Amping stock speakers and other questions

[Keymaster]

I just bought a 2002 Escalade. It has the Bose system with Onstar. I want to transfer my stereo system from my old truck to this truck. Unfortunately, this truck is way more complicated.

1. I have a 4 channel amp. Doing some reading, the stock speakers are an odd ohm from the usual 4 or 8 ohm. Is this going to be a problem? Also, this thing supposedly has like 11 speaker (which includes the sub). How do you wire 10 speakers with a 4 channel amp?

2. Crutchfield has the adapter for my truck so Onstar and the factory amp works. If I don't care about Onstar working or the factory amp, do I need this adapter? With the correct wiring diagram I feel comfortable hard wiring if necessary.

3. Is there any possible way to add an aftermarket radio and still use the 5 disk changer that's under the heat/ac controls?

These are my biggest questions and if anyone can help with these I can give it a try.

Thanks.

 

[boostaholic]

Yank all that crap out and replace the speakers with aftermarket units. I installed some infinity coaxs up front on mine temporarily due to their 2.65ohm load (stockers are 2.4ohm) and they sounded pretty good compared to the components I replaced them with. I ran the stock stereo with a line output converter for the sub and wasn't happy, plus replacing the stereo on an 02 requires a simple $10 harness if you're adding aftermarket amps. This looks a hell of alot better than the stock head unit with the cassette deck too lol

 

[MadMedwyn]

I think the Bose system is 9 speakers, not 11. Or at least it's 9 in my '04. It goes:

2 Tweeters on front pillars
2 Mids in front doors
2 Mids in rear doors
2 small speakers in rear pillars
1 Subwoofer

I'm getting rid of my Bose one day and will be using a 4 channel amp as well. I'm just going to buy a component set up front, and a pair of mids for the rear doors. I'll use the 4 channel amp for those and delete the very rear speakers. There's no reason to run them because my aftermarket subs overshadow what little sound they put out anyway.

 

[Keymaster]

MadMedwyn, you have a good point. I could actually run the 4 door speakers off of my 4 channel amp and maybe tap the front pillars into the front channel of my amp. I also plan on making a box to fit behind the 3rd row with one 12 inch sub.

My biggest task is finding the factory amp and tapping in to the speaker wires. With my previous vehicle, I just ran the wires from my 4 channel amp back to under the dash and tapped them into the factory speaker wires. Of course, I also replaced the factory speakers, which made a huge difference. Hopefully, the wires exiting the factory Bose amp is a harness that can be unplugged. Then, with the proper wiring diagram, I can just tap into the speakers I want to power up. From what I've read, the amp is behind the glove box.

One more bigger question is, is there a "cheap" harness to connect my Pioneer radio to the factory radio harness. Crutchfield has one for about $130 that allows the Onstar to still come through the speakers. I don't really care about the Onstar, so I'm hoping I can just buy a regular harness that'll be able to power up the radio.

I'm also reading that the factory Bose speakers are an unusual ohm? Can I hook up an aftermarket amp to them temporarily until I get time to upgrade?

Thanks

 

[odoggy10]

I have a 2002 Tahoe without/bose system how do i get to the subwoofer in the rear panel compartment. Thanks
Odoogy10

 

[treepete]

I struggled with amp locations in my 99.. I wonder if its the same..
spots I looked but didnt find it:
up inside behind the glovebox
under the "floor" of the center console. the console has to be removed for access.
inside the tire jack area, or the opposite area.(above the rear tires, basically)
above the gas pedal area.

I hope you get your install working.

I finally removed the whole bose setup and went with infinity 6.5 shallow all around and a sub, and its 100% better.

 

[Keymaster]

Update

I got to dig into it a little last night.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the 11 speakers sounded with my Pioneer head unit. My 6900UB has a 7 band equalizer and having that extra ability to adjust the highs actually changed my decision for the time being. I'm not gonna use my four channel amp to power these speakers until I get my sub up and running. So for those like me with the Bose system, a good aftermarket head unit will wake these speakers up. I was also impressed how high I could cut it up without distortion. No sense in tearing the door panels off just yet. I would definitely recommend that people replace the head unit first and then decide if you want to replace the speakers.

The trim on this truck is extremely easy to pop off. I had my entire dash and center console apart in about 5 minutes. I have a hard drive that I use with my deck, so I had to install another 12-volt lighter jack under the console to plug my inverter in. All the lighter jacks in my ride are "hot" all the time and I needed one that only comes on with the key "on". Was able to use the wiring going to the existing ashtray to clip in to.

Thought about installing the Pioneer deck where the 6 cd-changer is, but the opening in the dash is a little smaller and would have to be cut to fit. Don't want to cut the factory one. I'll do some shopping on ebay for another bezel I can cut up and then when I go to sell it, I can just pull the original one back out and reinstall it.

For those who will be running RCA's from amps in the back to under the dash to the radio, pull out as much stuff on the dash as possible. Like I said earlier, the dash bezel and center console pull off very easy, just pop them off, being gentle of course. The heat/ac controls can even be popped out of the way very easily to get a better view. I had a little bit of a hard time fishing my RCA's up from behind the dash up to the radio because the gaps were fairly small, so at least if every thing is out of the way, it'll make it easier for you to see what you're doing.

As far as the factory amp and sub, on my 2002, they are both located in the back drivers panel, from what I've read. I haven't pulled my off yet, since I'm satisfied with the sound so far. My Pioneer has really woke this factory sub up as well, rather noticeably in my opinion. I'll still be installing a 12" Kicker, though.

And for those who have the Bose with Onstar, you don't have to buy the $140 harness, unless you want to keep the Onstar working like it does stock. I just bought a regular harness to fit a GM for my year and it works fine.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I rely on forums like this to get good information and I try to pass it back on when I can.

Thanks