Great idea shared
12-16-2003 | 01:38 PM
#51
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From: Boulder County, Colorado
"No high, no lows, it must be Bose" <== Oh, I like that! Almost as good as "Absence makes the fart go Honda." :D
So what you're saying here is that the NX30s (which I too am considering) improve the brightness of the system, but make the front doors sound muddy? If so, is there an overall improvement, or is it a wash? Thanks...
So what you're saying here is that the NX30s (which I too am considering) improve the brightness of the system, but make the front doors sound muddy? If so, is there an overall improvement, or is it a wash? Thanks...
12-16-2003 | 10:07 PM
#52
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From: Colorado
Yeah, the NX30's do three things IMO:
1) faithfully reproduce the high-mid and high frequency range with nice imaging for such a small listening space
2) faithfully reproduce the thermonic hiss in the junky Bose amp that was far less noticible with the cheap Bose tweeters.
3) caused me to notice the sloppy response of the Bose mid bass speakers.
#3 is like owning a Neon and a minivan. You trade in the Neon for an Rx8 and now somehow the minivan seems uglier and handles even worse. Kinda psychological
1) faithfully reproduce the high-mid and high frequency range with nice imaging for such a small listening space
2) faithfully reproduce the thermonic hiss in the junky Bose amp that was far less noticible with the cheap Bose tweeters.
3) caused me to notice the sloppy response of the Bose mid bass speakers.
#3 is like owning a Neon and a minivan. You trade in the Neon for an Rx8 and now somehow the minivan seems uglier and handles even worse. Kinda psychological
Last edited by MuzzleFlash; 12-16-2003 at 10:09 PM.
04-22-2004 | 01:30 AM
#54
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From: So Cal
Originally posted by MuzzleFlash
Well I put in a pair of NX30's tonight. Gawd, what a difference!! Noticed a little brightness on the high end similar to that reported by MrWiggles. I'll try his solution when I get some more time to tweak it.
I had trouble getting a pressure fit to stay put so I ended up using some black electrical tape to hold the tweeter in place. Used a Q-tip to apply the tape in the tight spots.
Now that the NX30's are in, I notice the muddyness of the front door midwoofers. The other thing that drives me nuts is the amplifier hiss I can now hear with the tweets. It's objectionable. You'd think this was a 1970's POS KMart amp. Guess I'm being too picky since the hiss will get swamped by the road noise. No high, no lows, it must be Bose
Well I put in a pair of NX30's tonight. Gawd, what a difference!! Noticed a little brightness on the high end similar to that reported by MrWiggles. I'll try his solution when I get some more time to tweak it.
I had trouble getting a pressure fit to stay put so I ended up using some black electrical tape to hold the tweeter in place. Used a Q-tip to apply the tape in the tight spots.
Now that the NX30's are in, I notice the muddyness of the front door midwoofers. The other thing that drives me nuts is the amplifier hiss I can now hear with the tweets. It's objectionable. You'd think this was a 1970's POS KMart amp. Guess I'm being too picky since the hiss will get swamped by the road noise. No high, no lows, it must be Bose
In the middle of cursing Bose for making a such a **** poor sound system for our 8's, I realized that if it was perfect, we wouldn't be having all this fun trying to tweek (tweet? :P) it to suit our tastes.
I'm also curious how the 1" NX30's fit easily into the 2" Bose holes? Do the NX's come with an insert for the 2" hole?
Last edited by starbucks; 04-22-2004 at 01:38 AM.
04-29-2004 | 11:40 PM
#55
No Gods For Me
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 133
Likes: 2
From: Maryland
FYI,
Sound Domain has the NX30 on sale for 15% off (until when?). The price including free shipping is $101.95
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/IDSNX30
Sound Domain has the NX30 on sale for 15% off (until when?). The price including free shipping is $101.95
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/IDSNX30
04-30-2004 | 12:52 AM
#56
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From: Houston
It's times like this when I am glad I have the connections that I do. Since I used to work with Matt from ID, I can get their products at manufacturing (not dealer!) costs. This is only for me though and I can't do it for anyone else. Sorry.
