[jugdish]

So, my quest to improve the sound of the 11 speaker bose system has begun. I started by ordering these tweeters by Infinity: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A98OMA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02 and these as well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CMYVLI/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 . I started by removing the pillar trim which simply pry's off. There is a retainer on the trim that keeps the pillar from blowing off if the airbag is deployed, so you need to really pull hard to get that off. After that, the tweeters are easily removed with a screwdriver. I tapped the factory wires with 22 gauge wire taps, and had the new tweeters installed in about 45 minutes total for both sides. After that, I took off the front grills, only to find that the speaker size is actually 2 5/8" not 3 1/2", so I couldn't swap those out. Out of curiosity, I hooked up the Infinity Reference 3 1/2 to the front speaker location and really didn't care for the sound (too bright). So no real loss in the speaker not fitting. The tweeters really made a difference in clarity. The audio at higher levels is far less harsh on the ears. I went with these tweeters because bose systems are 2 ohm's where just about every other system is 4 ohms. Infinity makes 2 ohm speakers so that you can directly connect the speakers to the factory amps without having to fart around with a separate amp.

Overall, it was a good, inexpensive upgrade to the front speakers, and these Infinity tweeters pair nicely with the stock bose mid and bass woofers. Next week, I'm replacing the stock subwoofer for a JL audio 8" sub. I'll let you know the results of that in this same thread.

 

[cfrp]

How do you plan to integrate the 8" sub into the factory sub area? Or do you just plan to leave a sub box in the back? Good call on the tweeter upgrade, I was wondering why you used Infiniti rather then aftermarket. So what are you going to do with the speakers? Do you plan to upgrade any of the front and rear speakers?

 

[jugdish]

Don't confuse Infiniti with Infinity.... Infinity speakers are aftermarket speakers that are decent quality (not audiophile but pretty good). As far as the sub, I'm going to tap the wires that go to the factory sub, put an inline RCA adapter on them and use that line to feed the amp to the sub. The sub actually fits inside the back cubby!

 

[cfrp]

Ahh yes. Forgot infinity was a speaker company. Show us pictures of the sub. I'd like to see how it fits. Which sub box are you using?

 

[jugdish]

http://www.jlaudio.com/cp108lg-w3v3-car-audio-microsub-subwoofer-systems-93133

 

[JX35MD]

I'm pretty satisfied with the 15 speaker Bose Cabin Surround system with the Deluxe Touring. I listened to a bunch of sources at high volume and the reproduction was great with high quality MP3s in the USB. I couldn't tell a difference with listening to the same MP3s via Bluetooth from the same iPhone source. You just lose some of the controls that you have with playlists and such using the USB for iPhone. There's a little bit of drop off in sound quality to XM and a little bit more to FM radio, but I wouldn't mind listening to either for background music while driving. The bass is nice and tight but still very powerful. Even if it wasn't all the way up to my standards, I would just leave it alone on our leased JX.

That being said, I did do similar tweeter upgrades in my 2003 G35 Coupe. I had a fully loaded car with the best factory Bose system, but the high end was muddled crap. It was immensely improved with swapping out the tweeter domes with InfinitY tweeters on the doors next to the side view mirrors.

jugdish, let us know how it turns out and post a few photos of the install if you can.

 

[cfrp]

Seems like upgrading the tweeters is a simple upgrade that makes a noticeable difference. I might try it out when I have time.

 

[Three.Five_FX]

I love music and will be adding 2 12's in the rear But I won't be blasting it crazy loud to a point it rattles everything, it'll give some nice low/deep base. awesome for passengers watching video's while im driving

 

[jugdish]

The space in the back where the stock bose subwoofer sits, would make a great area for a custom subwoofer box....

 

[cfrp]

Yea I'm actually going to look at upgrading the subwoofer with the one jugdish used. If it fits in perfectly than that is SWEET.

 

[jugdish]

UPDATE....

So.... I have found the "weak link" in the Bose sound system. To my ears, it is definitely the 2" speakers in the dash. After a long and hard search for a replacement that would fit without modification, and efficient enough to survive with the stock Bose amp, I have found nirvana..... A company out of California called CDT: http://cdtstore.com/midwoofers/es02bl.htm After speaking with CDT, they confirmed that while the speaker is rated 4 ohms, it is efficient enough to run on a 2 ohm amp without loss of volume. The speaker is a hybrid tweeter/mid woofer, and I must tell you it sounds spectacular.

