thumper300zx's Z32 Stereo Upgrades
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My stock Bose system worked perfectly when I got the car in 2002. It had the optional Sony CD player. Since it's a '91, it had the 4" speakers all the way around. I quickly replaced the head unit and cd player and added an amp to run a single 8" subwoofer. The head unit is an ALPINE CDA-9815 (reads mp3/wma). At the time, it was one of the nicest units around, and actually it is still quite nice. It packs a good punch putting out 40 watts/channel RMS and requires (according to Crutchfield and Alpine themselves) a direct 12v line from the battery to run speakers directly. It is packed with features like a manual equalizer, preset EQ, time delay, separate subwoofer line level, and two pre-outs. The amp I installed was just a little 100w (4 ohm bridged RMS) unit. The sub was an 8" Kicker CompDVR.


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The sound with this system was pretty good, but obviously not amazing with the stock Bose speakers being run off a line-level adapter from the headunit. As the saying goes: "Bose, no highs no lows." I was actually decently impressed with the low/mid-range from the Bose system, for being stock in '91. But the highs are certainly horrible.

2 years after owning the car, the front right speaker started to crackle. That speaker's amp was starting to go out. I did a bandaid repair by buying a used amp, and actually never had another problem arise. A year later, I decided it was time to get some customs subwoofer boxes into the car. I went with two custom 8" subwoofer boxes. I already had a second 8" CompVR on hand, so I just added that into the system. To push the two speakers, I replaced the small amp with a Rockford Fosgate Punch P4002 amp, which puts out 200 watts/channel RMS @ 2 Ohm. The custom boxes and amp look great. The two 8" subs put out great mid-bass and decent lows, though I don't listen to a lot of trunk rattling music. The amp looks great and the removable shrouds allow the wiring to be completely hidden. I routed them through and under the rear deck cover. The amp also has a remote bass control, which I routed through the center console area up to the dash.

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The Rockford amp, though great, had it's problems. One channel went out within a few days of owning it. I noticed adjusting the gain would cause it to cut in and out, so I figured a solder joint was bad. Before returning the amp, I brought the car to a trusted installer and he checked out everything as I had done -- everything in the setup was fine, but the amp had a short (gain adjustment). I contacted the vendor and they allowed me to return it for another. Well, three days later, same thing. And same result -- looked like the gain control was bad. So, I asked for an authorized receipt and sent it into Rockford Fosgate. They found the solder joint was bad, returned it, and it has run like a champ ever since. That all took about 2 months.

As I was waiting for the amp issue to be resolved, I decided it was time to get some better highs into the system. I wanted to buy or build some adapters to use with the stock Bose enclosures to install 4" Infinity Kappas. I didn't want to modify the system too much, and wanted to keep sealed enclosures. I didn't "exactly" accomplish this, but came close. MJMAutoInnovations (eBAY or .com) makes some nice adapters for the front (meant to be replacement brackets), but did not make rears. I made a deal with him to send him the right rear enclosure to design an adapter. He designed new adapters and sent them out. I soon found out the rear left box has slightly different dimensions than the rear right, so I sent the rear left enclosure and he custom made one for that. He now sells the pair of rear adapters with cutouts made for 6.5" speakers. You can see his products on eBAY. They are made of thick black PVC. It's nice, strong stuff. If you want to use different speaker sizes, try to contact him and he might custom cut a set for you.

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On the fronts, I wanted to use MJM's 4" aftermarket speaker front adapters which he advertised would work in the 300zx, Maxima, Covette, etc. They didn't work, as you can see in the pictures directly above. Even if you could use them, I derived that any protruding tweeter would cause interference with the door panel during resinstallation. That being said, get the larger front adapters which are meant to replace the entire enclosure. Note, this is much cheaper than getting the stock Nissan metal brackets. He exchanged the larger adapters for what I bought originally, then I did some work on the stock enclosures so I could fit them on. I pulled the fronts off, cut off the "pillars" (little nubs where the screws go in), and put a bead of black silicone around the perimeter of the enclosure hole. Then I just pressed on the adapters, using the enclosure mounting hole as a line-up reference and matching up the bottom edge (parallel) of the adapter to the enclosure. Then I drilled a small hole for the speaker wire, stuffed the enclosure with a little fill, threw in the crossovers, and mounted the speaker (with rear mounting plate and speaker -- also used foam weatherstrip to seal it to the enclosure). On the fronts, I couldn't use the Kappa grills because of front side clearance, which is fine since they don't show anyway. Mounting depth with these adapters and stock enclosures might be an issue, but it worked just right for the Kappas. Or, you could just ditch the enclosure, something I didn't want to do because of sealing/rattling issues.

