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My ole lady has a 88 35th Edition with stock everything. She wants to keep it ALL original looking ..... problem is the speakers suck ***. If they work they sound horrible and squeal. Ive done some research and everything says to replace the speakers and head unit. well i dont want to replace the head unit but am willing to put in aftermarket speakers behind the stock grills. i know i am going to be running 5.5 or 6.5 speakers in the front using these.... http://www.car-speaker-adapters.com/items.php?id=SAK073
Will be running 6x9 for the rears using the orginal brackets.
not going to be running high dollar or massive power to the speakers but just want the normal sound from the stereo.
I have not opened the compartments yet to look at anything. Just trying to get a feel for it all so I can buy her the stuff for Christmas.
Guess the questions are:
#1 will the stock stereo run 6.5 and 6x9 speakers without an inline amp?
#2 ive read there are 3 wires to eack stock speaker.... which ones do i hook to new speaker?
#3 will stock wiring hold up to current aftermarket speakers?
Not going to work. The system needs to be gutted, head unit, wires and speakers.
I think it has to do with the speakers being self powered or something like that on the Bose system.
There is a retro place that make stock looking radios with modern technology. If interest let me know and I'll post the link
My ole lady has a 88 35th Edition with stock everything. She wants to keep it ALL original looking ..... problem is the speakers suck ***. If they work they sound horrible and squeal. Ive done some research and everything says to replace the speakers and head unit. well i dont want to replace the head unit but am willing to put in aftermarket speakers behind the stock grills. i know i am going to be running 5.5 or 6.5 speakers in the front using these.... http://www.car-speaker-adapters.com/items.php?id=SAK073
Will be running 6x9 for the rears using the orginal brackets.
not going to be running high dollar or massive power to the speakers but just want the normal sound from the stereo.
I have not opened the compartments yet to look at anything. Just trying to get a feel for it all so I can buy her the stuff for Christmas.
Guess the questions are:
#1 will the stock stereo run 6.5 and 6x9 speakers without an inline amp?
#2 ive read there are 3 wires to eack stock speaker.... which ones do i hook to new speaker?
#3 will stock wiring hold up to current aftermarket speakers?
Thanks
The Bose Head unit outputs a preamp signal (very small) which is amplified by the Bose speakers which have built in amplifiers. These amplifiers give trouble, and probably need repairing in your car. Normal speakers would need a normal already amplified signal.
I am not sure what impedence (ohms) speakers the stock Bose amps are designed to work with. You might be able to use the stock line level output from the radio through an aftermarket amp/speaker setup, but this will require some new wiring.
The Retrosound Newport head unit and some new speakers is probably the best route to a stock look that will actually work for years to come, and most likely sound better than the stock bose system anyways.
Refurbed bose amps go for like $100-140 apiece, which is insane since you probably want to replace all 4 and then will still be stuck with the lousy 80's bose system.
The Newport is about 330 online, which is pretty steep for what it is, but the price you'll pay for modern functionality with stock appearance.
The above post got me thinking of another option. You could get a same era non GM non Bose radio and just run new speaker wires. It would look almost identical and probably be the cheapest option.
I'll bet she would change her mind if you got her a new Double Din replacement! Cd, BlueTooth, USB! I kept the stock speaker grills, but just replaced the carpet with speaker fabric.
Looks good but Ive already tried that. She just wnts it all stock and nice. Its he baby so Ill let her do as she pleases. Im a stickler for my Jeep so i understand if she wants it one way then she shall get it that way.
The Bose system has special amplifiers at each speaker location. It's the amps that are causing your problem, not the speakers. The speakers are very low impedence, about 1 or 2 ohms, so aftermarket speakers are not compatible. These speakers are mounted in some nice acoustic enclosures, which is another reason larger aftermarket speakers won't fit.
Aging capacitors are usually to blame for strange noises from these Bose amps. Look for a good stereo repair shop in your area, or on line. They are not easy to remove from your doors!
The link that vette196 posted above (#3) is going to be your cheapest route to keep it original. He says all of the speakers work, that being the case, you'll be hard pressed to beat it.
Sorry for the late post, but give this link a look http://www.carstereohelp.com/corvette.htm before you make a final decision. I have a 91 coupe which had the same stereo/speaker issues. I sent my amps to this guy and he repairs them for $80 with lifetime warranty. My Bose system sounds awesome.
12-08-2016, 08:54 AM
Stock Bose stereo powering aftermarket speakers
I kept the stock speaker grills, but just replaced the carpet with speaker fabric.
