Forgive me, for I'm car stereo stupid
 

I've read through the forums about amp installs, subs, crossovers, etc.... I'm dizzy!

What I'm after (and please don't hesitate to call me stupid), is just a little more power from my Bose system.

Last week, picked up an '11 G37 Sedan with premium package and Nav. I'm excited about the USB plug for the iPod! On the '07 G35 that I traded in, I just played music from the Compact Flash slot.

Anyway, maybe it's my imagination, but it seems that playing music from the iPod (as opposed to the compact flash card from my old car), the volume is a little bit lower.

Here's what I'm interested in:
-Just a little more "punch" from the audio system. Not too much really.

I really don't want to replace the speakers or add a sub, etc... My main question is: Can you just replace the Bose amp in the system with something a little stronger? It would be cool if Bose made a replacement amp for the car with more power!

I should say that I've already used MP3Gain on all my music to make sure that they're not too low. I've deactivated the volume limiter on the ipod, etc...

Is that possible without being forced to rewire everything? I know it's probably a long shot, but a "plug and play" solution would be awesome!

Any advice/help would be appreciated! Especially if you can dumb it down enough for this noob :)

some people say going to the options and turning on the driver's stage option helps. Maybe try that before any intense mods.

I'd say just add a sub, best bang for the buck and it's the one aspect the stock stereo is sorely lacking in. Investing in an amp replacement without getting a sub won't yield as great a result although both would be nice.

It never comes out very clean it seems unless you spend some money on this. You'd have to get a proper preamp to accept the signal with a variable input line. You'd also want a clean, powerful amp that can handle the 2-ohm (I think) speakers in this system.

If you're willing to spend at least $600 on parts and route power cables from your battery, then I think it'd be worth it.

Keep in mind, also, that a lot of what Bose does is create a better soundstage (Bose generally sucks though so take this with a little grain of salt). So just replacing the stock amp with a more powerful one might have more negative effects than positive ones.

I've had the same experience as you, and i believe so does a lot of people who owned the G. And i think most of us went with getting a sub instead. The BOSE system really sucked... Even the Honda Accord sound system could punch much louder and feel more bass. I guess the only way to feel more punch would be adding a sub. Or maybe ground wires?

For 'punch' a sub would do it. And the short answer is "yes" you can simply replace the Bose amp. It'll take a little setup because the Bose amp did a lot of phase shifting/mixing that is a little odd.

The signal coming from the Bose head unit is a clean 0-4V full range signal if that helps with picking an amp.

IMHO, I would replace the amp and door speakers even if I didn't add a sub. The Bose stocks in the doors are a little 'thin' sounding for my taste and tend to sound hollow when pushed. But leave the car looking stock.

Go onto itunes and select all music. Right click and select get info. Choose the tab "options". Adjust volume to max. Thats what I did with all my music and it sounds great. I also enabled drivers stage audio. I'm not sure how your music will sounds, but all my music was purchased on itunes, and now it sounds great. Let me know if it works. :)

the OEM speakers are 1 ohm speakers.
Is almost impossible to find a 4 channel amp that can drive 1 ohm speakers and fit into that small space in the trunk where the boose amp is located.
An additional sub in the trunk wont do much because the car sound isolation betwen the cabin and the trunk.
A sub under the driver or passager seat is out of question because there is allmost no space there.
The only option is to replace the amp and speakers.
In this case, you loose the center dash speaker and the driver stage option...

I use wavepad sound editor to amplify the songs on my Ipod. You can also try turning the eq on the Ipod off(if On). The EQ seems to lower the sound IMHO. But i get many compliments on how the bose system sounds in my car. But after editing the sound the Bass really hits. I just wish they would have put 2 subwoofers on the real deck instead of 1.

A well engineered audio track (all big artists) will have full dynamic range. You can really not gain any benefit from increasing the song's amplitude. What you do is just flatten the high end (distort and clip).

I can't speak for iTunes songs though since their dynamic range is adjusted for optimal use on headphones.