The problem is that the bose headunit doesn't amplify the signal at all, so it is a line (low) level output. When you swap that out you are putting in an amplified high level output in its place. That will not go over well with the bose amps. I don't know how the amp/amps are hooked up to the headunit in the 01, but it is probably a harness instead of RCAs. When I had mine apart the other day, I could not find the power wire for the amps on the harness, so I believe that they are powered through a relay somewhere, which is why I couldn't see it with my meter, so hooking up the amp wire should give you power. If you pull the harness off the bose amp and take a multimeter set to voltage, touch the black lead to ground and the red to each pin on the harness and you should see 12 volts somewhere.
You have a few options on how to go from here.
Run the high level wires from the headunit directly to each speaker (you would have to check the impedance of the bose speakers to see if this is possible)
or you could do the first option while swapping in aftermarket speakers.
Wire in a line level converter between the headunit and the bose amps
Wire the preamp outputs on your headunit to the bose amps
Swap in aftermarket amps
If it were me I would probably go for aftermarket speakers amplified by the headunit's internal amplifier. The cheapest option is using the line level converter, but you might find that there is a lot more wiring and identifying wires involved. Let me know if you want more info on any of the options.
Line level converters are all around crap. They were sort of a hack brought out in the early days of DIY audio amplification. Uber crappy amps along the lines of Pyramid, Jensen... all had them built in. I can guarantee you won't be happy with your audio quality after using one of them. Signal loss is terrible and the introduced noise makes you want to pull your hair out.
I was just dumb, the remote wire wasn't connected, because the pin in the harness wasn't pushed in all the way in.
Now it works, plays pretty well with the Pioneer's amp, but the volume get too loud too early... turn it up to 12 and its loud already (loud but clear).
My Pioneer has pre-amp outputs, I'm gonna try to connect the BOSE amp to those outputs.
BTW, the amp has a remote wire that is connected to the woofer's relay... Just connect the remote wire and your amp should turn on.
You might need to switch the pin to the right location on your harness. The remote is not at the usual Mazda pin out location.
The amp is also directly connected to a batt+ source.
If you need schematics, I can help you. I've got them all.
Please post any wiring diagram you have please. I have a 2010 mazda 3 bose amp and speakers with sub and I don't have the wiring harness and would like to install it in my 2006 Mazda 3. Please any help would be great. Thanks
BTW, the amp has a remote wire that is connected to the woofer's relay... Just connect the remote wire and your amp should turn on.
You might need to switch the pin to the right location on your harness. The remote is not at the usual Mazda pin out location.
The amp is also directly connected to a batt+ source.
If you need schematics, I can help you. I've got them all.[/b]
Wow, schems would be helpful. I just got my Milly ready for a Hu install. I have my Dual HD Deck ready to go. I will proly go the route using my line level amp outs for the rears. Any useful options for the fronts or does the Bose amp do that too?
I have the '98 and the bottom matches mine. I followed the diagram with my harness but not even a whisper out of the speakers. Any ideas? I assume it is due to the Bose amp.
I have the '98 and the bottom matches mine. I followed the diagram with my harness but not even a whisper out of the speakers. Any ideas? I assume it is due to the Bose amp.[/b]
As far as I know, the 98 should be almost identical to my 95 Bose set up. Each speaker has its own amp: rears are under the black plastic cover mounted on the magnet, fronts are mounted next to the speaker, and the center speaker is (for whatever reason) on the back of the rear seat. If you did not hook up the amp power wire, you won't get power to them and there will be no sound. I do not know which pin this is on the harness though... It has to be either b, d, e, f, or h on the 701 connector. (I doubt it is e) Hopefully someone has the answer. If you check for voltage on each of those pins, if there is voltage present then that is not the pin.
As far as I know, the 98 should be almost identical to my 95 Bose set up. Each speaker has its own amp: rears are under the black plastic cover mounted on the magnet, fronts are mounted next to the speaker, and the center speaker is (for whatever reason) on the back of the rear seat. If you did not hook up the amp power wire, you won't get power to them and there will be no sound. I do not know which pin this is on the harness though... It has to be either b, d, e, f, or h on the 701 connector. (I doubt it is e) Hopefully someone has the answer. If you check for voltage on each of those pins, if there is voltage present then that is not the pin.[/b]
'98 appears to be a tad bit different. What I have found are two amps mounted to the back of the rear seat in the truck behind the carpet. Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the amps? I was considering running a line level converter and using the bose amps with the bose speakers. But I need to figure out how to power these amps :huh:
You need to splice RCA male ends onto the harness, so front speakers have R+, R-, L+, L-, and rear has the same. You also have the center + and - which you probably won't be able to use. Just get a RCA audio cable and cut it in half. One half will be the front and the other will be the rear. They will be white and red with red being right channel. The wires will look like this (LINK).
If your new headunit has two sets of preamp outputs just plug the RCA's into there, no line level converters needed. If it only has one set, plug the fronts into that and use a line level converter for the rear. And if you have 0 RCA outputs you can use two LLC's but you would be better off getting a new headunit with 2 or more preouts.
As far as delivering power to the amps, if you cannot find the correct pin there is a way around that. You will need a multimeter, some tinfoil, tape, and a needle. Place the needle on the tip of the red lead on the meter, wrap it in tin foil and tape around it until it is secure. Set the meter to measure DC voltage. Ground the black lead and stick the needle into the back of each one of the possible wires (see my previous post) Have the headunit set on CD or TAPE, but NOT radio. Check for voltage at each wire, if there is no voltage this is not the right wire. If you find one with voltage (between 11.5-14.5), power off the headunit. If the voltage goes away that is the amp trigger, if the voltage is still there you need to keep searching.
It sounds more involved than it actually is. Let me know if you need clarification on anything.
you need to find your remote wire on your car's harness...
use Matt's method with the OEM radio in place.
Once you find that wire, you need to wire it to you aftermarket radio...
I have a 2000 schematic.... if it is the same... look for a LT GRN/RED wire (light green/red)
you need to find your remote wire on your car's harness...
use Matt's method with the OEM radio in place.
Once you find that wire, you need to wire it to you aftermarket radio...
I have a 2000 schematic.... if it is the same... look for a LT GRN/RED wire (light green/red)[/b]
I also could use schematics for '02 Milly S w/Bose system. Am considering changing out the old Bose head unit for a new Pioneer but still trying to figure out how to properly match wires by their function.
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