While you're cursing out BOSE for making such a **** poor sound system for the RX-8, curse them out for the rest of their product line as well. BOSE is the best thing that could ever happen to good audio companies. No highs, no lows, must be BOSE!
While you're cursing out BOSE for making such a **** poor sound system for the RX-8, curse them out for the rest of their product line as well. BOSE is the best thing that could ever happen to good audio companies. No highs, no lows, must be BOSE!
05-01-2004 | 01:26 AM
#58
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if you add the speakers in parrallel then you are deminishing the imopeadance that the amp sees. This will change the output charateristics of both speakers. THis is wrong for the amp. Not to mention the blurred image of high frequencies in four directions. What a mess. Replace them all together. I was told that the stock BOSE speakers are 1 Ohm speaks also... I woudl guess the replacements are 4 Ohm speaks. That would suggest the amp sees 0.8 Ohms... Not too far off I suppose but stilll... better to have just one set of tweets.
05-01-2004 | 03:15 AM
#59
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From: Houston
That obviously only applies on cars with the BOSE systems. The rest o fthe people can easily swap them out.
BOSE has internal equalization built into their amps to account for the deficiencies of their speakers. By just swapping in an aftermarket speaker for the BOSE drivers, you are only feeding the new speakers 1/4 of the power that was going to the BOSE speakers and you are still equalizing the new drivers which have entirely different needs.
BOSE has internal equalization built into their amps to account for the deficiencies of their speakers. By just swapping in an aftermarket speaker for the BOSE drivers, you are only feeding the new speakers 1/4 of the power that was going to the BOSE speakers and you are still equalizing the new drivers which have entirely different needs.
05-12-2004 | 01:16 AM
#60
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From: So Cal
[i] At first I plan to use the electrolytic capacitor that is already there, then I will upgrade it to something that is a little higher quality than electrolytic from Madisound.
-Mr. Wigggles [/B]
-Mr. Wigggles [/B]
05-12-2004 | 01:57 AM
#61
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,232
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From: Houston
electrolytic capacitors don't behave like ideal capacitors at high volumes (i.e. high voltages) they start to behave in a non-linear fashion and that causes distortion. If you listen at low volume it probably won't make a difference, but if you crank it then something of better quality will probably work better.
Mylar are typically the best or NP0/C0G ceramic. Any of the capacitors sold here will work great:
http://www.madisound.com/
Try not get one that is too big.
-Mr. Wigggles
Mylar are typically the best or NP0/C0G ceramic. Any of the capacitors sold here will work great:
http://www.madisound.com/
Try not get one that is too big.
-Mr. Wigggles
05-30-2004 | 10:22 PM
#63
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From: So Cal
Originally posted by MrWigggles
I added the Image Dynamics NX30s without any problems.
First I did some listening tests:
The results were very good. It is very easy to audition them since they are magnetic and stick right to the metal. Because Bose has HEAVY equalization in the 10KHz on up for their tweeter, I used the factory angling technique which doesn't shoot the tweeter right at the listener. This increased off-axis angle helps reduce the upper trebble. So I just mounted them right in the hole the Bose tweeters came out of with the facotry capacitor in series:
That little piece of metal comes with the tweeters and I used it as a bracket to hold the tweeter in place. Once the tweeter pod is snapped back into place you would never know that any modification had occured except for one thing: they sound a lot better! I found it sounded much more enjoyable as a direct replacement.
But the heavy Bose equalization was still a little too much in the 10KHz+ range even with the high factory off-axis angling. So, I did a little simple acoustic dampening to reduce those frequencies. I took a black cotton t-shirt and cut two little circles out of it. I then sandwiched the cloth circles between the tweeter and the plastic grill - even better results. (Ps. reducing the treble output on the tone controls effects everything from 3KHz+ which is not desirable. I just wanted to reduce the upper trebble where the Bose equalization kicks in). Not bad for $120 and 2 hours of work.
-Mr. Wigggles
Ps. I have already ordered Dolby Prologic II decoder. If I go that route, and use seperate amplifiers and get rid of the Bose amps, the Bose equalization won't be there and I won't need in dampening. I am not sure though because the Bose system now sounds real good!
I added the Image Dynamics NX30s without any problems.
