[Red Wing]

I have 2005 CTS with the Bose system, no nav, 6 CD, pillar mounted tweeters and sub-woofer in the trunk. I would like to upgrade the speakers WithOut adding amps. Would appreciate someone letting me know the following:

1. ohms for tweeters, front door speakers, rear door speakers and sub.
2. sizes of the various speakers
3. possible wattage rating suggestions for speakers

And .....if anyone has opinions about brands and models that may be relatively compatible with the Bose head unit, please chime in

FYI Am getting XM volume issue attended to by dealer, car is '05 but built 9/04.

 

[onephatguy]

I find the system to have excellent overall sound quality. Just the right amount of highs and mid range sound. Yes, it could use more bass, but it is okay. I have always liked big bass systems w/o having your whole car rattle, but bass that you can feel.

 

[odysseus]

Go over to the V forum. There are several members who've upgraded their speakers. Infinity Kappa's seem to be popular. I think the factory speakers are rated at 2 ohms, but one V member actually measured them to be slightly higher. 4 ohm speakers will do fine, as long as they have a high SPL which overcomes the affect of increased impedance. It's actually easier on an amp to drive a higher impedance speaker. The factory speakers are likely somewhere in the mid to high 80 dB range. Infinities are in the low 90's. A 3dB incease in SPL (efficiency) is a doubling in sound level (i.e., like doubling the power output of an amplifier).

Besides SPL, you want to listen to speakers for clarity and balance. Don't go bargain basement, if you're upgrading the Bose speakers. They are actually very nice for a factory system. For my taste in music (classic rock and blues), they put out enough volume to rattle my mirror and give me a headache, but are clear as a bell up to full volume levels. I have my equilizer adjusted to my taste for balance. Also, adding dynamat to strategic areas (inside the trunk, door panels, under the rear seat, etc), will also quite the interior (they quote up to 3dB), which further quiets the interior, giving an apparent sound level increase without additional amplifier power.

I'd try dynamat first, then speakers, as they compliment each other.