something similar with in my truck without doing anything what might the results [hypothetically] be if I can bodge it together properly with the magnets facing properly?

 

[littleblazer]

The Bose in the full size trucks was good.... ours not so much. I gutted the speakers in a friends truck and put in a head unit retaining the Bose amp and it sounded decent. The non lux... lux... I don't know but the amp is just a straight up amplifier and seemed to play well with 4 ohm speakers. It got pretty loud actually and retained... decent sound all around. I was mighty impressed for cost and sound and it was significantly better than my truck which was running off just the head unit at the time.

 

[therealsethallen]

So @littleblazer you're saying if I grabbed a set from a Bose-Equipped GMT-800 Burb, Yukon, Escalade, perhaps even a Crew Cab Silverado/Sierra and modded them slightly it may sound alright?

 

[littleblazer]

You'd have to swap the entire system over since it's entirely different. Which isn't possible I think and even then it would need to be pre 2005ish. Just the speakers won't do anything. I can confirm that polk db651 fits in the rear door of a bose truck with no cutting at all iirc. The cage is small for a 6.5.

 

[therealsethallen]

That was my thought. I refuse do anything with the head unit and I refuse because I hate aftermarket audio stuff being visible. I like the 9-7's interior as is, even if it's a bit beat up.

 

[FearlessAZ]

I'm guessing the stock bose speakers off a full size would cost more than the aftermarket ones anyways. And I would be willing to bet it wouldn't sound as good as something from aftermarket for the same price.

Aren't the door speakers 6.5 inch? Or are they different on the bose models? Choosing the right speaker would depend on the wattage coming from your system. I run Polk MM651 in each door of my trailblazer.

 

[littleblazer]

Bose is known for odd ball sizes... the vette is 6x9 cutouts with plates and adapters for 3 inch speakers for the bose.

 

[Matt]

If you have the full Bose system the front doors are drivers about 7" and the rears are about 5" as shown in May's photo's.

I plan on replacing the rears with 6.5" Polk coaxial's and the front's with 6.75" Polk components.