First I did some listening tests:
The results were very good. It is very easy to audition them since they are magnetic and stick right to the metal. Because Bose has HEAVY equalization in the 10KHz on up for their tweeter, I used the factory angling technique which doesn't shoot the tweeter right at the listener. This increased off-axis angle helps reduce the upper trebble. So I just mounted them right in the hole the Bose tweeters came out of with the facotry capacitor in series:
That little piece of metal comes with the tweeters and I used it as a bracket to hold the tweeter in place. Once the tweeter pod is snapped back into place you would never know that any modification had occured except for one thing: they sound a lot better! I found it sounded much more enjoyable as a direct replacement.
But the heavy Bose equalization was still a little too much in the 10KHz+ range even with the high factory off-axis angling. So, I did a little simple acoustic dampening to reduce those frequencies. I took a black cotton t-shirt and cut two little circles out of it. I then sandwiched the cloth circles between the tweeter and the plastic grill - even better results. (Ps. reducing the treble output on the tone controls effects everything from 3KHz+ which is not desirable. I just wanted to reduce the upper trebble where the Bose equalization kicks in). Not bad for $120 and 2 hours of work.
-Mr. Wigggles
Ps. I have already ordered Dolby Prologic II decoder. If I go that route, and use seperate amplifiers and get rid of the Bose amps, the Bose equalization won't be there and I won't need in dampening. I am not sure though because the Bose system now sounds real good!
Mr. Wiggles,
Can you repost the pictures? They seem to be missing from your original post. Also, I just wanted to make sure you unsoldered the Bose capacitor and resoldered to the NX's? Also, I'm intersted in how you used the piece of metal that came with the NX's to hold the tweeters in place. I purchased a pair and it would be helpful to see how you held them in place before I start experimenting myself.
Thanks
Last edited by starbucks; 05-30-2004 at 10:25 PM.
07-22-2004 | 02:05 AM
#64
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: So Cal
Well, I finally replaced the stock bose tweeters with NX 30's after having them sit around for a month. Wasn't sure what I was doing but finally cut the wires over the weekend so there was no going back. I made a mess of the wires and soldering, but the tweeters work and are taped into place with electrical tape.
I can't say that they sound that much different, but the highs are definitely better and noticeable with the NX's. After listening for a few days, I can only say that the sound is more enjoyable. I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining that they sounded better. Definitely, the "flatness" of the original bose tweeters is gone.
Is the upgrade worth $100? An emphatic, YES! The improvement is subtle but definitely worth it.
Anyone who wants a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade should try it.
I can't say that they sound that much different, but the highs are definitely better and noticeable with the NX's. After listening for a few days, I can only say that the sound is more enjoyable. I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining that they sounded better. Definitely, the "flatness" of the original bose tweeters is gone.
Is the upgrade worth $100? An emphatic, YES! The improvement is subtle but definitely worth it.
Anyone who wants a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade should try it.
02-09-2007 | 04:16 PM
#65
Bruce Van
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 874
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From: the OC
2007 Thread Revival!
I know this thread is over 3 years old, but I just wanted to add that I just ordered a set of the Image Dynamic NX30 tweeters. I've been reading and searching all over the forum and came to the conclusion this was probably the best solution to the flat sounding Bose system.
I don't have a ton of expertise in car audio, but I've installed a few stereo systems in my time as a teenager. One question for the audio experts here:
Do you think I should just re-use the Bose crossovers or should I order some new ones?
The Bose crossovers have a cut off at 1800 Hz. The NX30 tweeters can go as low as 900 Hz.
Should I just order some crossovers from Crutchfield while I'm at it?
I know this thread is over 3 years old, but I just wanted to add that I just ordered a set of the Image Dynamic NX30 tweeters. I've been reading and searching all over the forum and came to the conclusion this was probably the best solution to the flat sounding Bose system.
I don't have a ton of expertise in car audio, but I've installed a few stereo systems in my time as a teenager. One question for the audio experts here:
Do you think I should just re-use the Bose crossovers or should I order some new ones?
The Bose crossovers have a cut off at 1800 Hz. The NX30 tweeters can go as low as 900 Hz.
Should I just order some crossovers from Crutchfield while I'm at it?
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