# Armada Stereo -- Upgrade from stock Bose???



## eightmanvt (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi all!! This is my first post here, but I'm looking for advice. Is anyone else as disatisfied with the performance of the Bose stereo in the Armada as I am??? Unless I put in a really perfectly mastered CD...like Dream Theatre -- everything else sounds thin....really thin. And the radio sounds even thinner. Has anyone done aftermarket upgrades to their Armada??? What's available??? Suggestions??? Will simply upgrading all the speakers do the trick?? I personally think the Armada needs a good EQ.... 
Thanks


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

It's not that hard to improve over the stock Bose system, the problem is the way that it's set up requires you to replace nearly the entire system just to get everything to work together. You cannot just replace the headunit, you cannot just add an EQ, you cannot just replace the speakers....it's really a pain. If you want to change out anything, you pretty much have to change out the whole thing.

If you want to go this route we can help guide you, but we need to know what kind of budget you're dealing with, how much room you're willing to give up for a sub, what kind of music you listen to and what your ultimate goals are with this system (the last two are pretty much explained in your first post, just trying to get a little more specific).


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## eightmanvt (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi, thanks for replying. Regarding budget??? Still in the air -- I'm willing to pay for good sound -- as evidenced by my highly researched home theatre. Clearly -- I don't want to break the bank -- right now I'm in the research phase.

Music -- I'm a rock and roll guy -- guitar rock -- but I enjoy everything, and would like my "premium" stereo to be able to adequately reproduce everything. This BOSE system is terrible -- I really mean that -- for the price of the upgrade...it's just not worth it IMO. Regarding the sub -- that's open for discussion -- I don't need to rattle the windows...but I do like sharp punctuated bass at the levels intended by the initial recording. 

I'm willing to replace the whole thing -- but my reservation is -- how compatible will it be with the features currently housed by the rest of the Nissan systems. ie...interfacing with the display, steering remote, dvd system...etc. Thanks


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

hm, I don't know about the interfacing. What all is shown on the display?

It looks like the best option for you might be to keep the stock headunit so your steering remote and the display still work, you can run the speaker signal through a set of line output converters to turn it into a low-level rca signal, which can then feed an amp or 2 for your speakers. Simply, you'd be replacing everything but the stock cd player.

Unfortunately I don't know what all is required to get the speaker signal from the stock headunit, I imagine it's like a normal unpowered headunit, in that it sends out the signal through several speaker wires which run to an amp for the speakers. Last I heard though Bose used a common ground for all the speakers, so only one wire was run to each speaker, if that's the case maybe you could use a ground as the - going into the LOC. This could be wrong though, it seems like every Bose-equipped car is wired differently. If you could find the speaker signal and tap into it somehow, it should be pretty smooth sailing from then on. I would look around for an FSM or Haynes manual, hopefully that could clear some things up.

I wish I could recommend some brands for the speakers, amps, and sub(s), but unfortunately the best choices for each item depend on the budget, but then again you don't know where to set the budget without some ideas of what you can get for how much....it's a vicious cycle. You're going to pay a lot more for equivalent sound in a car vs home though, it would take $2000 in a car to compete with a $700 home system, it's pretty depressing in that regard, but we do what we can.

Just to throw out some numbers though:
it will probably take around $700 to match the Bose system
$1000 is what I consider a "budget" system
$1500 is good
$2000 is very good
$3000 is getting into some extremely high quality stuff, possibly competition level
$4000+, with a good install and a LOT of tuning, and you could be very competitive in sound quality competitions

These numbers include a headunit/processor though, so you can knock the numbers down a bit since you won't need a headunit. Those are also with the money spent wisely, you couldn't be competitive in SQ with a $2500 sub setup, $1000 dvd player, and $500 in your front stage.

I'm just trying to give you an idea how much things will cost


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## jose guiliani (Apr 18, 2016)

i have a nissan armada 2008 with a bose radio.
the radio turn on with nissan logo on display and stay for ever.nothing work in the center console.No air condicion,heat.radio.gps etc.nothing work.
please i need help.Thanks.


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## OhmsLaw (Mar 29, 2016)

jose guiliani said:


> No air condicion,heat.radio.gps etc.nothing work.


Very basic problem. 
Head towards the battery, look for blown fuses but check them with a meter. Sometimes fuses look OK but they have a hairline crack due to metal fatigue from heating up with current flow and then cooling down when the car is off.


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## jose guiliani (Apr 18, 2016)

Thanks.I try today and i let you know.
Thanks ohmslaw.


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## Carter_member (Nov 16, 2016)

​


eightmanvt said:


> Hi all!! This is my first post here, but I'm looking for advice. Is anyone else as disatisfied with the performance of the Bose stereo in the Armada as I am??? Unless I put in a really perfectly mastered CD...like Dream Theatre -- everything else sounds thin....really thin. And the radio sounds even thinner. Has anyone done aftermarket upgrades to their Armada??? What's available??? Suggestions??? Will simply upgrading all the speakers do the trick?? I personally think the Armada needs a good EQ....
> Thanks


Yes, you can try to upgrade to some aftermarket In-car stereo radio system such as the seicane In-car stereo radio system with bluetooth GPS navigation etc.


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