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What are the sizes of the Bose upgrade tweeters and woofers? Are they 1" and 6.5", respectively, matching the Kappas that the freshalloy post mentions?

I am assuming, of course, that the install goes much easier if the speaker sizes are the same as stock. :)

Having completed my PAC install this is the next cheapo upgrade I'm looking to perform.
 
Anybody replace the rear door speakers?
 
30 Minute, $ 3.00, Bose Tweeter Fix.....

The Bose factory 1" tweeters are assembled with a factory 4.7 uf high pass capacitor. This capacitor value is too low making a higher cutoff frequency that just sucks!!

I added, in parallel, a 47 uf capacitor ( Radio Shack 272-1027 ) to each tweeter. Remove the grilles by pulling up to release the snap locks and then pull the assembly towards the front seats to remove the vent nipple that extends below the top deck into air distribution tube. Remove two mounting screws on the tweeter bracket and unplug the connector. The Radio Shack capacitor is electrolytic and the unmarked lead needs to be soldered to white wire at the tweeter terminal. The marked lead is soldered to the remaining existing capacitor terminal. ( If you cannot handle a soldering pencil, find a friend that can ). There is no need to remove the factory capacitor. Capacitors in parallel are additive capacitance. Be sure not to short any electrical leads of the existing capacitor or the new capacitor. Replace the tweeter assembly and grilles.

The added capacitance lowers the high pass to about 1,500 Hz. It is a remarkable improvement in the factory 'mud' sound. When I can afford to I will probably replace the tweeters as other loyal Murano owners have done.

Rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
zelmosan

Just called the Grippee to pick up a pair while she is out! Thanks GRIP :D
 
Hey Grip, did you try this mod out? How does it sound? Thanks for posting zelmosan! May have to head to radio shack this week...
 
NatasG

Got the caps from radio Shack last light will get them on this week and let you know. Thanks for asking GRIP :D
 
Just curious...

Are any of you concerned with voiding the warranty by applying mods?
 
And zelmosan...

I am not an electronics pro, but how did you arrive at the add-on capacitor and roll-off frequency numbers (47 uF and 1500 Hz)?
 
There are actually many formula and tips on the internet showing how to calculate the capacitor size for a particular crossover with a particular speaker.
In addition Radio Shack has some info somewhere out there on how to build a couple of nice little speaker cabinets with crossovers.


Here is a site that has a cute interactive graph part way down the page and a little below that another graph showing how speaker impedance affects the crossover frequency.

http://www.bcae1.com/passxovr.htm


The Bose speakers are no higher than 2 ohms impedance (Note impedance, not resistance)

Homer
 
Thanks, hfelknor.

I understand a bit better now. So what zelmosan did was simply ask the stock tweeter to handle more low-range frequencies? Should that really improve the treble performance?
 
"So what zelmosan did was simply ask the stock tweeter to handle more low-range frequencies"

well sorta........


What he did was, starting at 1500 HZ (which is not a "low range" frequency Think of fingernails on a blackboard as being about the same frequency as 1500......tho that frequency coming out of a song thrushes mouth sounds a lot better!;) ) He has more of the load being carried by the tweeters.
This will move the sound stage up in front of you. Stereo will sound more like left and right.
The sound will be "clearer", more distinct.

And what he has done is the poor mans answer.
Even he admits that someday he will upgrade the tweeters.


I haven't heard the result.
I'm just trying to help out with the explanation.
I owned a consumer electronic shop many years ago. And I worked at Bell Labs, so I have done some of this stuff.

I would expect the "soundstage" to now bein front.
I would expect the sound to be clearer and more distinct.........and I would hope the sound is not too "hard" . I would hope that when somebody spoke the S's wouldn't be too sibilant.

It's a good trick and worth (IMO) experimenting with if you feel that the Bose system sounds "muddy".

Homer
 
I'll wait for my stock tweeters to "break in" for a month or so and then test it thoroughly with a reference CD... If sound still needs improvement, I'll move on to the next step... I do have to admit that I expected more from a "Premium" Bose system.

BTW, fading it forward helps a bit.
 
Spin_Echo

Not worried, life is too short to be mean to the pussy cats or worry excessively. GRIP :D
 
Infinity Kappas are nice, but... Has anyone had good results with less expensive tweeters? There are a bunch out there that can be had for 20-30 bucks.
 
