TTempted

One of my roommate's friends stopped by the other night... in his mustang GT (last yr's model for those that care) with a very simple yet functional stereo install. Every time I hang out with this kid or people like Rich (arttinmotion) I try coming up with all of these ways to install what I want but they're all limited by ability and cost. If it was up to me and not my bank account, I'd be going and getting the best of the best and having a local stereo shop take my car for two weeks and do a complete replacement of my Blose. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I have to do the purchasing in steps along with the installation. Even though I'll be doing the installation myself with my roommate's help, taking the entire interior of my daily driver probably isn't such a great idea... so saving up and doing it all at one time would be tough.

Anyway... all the mustang had in it was a ported 10" sub with some amps and a dist. block built into an enclosure in his trunk... he had a different head unit and decent speakers in there and the entire setup was relatively cheap.

So the questions that I've got are... If I replace the stock headunit with a different one, like eclipse, will the stock speakers work for now until I can afford to replace them? I remember checking into this before and found that the stock speakers have their own amp built onto the backs of them, but I don't know how that corresponds to replacement of just the headunit. Do I have to go through and replace all of the wiring?

Basically, I just want to distribute the cost of this as much as possible but also use the idea from Bob (ZGTT) of halving the rear bench and replacing one of the seats with a sub enclosed in a box... maybe fiberglass. Point being, my roommate knows fiberglass so I might as well exploit him as much as possible =). I'd really like to do a headunit now and not have to dish out the money for speakers, a sub and an amp just yet... If there was a way to single out the speakers and the sub installs from each other also, that'd be better. Is there a different sequence of installs I need to consider?

Yes, I know, do it right or don't do it at all, and after I take my car apart a few times each time I change something, I'll make sure it's right - guaranteed. But the likelihood of it being done right in one step is questionable... I don't think I could save up to do an install and just have stereo money sitting around without buying something else for my car. As it stands right now, all I think I really can't live without is more bass. I already know I should change the head unit to accomplish everything I'll eventually want to do later on. I suppose this is the equivalent of wanting to buy my stereo in pieces and then just installing it all at one time... only... I'm impatient and don't really want to have these great electronics sitting around. (this coming from the one who bought riso clear corners when they came out and they're still sitting in a box)

So how do our speakers work with other setups? If you were limited on funds but still wanted to do something now with hopes of expanding more later, how would you approach it?

Sorry for the long post. I've been searching the last few days but I never came across much updated stuff or material without RedX's that answered my questions.

TIA
-Mark

JustJeff

"Bose" speakers have no amp on the back of them. there is a separate power amp for the speakers.

TTagz

probably start by replacing the speakers and amps and working back to the head unit

GoTToGo

I agree. De-program the bose option and put new speakers in with new amp.

TTempted

If they don't have a built in amp like I thought before, what was the reason that we can't just replace one part at a time? I thought there was mention that you can't just do part of a stereo install and that you have to do it all or it wouldn't work? Maybe that was just that you can't just add a sub right onto the existing system? So does that mean that I could replace the H/U now, then the speakers next week, then the amp, then add a sub...? Or swap speakers this week, then headunit, then amp, then sub? I figure that the stock amp can't run a sub, so is it possible to just put a new amp in and use that to power the speakers and a sub?

I oogled at your website a little bit but hard to follow with a roadster vs. coupe as far as where things are.

I used the search and couldn't find pictures of the coupe speaker wiring that I had thought you posted once or twice before...

TTempted

what exactly would this enable/disable?

GoTToGo

to get back fade control and remove Bose Equalized settings. I would only do this IF you decide to put in new speakers and a new amp.