Upgrade the Bose Sound System
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Just picked up an 07 Tahoe last weekend. Love It! Now, let the mods begin . . .

I'd like to upgrade the sound system. The Bose system sounds good, but I was expecting more. I'm not looking to rumble down the street and shatter windows, but I still would like more bass and volume.

From what I've read, a quick solution is to replace some of the speakers and the sub. What does everyone recommend?

1) New speakers?

2) Bigger sub?

3) More Powerful amp?

4) All of the above?

I have the nav, so I'm not looking to put in a new head unit. So I know I'm limited to what that can do. But I figured there is something I can do. Thanks![/align][/align]

 

You actually have a lot of options keeping the factory head unit. The problem comes with the amp. The park assist and directional tones run through the factory amp and head unit in order to be heard. I didn't like the Bose system at all so went with Boston Acoustics speakers Alpine head unit and Alpine amps. The speakers will make the biggest difference, then the amp, head unit and sub.

 

all of the above indeed. The bose system is kinda weak to me as well. As far as the turn thingies andonstar, etc, etc, all of these can be retained, so you can keep your factory HU and run a aftermarket amp, subs, and speakers. You will need a interface to keep the features but very easily done. We use Peripheral Electronics......

 

Thank you for your replies!

Forgive me for sounding like a noob, but here goes:

What next? Do I just go to a stereo shop, buy new speakers, and subwoofer, and have someone switch them out? Better yet, can I do the job myself? I've never installed stereo speakers before, but I've done plenty of other stuff like the Lockpick, so I don't mind pulling off panels and swapping them out.

Also, what size speakers? There are 9 in the Tahoe counting the sub; do I replace all nine, or are some more important than others? Thanks for your help!

 

You can check Crutchfield for all of your speaker sizes. Also can search this forum as ZX listed all of the speaker sizes and wattage.

 

the front speakers are 6.5" with a tweeter in theA pillar as you can tell...in the rear doors are 6.5" as well and in the far back C pillars there are3.5"...the sub is 6 or a 6.5" under ur center console.

i would recommend taking it to a shop that has worked on 1 of these before if you dont want to do it urself.

i put a pair of focal components in the front and morel 6.5 point sources in the rear doors and left the rear alone, but just rewired them so that i could still keep onstar working since i also added a 6 channel zapco amp and a single jl 10w6.

if uor anyone else is interested i have some eclipse components and point sources speakers for sale...

 

neweagle,
Welcome to the forum above is some very good and correct advice.
I will just add that you say that you would like some additional bass and volume so with that in mind you first need to decide on a budget as to how much you would like to spend then you need to decide how far you are willing to go into modifying your Tahoe to get the sound that you want.


You may just want to replace some certain components and speakers and keep it as close to stock as possible or you may want to replace everything from the amp out and modify the center console to house a larger sub (the OEM sub is a 6.5” dual voice coil unit).

You may want to complete the upgrade in stages, if so I would start by adding or upgrading the subwoofer first then see how it sounds and go from their.


If you plan on changing the factory speakers but utilizing the stock amplifier then be sure to use speakers that are as efficient as possible, the Bose speakers are 2ohm, JBL also makes a 6.5” 2-ohm speaker that fits in the doors.

If you change out amps then the sky is the limit on speakers and everyone has their favorites, I would advise you go in to a audio store and demo a few speakers before settling on what you’re going to go with, they will sound different in the Tahoe then in the store but generally speaking if you like them in the store you’ll like them in your car.


I replaced the a-pillar tweeters with a set of Polk’s and the sound is much crisper and cleaner then stock for instance.

 

neweagle,

If your going to change the AMP, can i please get your factory BOSE one. Im still in the market for a yukon\tahoe but it might not come with the bose, and i would need that when i install the factory nav

thanks

 

Im stumped with the same issue.
What interface do you need to switch out the speakers and retain the factory alerts, onstar, etc...

I want to change the speakers in the door(s) and add a amp(s) and a bigger subwoofer(S). I currently have the Bose System and it is not all that great.

Do I need the JL "Clean Sweep" or the RF "Sixty" to keep the OEm Nav radio with all the bells and whistles.

This is what I want to add:
JL Audio ZR650 CSi (Front Door)
JL Audio C5650X (Rear Door)
JL Audio 450/4 Amp
JL Audio 500/1 Amp
JL Audio 10W7 Sub

Thanks