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Now completely installed and done, the system sounds great. The highs are awesome, despite not going with a high-mounted component tweeter. I am running the Kappas directly from the Alpine unit. I ran all new wires to the speakers directly from the Alpine. I am very pleased with the results.

The total cost of the replacement was around $912.95 (and time, of course). If you have special sources, you can probably get an equivalent system for a bit less.

Kappa 42.7i || 4" 2-Way Car Speakers || MSRP $139.95/Pair (Paid $145 shipped for two pair in 2006)

Infinity Kappa speakers incorporate the latest technology to provide you with outstanding sound reproduction. And, thanks to Infinity's innovative low-impedance design, they're built for high efficiency as well.

The Kappa 42.7 4" speaker features a super-stiff woofer cone to minimize flexing that can cause distortion. The Plus One cone offers a larger surface area than other 4" speakers, for improved bass output and efficiency. The woofer's powerful, compact neodymium magnets weigh much less than traditional magnets — a nice feature when you're trying to save weight in your high-performance vehicle.

Infinity uses the same type of tweeter found in many of their popular home speakers, so you'll hear the music the way it was recorded, with minimal coloration or distortion.

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CDA-9815 CD/MP3 Receiver || MSRP $500 (Paid $225 in 2002)

Sharp looks and sharp sounds — Alpine's CDA-9815 CD receiver is a complete car audio package! It will play your MP3 and Windows Media (WMA) files on CD-R and CD-RW with excellent detail and clarity. Navigating through folders and files is a breeze, thanks to the 2-line color display that reads out CD and MP3 text information.

The V-Drive™ MOSFET hybrid internal amplifier pumps out an astounding 27 watts RMS of continuous 4-channel power. Bass Engine® Pro allows you to tweak the sound to perfection with its 5-band parametric equalizer, 6-channel digital time correction, and 6-position crossover (with variable slope, and subwoofer level and phase adjustment).

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CompVR 01CVR8-2 8" Dual 2-ohm Voice Coil (DVC) Subwoofer || MSRP $99/Sub (Paid $125 for Pair in 2002)

Kicker's CompVR 01C8VR4 8" woofer creates awesome bass, thanks to its powerful polymineral cone and rigid, non-resonant steel basket. Dual 4-ohm voice coil construction provides extra flexibility in wiring your system. Kicker's Perimeter Venting together with a beefed-up suspension keeps the sub running cool and sounding hot. The Santoprene rubber surround minimizes cone distortion and resists the elements. These subs take everything you give them and throw it right back at you.

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Kicker Features

Dual Voice Coils: For increased system flexibility, this woofer has two 2 ohm voice coils. When the voice coils are wired in parallel with each other, the woofer presents a 1 ohm mono load. When the voice coils are wired in series with each other, the woofer presents a 4 ohm mono load. In addition, each coil may be connected to a different amplifier channel and each channel will see a 2 ohm load.

Cone Materials: The cone is constructed of mica-filled polypropylene. Mica adds strength and heat resistance to polypropylene; the result is reduced distortion and improved reliability. In addition, the cone is also very resistant to environmental extremes.

Surround: This subwoofer uses a tough, flexible, highly tear-resistant santoprene rubber surround. The surround is double-stitched to the cone edge, making separation between them virtually impossible.

Inverted Structural Dome: The Inverted Structural Dome replaces a conventional dustcap and locks into the cone for unmatched structural integrity and greatly reduced cone flexing/resonance.

Voice Coils: The ultra-length voice coils allow enormous cone excursion for incredible deep bass.

Voice Coil Former: The hi-temp Kapton voice coil former protects against warped, rubbing voice coils.

Extended Pole Piece: The extended pole piece creates a broad, symmetrical magnetic field for superior power handling, precise voice coil control, and very low deep bass distortion. Venting in the pole piece eliminates noise and distortion caused by huge amounts of airflow created by cone excursion.

UniPlate Construction: The UniPlate construction combines the backplate and extended pole piece into a single unit to maximize magnetic efficiency and minimize alignment problems often caused by two-piece construction.

Black Plating: The black plating on the UniPlate and front plate provides maximum heat dissipation for cool operation and extended voice coil life.

Bumped Back Plate: The deep bumped back plate lets the voice coil reach maximum excursion without bottoming-out.

Perimeter Venting: The perimeter venting cooling system continuously pumps hot air away from the voice coils, replacing it with cool outside air.