My issue with the stock Bose speakers in the dash was the "harshness" emitted on higher tones. I attribute this to the fact the speaker has thin plastic tweeters. Additionally, Bose did a shitty job at designing the system. Adjusting the bass to a level that makes the stock speakers sound "less harsh" results in far too much bass coming from the woofers in the door. When I first plugged the CDT speakers in, they sounded very bright, but once I put them into the hole in the dash, they sounded spectacular: the harshness is gone, highs are very crisp and the mid's are well defined without the need of pushing the bass higher than 1 over the middle setting. Combined with the JL audio sub I had installed, the system sounds fantastic, even better than the Mark Levinson system in my old Lexus GX. (and that was a great sounding system for a non-aftermarket system).

All told, I have spent $260 on speakers and $445 on the subwoofer setup (not including the subwoofer amp installation, which I paid a shop to do. That way if there was damage, they had to pay) I can say that it was money WELL spent.

You may think I'm crazy to go to this effort just for the stereo (my neighbor did), but you have to understand that my car is basically my office. I probably spend more time driving than I do sleeping.

 

[Tiggaman]

jugdish, post some pics if you can man. Would love to see your subwoofer setup! Are you compromising any space back there?

 

[cfrp]

Apparently it goes right into the wheel well so it doesn't take up anymore space than the OEM unit.

 

[infinite_limitz]

Post pics now please

 

[jugdish]

Here are pics of the Sub....

The sub easily fits in the rear compartment if the stock sub is removed. Because I use this car for work, and I only have 2 kids, and we have a minivan for hauling crowds, I put the JL sub behind the second row seats. To do this, I removed the headrests from the third row and just placed it on the floor. It is held in place by the second row seats and as you can see in the pic, even with the sub in that spot, there is still 13" of leg room from the front seats (my old Lexus GX had 8" with the front seats set uncomfortably close to the dashboard). I found it fit better by placing the the sub side of the box facing the rear. I also put the sub there so that I could have more defined bass with less volume. I also chose to keep the stock sub installed because I could. The idiot installer attached the amp to the metal base that the stock sub sits on, and he didn't leave me enough power cable to move it. So I hold the stock sub in place by placing a towel on the top and the cover fits snugly over it. With the speaker upgrades I made, and the JL subwoofer addition, the audio now puts a big smile on my face. My wife could give a shit about this stuff, and even she complimented how good it sounds. I played 2 songs for her: Come sail away - Styx (the transition to electric guitar and drums towards the end sounds insanely good) and Exodus - Bob Marley (the bass hits on this song really show why a good subwoofer makes a big difference).

 

[jugdish]

Oh, and the volume control for the sub was mounted underneath the stereo... can barely tell it's there.

 

[jugdish]

Door Removal:

There are 2 screw locations on each door: Behind the door latch, and the handle area. Carefully pry off the plastic covers with a small regular screw driver (I put electric tape on the tip so I don't scratch anything) Once those are off, remove the 3 screws. Once removed, just pull the door off starting at one spot and work around the trim. Once off, you must remove the latch system for the door mechanism and unplug the electrical connection (both extremely easy). That's it.... This will work for all four doors. (the JX was, by far, the easiest door panel I've ever removed)

As far as the dash and the tweeters, there is really nothing to photograph. Just pry off the plastic covers working from the top of the pillar to the center. For the tweeters, grab the pillar trim where it meets the roof, and pull. The only caveat with the pillar trim, is removing the green plastic stop that keeps the trim from becoming a projectile if the airbags deploy. I basically pulled until it popped off. To reinstall, I drilled out a larger hole towards the top of the hole where the green tab fits and just maneuvered it with my fingers into place.

One other note:

The speakers in the dash are a bitch to remove. The screws, thankfully, are not tight, so I removed the two nearest the windshield with a needle nose pliers. It took forever, but patience prevailed. Also note, the replacement speakers from CDT don't attach to the dash in any way. It was far too complicated to try to find a way, but... they are large enough that friction holds them down well, as well as the plastic cover.

 

[dai.jx]

Personally the stock speakers will do for now,.. untill i free up some money and buy a full out sound system

 

[jugdish]

I just have to update.... As the front speakers and the sub have broken in.... The audio is stunning. I was listening to Africa by Toto, and the sound just envelopes you. If you are an audiophile, or just like good sound, I would HIGHLY recommend making the changes that I have made. It's not going to break the bank, but it will put a smile on your face...... I took the car to the local "hifi" car audio shop, looking for further upgrades, and they were astounded by the sound and stated they wouldn't change a thing. Spending more money won't really improve what I've done, unless you spend several thousand dollars on a multi-channel setup, with a multi-band graphic equalizer for each speaker......

 

[cfrp]

You should make a separate thread as a DIY door removal for people who plan to change the speakers on their JX. Props to you for modifying your JX so early in the game.