C5 Audio Upgrade
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,258
Likes: 61
From: League City TX
Re: C5 Audio Upgrade (Bogwon)
Add a Punch Amp 250a2, or equivalent. You want built-in X-overs and punch bass circuitry for tweaking. (99HT has all the details for tapping the Bose Pre-Amp level audio signal)
Add a 10" Sub in a Custom Box in the Center Storage Compartment (Stealthbox by JL would work for simplicity, but can be pricey)
Add 2 soft-dome tweeters up-front in parallel with the stock Bose twiddlers, using a resistor in series to quiet them down. This will add additional highs that the Bose system lacks.
Suggestion: Add damping material to the door panels as they have a tendency to squeak and buzz especially when the Bose Woofers in the doors are retained.
Things to remember:
1. Stereo shops think the C5s system is like the C4s. It is not. The Subs are the only speakers that rely on Bose Amps. The other Bose drivers are normal 4 ohm speakers being driven by the factory head-unit.
[Modified by Closer_2001, 10:50 AM 11/12/2001]
Add a 10" Sub in a Custom Box in the Center Storage Compartment (Stealthbox by JL would work for simplicity, but can be pricey)
Add 2 soft-dome tweeters up-front in parallel with the stock Bose twiddlers, using a resistor in series to quiet them down. This will add additional highs that the Bose system lacks.
Suggestion: Add damping material to the door panels as they have a tendency to squeak and buzz especially when the Bose Woofers in the doors are retained.
Things to remember:
1. Stereo shops think the C5s system is like the C4s. It is not. The Subs are the only speakers that rely on Bose Amps. The other Bose drivers are normal 4 ohm speakers being driven by the factory head-unit.
[Modified by Closer_2001, 10:50 AM 11/12/2001]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 256
Likes: 1
From: Fairview Oregon
Re: C5 Audio Upgrade (Closer_2001)
You're correct about people in shops thinking the C4 and C5 Bose systems are the same. I didn't know they were different either. So the speakers in a C5 don't have their own amps? If so, what would be good speakers to replace the rear speakers in a C5 convertible for better sound? I have been told that if you put a sub in the rear area and put the top down, you are almost sealing off that area and won't get much benefit from the sub. Does this make any sense? All of the shops I have talked to said I would need a "PI" adaptor at about $70 to $130, to make anything compatible with the Bose system. :confused:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,756
Likes: 5
From: Satellite Beach, FL, USA
Re: C5 Audio Upgrade (Bogwon)
You don't need any adapters to add a sub amp to the C5 system. The C5 Bose HU has line level pre-amp outputs.
Since the front and rear Bose Twiddlers only get fed 1khz and about, pick rear speakers with superior midrange and highs. Also get rear speakers with a swivel tweeter or ones that point at a 45 deg angle toward the front. The Vert and FRC use smaller 5.25" speakers in the rear versus the coupe's 6.5" ones.
The other option is to put pillar mount tweeters in parallel with the rear speakers. In this case you do not want to change the rear speakers. The rear speaker wires can also be accessed behind the HU.
Since the front and rear Bose Twiddlers only get fed 1khz and about, pick rear speakers with superior midrange and highs. Also get rear speakers with a swivel tweeter or ones that point at a 45 deg angle toward the front. The Vert and FRC use smaller 5.25" speakers in the rear versus the coupe's 6.5" ones.
The other option is to put pillar mount tweeters in parallel with the rear speakers. In this case you do not want to change the rear speakers. The rear speaker wires can also be accessed behind the HU.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 256
Likes: 1
From: Fairview Oregon
Re: C5 Audio Upgrade (99HT)
What about the statement by one of the guys at an audio store that when the top is down, it almost seals off the rear compartment and greatly cuts the performance of a sub making it almost useless? Also, to which HU outputs would the sub be connected? As I'm sure you know, every shop seems to have a different story. What size amp (Alpine,single channel?) and what size sub (single or double coil?) would you suggest for my convertible? Nothing to wake up the neighbors, but just good "fill". I never looked at this section of the Forum until I bought the C5. My '95 C4 Bose, (maybe my imagination) almost seemed like a better system? I know these questions get old, but I sure appreciate it. thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,258
Likes: 61
From: League City TX
Re: C5 Audio Upgrade (Bogwon)
Bass in Verts is always tricky.
Things to consider:
A sub in a car is really operating in 2 enclosures. You install the sub itself in a box. That box would be considered the rear chamber.
The you install the whole thing in a car. The car's interior/trunk is the front chamber.
Essentially, you are feeling/hearing the sub move air/soundwaves in a big box. If you make the front chamber infinitely large (by lowering the top), you reduce the sub's ability to pressurize.
That being said. In the Vert, the bass is going to really be for adding that thump you can feel. It is about expectations. When we are talking about a sub in a vert with the top down, don't expect to here the detail of Flea's bass lines as he slaps the strings on his bass. DO expect to feel the low tones on bass lines, feel the hits of a kick-drum and feel the electronic bass of something like Jay-Z. Remember, you have 8" speakers in the doors to add plenty of mid-bass.
So, with all that rambling in mind. Build/Buy a .65 ft^3 box with a heavy-duty 12" or 10" sub. A JL Audio 10W3/10W6 set for 3 ohms backed by about 150W of amp with a VARIABLE X-OVER will do the job very well. Rely on the Bose woofers up front for the bass detail and mid-bass. Rely on the sub to add the extra excitement.
Things to consider:
A sub in a car is really operating in 2 enclosures. You install the sub itself in a box. That box would be considered the rear chamber.
The you install the whole thing in a car. The car's interior/trunk is the front chamber.
Essentially, you are feeling/hearing the sub move air/soundwaves in a big box. If you make the front chamber infinitely large (by lowering the top), you reduce the sub's ability to pressurize.
That being said. In the Vert, the bass is going to really be for adding that thump you can feel. It is about expectations. When we are talking about a sub in a vert with the top down, don't expect to here the detail of Flea's bass lines as he slaps the strings on his bass. DO expect to feel the low tones on bass lines, feel the hits of a kick-drum and feel the electronic bass of something like Jay-Z. Remember, you have 8" speakers in the doors to add plenty of mid-bass.
So, with all that rambling in mind. Build/Buy a .65 ft^3 box with a heavy-duty 12" or 10" sub. A JL Audio 10W3/10W6 set for 3 ohms backed by about 150W of amp with a VARIABLE X-OVER will do the job very well. Rely on the Bose woofers up front for the bass detail and mid-bass. Rely on the sub to add the extra excitement.
