Kicker Hideaway Install

[surfdoc81]

Installing a kicker hideaway today. I searched pretty extensively and haven’t found a great video on this particular install. Looks like the yellow and yellow/black are the front speaker wires I need to tap into but haven’t seen a good wire for remote turn on. Anyone remember what they tapped into for this?

Also, where are folks mounting the bass control knob? Thanks

 

[AXE]

Installing a kicker hideaway today. I searched pretty extensively and haven’t found a great video on this particular install. Looks like the yellow and yellow/black are the front speaker wires I need to tap into but haven’t seen a good wire for remote turn on. Anyone remember what they tapped into for this?

Also, where are folks mounting the bass control knob? Thanks

There's some amp threads with pictures on this forum if you search them out. Try using Bose Amp in the keyword search function.

 

[surfdoc81]

Used an empty spot in the passenger side fuse box for remote turn on. Mounted my bass control knob in the slot left of the shifter. No drilling required to get the wire in there. Pretty happy with the sound now. Big difference from stock but not stupid loud.

 

[KLA]

Used an empty spot in the passenger side fuse box for remote turn on. Mounted my bass control knob in the slot left of the shifter. No drilling required to get the wire in there. Pretty happy with the sound now. Big difference from stock but not stupid loud.
View attachment 18729

Where did you hook up the speaker wires at for the high level input?

 

[8ball_99]

Where did you hook up the speaker wires at for the high level input?

The instructions say to use the front right door speaker wires. The rear doors has a much lower output level. You actually have a sub out of the bose amp that goes to the center console. Not really sure why they don’t tell you to use it. I originally used the front door, but now my sub amp pulls it's signal from the sub output on the bose amp. The amp is behind the backseat on the passenger side. You can tap into any channel there. No reason to run the wire up to the dash like the instructions say.

 

[KLA]

The instructions say to use the front right door speaker wires. The rear doors has a much lower output level. You actually have a sub out of the bose amp that goes to the center console. Not really sure why they don’t tell you to use it. I originally used the front door, but now my sub amp pulls it's signal from the sub output on the bose amp. The amp is behind the backseat on the passenger side. You can tap into any channel there. No reason to run the wire up to the dash like the instructions say.

Really? The Bose amp has a sub out channel? That makes things a whole lot easier. Thank you for this information. I just ordered a Pyle hideaway sub, same as the Kicker. Now I will have an easier time installing it when it gets here. Thank you!

 

[8ball_99]

Really? The Bose amp has a sub out channel? That makes things a whole lot easier. Thank you for this information. I just ordered a Pyle hideaway sub, same as the Kicker. Now I will have an easier time installing it when it gets here. Thank you!

It has a sub channel with high level out to the sub. It doesn't have RCA connections. Sub wires are Green/black negative, Blu/grey positive. I've got a couple of threads on here about stereo upgrades that shows pictures of the bose amps and wiring, ect. I had a 22 1500 before I got my HD. I pulled them both apart, lol.

 

[surfdoc81]

It has a sub channel with high level out to the sub. It doesn't have RCA connections. Sub wires are Green/black negative, Blu/grey positive. I've got a couple of threads on here about stereo upgrades that shows pictures of the bose amps and wiring, ect. I had a 22 1500 before I got my HD. I pulled them both apart, lol.

Yep. Those are the two wires I tapped. Not super professional but it’s behind the seat so I’ll never see it and it works.

 

[KLA]

It has a sub channel with high level out to the sub. It doesn't have RCA connections. Sub wires are Green/black negative, Blu/grey positive. I've got a couple of threads on here about stereo upgrades that shows pictures of the bose amps and wiring, ect. I had a 22 1500 before I got my HD. I pulled them both apart, lol.

That's great info. Thank you. I'll search for your install threads

 

[MrScottly]

You guys are costing me money. Now, I'm shopping....

 

[8ball_99]

That's great info. Thank you. I'll search for your install threads

NP, Here is what the bose amp looks like and where its located. It's circled in blue. All the speaker wires is in that harness. The wire harness runs over and along the floor on the passenger side. You could tap into it without removing the back seat. Just pull the carpet forward some to get access. Second picture is after I moved it over and added my own amps.

 

[KLA]

NP, Here is what the bose amp looks like and where its located. It's circled in blue. All the speaker wires is in that harness. The wire harness runs over and along the floor on the passenger side. You could tap into it without removing the back seat. Just pull the carpet forward some to get access. Second picture is after I moved it over and added my own amps.

