Okay, ever since the cd player failed in my bose system I have been
looking for a solution to replace it with an aftermarket head unit. From
what I have gathered there are two ways to make this work.

The first option:
Crutchfield sells an adapter that converts the amplified outputs of a head
unit to a line level signal to use with the existing door amps.

The second option:
Buy a head unit that has pre-amp outputs and send that signal to the amps
in the doors w/o a converter.

I was wanting to do the second option so I decided I would test things
out before buying a head unit. I spliced two RCA wires into the existing
harness for the old head unit. I then connected the RCA wires to a
portable CD player's line out. According to the wiring diagram, the door
amps also need power, which is controlled by the radio relay at the front
of the car. So I removed the stock relay and temporarily jumpered the
contacts together so the amps would always be on (I know this worked
because I can hear a slight hiss out of the speakers.) After all that, I
still can't get any sound out of the speakers using the cd player. Am I
missing something or does anyone see why this wouldn't work? The door
amps should accept just a regular line-level signal, right? I would
think I should at least be getting *some* sound out of them. I want to
make sure this setup will work before shelling out the cash for a new
unit. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott

 

Any update on this? I already shelled out the cash for a new head-unit only to find there is no easy way to hook it up. I'd much rather use option 2 instead of converting the amplified signal to line level.

 

As far as I know the Bose amps get High-Level Inputs because the head units are the same to the standard audio system. So with an Mazda adaptor connector you should be able to run your Bose system.
Regards,
Tobias