replacing the Bose Sub.

has anyone done it ? how big an amplifier can I use via the existing power cables to the Bose sub or is it a passive sub powered by the head unit ? disappointing if so because the Bose sub is utter rubbish !!!

Does it have power connections on the unit?

No Idea I haven't got the chance to take it out and have a look, can't see any cables. My guess is it's powered by the head unit, it's a very low power Sub and it just emits a din and not proper baas , it doesn't even approach sub baas frequencies. It destroys the audio quality because the door speakers produce surprisingly little baas you got to turn the bass up in the audio settings making the so called sub in the rear amplify he din even more. Really disappointed for a so called premium sound system from a premium speaker manufacturer.

To think of running cables from the front of the car to the rear doesn't appeal to me at all. Really annoying me !

If it is anything like most of Bose woofers, it has a amplifier in the unit, and it is a tuned bandpass unit, that does tend to have a one-note boomy, upper bass output, no matter what the input is. The driver(s?) tend to be much smaller than other units, and then it is loaded with a long column/tube of air - that by definition, is only capable of being one note.

o00scorpion00o said:

. Really disappointed for a so called premium sound system from a premium speaker manufacturer.

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FWIW, I'm definitely not a fan of Bose and in the broader world of stereo equipment, Bose isn't "premium", only to people who don't know stereo equipment/non-audiophiles.

That said, I'm enjoying the Bose stereo as part of the "premium package" here and from the limited time I've heard the non-premium stereo in the SV/SL, it's a very noticeable step up in sound quality. It's fairly decent for a stock stereo on a non-luxury car.

NeilBlanchard said:

If it is anything like most of Bose woofers, it has a amplifier in the unit, and it is a tuned bandpass unit, that does tend to have a one-note boomy, upper bass output, no matter what the input is. The driver(s?) tend to be much smaller than other units, and then it is loaded with a long column/tube of air - that by definition, is only capable of being one note.

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Indeed it is a bandpass enclosure , passively powered. I prefer a ported bass reflex design , all designs have their advantages/disadvantages . Unfortunately the Bose sub is too small in the leaf and way too underpowered, subs need to be a decent size and have decent outputs because our ears are less sensitive to lower frequencies.

Due to it being passive I'd have to run heavy cables all the way to the front including audio real pain in the ass. And I wonder could the lead acid keep power to the amp ?

Has anyone installed a "proper" sub in the Leaf ?

Just like my brothers A4, the sub in the rear shelf was disgracefully poor and cheap, not a cheap version of the car but usually the basic audio system in an Audi is pretty decent and as we discovered it actually is but the horrendously cheap sub was destroying the audio and the transformation after installing a proper sub was amazing but it was really easy to install the sub because the battery is in the rear and better because the power cables can be kept short.

My Leaf has a ported 10 inch with amp in the back. I had it professionally installed (it had been in 2 cars prior). The DC/DC that keeps the 12v up has no problem with the amp. I don't run in "accessory mode" practically ever so I haven't had a drained 12v battery due to it. DC lines were run from the battery in the front all the way to the trunk of the car. A speaker level converter was used to drop the signal level to something the sub amp could use; the speaker lines were tapped at the back of the head unit and rca cord was run to the back of the car.

I have a 2012 SL so no bose fanciness although I imagine an aftermarket sub install would be very similar.

Hope this helps.

JeremyW said:

My Leaf has a ported 10 inch with amp in the back. I had it professionally installed (it had been in 2 cars prior). The DC/DC that keeps the 12v up has no problem with the amp. I don't run in "accessory mode" practically ever so I haven't had a drained 12v battery due to it. DC lines were run from the battery in the front all the way to the trunk of the car. A speaker level converter was used to drop the signal level to something the sub amp could use; the speaker lines were tapped at the back of the head unit and rca cord was run to the back of the car.

I have a 2012 SL so no bose fanciness although I imagine an aftermarket sub install would be very similar.

Hope this helps.

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Any pics ? some pics of cabling under the hood ?

Thanks.

So I've established the sub is fed from the head unit so does anyone know if it would be better to take a clean feed from a speaker or could the already filtered amplified feed for the Bose sub be suitable ?