How to Add an Amplifier to a Bose Stereo
Bose car stereos tend to be self-contained systems, with one amplifier devoted per one speaker. In these systems, a 6- or 8-inch subwoofer is often mounted in the rear deck. However, this subwoofer may not be sufficient for those that desire hard-hitting bass. Adding a stand-alone amplifier to power an additional subwoofer to a Bose system is a matter of finding the right signal to tap into.
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Things You'll Need
- Bose aftermarket adapter
- Plastic T-tap adapters
- Needle-nose pliers
- Wire crimps
- Screwdrivers (Philips, Allen, Torx)
Instructions
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1
Head to the back of the vehicle. Enter the trunk area, and look up at the rear speakers or factory subwoofer mounted in the rear deck.
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2
Find the green and gray wires leading to the rear speakers. Each wire pair will have will have a positive and negative. Find a wire with a black stripe on one speaker and a wire without on the other speaker. For a mono subwoofer amplifier, you only need a single wiring pair.
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3
Center the metal notch over the chosen wires leading to the factory Bose rear speakers. Snap the T-tap adapter shut over these wires, ensuring a secure closure with the needle-nose pliers.
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4
Find the positive and negative wires on the aftermarket adapter, corresponding to the factory Bose wiring. Pull off the pre-stripped insulation on the end of each wire.
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5
Crimp a male spade terminal onto the wires on the aftermarket adapter, using the wire crimps. Slide these terminals into the notch at the base of each T-tap connector on the factory speaker wires.
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6
Loosen the "REM" wire on the installed amplifier with the appropriate screwdriver. Slide the remote wire on the adapter into this terminal. Tighten the terminal back down.
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7
Connect the RCA cables on the adapter into the matching RCA inputs on the new subwoofer amplifier.
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Tips & Warnings
Never make stereo connections with the vehicle or system turned on.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