View attachment 18754View attachment 18755

Thank you. The way you did your install with the black material on the back looks better than the factory install.

 

[AXE]

Is the Bose Amp just a POS? So why can't you just replace the Bose amp with a better one that can drive the speakers and sub?

I guess I should check the amp wires, not even sure it's wired correctly.

Unless it changed, it's hard to believe it works better in one truck or another.

 

[geddyflea]

I'm getting ready to buy a Kicker Hideaway 10 this weekend. Does anyone know if it will fit under the passenger or driver's seat? I've installed an aftermarket full width storage box under the rear seat, so I've no room to put the sub back there.

 

[8ball_99]

Is the Bose Amp just a POS? So why can't you just replace the Bose amp with a better one that can drive the speakers and sub?

I guess I should check the amp wires, not even sure it's wired correctly.

Unless it changed, it's hard to believe it works better in one truck or another.

The problem with the bose amp is it's integrated into the radio. It's just a data link between the two. So you can't just swap it out with a regular amp. The second problem is the amp is tuned by bose to work with the crappy paper oem speakers. So basically they have a EQ adjusted to all the speakers. You have no way to change it other then the three settings in the radio. Treble, Mid and bass. Which isn't enough to get rid of that clock radio sound.

It would kind of be like buying a home stereo that has those EQ modes like Rock, live ECt. But it only had one and it was Bose, with no way to turn it off. lol. If you don't like it. Too bad.

 

[AXE]

The problem with the bose amp is it's integrated into the radio. It's just a data link between the two. So you can't just swap it out with a regular amp. The second problem is the amp is tuned by bose to work with the crappy paper oem speakers. So basically they have a EQ adjusted to all the speakers. You have no way to change it other then the three settings in the radio. Treble, Mid and bass. Which isn't enough to get rid of that clock radio sound.

It would kind of be like buying a home stereo that has those EQ modes like Rock, live ECt. But it only had one and it was Bose, with no way to turn it off. lol. If you don't like it. Too bad.

So why do you think the system in my 24 HD and 23 Tahoe sounds better than my 22 1500? I'm wondering if the amp isn't fully functioning or loose wires. The Tahoe has a center channel speaker and some nice space to fill, so I can see that helping a lot.

 

[8ball_99]

So why do you think the system in my 24 HD and 23 Tahoe sounds better than my 22 1500? I'm wondering if the amp isn't fully functioning or loose wires. The Tahoe has a center channel speaker and some nice space to fill, so I can see that helping a lot.

Supposedly they did a update on the infotainment and one of the improvements was for sound quality. Basically I think they tweaked the EQ settings a little. Only reason I know about it, is because I was worried about it screwing mine up. But it's possible that it's not the same for the 22. Mostly the same stuff. But just like my 22 they have the different boot screens, ect. So possible the 22s are a little different.

Ideally you could adjust the bose EQ or just have a option to bypass it all together. Like on a home stereo you can just set it to straight stereo. You can still do it on the factory setup. You just have to use a DSP to flatten out the EQ and then tune it to make it sound good. Or better yet, GM could have just put a nice stereo in the upper trim models . Factory radio in my wife's old Highlander sounded better then My ZR2s, lol.

 

[MrScottly]

I put Infinity speakers in my '24, front and rear. That mod alone made that truck sound a gazillion times better than this Bose system in my '25. Sad, because I remember when Bose meant quality sound engineering....Now it's only a name to be sold.

 

[AXE]

I'm not too big into car audio. I just like decent sound. My 24 sounds pretty good with factory head unit adjustments. So does 23 Tahoe both set the same. The 22 isn't horrible, but bass is very low energy. I think the sub or amp just doesn’t work correctly. Maybe I should pull it apart and see. I guess an aux amp would fix it. All of my rigs have had the latest software updates multiple times. So I don't think that's a factor. 22 still had audio cut outs and that was just updated a few weeks ago. Not sure I'll plan to keep it much longer, so may not matter.

 

[MrScottly]

It has a sub channel with high level out to the sub. It doesn't have RCA connections. Sub wires are Green/black negative, Blu/grey positive. I've got a couple of threads on here about stereo upgrades that shows pictures of the bose amps and wiring, ect. I had a 22 1500 before I got my HD. I pulled them both apart, lol.

So, if I understand you correctly, you take the positive left and right from the amp (Kicker Hideaway 8) combine them and attach to the Blue/Gray...And same for the two negatives?