At the end of 2008, I purchased a new 2009 Nissan Maxima. Up until that point, all of my vehicles had aftermarket audio systems in them. Some more radical than others, but always something other than stock. When I got the Maxima, I was too busy to care so I left the stock Bose system alone.

After some recent discussions with friends, i’ve started to feel the itch again. I’ve really started to miss the magnificent sound that I got from the audio system in my ’02 Accord. The Bose system in my Maxima is so flat sounding and the only adjustment options are Bass and Treble, and they tend to give it a really harsh sound when increased. It makes me miss the sound system in my Accord more and more every time I listen to it. What I don’t miss is not having a trunk any more! Fortunately for me, times have changed… Amplifiers are significantly smaller now, subwoofers take less airspace, and my Maxima has a nice wide opening between the wheel wells where I can put everything and still keep spare tire access and room for groceries.

With all that being said, i’ve decided to install a new system in my Maxima. Thanks to a little encouragement from my best friend, i’ve decided to go back to my roots and do the installation work myself. This should make for a fun summer project and will help me relieve some stress! I’ve purchased the first part of my audio equipment already. An Alpine CDA-117 leads the line up. I chose it for it’s superior audio quality and Alpine’s flexible AI-NET system that will let me chain processors, bluetooth, HD Radio, etc to the head unit. Signal processing duties will be performed by an Alpine PXA-H100, digitally connected via AI-NET to the CDA-117. I’ve got some Stinger RoadKill Expert to quiet the Maxima up a little and help with sound reflection inside of the door panels. Speaker wire is JL Audio 12awg copper wire. Power / Ground wires are JL Audio 4awg copper. Capacitor duties will be handled by my Phoenix Gold 15 Farad PowerCore. The cap is left over from my old system but it’s in perfect condition and I never had the first problem with it so I see no need to replace it.

Here’s a few pictures of the new equipment.

A comical note from my friend Trea … Bose is actually an acronym that stands for “Buy other stereo equpiment”. I couldn’t agree more.