Do you like to listen to music when you’re driving? Did you purchase a car with a Bose Sound System but were dissatisfied with the bass? Considering installing a subwoofer to improve the bass and overall sound quality.
Can you add a subwoofer to a Bose car system?
Yes, you can add subwoofers to a Bose Car system. You can do so by retaining the stock sound system. To add subwoofers to your bose car system, you’ll need to run multiple cables from the engine to the subwoofer. However, there is a possibility of a sound mismatch between the bass and the sound from the main speakers.
Are you serious about adding a subwoofer to your Bose vehicle system? But not sure how to go about adding a subwoofer to a Bose Car system? Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to add a subwoofer to a Bose Sound System.
Is it Possible to Set up a Subwoofer in a Bose Car System?
Yes! Bose car system allows you to set up a subwoofer. You can even add two car subwoofers let alone one. However, adding a subwoofer to a Bose Car System is not advised. A variety of reasons contribute to this perspective of view. We’ve seen folks add subwoofers to their Bose car system and then bemoan the decision.
However, if you’re adamant, then there are a few locations for installing your subwoofer. These include the trunk and the area behind the back seat. The ideal location in your car is totally determined by its design.
Before you start, here are the pros and cons of adding a subwoofer to a Bose Car system.
| Pros | Cons |
| Provides your playback with bass. | The sound coming from the subwoofer may not be of the same quality as the main speakers. |
| It looks cool when you have an added subwoofer. | The audio quality may or may not be enhanced, and it certainly will not be at a high volume level. |
| Can enjoy all the sounds in the playback that the creator has added. | The subwoofer would add weight to the overall car and might burn the main sound system. |
If you’re looking to add more bass you can take a look at subwoofers of different sizes for the best bass output.
An amp is needed to add a level of boost to the subwoofer. A subwoofer can be fitted even without an amplifier. Install an amp, however, to obtain the best output from the subwoofer.
Have you just installed an amp in the car and wondered about the settings? So, what are the best amp settings for bass in the car?
Turn your sub amp’s gain knob all the way counterclockwise. Turn on the low-pass filter and turn it as far clockwise as it will go.
Turn off the bass boost if it has one. If your remote has a control, set it to the middle position. Then later choose whether to amplify or cut the bass on certain songs.
In the end, the best settings for your bass are left to your personal tastes.
Thinking about buying an amp to boost the subwoofer. We recommend you take a look at the Boss Audio System PV3700.
How to Add Subwoofers to Bose Car System?
You can add a subwoofer to your bose car system by wiring the high-low converted from the bose amp speaker wires. It’ll send an installation signal to your amp.
That will send the signal to the amp that you are going to install. It will tell it when to turn off and when to turn on. Run a good power source to your amp, ground it well and you would be all ready to go.
Amps with external bass control can help you to tune the bass settings of your new bose subwoofer. Be careful to keep the bose amp intact. Or else, it can cut itself out of loop.
You can follow a wiring diagram for bose car amplifiers to properly set up the subwoofer with the sound system.
Adding a subwoofer to bose factory stereos can be a tricky thing to deal with. So you need to consider compatibity issues of bose car speakers with different car subwoofers. And it can get even trickier if you are looking to add subwoofer with dual channel stereo.
Do you intend to upgrade your Bose sound system with an amplifier? But you aren’t sure which method of installation of the subwoofer is the best. Don’t worry, we’ve gone over how to add subwoofers to your car’s Bose sound system in detail.
Components
These are the components required to add a Subwoofer to your existing Bose stereo.
These parts are necessary for the subwoofer and amplifier to be installed.
So, we’ll now be going over the details of installing an amplifier and subwoofer.
Process
It’s highly recommended that you utilize an amplifier while installing the subwoofer. You can either use a tube preamp or a solid-state amplifier. They have their differences in output.
Here are the steps that are broken down for you.
Step 1: Disconnect Negative Terminal
First, unplug the battery’s negative terminal. This is done to prevent you from being shocked by an accident. After disconnecting it, tuck it away so it doesn’t reconnect to the battery.
Step 2: Power Wire
Take the power wire and wrap it in a flex loom to protect it from engine heat and prevent an accident. The wire should then be threaded through the grommet. The grommet is where cables from the engine and the back of the automobile flow.
Step 3: Set up the Fuse Holder
Cut the power wire in the middle. After that, connect the cut power wire to the fuse holder. After that, connect the power line to the battery’s positive terminal.
Step 4: Run the Power Wire
The power line is now linked to the battery. Pass it through the grommet and into your car’s trunk.
Step 5: Ground the Amplifier
Connect a short wire to a bolt connecting to the chassis. Check that the bolt used to ground the amplifier is not painted. The short cable will now serve as our ground wire.
Step 6: Connect Speaker Wires
Connect the Line Output Converter’s speaker cable to your existing speaker wiring. Then, mount your amplifier and attach the RCA cables to the new amplifier. After connecting your RCA cables to your Line Output, attach the other end to the amplifier.
An added tip: Ensure that the RCA wires are connected to the correct speaker input or else it won’t work.
Step 7: Run your RCA Cables
Connect your RCA cables to the trunk. Keep the wires buried beneath the dashboard.
Step 8: Connect All the Wires
Now that all of the wires are connected to the trunk. Connect the amplifier’s RCA cables. Connect the power cable to the amplifier at this point. Connect your ground wire to your amplifier at this point. Connect the wire from your speaker to the amplifier.
These may appear to be a lot to you. Don’t worry, this will only take about 30 – 40 minutes. If you don’t follow the steps mentioned above you might face problems with the amp.
