Project 'BOSE BE GONE!' audio upgrade completed

[Mr. Mac]

Woot! Project 'BOSE BE GONE!' now complete.

After learning just how horrific Bose's so-called "premium" audio system is in the new Z and being beyond disappointed with its performance I got to work on ripping it all out and designing and building a proper setup. She now sounds downright amaZing! Beyond thrilled and looking forward to enjoying many fully soundtracked cinematic road trips with her... because music is life, and life is much too short to waste on crappy audio.

System is a fully concealed/stealth install for a factory appearance and consists of a total of eight speakers powered by 1,500 watts of amplification, fully active design with dedicated channels per speaker, DSP controlled filtering, time alignment, parametric equalization, etc. A clean 2-channel low-level audio signal was acquired from the OEM source unit by tapping its outputs that originally fed factory Bose amplifier, retaining Apple CarPlay functionality. System was also designed so that it can be completely removed and returned to 100% factory should time come to sell vehicle without leaving a trace of aftermarket setup ever being installed.

Control is handled by a dedicated dual rotary digital encoder mounted in center console that allows for quick and easy operation of overall volume, separate subwoofer level, and cycling through various custom DSP preset tunings. All factory volume controls on source unit and steering wheel are maintained for secondary operation as well. The custom DSP presets are tuned for...

1: Driver position optimized for SQ with windows closed

2: Driver position optimized for SQL with windows closed

3: Driver position optimized for SQL with windows open

4: Passenger position optimized for SQ with windows closed

5: Driver and Passenger positions compromised for SQ with windows closed

6: Driver and Passenger positions compromised for SQL with windows open

There's also an additional 'security' DSP preset activated by a hidden switch that locks out the volume control for when vehicle being serviced or valet parked for protection against any yahoos monkeying around with sound system.

Aftermarket equipment includes...

(1) JL Audio VX800/8i DSP/8-channel amplifier

(1) JL Audio VX1000/1i DSP/1-channel amplifier

(1) JL Audio DRC-205 digital remote control

(2) JL Audio 10TW3-D8 10-inch subwoofers (spare tire well)

(2) Focal K2 Power ES 165 KX2E 6.5-inch midbass/midrange speakers (factory door locations)

(2) Focal K2 Power M FRAK 1.25-inch wideband tweeters (factory dash locations)

(2) DS18 ZXI-354 3.5-inch fullrange speakers (factory rear fill locations)

Subwoofers are loaded in a 1.25 net cubic feet sealed air suspension enclosure (0.75-inch MDF, fully braced and resin treated) that is mounted in spare tire well, completely hidden underneath factory cargo carpet mat, and is secured and coupled to body by factory spare tire bolt/bracket. Enclosure serves double duty as mounting platform for amplifiers and power distributions as well.

SoundShield damping and Vibrofltr blocking treatments were applied throughout all interior panels, doors, floor, cargo well area, etc. to control unwanted resonance and leakage.

All cabling protected in braided nylon sleeving.

Oh, and system of course received the coveted TK-421 modification which kicks everything up about another 3 or 4 quads per channel (but that’s technical talk). Makes ya wanna freaky deaky.

A big "THANK YOU!" to fellow forum members here who were able to provide some pre-planning intel that helped out on this other thread: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/factory-audio-system-questions.2432 Cheers!

PS: System diagram and enclosure specs provided for any other fellow hardcore music lovers/new Z owners who may wanna tackle project for themselves.

 

[iztrumental]

Wow man this is amazing! I wish I had the talent, skill and patience to do this. Enjoy!

 

[Jah_Happy]

Damn you really like your music haha. Looks great though, well done!

 

[SavedByFaith_]

Just wild!
Good for you man, must be proud after all that execution!

 

[Darkhorse]

Whats the knob do?

 

[Mr. Mac]

Wow man this is amazing! I wish I had the talent, skill and patience to do this. Enjoy!

Thanks! It's a blast for sure.

 

[Mr. Mac]

Damn you really like your music haha. Looks great though, well done!

I certainly do. Eat, live, and breathe it, so it's vital audio system be up to snuff.

Thanks! Cheers!

 

[Mr. Mac]

Just wild!
Good for you man, must be proud after all that execution!

