Bose Custom Wiring??

[digitall]

I was at Circuit City the other day talking to one of the installers about some different options and he said that if I wanted to get new speakers, since my car has the Bose system, it would be a few hundred in installation fees because all the wiring is directly tailored to the Bose system and can't really be re-used. Is this the case??

He did say I can easily use an LOC with the existing wiring for connecting subs, but if I wanted to put new speakers in the door or something I would need all new wiring?

I think chuyler answered this other question awhile ago, but in a simple search too many threads came back so I'll ask again. What does everyone think about Eclipse audio? I might be able to get a good deal on some subs from them but haven't heard much about the brand and wasn't sure if they were a good route to take.

 

[chuyler1]

A thread starting with "I was at Circuit City the other day" can never be good.

In general, Bose systems can be a PITA to deal with. I have not worked with the Mazda3 Bose system so I can neither confirm or deny the installer's statement. However, judging from past experiences I'm sure he is talking out of his ass and has never done a Mazda3 install in his life. Do not pay Circuit City or Best Buy to install your equipment. No if/ands/ors/buts...don't do it. Go to an independent shop to get your work done. If you buy the products from the independent shop they might give you a little deal, especially if they are trying to reel in a life-time customer. Their prices might be a little higher than this connection you have or the deals at Circuit bad and Bad Buy but they will make up for it in customer service and a quality installation. They will be able to give you an accurate answer about your system because they most likely have already done a Mazda3 install.

Ok, now back to your original question. If you simply want to upgrade speakers, I think you can do that without running new wires. However, even a Bose system doesn't put out very much power and I always recommend installing an external amplifier to get the most out of your new speakers. A typical installation would be a 4-channel amp, set of speakers (component speakers preferred), and a subwoofer. Bridge the rear channels to power the sub and leave the rear speakers in the car powered off the head unit for a little rear fill. Now when you install an external amplifier for your speakers I would suggest running new wires into the door. Its not very difficult...there is a tutorial in the how-to section for the Protege and the steps are similar for the Mazda3.

Eclipse is a very good brand. They make great subwoofers, decent speakers and amps, and excellent head units. They are a little pricey but for the most part worth the money. But like I said before, figure out your budget and go into a specialty car audio shop and tell them what you want. They will let you listen to some stuff and walk you through a typical install and how much it will cost.

 

[digitall]

Yea, I was planning on going the component with a dedicated amp route down the road (JL has some nice stuff there) and was only talking to him hoping they had some insight on it having been inside one. I don't think he did though because the first thing he did was look the car up in their computer where they had no results on it - same as Crutchfield and everyone else. It would seem having a 3GT isn't quite as common as I would've thought for people getting audio work done.

I'll stay away from them though and check out some of the custom installers around my area. There are quite a few.

Thanks!