Factory audio system questions.

[staying_tuned]

This is a great idea! Did you ever figure out the wiring diagram?

Thank you,

Nada, went this route (under budget) and haven’t looked back ; )

https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/...hideaway-hs10-sub-owc-harness-interface.4782/

 

[Dill3377]

Nada, went this route (under budget) and haven’t looked back ; )

https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/t...0-sub-owc-harness-interface.4782/#post-100821

Amazing, thank you!

 

[staying_tuned]

Amazing, thank you!

Fixed original link, on mobile and accidentally linked a comment vs the base thread, here it is though: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/t...hideaway-hs10-sub-owc-harness-interface.4782/

 

[FSUZ33]

Although it’s a very interesting thread, I only understood about 8% of it.

4 out of 5 non-audiophiles wanna know…Is it possible to get better sound by swapping the door and cabin speakers?

Not looking for $4,500 6x9’s. Not trying to wake the neighbors with crazy volume or bass. I just want it a little crisper and cleaner.

Is it worth spending a little money and time on if I’m not adding amps and subs and crossovers and yeti cup sized capacitors?

If so, what should I look for and what should I avoid? Talking more about spec’s rather than brand name. I know what amps and ohms are, but have no clue how they play into a DIY speaker swap. Something called RMS…? Does that even factor in? idk.

Don‘t expect a dissertation on sound systems, but would appreciate a little info and advice, even if it’s as simple as ‘Not worth it.’

 

[Mr. Mac]

Although it’s a very interesting thread, I only understood about 8% of it.

4 out of 5 non-audiophiles wanna know…Is it possible to get better sound by swapping the door and cabin speakers?

Not looking for $4,500 6x9’s. Not trying to wake the neighbors with crazy volume or bass. I just want it a little crisper and cleaner.

Is it worth spending a little money and time on if I’m not adding amps and subs and crossovers and yeti cup sized capacitors?

If so, what should I look for and what should I avoid? Talking more about spec’s rather than brand name. I know what amps and ohms are, but have no clue how they play into a DIY speaker swap. Something called RMS…? Does that even factor in? idk.

Don‘t expect a dissertation on sound systems, but would appreciate a little info and advice, even if it’s as simple as ‘Not worth it.’

My opinion is that it's 'not worth it' to simply swap out speakers in these types of OEM system, or more accurately I should say it's a crapshoot. Reason being is doing so doesn't factor in all the processing and power parameters that are already baked into the OEM audio system's electronics, which are specifically designed to work with the OEM speakers.

That said, you might get lucky and achieve the minimal improvements you're after with simple speaker swaps IF you happen to find aftermarket speakers that happen to play well (and safely) with the OEM processing and power.

If you do go through with the experiment, at a bare minimum you're going to want to at least verify 100% that each of the aftermarket speakers you are installing match the impedance (ohms / Ω) of each the OEM speakers you're replacing them with. This is very important because if you mismatch the impedance of the aftermarket speakers you can at best have reduced volume output (not harmful, but not ideal either), or at worse damage the OEM amplifier that's powering them. Complicating this endeavor is that many modern OEM audio systems' amplifiers and speakers do not operate on standard 4Ω which is how most aftermarket car audio speakers are designed (subwoofers are a whole other ballpark though).

Hope this info help. Good luck.

$0.02 and some pocket lint.

 

[staying_tuned]

@FSUZ33 JL makes supporting speakers with a very low need RMS-wise at like 25 watts per that I was originally going to get, cheap too at like $120 a pair? Something like that, it’s in the thread I posted but those would be the only ones I’d gamble a no amp speaker swap with. Basically guaranteed better sound withiout breaking the bank but you’ll have to level-set your expectations especially around bass output. They may hit tighter and crisper but you wont “feel” them like you do pushing even 50 clean watts to a 6x9 etc. via dedicated aftermarket amp.

 

[TexasZee]

I must have bad ears. To me, this system isn't all that bad.

 

[staying_tuned]

I must have bad ears. To me, this system isn't all that bad.

It isn’t terrible but it is pretty gutless when you want to crank just about any style of music and “feel” it. That said if I was short on time or I didn’t want to fuss much with it I’d for sure just add a powered sub for like $250 all in and call it done.

 

[spars332]

I have a keen interest in upgrading the sound system too. I would love to put in some Morel Elate Carbon, or Focal M series.

I am looking at the Focal as well :
Focal 6.6km
Focal Frak
Focal FPX 5.1200

 

[Dying Star]

I must have bad ears. To me, this system isn't all that bad.

When i compare it to other nissan models I’ve owned like the maxima and pathfinder with premium Bose, you can notice the difference.

I want to disable the ASE because I heard the audio quality improves, but to be honest, somehow, someway the bass came back, before it was flat, but now I’m hearing improve.

I just want to upgrade the speakers to somewhat better quality ones kind of plug and play but not that much.

 

[Mugzilla]

When i compare it to other nissan models I’ve owned like the maxima and pathfinder with premium Bose, you can notice the difference.

I want to disable the ASE because I heard the audio quality improves, but to be honest, somehow, someway the bass came back, before it was flat, but now I’m hearing improve.

I just want to upgrade the speakers to somewhat better quality ones kind of plug and play but not that much.

Since you mention BOSE, you might have a different issue than me. (6MT Sport). The DOOR speakers on the Sport are 6.5" diameter, TWO ohm, with a custom spacer. 99% of all aftermarket speakers are 4 ohms.

NOBODY mentions that the 3.5" speakers behind the seat are good, or can even be heard. Many have just disconnected them, and used them as high level inputs on the Sport. Once again, having the BOSE system means you have an amp you can use.

If you DO change out the 3.5 speakers, they need to be shallow, as the plastic speaker grill that is molded in to the panel has a waffle behind it that pushes on any 3.5" speaker that protrudes a bit.

 

[Mr. Mac]

If you DO change out the 3.5 speakers, they need to be shallow, as the plastic speaker grill that is molded in to the panel has a waffle behind it that pushes on any 3.5" speaker that protrudes a bit.

Easily remedied with spacer ring/plate.

 

[chander0]

Here, maybe this will help.

Top'Left photo shows location of the factory Bose amplifier. Once amplifier is unbolted from chassis it lifts up for access to the plugs that go into it. When facing the side of amplifier that has the connection it's the plug all the way on left side that you'll want to grab unadulterated audio signal coming from the factory head unit. There's several ways to do this, but the way I recommend is by simply soldering leads directly the factory four wires identified below that go into that plug (1, 2, 9, 10), heat shrink them for insulation/protection, plug the factory connector back into the Bose amplifier and re-mount it to chassis. This way nothing is changed about the factory Bose amplifier at all, and now you can take the four leads that are tapping those four factory audio signal wires to feed the aftermarket audio system. I have no use for fade control from head unit on aftermarket system since I set all my levels in the DSP, which is why I'm only tapping the front left/right signal wires and not the rear left/right. If you happen to want fade control for some reason, just do the same lead tapping described here for pins 3, 4, 11, 12 too which are the factory rear audio wires from head unit identified here: 3. Rear/Left +, 11. Rear/Left –, 4. Rear/Right +, 12. Rear/Right – . All + wires for both front and rear signal are RED, and all – wires for front and rear signal are BLUE.

If your installer isn't up on how to do this from diagram and photos I would advise seeking out one who is. It's pretty straight forward stuff for any installer worth their salt.

I’m trying to install just a subwoofer in my Z for now. I’ve never installed on a newer car with an amp. Which cables should I tap into for signal on the sub? I have a line-out converter (LC2i) so I think I can use the speaker cables but wanted to confirm if there is a dedicated sub cable I should use instead? I’m looking for the clean signal without ANC and the exhaust sounds.
Using an alpine mrp-500 if that makes a difference.

 

[steve2150]

Not 100% sure yet, but If that speaker I photographed and posted earlier here which looks like a single tweeter on the left dash ONLY turns out to be a dedicated navigation prompt speaker and NOT part of the actual audio system, then here's how Nissan may be cleverly arriving at their claim of "EIGHT SPEAKER" on their "Premium" Bose system:

Dash: 2) 2.5"
Doors: 2) 6.5" or maybe 6"x9"
Rear: 2) ?" on sides directly behind seats
Sub: 2) tiny woofer speakers inside the single subwoofer enclosure (see pic)

That's 8 total.

Looks like all the speakers are using foam surrounds instead of rubber, the heat will eventually degrade these

 

[Kimbonits]

Like many others, I’ve found the Z Performance (RZ34) Bose audio system underwhelming. That’s not unusual for OEM systems, but this one is particularly lacking. Repeated attempts to adjust the levels to improve the soundstage mostly pushed audio to the rear passive subwoofer and squawkers.

A key point: the Sport and Performance/Nismo trims differ because of the Bose amplifier and, more importantly, the matched Bose speakers. The amp is preset for the OEM speakers’ impedance, frequency response, and timing. As others have noted, you cannot simply swap out the Bose speakers and expect better performance—even if the impedance matches—because the Bose amplifier is applying frequency filtering tailored to the original speakers. I tried replacing the OEM door speakers with 6x9, 2‑ohm full‑range units and the result was similarly underwhelming; the amp isn’t sending them the full audio spectrum.

If you want meaningful improvement from new speakers, you need to bypass or replace the Bose amplifier, as some have done. As a first step, I replaced the passive Bose subwoofer with a Cerwin Vega powered amp, which greatly improved the rear soundstage and sub‑bass response (below ~150 Hz). I kept the Bose amplifier, rear squawkers, dash, and door speakers OEM. I recommend this mod as a starting point, but be sure to turn off ASE/C (see other threads for instructions). This alone provides a much better, adjustable soundstage and lets you fade more audio to the front. It’s not a complete solution, but it’s a marked improvement over stock. The next step would be a full speaker and amplifier replacement.

In general, I miss having rear coaxial speakers (woofer/mid/tweeter combo). My 40‑year‑old Z31 has 6.5" speakers in the OEM locations over the rear strut towers, and they fill the cabin nicely—something that, in my opinion, could have been carried forward in the Z lineage.

Happy tweaking.