Quick question for anyone who is well learned about upgrading the stock speakers in the W202 Bose surround sound stereo setup. I've got a C36 with the European optioned Harman/Kardon GPS headunit. Recently popped the two rear shelf 6.5" midrange drivers out and popped in a component set of MB Quarts.

Basically the original speaker signals are going into the crossover and I have the tweeter and mid's coming off of that, as they should. Now the part that killed me was when I listened to it, the mids are clipping (I think) or just have no ability to handle any bass without sounding awful. Tweeters sound okay, however, it is hard to isolate the way they sound. One thing is for sure, the mids sound BAD low or high volume. I measured the coil on the original speakers and got a 2.3 ohm reading. The impedance of the MB quarts is 4 ohms, can this be exactly why they sound awful? Could I pop a 2ohm resistor in series going into each speaker input? Should I just cut my losses and get a 2 ohm component set? Can you even technically run components off of the rear deck channel or just a single midrange driver? Any suggestions from people who have upgraded the stock deck and door speakers?

I haven't changed the stock stereo but I am VERY familiar with car audio. I am thinking that perhaps the stock Bose amp is not powerful enough for the MB Quarts, not enough power is usually the culprit when it comes to clipping. I would suggest getting some speakers that are as close to the ohm rating of the stock speakers.

I have another audio related question; in my 1996 C36 the system has a lot of noise which is audible at low levels which sounds as if you are playing a cassette tape. Do all bose systems in the C36 sound this bad or am I the only lucky one? I am thinking the only way to get good sound is to ditch everything stock and start again, what do you guys think?

Odd... The stock sound system in my C43 is the Bose sound system and I think it sounds GREAT. I am not familiar with the system in the C36 but I would start by listening to each speaker seprately to see if there is a speaker that is damaged creating the bad sound quality. If it's not a speaker then I would start by changing out the head unit and see if that changes anything.

Thanks for the input man! I do have an old school audiophile grade A/D/S/ 5.1 channel amp that I could tack into the speaker channels right after the Bose amp.....I think that would work? How many channels does the stock Bose surround sound amp have?

Would you recommend going with components in place of the stock single midrange driver on the deck? Or a single midrange/bass driver powered by a separate amp (such as: http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-CompVT-.../dp/B0013FHJ8M )

I'm pretty sure there are tweeters everywhere in this system so I'm thinking component mids/tweets would be overkilling the high end.

I am not sure about the C36 but I believe the C43 has a 6 channel amp. I would be careful using a different amplifier as you may notice a difference in sound quality. The bose system is set up specifically for our cars and changing out the amplifier may change how your system sounds completely. Personally I would try and match all your replacement parts to the stock compnents ratings or otherwise change EVERYTHING not just the amp or speakers but the whole system (head unit, speakers, amp) other wise you may be dissapointed as well as confused as to why you have a better piece of equipment and yet it doesn't sound as good.

I think you misunderstood, I'm going to leave the Bose amp untouched, just send the speaker outputs after the Bose amp into another amplifier (Bose will serve as a pre-amp at this point). I hope I can get away with just matching impedance but if I do need more power I think this would be a very easy way to not only alleviate the issue but keep from modifying stock components. I'm dead set on keeping the Bose, and my OEM Harman Kardon GPS navigational head unit in.

Can you post a pic of your HK head unit? I have never heard of that, sounds cool.

It's actually a really sleek unit considering how old it is. Has every function you can think of including GAL which raises the volume according to engine speed/rpm. Has built in navigation which automatically fades your music out whenever the british lady talks I also modded a H/K drive+play unit into the ash tray so the screen folds up and away inside when I park, very safe unit for ipods while you drive.

The stock sound system in the C43 also will adjust the volume to accomodate outside noise. I didn't know that they came with a HK sound system stock, HK is TOP OF THE LINE.

It's a clever little feature but I rarely use it. Keep in mind, in 1995 I didn't even know what "GPS" was....let alone having it in my car! Gotta love it! Hopefully I'll have some time to poke around the system tmrw. See if some resistors can help match up the impedance.

ben
never AMP a Pre AMP output as this will magnify any noise or distortion found in the signal.
The stock amp is **** just get some good wires and route the to a new amp
btw i have alot of noise in my AMG even when the speakers are not connected to the amp or head unit
i think my rebuild alternator is the reason
need to have a new one in and see if it solves it.

It's odd to me that a lot of people talk trash about the Bose system. I have been installing car stereos for about 10 years now and I truly think it is one of the better stock sound systems I have heard. Mercedes, Porsche, and other high end automakers use Bose for their stock sound systems, I find it hard to believe that they are putting junk into their high end vehicles. They tune these systems specifically for the car it is installed in. Just my 2 cents.

P.S. Agreed about the pre-amping statement, I wouldn't suggest doing it

Man the C43 has way much better sound system than that of the 36. When i was choosing of either buying the 36 or the 43 i was really impressed by the quality of the 43 sound system. But i know my self and i know that ill be replacing everything so i didnt take it into consideration.

Any way now my car has 6X9 3 way Rokfords in the rear, Rokford components up front and sub box in the trunk with ALPINE AMP for the Speakers and A ROCKFORD 800RMS amp for the subs.

Jay whats up man! so would you recommend just swapping out the Bose amp and putting in a high end 5 channel for the mids and tweeters then running a separate mono amp for the sub?

That's how I would do it... Might even look into getting the stock bose system out of the C43 and installing a seperate monoblock amp for the sub

I suppose its about time I put my old A/D/S to work! Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the Bose amp? All the wires are RIGHT there I just don't want to spend all day figuring out exactly what each single wire corresponds to.


UPDATE
Just did a bit of poking in alldata and the WIS.....on a stock NON Bose system is there an amp? I'm wondering if this is just the stock amplifier diagram or does it indeed represent the Bose hookups?

my amg has a philips AMP, so check urs ben. speakers are (were) bose thou!!!!

Who here has their stock tweeters functioning? Particularly in the C43s....

mine is working perfectly!

I have not worked with Car Stereo in years, but in the past Bose car systems were highly integrated. The speakers made for the amp and the amp made for the speaksrs. The speakers are even tuned for the size and shape of the car interiors. Impedence is likely the problem if the new speakers sound worse than the originals.

Don't you think the original bose speakers, with no defects, sound pretty nicel just as they are. I love the damm things.

By the way, I had no sound from the right channel in my 2005 CL-600 when I first took it home. Mechanic told me probably need an amp. But I saw on this website that there have been some problems with the door wireing, so l looked at that first. If you pull back (from the door, not the car) the rubber sheath that covers the wires in the door jam, you will see three sheaths within it. The speaker wires are in the smallest of them. Feel it with your fingers, squeezing hard. If you find a part where the wires feel thinner than in the rest of the sheath, that's where they are broken. Cut the sheath carefully with a razor blade or exacto knife, so as to not do any more damage. Cut enough of it away so you can work. you do not want to replace it anway. It is what holds the wires tight in one places and makes them fold and unfold in one spot. Let them breath a little, you still have the big outer sheath to slide back in place. Splice the broken wires with butt connectors. Use a good quality crimp tool and nylon, not cheap plastic, connectors. Enjoy your Bose stereo.

Michael

I know I'm pissed off at whomever yanked out the ENTIRE stock sound system from my 98 C43 and replaced it with hideous, awful sounding pioneer junk. My 94 was all stock and my 99 C43 is all stock, and they sounded GREAT. Definitely one of the best stock sound systems I have ever heard.

the pioneer in my 98 C43 sounds like someone taped pieces of paper over the stock system. there's no clipping or obvious sound defects--they just sound bad. it just doesn't sound right. plus, the head unit is HIDEOUS. climb into my all original 99 C43 sitting next to it and it's a night vs day difference.

I also do know that my 1994 C280 had the exact same sound system as my 99 C43, except the older head unit. I can't imagine the C36 had a different (or lesser) sound system than my 94 C280's Bose.