Help !
87 Coupe equipted with Bose System.
Problem : Intermittent whining noise as if from alternator.
" " : While driving radio is operating normal, all of a sudden
there is a loud popping noise from rear speakers.
Speakers turn off & on and there is a lot of static.
After turning off the ignition for a while the radio will operate
fine for a while again. ???????????

 

the amps are dying. more than likely, these little capacitors fail, spreading goo on the board.

 

Get shovel
Dig Hole
Remove all Bose
Place Bose In Hole
Fill Hole
Go buy nice aftermarket sound system

 

Intermittent alternator whine is caused by intermittent connection of the battery cables to the battery posts. Remove battery cables (neg first) and clean the cable lugs, battery posts, and bolts and replace (neg last). Popping and loss of audio can be speaker amps. If you are handy, you can replace the electrolytic capacitors (these are usually the fault) in the amplifiers. Your Bose system isn't bad enough to replace IMHO.

 

I love my Bose. I think the sound separation and quality is excellent for factory unit. Listen with enough money you can buy sound systems that will fill a stadium but for pure listening pleasure the Bose work fine. I do get some static on the am channels but when I drive my Vette I hardly listen to am.

 

What you are missing is how much that Bose cost when new - about $900 to $1100, depending on vintage.

For that kinda $$, I can build you a system that would put the Bose to shame.

 

 

I say leave the Bose in and fix the amps. I don't want to be the only guy here who has the Bose system and likes it..........

 

This is my take on the Bose system:

It was designed to reproduce delicate sounds... classical guitar, piano, things like that... Things that don't require huge power or range... and when tested, sound like heaven on earth.

The problem is that most people don't listen to stuff like that outside the stereo store... when they drop in their favourite CD, it's flat and lifeless.

A few years ago, I went to the local Bose Outlet with the girl I was dating at the time. She thought the bose was the ****, yo... it was far from it... I played the Titantic soundtrack for her in my car (1994 Honda Prelude, Canton RS3s in the front, RS2s in the rear, Alpine 7939head unit, ERA-G320 EQ, Butler Tube Driver 1500 for the front stage, Rockford Fosgate 500m for the 10" Alusonic sub, and a POS Acousitic 20 watt per for the rear fill). The opening bass synth stunned her the first time she ever heard it. I suspect that effect hit down to about 20hz... maybe lower at some points. But my system could go down to 20hz with no problem...

I took that same CD and put it into a Bose lifestyle system, with the top of the line Jewel speaker modules... the bass module could not even come close to the bottom of the bass synth. It ran out of guts at about 40~50hz. You could actually hear it die... so sad... and people spend $3k+ for that POS.

This is my problem with bose... The best speakers they make are the 901's... that's it... after that, it goes down into the pit of hell.

To put it this way, my home theater is a Yamaha amp, Panasonic DVD-RAM player/recorder, Mirage 5.1 (w/powered 8" sub). That system cost about $1700, total... and will blast a $3k bose system into next Thursday.

Bose is all about marketing and torturing air... and people percieve it in a postive light.

The Bose bass module has 2 6" round (nominal) drivers in it... the amp runs them at about 1500hz, and the porting slows the air down to about 50hz... it's a neat trick, but that's it...