The Bose Stereo System

[Goatmann]

Just joined the forum last week 'cause I just purchased an '01 GP SE with the 3.1. Anyway, what I was wondering is if anybody knows what comprises the Bose stereo system. The head unit in my car right now is the factory unit with the 7 band graphic eq, upper mounted tweeters, door mounted speakers and one speaker each in each of the enclosures on the package shelf. Does the Bose system have a different head unit, different speakers?? If it's not too much of a hassle maybe I'll check the bone yards and see if any GP's have the Bose available. Any help/comments would be appreciated.

[AKWE-gt]

i don't think those bose systems in these gm cars are all that. my cousin had that system in his escalade and a couple of speakers blew. changed all the speakers with JLs and it sounded alot better.

[Forcefed02]

Goatmann - I've got an '02 GP with the factory Bose system. It is different than the standard stereo with the EQ. The main difference is that the Bose system is comprised of eight speakers instead of six (four speakers across the rear deck, two in each enclosure). From what I understand, the whole system is rated at 2 ohms. The Bose head unit for that year didn't have an EQ, just the bass and treble controls. It looks more like a no-frills radio and nowhere on the face does it say "Bose". The amplifier that powers the system is mounted in the trunk under the rear deck. Both the head unit and the amp contain separate Bose equalization circuits to add extra 'dynamics' to the sound quality. Having owned two latemodel GP's, one with a standard stereo w/EQ and now the Bose, I noticed that the Bose system presents more of a 'live' sound than the standard stereo did. Using a different head unit than what came with the Bose system will change the sound quality due to the fact that half of the Bose circuits will be missing. I know because I did this. The bass and treble controls just weren't cutting it for me (sounded too flat), so I installed the head unit with the EQ (same size, factory look, direct plug-and-play, less chance of being stolen). I went this route because the cost for a decent aftermarket stereo, plus all of the extra pieces to maintain the steering wheel controls and Onstar, was more than I wanted to spend at the time. Anyhow, the head unit with the EQ did brighten up the sound, but it also added a ton of bass at the same time (almost as if a 'loudness' button was on). The extra bass is especially noticeable when listening to FM stereo than when playing cd's. The good thing is that the extra bass works out well to overcome road noise - especially on the highway. Although it doesn't compare to a really good aftermarket system, it does sound better than it did without the EQ.

[Goatmann]

Originally Posted by Forcefed02

Goatmann - I've got an '02 GP with the factory Bose system. It is different than the standard stereo with the EQ. The main difference is that the Bose system is comprised of eight speakers instead of six (four speakers across the rear deck, two in each enclosure). From what I understand, the whole system is rated at 2 ohms. The Bose head unit for that year didn't have an EQ, just the bass and treble controls. It looks more like a no-frills radio and nowhere on the face does it say "Bose". The amplifier that powers the system is mounted in the trunk under the rear deck. Both the head unit and the amp contain separate Bose equalization circuits to add extra 'dynamics' to the sound quality. Having owned two latemodel GP's, one with a standard stereo w/EQ and now the Bose, I noticed that the Bose system presents more of a 'live' sound than the standard stereo did. Using a different head unit than what came with the Bose system will change the sound quality due to the fact that half of the Bose circuits will be missing. I know because I did this. The bass and treble controls just weren't cutting it for me (sounded too flat), so I installed the head unit with the EQ (same size, factory look, direct plug-and-play, less chance of being stolen). I went this route because the cost for a decent aftermarket stereo, plus all of the extra pieces to maintain the steering wheel controls and Onstar, was more than I wanted to spend at the time. Anyhow, the head unit with the EQ did brighten up the sound, but it also added a ton of bass at the same time (almost as if a 'loudness' button was on). The extra bass is especially noticeable when listening to FM stereo than when playing cd's. The good thing is that the extra bass works out well to overcome road noise - especially on the highway. Although it doesn't compare to a really good aftermarket system, it does sound better than it did without the EQ.

Forcefed,Thanx for the info. So you had replaced your head unit with the head unit that I have in my car now? What I was thinking was to just change the rear speakers to the Bose units but maybe it's not worth while to add the Bose speakers since what your saying is there would be some circuitry missing to drive these speakers?

[Forcefed02]

Goatmann - Yes, I've switched to the same head unit as you have. Since there were no "Bose" markings on the head unit that came with the car, I figured that all the circuits were within the amp itself. Wrong. That's why my system sounds different now. In your situation, I would be more apt to choose a good set of aftermarket speakers instead of the Bose, because the physical design of the Bose speakers isn't all that much better than what Delco supplies. The Bose circuits that were engineered for the GP are what make the system sound good, not the actual speakers. You've already got a good head unit, and without the Bose circuits and low ohm rating to deal with, finding an excellent set of compatible speakers should be no problem. So, unless you really wanted the Bose sound, you would need to convert everything over - not just a couple of speakers.

[Goatmann]

Originally Posted by Forcefed02

Goatmann - Yes, I've switched to the same head unit as you have. Since there were no "Bose" markings on the head unit that came with the car, I figured that all the circuits were within the amp itself. Wrong. That's why my system sounds different now. In your situation, I would be more apt to choose a good set of aftermarket speakers instead of the Bose, because the physical design of the Bose speakers isn't all that much better than what Delco supplies. The Bose circuits that were engineered for the GP are what make the system sound good, not the actual speakers. You've already got a good head unit, and without the Bose circuits and low ohm rating to deal with, finding an excellent set of compatible speakers should be no problem. So, unless you really wanted the Bose sound, you would need to convert everything over - not just a couple of speakers.

Thanx for the info, Forcfed, I'll probably take the advice and just put aftermarket speakers in. Have a good holiday