Gasket: A rubber gasket insures an airtight seal.

Rubber Magnet Boot: A black rubber boot covers the outside edge of the magnet structure to improve the cosmetics of the woofer and protect the magnet during installation.

Spring Posts: The nickel-plated spring posts will accept bare wire and pin connectors.

Enclosure Compatibility: This woofer can provide extended bass in sealed and vented enclosures (please see the "Specifications" section for more information on the recommended enclosures).

Specifications

Power Handling: When the subwoofer is mounted in a sealed enclosure that has a volume of 0.4 cu/ft, each coil can handle up to 100 watts RMS (200 watts peak). In a 1.8 cu/ft sealed enclosure, each coil can handle up to 50 watts RMS (100 watts peak). Generally, when the woofer is mounted in a vented enclosure, its power handling decreases depending on the size of the enclosure. In a 0.8 cu/ft vented enclosure, each coil can handle up to 37.5 watts RMS (75 watts peak). In a 1.2 cu/ft vented enclosure, each coil can handle up to 60 watts RMS (120 watts peak).

Recommended Sealed Box Volume: The recommended sealed enclosures have the highest power handling capability of all the recommended enclosures. When mounted in a sealed enclosure, the woofer delivers smooth bass response with good low bass extension.

Recommended Vented Box Volume: The vented enclosures incorporate massive slot-loaded ports with ultra- low air velocity and hard-hitting bass. These are not your traditional port tubes; the slot-loaded ports are integrated into the enclosure design.

Manual Corrections

Manual Corrections: The specifications printed in the February 2001 manual are preliminary. Per Kicker, some of the specifications have changed and the following is a list of corrections:


Punch P4002 2 x 200 Watt 2-Channel Car Amplifier || MSRP $349.99 (Paid $166.95 + $25 shipping in 2006)

Rockford’s legendary Punch Series amps have been continually relied upon to deliver ultra-clean power to everything from mild to wild systems for more than a decade. By drawing on the feedback they receive from hardcore car audio competitors, Rockford has continually improved their Punch amps to offer more reliable power and better sound quality. Rockford’s Trans-ana (TRANSconductance Active Nodal Amplifier) MOSFET circuitry simplifies the current and voltage gain. Punch amplifiers feature discreet surface mount technology (DSM) utilizing high-speed robotics to produce circuit boards that are more efficient, put out more power, and are less prone to unwanted noise. The Punch series comes with Punch Bass, a remote operated bass EQ control that helps correct for missing low bass output in the automotive sound environment without adding excessive boost. The supplied remote level knob can be installed anywhere for easy tuning. Punch series amplifiers feature a 12 dB/octave slope crossover, variable between 40-400 Hz high- or low-pass. The completely redesigned, focused mass die-cast heatsink has a sleek, rounded shape and features a removable chrome shroud that covers all connections for a clean, finished appearance. The top-mounted, illuminated RF logo even features built-in output meters for a little bling with your raw power.

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  • CEA 2006 Ratings/Compliant
  • Removable Chrome Shrouds
  • 2-channel Car mplifier
  • Illuminated RF Logo with Output Level Display
  • 100 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (200 watts x 2 at 2 ohms)
  • 400 watts RMS x 1 bridged output at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable in bridged mode)
  • Variable 40-400 Hz Low-Pass or High-Pass Crossover
  • Variable 0 - 18 dB Punch Bass EQ at 45 Hz w/Wired Remote Punch Bass Control
  • Tri-way Capable (Tri-Way Crossover required)
  • MOSFET Power Supply
  • Preamp-level Inputs
  • Preamp Outputs
  • Fuse rating: 30A x 2; Built-In ATC Fusing
  • 4 Gauge Power and Ground Connections
  • 11-11/16"W x 2-7/16"H x 11"D

    • Proprietary Rockford Fosgate Technology

  • RMS Power Range : 100-400 Watts
  • Number Of Channels: 2
  • Low Frequency response: 20 Hz
  • High Frequency Response: 20000 Hz
  • Built In Crossovers: Yes
  • Channel Separation: Yes

    • Features

    Removable Chrome Covers: The Rockford Fosgate Punch P4002 amplifier features dual removable chrome covers. One of the covers conceals all speaker, signal, remote, power and ground connections, as well as the gain and crossover frequency controls for a cleaner installation.

    Cast Aluminum Heatsink: The cast aluminum heatsink dissipates heat generated by the amplifier's circuitry. The inherent advantage of casting provides a 30% improvement of cooling over conventional extrusion heatsink designs.

