Will a new head unit improve Bose speaker quality?

[thefrey]

I’m sure this question has been asked before. I’m not an audiophile by any means and I don’t know much about speakers, but I love a good audio system.

I am looking at upgrading my head unit to something like a Pioneer unit to get CarPlay and Bluetooth to play music. I have heard that it will increase the sound quality through my speakers. Is this true or will I need an aftermarket amp? I figured a cheap Chinese unit won’t help out at all and it might be a good upgrade to get a nice unit.

The bass is underwhelming so not sure if a new head unit would help that at all. Not sure if the stock Bose speakers wake up at all with a new head unit. I’m trying not to go down the rabbit hole of getting a whole new audio system lol

I don’t know much about this so any help or comments are welcome

 

[Denali Homie]

I'm looking at doing this currently as well. I've got a crazy long chatGPT thread going on the subject, but I'll put the highlights below:

Rough RMS output of the factory amp per channel:

So, from my car audio experience an aftermarket head unit won't put out much more power on its own, you'd want an aftermarket amp to drive those speakers.

Now, that being said, the factory Bose amp is paired to these speakers, meaning it provides all of the frequency separation (sending lows to the sub, highs to the tweeters, etc) and power to the speakers. So, replacing the head unit won't send any more power to the speakers because the speakers are getting their power from the Bose amp. Even just replacing the speakers won't provide much improvement unless they are blown because they will only get the power that the Bose amp is putting out, which as you can see isn't much.

So, upgrading this sound system pretty much is going down the rabbit hole of getting a whole new system lol. Here's what I've spec'd out for a future audio upgrade for my '08 so far:

Pioneer AVH-2400NEX - Head Unit, allows me to keep the DVD player and can integrate with factory chimes, backup cam, etc
iDatalink Maestro RR2 - Integration computer that ties the new HU to the factory chime, hands free mic, etc
Pioneer TS-A1601C 6.5" Components - Front doors (woofer) and pillars (tweeter)
Pioneer TS-A1681F 6.5” - For rear doors
Pioneer GM-DX874 Amplifier - For the above speakers

For subs, I've got a couple of 15" and amp from a previous ride that I'm going to use for this.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I agree with @Denali Homie in that it is better in the long run to go with a completely aftermarket system. (full disclosure: Not everyone agrees with removing the entire Bose system) You can use the existing speaker wires, but change out everything else. Yes, it will cost you some bucks, but at the end of the day you will have a new audio system, tuned to your specific listening preferences.

You may want to establish your budget first, and then call the folks at Crutchfield and discuss what new system components are compatible for your truck and meets your budget. Crutchfield's prices are competitive, but once you have some specific component part numbers, you can price shop, if you want.

 

[SpareParts]

Going through this my self right now. I have the 10 speaker LUX amp and i really want to keep it.
Problem is, i can not get the Maestro RR to use the factory fade. Maestro nor Atoto have been able to help.
So now im looking for an amp
From my experience, trying to keep the Bose amp is hit or miss. Miss for me and i think it's because of the LUX Y91 amp being different from the other Bose amp's.
My advice is live with what you have or plan on replacing it all.
I have replaced the HU next is the amp last the speakers.

 

[homesick]

Home audio Bose has been widely regarded as overly expensive, while under performing, for many years. The brand was built on marketing. I doubt that their car audio is any better. I replaced their system in my Escalade.

Remember Acoustimas? Do you really think 2.5" drivers and a 5.25" sub can provide deep, strong, full range audio performance?

joe

 

[Doubeleive]

I’m sure this question has been asked before. I’m not an audiophile by any means and I don’t know much about speakers, but I love a good audio system.

I am looking at upgrading my head unit to something like a Pioneer unit to get CarPlay and Bluetooth to play music. I have heard that it will increase the sound quality through my speakers. Is this true or will I need an aftermarket amp? I figured a cheap Chinese unit won’t help out at all and it might be a good upgrade to get a nice unit.

The bass is underwhelming so not sure if a new head unit would help that at all. Not sure if the stock Bose speakers wake up at all with a new head unit. I’m trying not to go down the rabbit hole of getting a whole new audio system lol

I don’t know much about this so any help or comments are welcome

you can "make" it sound a little better with a aftermarket head unit and disabling the Bose ANC, that will wake it up a smidge, adding a separate dedicated sub amp & subwoofer also makes it even better as the factory bass is pretty underwhelming.
if you go that route I recommend a "brand" name head unit, pioneer, kenwood, etc
but that's just my opinion......