Thanks, been designing and building these sorta systems since the mid-80s when all this high-end competition car audio stuff really started in Texas. Love it!

 

[Mr. Mac]

Whats the knob do?

Hi. It's actually two concentric knobs and a button all in one design that is custom assignable to do a number of different functions. I have mine setup so that the lower/outer knob is dedicated to controlling the subwoofers' level, the upper/inner knob is dedicated to controlling overall system volume (which is much faster than the OEM volume controls which lag when turning system volume up/down), and pressing the center knob cycles through the eight custom DSP tuning profiles I described in the OP to instantly change macro parameters depending on listening scenarios at any given moment. The control also has a backlit LED ring that has custom assignable colors to each DSP profile to let me know which one is currently selected.

 

[Georges1]

Woot! Project 'BOSE BE GONE!' now complete.

After learning just how horrific Bose's so-called "premium" audio system is in the new Z and being beyond disappointed with its laughable performance I got to work on ripping it all out and designing and building a proper setup. She now sounds downright AMAZING! Beyond thrilled and looking forward to enjoying many fully soundtracked cinematic road trips with her, because music is life, and life is much too short to waste on crappy audio.

System is fully concealed/stealth install for a factory appearance and consists of a total of eight speakers powered by 1,500 watts of amplification, fully active design with dedicated channels per speaker, DSP controlled filtering, time alignment, parametric equalization, etc. A clean 2-channel audio signal was acquired from the OEM source unit by tapping its low-level stereo outputs that originally fed the factory Bose amplifier. System was also designed so that it can be completely removed and returned to 100% factory should time come to sell vehicle without leaving a trace of aftermarket setup ever being installed.

System is controlled by a dedicated dual rotary digital encoder mounted in center console that allows for quick and easy operation of volume, subwoofer level, and various DSP custom presets. All factory volume controls on source unit and steering wheel maintain secondary operation as well. The custom DSP presets are...

1: Driver position optimized for older recordings with windows closed

2: Driver position optimized for newer recordings with windows closed

3: Driver position optimized for older recordings with windows open

4: Driver position optimized for newer recordings with windows open

5: Driver and passenger positions optimized for older recordings with windows closed

6: Driver and passenger positions optimized for newer recordings with windows closed

7: Driver and passenger positions optimized for older recordings with windows open

8: Driver and passenger positions optimized for newer recordings with windows open

There's also an additional 'security' DSP preset activated by a hidden switch that locks out the volume control for when vehicle is in service or being valet parked for protection against anyone monkeying around with sound system.

Aftermarket equipment includes...

(1) JL Audio VX800/8i DSP/8-channel amplifier

(1) JL Audio VX1000/1i DSP/1-channel amplifier

(1) JL Audio DRC-205 wired remote control

(2) JL Audio 10TW3-D8 10-inch subwoofer speakers (spare tire well)

(2) Focal K2 Power ES 165 KX2E 6.5-inch midbass/midrange speakers (factory door locations)

(2) Focal K2 Power M FRAK 1.25-inch midrange/tweeter speakers (factory dash locations)

(2) Pioneer TS-A879 3.5-inch coaxial speakers (factory rear fill locations)

Subwoofers are loaded in a 1.25 net cubic feet sealed air suspension enclosure (0.75-inch MDF, fully braced) that is mounted in spare tire well, completely hidden underneath factory cargo carpet mat, and is secured and coupled to body by bolt using the factory subwoofer/spare tire threaded mounting bracket. Enclosure serves double duty as mounting platform for amplifiers and power distributions as well.

SoundShield damping material treatment was applied to all interior panels, doors, and rear well area to control unwanted resonance and eliminate any annoying rattles/buzzing at high volume.

All cabling protected in braided nylon sleeving.

Oh, and system of course received the TK-421 modification.

A big "THANK YOU!" to fellow forum members here who were able to provide some pre-planning intel that helped out on this other thread: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/factory-audio-system-questions.2432 Cheers!

PS: System diagram and enclosure specs provided in OP for any other fellow hardcore music lovers/Z owners who may wanna tackle project for themselves.

View attachment 22809

Great job. Like that you kept a factory look but are getting outstanding sound. Enjoy your music!!

