BoSe in Automotive / HT...

[lucidd]

Ok...Now I'm pissed!
I have an Infiniti G35s sedan -2007...
It is a good car, works well, fast enough, ergos are good etc.

But the freeken sound system: DUBBed "Infiniti Studio On Wheels by BoSe" --- I think it is crap.
Sorry for my tone.
I'm just really angry with Bose and this sound system. It's better than let's say a Honda fit's system... But it really sounds bad. Originally when I got the car, I already had reservations on some missing/ & sounds that are " muffed"... muddy sounds etc... especially noticed: snare drum sounds overly loud - and causes my listening fatigue! I usually drive with my sound system turned off now
I don't blame nissan and all the other car companies that choose this so called name " Bose " zzzz
... It helps them keep costs down , make more $$, and ...

Disappointed.
My 1000$ mix and matched home theatre system sounds better-fuller sound spectrum/// alot fuller and clearer than this crappy Bose system!...

L


AGREE OR DISAGREE???

PS. I started to look into speaker upgrades in my Home Theatre... and bought a few satellites by Klipsch - NOt the best, but decent and was on sale... I'm now running 7.2 surround. I begining to become very picky with my sound... Not really a fan of Bose HTIB stuff either.


my conservative setup:
HT: Sharp Aquos 42 1080p
PS3-60gig
HP Slimline S3530f with Blueray/HDdvd player
Pioneer VSX917VK
Klipsch Cinema 8 satellites [rcx-4,rsx-4]
Kenwood 8" front placement sub
Klipsch Synergy 10" rear placement sub

Mobile: Dell XPS-16
P8700,4gig,128gig SSD,rgb.lcd-1920x1080p

 

[captiankirk28]

Yea that sucks man Bose sucks (IMOP) I havent listened to 1 of their systems that sounded any good.

 

[Davemcc]

AGREE OR DISAGREE???

AGREE. Wholeheartedly, unequivocally, unflinchingly, unhesitatingly, absolutely AGREE.

I'm not a Speed Racer type. I like to take a nice relaxing cruise in a nice car with my wife on a nice day with some good tunes. I can't do that with this crappier than crap Bose system. As you mentioned, listener fatigue sets in early even at relatively low volume settings.

To add insult to injury, Bose has made the whole system so complex that you virtually have to rip out the whole system in order to perform even the simplest upgrade. They've got individual amps for each speaker at the speaker location and multiple speakers in each door...and a center speaker in the middle of the dash...and proprietary eq maps built in that intentionally make the whole system sound like crap.

 

[captiankirk28]

AGREE. Wholeheartedly, unequivocally, unflinchingly, unhesitatingly, absolutely AGREE.

I'm not a Speed Racer type. I like to take a nice relaxing cruise in a nice car with my wife on a nice day with some good tunes. I can't do that with this crappier than crap Bose system. As you mentioned, listener fatigue sets in early even at relatively low volume settings.

To add insult to injury, Bose has made the whole system so complex that you virtually have to rip out the whole system in order to perform even the simplest upgrade. They've got individual amps for each speaker at the speaker location and multiple speakers in each door...and a center speaker in the middle of the dash...and proprietary eq maps built in that intentionally make the whole system sound like crap.

Wow that is NOT an easy fix and not something you really want to do to a new car but you may have to if it bothers you enough. Still sucks though.

 

[Davemcc]

Wow that is NOT an easy fix and not something you really want to do to a new car but you may have to if it bothers you enough. Still sucks though.

Mine's a lease. I'm not going to do anything to it until I decide whether I'm going to buy it out when the lease is up. One year down, two to go.

 

[captiankirk28]

Mine's a lease. I'm not going to do anything to it until I decide whether I'm going to buy it out when the lease is up. One year down, two to go.

Yes i would do the same thing, hope it all works out for you, good luck!

 

[lucidd]

Thx for replies...

Thx for replies and assuring feedback-that im not crazy! Cuz believe it or not, in my nissan-car forum, ive got a few that are sticking up for bose...

And Yes, I've also looked into swapping out the speakers for better ones, and it is next to impossible due to the setup, ohms difference, new car / leased factor etc.
What I've done though was ad a 10' sub/box in trunk- but that only helped the lows.

Anyways, it sux, and in the future, I'd think twice about getting any car that has a bozoe system in it-- mainly for upgrade difficulty. This kay sound silly- decidng on a car based on the stereo... But as a fellow audiophile or just a music lover... You can agree.

And also- the reply post about; locked proprietary eq settings - are a pain in the ***!-- but with reading a few things on Bose lately, I understand why the eq settings are locked/// they use crappy speakers that are not even made by them! They just slap their name on it and adjust the hell out of them to provide "pleasing" audio- LOL - to me, it just sounds muddy, unclear etc....

I've listened to my friend's hk system and it's lot better!!!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Agreed. I am a big Nissan fan and have always had their cars. I like the nice trim lines which always comes with a fancy Bose system. I guess I am lucky that I only listen to low background music in the car because it does sound pretty bad when turned up.

 

[lsiberian]

Bose in an Infiniti car? Shouldn't they use Infinity Speakers?

I will tell anyone selling me a car that a Bose system is unacceptable. I have standards for sounds and won't buy any product with that companies name on it.

If I had a bose system It would get replaced as fast as possible.

 

[adwilk]

This cracks me up... Sure, Bose sucks and all that... blah blah blah... BUT, I'd have to consider it at least EQUAL as far as so called premium sound goes in a car, save the B&W setups in the Jags and whatnot...