Now, you may ask, how to connect a subwoofer to a car stereo without an amp?
You need an active subwoofer to connect a subwoofer to a car stereo. Plugging a powered subwoofer into the installed car stereo with a jack wire is pretty much all you need to do.
Set up the subwoofer in your car. Now, you will need to cover the frequency setting for the best output. So, what’s the crossover frequency setting car?
Changing the frequency of a car’s sound system isn’t all that different from setting the frequency of a home theatre system. The frequency settings vary depending on your preferences and speaker type.
| Type of Speaker | Frequency Settings |
| Subwoofers | 70-80 Hz |
| Car main speakers | 50-60 Hz |
| 2-way speakers | 3-3.5 kHz |
| Midrange | 1-3.5 kHz |
| 3-way system | 300 Hz and 3.5 kHz |
Cost to Add Subwoofer to Bose Car System
The cost of adding a subwoofer to a Bose automobile system includes more than the cost of the subwoofer. If you wish to add a subwoofer, you’ll need an amplifier, various wire kinds, an amp wiring kit, and a Line Out Converter.
All the costs have been written down for your ease:
| Product Name | Cost |
| RCA Cables | $ 6 – 10 |
| Fuse Holder | $ 20 – 50 |
| Speaker Wire | $ 5 – 10 |
| Amp wiring kit | $ 15 – 30 |
| Power Wire | $ 5 – 10 |
| Line Output Converter | $ 15 – 80 |
| Amplifier | $ 50 – 300 |
The prices vary based on where you get them. This is why we have supplied approximate prices rather than specific pricing.
Considerations before Adding Subwoofer to Bose Car System
The cost of adding a subwoofer to a Bose car system covers more than just the subwoofer itself. You’ll need an amplifier, various wire types, an amp wiring kit, and a Line Out Converter if you want to add a subwoofer.
Adding a subwoofer to gain bass from the sound system appears to be a good idea at first. A subwoofer, on the other hand, can add a large amount of weight to the entire car. You need to run wires from the engine area to wherever you choose to position the subwoofer.
We suggest that you leave it to the pros if you are unfamiliar with wiring, However, because you will need to pay for labor and other expenses. This may raise your overall expenditures.
Can Subwoofers Damage Your Car?
Subwoofers can damage your vehicle. It has the ability to damage various parts of the car. It may remove items such as the rearview mirror, door panels, and the nuts that keep them in place.
This occurs because when an object’s frequency point is reached, any continuous vibration might cause another object to vibrate as well. Vehicles would not suffer structural or mechanical damage as a result of subwoofers.
Subwoofers can generate a trailing power factor. This causes the amp and battery to demand more power than necessary.
A cap is dangerous as it charges, but as I previously stated, a cap is not a replacement for a battery. It smoothes out voltage spikes, making your battery and alternator life simpler.
Best Subwoofer for your Car
After reading through the entire article have you decided to buy a subwoofer? Here are a few of our recommendations.
| Product | Issues it Solves | Price |
| Kicker 42CWQ124 12″ CompQ Subwoofer w/ Dual 4-Ohm Voice Coil | It has the best sound quality of any subwoofer available. Its size makes it a perfect fit for the car. | $ 329.95 |
| Kicker 41L782 8″ Q-Class L7 Subwoofer w/ Dual 2-Ohm Voice Coils | It comes in an 8” size and is quite lightweight. It doesn’t add much weight like your traditional subwoofer. However, it produces a lot of sound despite its small size. | $ 279.95 |
Apart from these, you can try out bose’s own car subwoofers.
But does bose even make car subwoofers?
Yes, they do! The Bose F1 subwoofer offers a large bass box with a compact design, making it a perfect fit as a car subwoofer!
FAQs
Have you read through the article? But do you still have some questions regarding installing a subwoofer to a Bose Car system? Don’t worry we’ve answered the most common questions we’ve faced till now.
Would you need an amplifier for your subwoofer?
Subwoofers are designed to increase bass frequencies, resulting in a deep, thumping sound. Most of the time, they are used in conjunction with an amplifier to improve the sound. If you do not have enough funds to cover both components then you can connect a subwoofer without an amplifier. This will require a little bit of knowledge about sound systems and electrical wiring.
Why is Bose so expensive?
Bose speakers are pricey because the company creates them for the human experience. They feature superior technology, and Bose invests heavily in research. Bose has also acquired a customer base that is confident in the quality of its speakers. Because they are a brand name, they can charge a premium price and yet acquire clients.
What is the definition of subwoofer output on a car stereo?
A “subwoofer out” on some stereo amps and preamps is usually merely a preamp output. This suggests that it is a standard full-bandwidth line-level signal. It is dependent on the crossover of the subwoofer to determine how much high-frequency information is discarded and how much low-frequency information is retained.
How do you connect a subwoofer to a stereo system?
With an RCA cable or subwoofer cable, connect the “Sub Out” or “LFE Out” on your receiver, preamplifier, or amplifier to the subwoofer input jack. Toggle the subwoofer to “On” in the settings of your receiver or preamplifier. Connect using speaker-level connections.
Bottom Line
Music is an integral part of our life. Cars have become a necessity more than a luxury these days. To enjoy music in its entirety, a car’s stock sound system isn’t upto the mark. But it can be changed and the quality of sound increases.
After investing in buying a car with a Bose Sound System, it’s natural to ponder if Can you Add a Subwoofer to a Bose Car System?
It’s maybe that you want more bass with your music when you’re driving or just want to show off during a car meetup. But whatever the reason it’s entirely possible to add a subwoofer to a Bose car system.
