For those who installed aftermarket speakers w/ the stock headunit

yellowZ

Tom,

Thanks for the advice. I have the Bose headunit - so I'll need a sound processor of some sort. I've been reading about the various OEM-to-amplifier options (Alpine PXE-H660, Rockford Fosgate 3SIXTY.2, JL CleanSweep, AudioControl LC6i). I'm glad to hear you've had good luck with the 360.2, that's what I'll probably go with.

A few questions:
1) did you install the 360.2 near the headunit in the dash or in the rear by the amplifier (benefits? drawbacks?)
2) did you run a separate power line from the battery for the 360.2?
3) does the 360.2 control the on/off for the amp and itself?

A bit about my installation:
I have purchased an in-spare-tire stealth sub box with the JL TW5 13" sub.
I plan to power the sub and 4 speakers with the Alpine PDX-5.
Obviously keeping the stock head Bose unit will require the RF 360.2.
I have SecondSkin Damplifier and Luxury Liner Pro for the hatch, wheel wells, foot wells & doors.
The one thing I've not settled on are the speakers. I love rear "fill" as the surrounding of sound is quite fun in a car. Plus I'd rather have 4 speakers producing moderately loud music rather than 2 speakers playing really loud (divides up the load). So, I'm going to look into creating small speaker placements just behind the seats (in the hatch or in the glove box areas). I've not decided which speakers to go with - and I'm sure anything will sound better than stock. The questions I have about speaker choice are:

4) should I manufacture-match (JL speakers with JL sub) or does this not matter?
5) there a price break at which I'll be fine to purchase such that it will sound good (say over $200/300 a pair the quality in any manufacturer is pretty high)
5) is there a specific brand that draws your ear more than others?

Thanks,
Kevin