Well, well, well...............................

I never thought there were so many loyal MO owners just as upset as I am with the Bose car audio system. For the longest time I have always thought Dr. Bose suffers from severe high end roll-off in his own hearing world. He is obsessed with producing high levels of low end sound in the smallest possible enclosure man can make. This may be o.k. for him but it's not o.k. for me!!!

If you do add, in parallel, the 47uf capacitor to the factory 4.7uf capacitor on the Bose tweeter, (51.7uf total), and do all the math, the high pass should be around 1500Hz at 2 ohms. The 4.7uf factory capacitor by itself is a high pass above 16,000Hz. Personally, my last hearing test showed my roll-off at about 12,000Hz. So what good is the factory capacitor to me?

My mod suits my desire to hear 'something' from the bow of the ship! The better than 6dB gain from this inexpensive mod makes a sound image improvement that will suit me until I decide to spend my gas money for new speaker components.

I am beginning to think that there is enough room under the top grilles for a high quality co-axial speaker in the 3 to 4 inch range that would make even a better dB gain in the mid to high range. I'll begin this research and post my results. Please be patient, I still need my gas money to commute to work!!!

Rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Spin_Echo

Now you are in my range please name some that will fit and work with the bose amp. Thanks GRIP :D
 
Fit and work with the bose amp? You place a tall order GRIP:)

At any rate, from what I learned, alll you have to do is

1. Pick the same or slightly higher impedance tweeter if you are replacing the OEM one. (4 ohm seems ideal)

2. The sensitivity (important since the tweeter needs to be loud even at higher impedance) should be at least 90 dB (same as Kappa).

3. The max power output should be about 100 watt, and

4. The tweeter should include a passive cap crossover that is preferably below, in frequency, the factory one to bring more sound "up."

5. The speaker should fit into the dashboard and be able to be secured without rattle - and the grille should close.

Here are some links where you can find reasonably priced tweeters - but I am not sure how to determine if they will fir into the dash! Google rules:)


http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/lib/millionbuy/car-tweet.htm

This looks good: http://www.x10.com/electronics/allc...dio,_video_and_accessories_jensen_JT1203.html

Pricegrabber search: http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=330/form_keyword=tweeters/rd=1/sortby=priceA

One concern I have about the person who attached "cheap walmart speakers" in parallel to the OEMs is that he lowered the resistance of the circuit and this may burn out the amp. Making the impedance higher is ok, lowering it isn't. Right?
 
I think I can hear my tweeters....but I also know how bad the muddiness is about channel seperation---and I have a non-bose stock amp. I have a few radical techno tracks involving channel swapping instuments, to the beat. On my puter with an Audigy 2 ZS card and Klipsch speaker system, it sounds very crisp and you can hear pointedly the instuments channel swapping. In the Mo, it kinda wanders from channel to channel, but I think the uneducated (those who hadn't heard the track on a REAL sound system) wouldn't hear it.
I will also go the addition of the 47uf cap to see just how much channel seperation I do get. I will report my ear's findings.
Something else....as men go past 30, our ears loose sensitivity to high frequencies. In women it starts in the late 40's. Not sure why, but those are the facts. So what us guys over 40 might find brilliant and crisp, the younger folks, and women, may find screeching.
:)
 
I have been enjoying the thread, and agree that the stocK tweeters are somewhat lacking (to say the least).

On the subject of soundstage recreation, years ago omnisonics sold a device called an "imager' that could be connected inline with speaker systems to make them simulate the "image" of the position of the original instruments in the recording.

The imager was a favorite cheap trick of some audio retailers to make their speakers appear to be of higher quality; in their ability to produce an image.

A mobile version of this was also offered. I don't know if there are any still floating around......

Another cheap trick to add depth to the sound was to connect a single speaker wired to the positive speaker terminals of both channels.

This would cause the ground potential to "float" and make the speaker reproduce out of phase. It was very good for capturing background singers or "ambience" that hit the microphone out of phase .

I don't know if the Bose system would tolerate a connection across the hot terminals from the 2 stereo channels, or if it did, how long before damage (if ever)..

Years ago, we used to get headphone extension cables that had volume controls built in, and rewire them for the volume control(s) to vary the ground potential between the source andheadphones. Using this method, the effect could be "tuned" and it made a "poor man's vocal zapper".
 
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