Bose advice, it's decision time....
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 403
Likes: 1
From: Merritt Island Florida
Bose advice, it's decision time....
I have a Bose Gold Series CD/Cassette Radio in my 1994 C4. Everything on the radio works fine except the CD. The CD actually plays ok but will not eject a CD. I've been listening to the same CD for a long time now.
I like the Bose. I know that philosophy here is unacceptable but I like the sound of it and don't want to dump the speakers I already have installed (stock) in the car. The sound it produces is very acceptable to me.
My issue is I'd like to get the CD mechanism fixed but the cost is unacceptable. Dr Don wants $130 to fix it and if he adds CDR capability, that's another $200. That's a lot of money for a CD player.
I could go on living with what I have and save some money but the fact that it doesn't work is eating at my soul.
Was wondering if anyone here has ever replaced their radio with at compatible Bose head unit? Seems there are some serious upgrades available now.
In a perfect world, I'd add navigation, bluetooth and either an iPod interface or a USB port for memory sticks.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Billy
I like the Bose. I know that philosophy here is unacceptable but I like the sound of it and don't want to dump the speakers I already have installed (stock) in the car. The sound it produces is very acceptable to me.
My issue is I'd like to get the CD mechanism fixed but the cost is unacceptable. Dr Don wants $130 to fix it and if he adds CDR capability, that's another $200. That's a lot of money for a CD player.
I could go on living with what I have and save some money but the fact that it doesn't work is eating at my soul.
Was wondering if anyone here has ever replaced their radio with at compatible Bose head unit? Seems there are some serious upgrades available now.
In a perfect world, I'd add navigation, bluetooth and either an iPod interface or a USB port for memory sticks.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Billy
Safety Car
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 5
From: Atlantis
Cruise-In I Veteran
I could accept the sound from the BLose in my '91.
But it won'y play CD's. It won't play cassettes.
The lights don't work and most of the time it won't play radio stations.
I've already replaced all FOUR of the bad speaker amps.
THe whole thing iss generally a big POS.
Corvette... the $30,000 car with the 30 cent sound system.
This is one thing I truly don't like about my Corvette.
Bose "Gold"??? More like Bose Pot Metal IMO. I don't think there was ever anything "Gold" about this POC system.
Based on the 'quality' or lack thereof, I NEVER want to own another product made or marketed by Bose.
Sorry for the rant. Hope you get your's working to your satisfaction.
Edit: I don't think ANYTHING is compatible with the BLose seperate speaker amp design. THe speaker wiring is only useful for low level signals (can'r drive a regular speaker). And the speakers are such LOW IMPEDANCE a regular radio can't drive them even without the amps.
IF YOU by chance have four good amps/speakers I reckon you 'could' cobb up a signal level/impedance matching network that would allow a regular HU to drive the BLose speakers.
That's what I should do with mine, I guess. But I despise the BLose so much I don't want to mess with it.
I'm not kidding, I believe any kindergardener could design a better system.
But it won'y play CD's. It won't play cassettes.
The lights don't work and most of the time it won't play radio stations.
I've already replaced all FOUR of the bad speaker amps.
THe whole thing iss generally a big POS.
Corvette... the $30,000 car with the 30 cent sound system.
This is one thing I truly don't like about my Corvette.
Bose "Gold"??? More like Bose Pot Metal IMO. I don't think there was ever anything "Gold" about this POC system.
Based on the 'quality' or lack thereof, I NEVER want to own another product made or marketed by Bose.
Sorry for the rant. Hope you get your's working to your satisfaction.
Edit: I don't think ANYTHING is compatible with the BLose seperate speaker amp design. THe speaker wiring is only useful for low level signals (can'r drive a regular speaker). And the speakers are such LOW IMPEDANCE a regular radio can't drive them even without the amps.
IF YOU by chance have four good amps/speakers I reckon you 'could' cobb up a signal level/impedance matching network that would allow a regular HU to drive the BLose speakers.
That's what I should do with mine, I guess. But I despise the BLose so much I don't want to mess with it.
I'm not kidding, I believe any kindergardener could design a better system.
Last edited by VetNutJim; Jan 19, 2007 at 08:04 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 403
Likes: 1
From: Merritt Island Florida
It does sound good....
I do believe my system sounds pretty good. The CD mechanism on the radio is toast but every other feature of the radio works fine, as does the amps and speakers.
However, I agree that GM made a mistake with the Bose. They would have done better to have a more versatile system. I think the Bose is WAY overpriced. I have to spend $345 to get my CD fixed and upgraded to a working one. Will be the most expensive CD player I own.
As it stands though, the task of removing the radio from the dash has me stuck in standby mode. It's a little beyond what I'm comfortable doing.
I have some old Cassettes that I've been playing in the meantime. Songs I have not heard for years. These have been sitting in the closet for a long time because who uses cassettes anymore when CDs rule?
Billy
Race Director
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,597
Likes: 237
From: Bartlett Illinois
Hey Billy,
the removal of the OEM headunit is easy.. If you are in No rush.. I should be helping a friend swap to a Bose CD head from his Cassette deck.. I could take pictures as we go..
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
"unass" ????
I do believe my system sounds pretty good. The CD mechanism on the radio is toast but every other feature of the radio works fine, as does the amps and speakers.
However, I agree that GM made a mistake with the Bose. They would have done better to have a more versatile system. I think the Bose is WAY overpriced. I have to spend $345 to get my CD fixed and upgraded to a working one. Will be the most expensive CD player I own.
As it stands though, the task of removing the radio from the dash has me stuck in standby mode. It's a little beyond what I'm comfortable doing.
I have some old Cassettes that I've been playing in the meantime. Songs I have not heard for years. These have been sitting in the closet for a long time because who uses cassettes anymore when CDs rule?
Billy
I do believe my system sounds pretty good. The CD mechanism on the radio is toast but every other feature of the radio works fine, as does the amps and speakers.
However, I agree that GM made a mistake with the Bose. They would have done better to have a more versatile system. I think the Bose is WAY overpriced. I have to spend $345 to get my CD fixed and upgraded to a working one. Will be the most expensive CD player I own.
As it stands though, the task of removing the radio from the dash has me stuck in standby mode. It's a little beyond what I'm comfortable doing.
I have some old Cassettes that I've been playing in the meantime. Songs I have not heard for years. These have been sitting in the closet for a long time because who uses cassettes anymore when CDs rule?
Billy
As for removing the head unit, read C4 Guru - Head Unit Removal and Installation. It's part of the C4 Audio FAQ.