    MEHSA (Maximum Efficiency Heat Sink Application): MEHSA is a Rockford Fosgate proprietary process that increases the heat transfer from the MOSFET devices to the heatsink. The multi-layer insulated metal MEHSA substrate operates with minimal thermal resistance, spreading heat both downward and outward to quickly dissipate heat from each device across the heatsink. This allows greater power output, enhanced thermal stability, and maximum reliability.

    TOPAZ (Tracking Operation Pre-Amplifier Zone): TOPAZ is a circuit that simply eliminates noise. The TOPAZ circuit allows the amplifier ground to move with the source unit ground, creating a "noise elimination" zone just before the preamp section. If there is any noise in the ground coming down the RCA line to the amplifier, TOPAZ amazingly tracks it down and eliminates it. The result is a 30-40dB improvement of the isolation between input ground and chassis ground. 

    Trans-ANA (TRANSconductance Active Nodal Amplifier): The trans-ANA is a circuit that allows the audio signal to pass through the amplifier at low voltage. The signal is directly level-shifted to the fixed high voltage rails via a pair of drive transistors. Signal linearity is assured by an active node formed  by the drive transistors at ultrasonic frequencies. The result is crystal clear sound quality.

    NOMAD (NOn-Multiplying Advanced Decision): NOMAD is an intelligent protection circuit that uses an analog computer to make real time decisions regarding temperature, voltage, current and impedance. The unit is protected without limiting sound output unless needed.

    DSM (Discrete Surface Mount): In the manufacturing process high speed robotics are used to place 0% tolerance resistors and large board traces providing greater reliability and efficiency.

    TO-247 MOSFET: The Punch P4002 utilizes ultra high performance MOSFET output devices, giving the amplifier more power handling capability as well as lower thermal impedance for more reliable operation, even under the harshest load conditions.

    Internal Crossover: The amplifier's internal crossover is a 12dB/octave Butterworth filter selectable for high-pass, all-pass (full range) or low-pass operation variable from 40Hz to 400Hz.

    Remote Punch Bass: The Punch Bass helps correct for acoustical deficiencies in the listening environment by helping reproduce full range sound without adding excessive boost. The Punch Bass control has a narrow band adjustment centered at 45Hz, variable from 0dB to +18dB. Using the mounting bracket, the supplied Punch Bass wired remote can be mounted in any convenient location. The module's case can be configured with the bracket above or below the module, or, without the case, mounted flush in your vehicle's dash (requires a 2" x 7/8" cutout with a maximum thickness of 3/8"). The wired remote is 2.281" wide, 1.214" tall and 1.509" deep (2.471" including the knob and cable connection). The included cable is 16.25' in length.

    RCA Pass-Thru Jacks: The pass-thru jacks provide a convenient source for daisy-chaining an additional amplifier without running an extra set of RCA cables from the front of the vehicle to the amplifier location. The pass-thru jacks output a full-range signal.

    Power Indicator and Protection LEDs: The RF logo, located on the top left of the amplifier, illuminates when the unit is turned on. The "Swirl" portion of the logo illuminates with the output signal level. A yellow "Protect" LED, located next to the RF logo, illuminates if a short circuit or too low of an impedance is detected at the speaker connections. Another yellow LED, labeled "Thermal", illuminates if the amplifier overheats. The amplifier will automatically shut down if either of the two LEDs indicate amplifier trouble.

    Inputs and Outputs Notes

    Power Connections: The power and ground terminals are nickel-plated captive c-clamp wire connectors and will accommodate up to 4-gauge wire. The remote turn-on terminal will accept wire sizes of 12- to 24-gauge. A Phillips-head or slotted screwdriver (not supplied) is required to tighten/loosen the terminals.

    Speaker Connections: The 2-channel nickel-plated clamp wire connectors will accept wire sizes of 8- to 18-gauge. A Phillips-head or slotted screwdriver (not supplied) is required to tighten/loosen the terminals.

    Remote Punch Bass Connection: An RJ-45 jack is provided for connecting the supplied Remote Punch Bass cable.

    Specifications

    CEA-2006 Compliance: The specifications given by Rockford Fosgate for the Punch P4002 amplifier comply with the new CEA-2006 Amplifier Power Standard from the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association). All manufacturers who comply with the standard can display the CEA-2006 logo on their product.

    Performance Verification Certificate: Each amplifier comes with a Performance Verification Certificate which lists the results of a 10-point performance inspection as well as a measurement of the actual power output.

    Dimensions: