Speaker question

**drewski59** · 10-02-2005, 03:57 PM

Oh, I see. I misunderstood. I thought he was commenting on the whole car. My bad.

BTW, the "Bose" speakers are usually just $.37 Mexican OEM speakers with a Bose stamp on them! I only know this after examining many factory speaker systems! My grandma`s Lincoln does really have JBL speakers, although they can`t compare to the aftermarket JBLs.

**tlak** · 10-02-2005, 06:46 PM

I was referring to Accord as a whole car, but thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a story for different forum.

Hm I though my car was one of few, when I looked around it did not seam to be.

Honda made a name for itself with good products over past years, now the name gives them edge over domestic cars not the design.

**Scottwax** · 10-08-2005, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by drewski59

I replaced all of my factory speakers with Kappas.

I`d do the same if I didn`t have a Bose system in my car. Stock Bose speakers are 1 ohm and Kappas are 4 ohm. I`d hardly be able to hear them without changing amps too. Suprisingly, just switching the head unit to a Pioneer DEH6400 made such a massive improvement in sound-imagine! Bose speakers with clear, delicate highs!-that I can`t see spending an additional $800-1000 on a good four channel amp and Kappas all around (6 x8 for the doors and 6 x 9 for the rear deck) for a minimal improvement in sound quality.

BTW, I did have Kappas in my Honda and loved how they sounded. I did use the supplied external crossovers with them.

**Mike-in-Orange** · 10-08-2005, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by Scottwax

I`d do the same if I didn`t have a Bose system in my car. Stock Bose speakers are 1 ohm and Kappas are 4 ohm.

I know what you mean. I desperately wanted to trash the Bose system in my `99 Miata (absolutely the worst sounding system I`ve ever heard in a car!) and then I found out that the speakers are only......wait for it......half an ohm!! Yes, 0.5 ohm impedance on the Miata Bose speakers. Fortunately a company called Clearwater makes straight up replacements for them, which I swapped in, and the improvement was simply awesome. The bass is no longer muddy, the highs are now clear, and there`s actually a midrange with real content, and an actual soundstage! What a nutty concept. Oh, and I can now hear the darn thing with the top down at 80mph.

**drewski59** · 10-08-2005, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Mike-in-Orange

I know what you mean. I desperately wanted to trash the Bose system in my `99 Miata (absolutely the worst sounding system I`ve ever heard in a car!) and then I found out that the speakers are only......wait for it......half an ohm!! Yes, 0.5 ohm impedance on the Miata Bose speakers. Fortunately a company called Clearwater makes straight up replacements for them, which I swapped in, and the improvement was simply awesome. The bass is no longer muddy, the highs are now clear, and there`s actually a midrange with real content, and an actual soundstage! What a nutty concept. Oh, and I can now hear the darn thing with the top down at 80mph.

Ask any audiophile about Bose, and they`ll just act like this

:spit:

Bose is just a brand name now. They used to make decent speakers back in the 70s, but now their marketing is the only good thing about `em.

**papi_jay** · 10-09-2005, 02:00 AM

Did it ever occur to you guys that the OEM speakers are wired in series so the final load is still 4 ohms ? 4 .5 ohm speakers would do it , and 2 2 ohm speakers does it .

Since speakers have a natural rolloff anyways , it is very likely they didnt incorporate x-overs and such into an OEM system ..

**drewski59** · 10-09-2005, 08:11 AM

I think an aftermarket deck is almost mandatory when you replace the speakers. You need the extra power and sound quality.

**Mike-in-Orange** · 10-09-2005, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by papi_jay

Did it ever occur to you guys that the OEM speakers are wired in series so the final load is still 4 ohms ? 4 .5 ohm speakers would do it , and 2 2 ohm speakers does it .

Since speakers have a natural rolloff anyways , it is very likely they didnt incorporate x-overs and such into an OEM system ..

Nope, not in the Miata. The stupid things are actually 0.5 ohm speakers - mid/bass low in the door and tweeters up high near the dash - and nobody else makes speakers that will work with the Bose headunit in these things due to the propietary amps also in place. Most Miata owners perform what`s known as a full "Bose-ectomy" to elimiate the beast.

And drewski59 I fully agree with you. Audio has been a hobby of mine for many years, and I`ve never like the sound of Bose speakers.

**J.J.** · 10-09-2005, 05:13 PM

I have a factory Bose system in my Pathfinder. I would have to agree the clarity and overall sound is simply ****. I would like to replace the speakers, but I`ve heard it`s a real PITA due to the Bose amp they install.

JJ

**GlossyTundra** · 10-09-2005, 05:15 PM

My parents have bose stereos in their Infinity qx56(mom) and Denali(dad) and I think they sound great. I have kicker/rockford(subs) speakers in my truck powered with a 75x4 amp, and even though they sound great and have more bass than the Bose, I would still trade for the denali stereo anyday of the week. I have herd bad bose tho. Not all of them are great, but the ones I mentiond are IMO.

Brandon

**J.J.** · 10-09-2005, 05:41 PM

I though they sounded pretty good too until I rode in my friends Benz. I felt like I was sitting at a concert. The clarity was unreal and the bass was not bad either. I`m not sure what kind of system they have in a Benz, but I seriously doubt it was Bose... could be wrong though, and if so, damn Bose for not putting that kind of stereo in my Pathy!

JJ

**Wax2max** · 10-09-2005, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by WSUcommuter

I won`t discredit the durability of Japanese designed, American built automobiles. I will reject the notion that Honda, Isuzu, or any other foreign car I`ve ever sat in has better audio systems than GM (often Bose) or Ford (often JBL). I think that is the point above that was trying to be made.

Just a thought, but you might want to sit in a Lexus with the Mark Levinson system, or even a Subaru equiped with the McIntosh system upgrade. I haven`t heard it yet, but I suspect the new Mitsu Eclipse with a Rockford-Fosgate system will produce pretty good sound as well.

**drewski59** · 10-09-2005, 07:16 PM

Subies have McIntosh systems? No way! That`s incredible.

The Mark Levinson systems are pretty good in the Lexuses, but require some EQ work to sound their best.

The absolute best factory audio system I`ve ever heard is the Panasonic DVD-Audio system used in the Acura TL. (The fact that it supports DVD-Audio means it already has the potential at the source to be much clearer than ANY CD-based system. I sure wish Sony would come out with an SACD head unit. That would be very, very nice!

)