Gambling on a set of Bose Amps
 

I'm usually not a gambling kind of guy, but this time I am.

I have 3 of my 4 speakers out on my 91 with a Bose Gold. I'm pretty sure that the amps are fried.

I found some on Craigslist cheap that I'm going to take a chance on. I can return them for full credit if they don't work.

So, before I start taking the car apart to replace what might not work, is there a way I can "bench test" these amps to see if they are working?

Thanks!

The easiest thing to test is if they are getting power. With the car in at least accessory position and the radio on you can check the orange wire for +12 volts in reference to the black wire of the speaker. More detailed troubleshooting info here.

The "amps are fried" is not quite clear enough to offer any good technical advice. As I have repaired lots of these amps, generally the semiconductors to not go bad. The electrolytic capacitors are the problem a great deal of the time. They can be checked on the bench with a power supply and an audio generator. Some knowhow would be advisable to.

It would be helpful to know what the symptoms of each amp is. Then some useable advice may be available.

When buying other amps you need to know if it is to be used in front or real. Reason is the equalization is radically different and the sound would suck putting a rear amp in the front.

The large cps are good for 20 to 25 years. If they are swollen or you can see anything leaking out of them they are shot. Buy the caps for 1 amp solder them in and test in car, if it fixes it do the rest. Be careful as well what year they come out of. Last I looked every year does not fit every other.