Adding Bose speakers to non Bose system

ScX31 · May 10, 2020

Has anyone swapped the non Bose speakers for Bose? Is the sound improvement worth it?

Thanks.

chadman · May 10, 2020

I don’t think you will be able to without the Bose amp at a minimum. Bose speakers are 8 ohm, and everything else is 4 ohm.

Snowcamo · May 11, 2020

So ohm wise you wont have an issue. If you are getting them for free sure go for it. That being said the bose amp is tuned differently so the speakers may have issues with certain notes. Best to go aftermarket and amp if you want a better sounding system.

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topgear1224 · May 11, 2020

I have the premium Bose system in my elevation and it's crap I also had it in the LTZ I own for a week before"returning" it.

it's loud just to be loud. it doesn't have a very good range, which is really surprising.

I'm used to 90s Bose sound systems when they were actually amazing. I can't believe that this is the top sound system that's available on their pickup trucks. Hell even Pontiacs old Monsoon systems were better than this crap.

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Sjordan · May 11, 2020

From the factory I would consider bose. If I am upgrading the non bose there is no way I would.

Snowcamo · May 11, 2020

I have the premium Bose system in my elevation and it's crap I also had it in the LTZ I own for a week before"returning" it.

it's loud just to be loud. it doesn't have a very good range, which is really surprising.

I'm used to 90s Bose sound systems when they were actually amazing. I can't believe that this is the top sound system that's available on their pickup trucks. Hell even Pontiacs old Monsoon systems were better than this crap.

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Yea those were the good ole days. Back when a guy didn't know what a dsp was and still had the best sound system.

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UGAreb · May 11, 2020

I brought my 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT crew cab in for service, and got a 2020 Chevrolet RST Z71 extended cab as a loaner. The loaner had the Bose system. There was no noticeable difference between the clarity as compared to my non-Bose factory system. The only difference I found was that there was more bass, I guess due to the subwoofer, but it wasn't the punchy bass I tend to associate with a sub. Just kind of a muddy bass sound, not that different from what you get if you turn up the bass on the factory non-Bose system.

tmo · May 12, 2020

I brought my 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT crew cab in for service, and got a 2020 Chevrolet RST Z71 extended cab as a loaner. The loaner had the Bose system. There was no noticeable difference between the clarity as compared to my non-Bose factory system. The only difference I found was that there was more bass, I guess due to the subwoofer, but it wasn't the punchy bass I tend to associate with a sub. Just kind of a muddy bass sound, not that different from what you get if you turn up the bass on the factory non-Bose system.

IMO there is a difference depending on your audio source. If you are listening to FM or XM yea there is no difference because they both have crap audio.

UGAreb · May 12, 2020

10 minutes ago, tmo said:

IMO there is a difference depending on your audio source. If you are listening to FM or XM yea there is no difference because they both have crap audio.

Fair point, and I was listening to XM in the loaner.

diyer2 · May 12, 2020

Transmitted music audio FM or XM I believe the lower end of the audio spectrum is cut of at like 50 or 60 hertz.

So if the original recording of the song has bass below that frequency it's not there.

So good bass response isn't available.

One reason all my music is on a flash drive. I use Windows Media Player in the highest format to get as much data or bits for better quality.

One reason I would not touch MP3 audio. Low bit rate = poor quality. The advantage to MP3 is the song file size is small so you can put more songs on a small storage device.

Vinyl records are making a come back due to the quality of the audio signal.

Digital audio tends to be tinny sounding.

Look around this site.

$150 K for 2 speakers.

https://www.audiogon.com/

pewterliftedz · May 12, 2020

It would be pointless, go aftermarket and put a good set of speakers in the doors. You could do all the doors for under $300, and get way better sound. That's what I will be doing to my truck, I'll have JL audios put in the doors next month, and install my Amplifier/10" sub too.

I actually purposely shopped for a LTZ truck that didn't have the Convience 2 package, because once you add Bose it becomes a lot more expensive to add a amp/subwoofer, plus I didn't care about the wireless charger or Nav since I use apple carplay daily.

Edited May 12, 2020 by pewterliftedz

BradR · January 24, 2021

On 5/12/2020 at 11:05 AM, pewterliftedz said:

It would be pointless, go aftermarket and put a good set of speakers in the doors. You could do all the doors for under $300, and get way better sound. That's what I will be doing to my truck, I'll have JL audios put in the doors next month, and install my Amplifier/10" sub too.

I actually purposely shopped for a LTZ truck that didn't have the Convience 2 package, because once you add Bose it becomes a lot more expensive to add a amp/subwoofer, plus I didn't care about the wireless charger or Nav since I use apple carplay daily.

Which JL did you go with. I’ve purchased the Kenwood 2-3/4” mids for the dash now looking at the door speakers and really want an under console sub but haven’t fount yet

Chance811 · July 8, 2021

On 5/12/2020 at 12:05 PM, pewterliftedz said:

It would be pointless, go aftermarket and put a good set of speakers in the doors. You could do all the doors for under $300, and get way better sound. That's what I will be doing to my truck, I'll have JL audios put in the doors next month, and install my Amplifier/10" sub too.

I actually purposely shopped for a LTZ truck that didn't have the Convience 2 package, because once you add Bose it becomes a lot more expensive to add a amp/subwoofer, plus I didn't care about the wireless charger or Nav since I use apple carplay daily.

Does the stock non bose head unit have enough power to make a noticeable difference when changing out the front and back door speakers?

andrewb24 · July 9, 2021

I don't have Bose in my 2020 Silverado and my "wifes" 2021 Tahoe has the Bose and I can sure tell a difference in the quality and wish I had the Bose in mine but I always get cheap when I go get a new truck because I only put about 7500 miles a year on it.

Chance811 · July 9, 2021

3 minutes ago, andrewb24 said:

I don't have Bose in my 2020 Silverado and my "wifes" 2021 Tahoe has the Bose and I can sure tell a difference in the quality and wish I had the Bose in mine but I always get cheap when I go get a new truck because I only put about 7500 miles a year on it.

I hear you. I had a 2017 and 2020 Denali 1500 that I leased because I don’t put much mileage on. I hear people say all the time that the bose systems suck but I absolutely loved mine. The sound was crystal clear inside the truck, just outside the truck and 100 yards away from the truck with (for me) the perfect amount of bass. I recently bought a 2021 3500 SLT without the bose and I absolutely hate it. I started looking into upgrading the speakers but was told by a friend that the head unit may not have enough power to make a big enough difference with the upgraded speakers to be worth it. So I’m searching far and wide for info on that matter. I feel like everything I’ve read, people are atleast putting in a 4 channel amp to run the door speakers. It’s one thing to change out some speakers but I haven’t really done enough of audio work to feel comfortable running power wires throughout the truck. Im kind of stuck in limbo right now.