 

[JAKESZ]

Nice work. I thought I liked good audio as much as the next person, but you're on another planet. The car has to be the absolute worst place to try to optimize for, short of maybe a construction site or airplane.

I spend most of my audio time at my home office desk, so usually using Focal Clear OGs, but have some Emotiva B2+ for room filling sound if needed. I'm willing to spend a decent amount on headphones, but doesn't seem worth it for me in the Z when I only get to drive it 1-200 miles a month.

That said, how much are you all in for on the audio here? Obviously you have the skills to do this yourself where someone like me would be paying a shop for products + labor. After digging this deep, is there a middle ground/good bang for your buck setup to improve the audio but maybe not go this far--or once you start, just go all the way? I had Bose in my 350 and 370 and know it was a pain to mess with in those cars too because of how it was integrated.

Unrelated, but what's your go to daily driver open back headphone outside of the car?

 

[Mud]

I Like it a lot. A bit of a shame it's in a Nismo. But very nice work

 

[Ckynus]

I love how detailed this is, great job!

 

[Mr. Mac]

Nice work. I thought I liked good audio as much as the next person, but you're on another planet. The car has to be the absolute worst place to try to optimize for, short of maybe a construction site or airplane.

Thanks! The Z actually isn’t that bad of a platform to work with for getting great audio compared to plenty of other vehicles, but yes, vehicles in general do present different challenges than other environments. That said, those challenges are handled with all kinds of methods and technology that make it doable. Advanced DSPs for example like this system incorporates are very powerful tools for correcting all kinds of acoustic problems.

I spend most of my audio time at my home office desk, so usually using Focal Clear OGs, but have some Emotiva B2+ for room filling sound if needed. I'm willing to spend a decent amount on headphones, but doesn't seem worth it for me in the Z when I only get to drive it 1-200 miles a month.

Been a professional DJ for several decades, so I try to avoid headphones whenever possible outside of doin that since I already use them so often while DJing out in field and studio mixing. My go-to for DJing is a custom cue stick (aka lollipop) that I designed and crafted myself, and my go-to studio headphones are the ol’ industry standard Sony MDR-7506 which have being a staple in studios for mixing duty since the early 90s. Studio is also outfitted with Klipsch Forte IVs and SVS subs. My Z is a weekend/leisure/good-weather-only ride, so I don’t spend a lot of time in her relative to other vehicles, but the reason I went all out on audio for it is because it’s more of a smiles per mile thing for me, and the Bose system doesn't help with that at all. In fact it ruins the whole experience. I want every drive in the Z to be as thrilling as possible, and music through proper and compelling audio is a key component of that experience. Same goes for my Harley-Davidson. It’s recreation only as well, but music is such a huge part of that experience that it too is fully setup with a proper sound system.

That said, how much are you all in for on the audio here? Obviously you have the skills to do this yourself where someone like me would be paying a shop for products + labor. After digging this deep, is there a middle ground/good bang for your buck setup to improve the audio but maybe not go this far--or once you start, just go all the way? I had Bose in my 350 and 370 and know it was a pain to mess with in those cars too because of how it was integrated.

Total for equipment, materials, and supplies on this particular system in OP is about $7K. There’s definitely some middle ground setups though for significantly less cost that would still be outstanding performers in the Z. For example, using a single VX1000/5i amplifier/DSP instead of VX800/8 and VX1000/1 combo. That alone would drop cost about $1,600 and still provide plenty of power and control. Going from dual subs to single sub, and/or less expensive front stage component drivers is another way to reduce cost quite a bit while still being a fantastic system. Anyway, yeah, lots of different options for all kinds of different budgets. Really though, practically anything is going to smoke the factory Bose system since it’s so bad to begin with and very low bar to overcome.

Unrelated, but what's your go to daily driver open back headphone outside of the car?

Outside the car for music consumption you can usually find me sitting with a big smile in the sweet spot of my 2-channel setup on main floor at home which consists of a pair of Klipsch La Scala AL5s paired with dual stacks of SVS SB-3000s. It's otherworldly, and pretty much my personal sonic nirvana where I regularly enjoy listening sessions that last for hours on end.

 

[Mr. Mac]

I Like it a lot. A bit of a shame it's in a Nismo. But very nice work

Thanks! Not following on "..shame it's in a Nismo" though. What's wrong with NISMO?