Hi all,

After reading a lot of audio threads here and on other forums, I've come up with a plan to replace my CDR23 and Bose amp. I'm hoping to hear some constructive advice from the members here as to (1) whether the plan will work, (2) what should I watch out for while installing, and (3) options/alternatives I should consider.

Thanks in advance!

My car: 2004 C4S with Bose system

My requirements:

* Ipod integration (don't need CD player)
* Bluetooth hands-free, integrated into audio system
* A usable radio, mostly for my primary passenger

Note that neither audiophile sound quality nor street cruiser sound volume are needed. The Kinks, the Stones, the Who, Pink Floyd, CCR, and Bob Dylan would all sound pretty good playing from a boom box belted into the passenger seat. That said, I don't want to do a low-end job on such a sweet car (whose Fabspeed exhaust note sounds better than my music, anyway).

My plan:

* Phase 1: Replace head unit and amplifier
* Phase 2: Replace door speakers with 6.5" subs
* Phase 3: Replace dash and rear speakers


Equipment choices:

I'm considering Alpine iDA-305SBT (lacks radio preset buttons, generally poorly designed controls), Alpine CDA-117, and Kenwood units similar to these. I don't require a navigation system, but I would consider a double-din one (hate the motorized slide-out screens). Other than the cost of a HU with nav, it's the controls that bother me: few have volume ***** and most require lots of screen-reading to operate the basic audio functions.

I'm looking at 5 and 6-channel amps from JL Audio, Audison, Alpine, and Boston Acoustics. (The BA GT5750 has great specs for the price. Anyone have experience with this model?) These amps look like they are happy with 2-Ohm drivers, which I believe is the impedance of the stock Bose front and rear speakers.

Thinking of using passive crossovers on the front channels (e.g. the MB Quart crossovers used with their 6.5 inch "add a woofer" systems) to feed bass to the doors (250Hz crossover) and the dash with the rest. The rear speakers would be fed directly by the amp. And the subs would be driven by the amp's sub output. It seems like this would work with the stock speakers if I wired the 1-Ohm subs in series so the amp sees 2 Ohms.

But how do I control the gain of dash-versus-door? Suppose the stock door speakers start to distort at moderate volume... how can I reduce their gain relative to the dash speakers?

Another wiring option I'm considering is to leave out the factory sub altogether, and to drive the door speakers from the sub output of the amp (thus eliminating the passive crossovers I mentioned earlier). I'm sure the bass would be weak, but I will at some point replace the door speakers with 5.25" or 6.5" subs. I hold out hope that 6.5" door subs will be good enough for my needs, which will then allow me to remove the existing sub enclosure behind the rear seats to get some extra storage.

Is it crazy to consider removing the stock Bose subs+enclosure and to rely only on door-mounted subs?

For speakers, I'd love to get the Focal 3-ways for the front that people on these boards rave about, but they are too pricey. There are some MB Quarts that look pretty good at a more reasonable cost. I'd put 4" components in the dash (adding the extra wires and putting the crossovers in the luggage compartment), 3.5" coax in the rear (saving space, money, and install time), and the above-mentioned 6.5" subs in the doors.

As you can see by my requirements and proposed phases, I'm most interested in getting the iPod and iPhone BT functionality first. Because I'm doing the work myself, I would do the HU+Amp this year, and put off the speaker replacements to next winter.

So, what do you think? Advice on equipment choices, alternative strategies, and "things to watch out for" would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

The Internal amp output IC's for everything but the trunk mounted bass driver are

http://www.nxp.com/documents/data_sheet/TDA8566.pdf

Your simplest option would be to just install a Dension or mObridge adapter in the MOST loop and get BT and iPod. Done.

Very common upgrade, Eric at Bumperplugs.com is the Dension distributor and RL sponsor who can answer questions.

 

BTW, welcome to RL.
It is customary for newbies to post a picture of their car...

 

These solutions do look simple to install. I'd much rather control the music and answer calls through the HU, though, and the CDR23 lacks text display and phone controls.

There's a Parrot unit that combines BT and iPod functions into a unit with its own screen and controls, though, and this might be suitable. But it requires an aux input, and that means buying the more expensive Dension GW 500 (because the Lite lacks the aux in). That plus the Parrot adds up to around $650.

I'm interested to hear opinions on this idea (Dension + Parrot).

I was thinking this way: For about $400 more, I can replace the HU and amp using my own (priceless, ha!) labor. The result will be much cleaner inside the car (no extra gadgets -- I hate clutter) and likely better sound as well. By most accounts, the weak point after this upgrade will be the speakers, which I might replace in the future or not.

Thanks for the welcome! I will certainly post some pics asap.

 

Please remember that you will need to run wires from your head unit to your new amplifier location ... The OEM amp is all the way in the rear cargo compartment and only has optical fiber running to it from the front.

Parrot is a good name, many OEMs use their hardware.