All the sound systems in MOST cars are cheap driver, highly eq'd crap. Bose is no different. Listen to a base model audio system and tell me you'd rather have it than the Bose. Its ok to be biased, but being practical should win out.

I have a Monsoon audio system and it sucks too. It would also be a PITA to upgrade.


BUT, its cool to hate Bose...

 

[Davemcc]

Listen to a base model audio system and tell me you'd rather have it than the Bose. Its ok to be biased, but being practical should win out.

I had the base model stereo in my Focus. I added a small subwoofer to the Focus and it sounded as good as the Bose in the Vette. The Bose system already came with subs so it's a fair comparison. The difference between the two is that the base Focus stereo with the sub did not induce listener fatigue nearly right away the way the Bose does. In response to your comment, yes, I would rather have the base system. At one time, I also replaced the Focus' speakers with JL's and replaced the head unit. These simple and incremental upgrades are simply not possible with Bose. Plus, you do pay a hefty premium for having a permanently crappy system installed in your car.

I have a Monsoon audio system and it sucks too. It would also be a PITA to upgrade.

I also had the Monsoon in my old Camaro SS and Mach system in my old Cobra. Neither was entirely satisfactory, to be sure. But at least they could be adjusted so you could leave the radio on as long as you want. The Bose MUST be turned off within about 10 minutes of listening (or at least turned down at or below the level of background music). The consequences of leaving the Bose system turned up to audible levels for extended periods of time may include headaches, irritability, inability to focus on driving and anger at being had over by the automaker and it's unscrupulous audio supplier.

BUT, its cool to hate Bose...

Well, social phenomena aside, there are practical reasons to hate Bose as well.

 

[lucidd]

Totally agree with your comments Davemcc...

The limited upgrade option on bose is total bs.
Some instruments - like snare drums are so loud - and sharp - that it does give me a headache in 20mins... because I like my music louder so I can hear the vocals [esp. in female voices, it sounds very quiet - compared to my home system]. When I turn it down, the treble disappears and it shoulds like crap... Adjusting the treble,bass,fade etc is a pain - for I'm not going to adjust it every few minutes according to my volume. It is dangerous and also unacceptable.

Listener fatigue comment is bang on. This Infiniti Studio On Wheels by BoSe is a 2.1 surround system with sound stage imaging - makes it sound like the music is coming from the front. It has 2 tweets, 2..3" mids and 2..10" subs in the front doors, and in the back, there is 2..6.5" mids + 1..10" sub.

Sounds like a decent setup!?!?! ... on first listen when I first got the car, it sounded ok. Then after a few months of various types of music, it started to bother me in many ways. I tried everything with the limited control thru the Treble,Bass,Fade,adjustments. The base was OK - but missing oomph and some lower frequencies - so I added a 10" kicker sub with a mono amp. The bass was then acceptable.
But the real issue lies with the quality of speakers - tweets and mids. I'll say it again, the speakers are NOT at par quality - so Bose applied a proprietary Eq setting to it... and it pushes the crappy quality speakers to the limit.

Does the system sound better than other stock units? Let's compare. Bmw 3series [Infinti G's competition] comes with optional premium sound by HK. The HK unit, even though it is less loud - sound quality is much,much better - clearer and vocals sound like they should. OK - so HK is a premium option - costs a bit more... SO lets compare my friend's '05 Toyota Camry. The system is a standard 6 speaker sytem made by Panasonic [I believe]. It definitely sounds clearer - tweets are more acurate... esp. at lower volumes. At Higer volumes, it does tend to distort quicker... but that is easily fixed by replacing the speakers... then head unit + add subwoofer if necessary - an easy feat on this system. On the Bose? - forget it... It runs on 1-2ohms [most if not all aftermarket speakers run on 4ohms]... Ohwell... I'm stuck with this crappy "premium bs" bosoe system for a few more years.

Thanks for listening to my rants!
New to this forum and find alot of excellent info on various items~!

L

 

[lsiberian]

This cracks me up... Sure, Bose sucks and all that... blah blah blah... BUT, I'd have to consider it at least EQUAL as far as so called premium sound goes in a car, save the B&W setups in the Jags and whatnot...

All the sound systems in MOST cars are cheap driver, highly eq'd crap. Bose is no different. Listen to a base model audio system and tell me you'd rather have it than the Bose. Its ok to be biased, but being practical should win out.

I have a Monsoon audio system and it sucks too. It would also be a PITA to upgrade.


BUT, its cool to hate Bose...

Yeah car's suck for acoustics. You have to dynamat the crap out of them to get anything decent even.

But I think Infinity makes excellent car speakers and if one is so inclined it would be an upgrade over Bose IMO.

Still I'm not touching my car like that.

 

[lsiberian]

The limited upgrade option on bose is total bs.
Some instruments - like snare drums are so loud - and sharp - that it does give me a headache in 20mins... because I like my music louder so I can hear the vocals [esp. in female voices, it sounds very quiet - compared to my home system]. When I turn it down, the treble disappears and it shoulds like crap... Adjusting the treble,bass,fade etc is a pain - for I'm not going to adjust it every few minutes according to my volume. It is dangerous and also unacceptable.

Listener fatigue comment is bang on. This Infiniti Studio On Wheels by BoSe is a 2.1 surround system with sound stage imaging - makes it sound like the music is coming from the front. It has 2 tweets, 2..3" mids and 2..10" subs in the front doors, and in the back, there is 2..6.5" mids + 1..10" sub.

Sounds like a decent setup!?!?! ... on first listen when I first got the car, it sounded ok. Then after a few months of various types of music, it started to bother me in many ways. I tried everything with the limited control thru the Treble,Bass,Fade,adjustments. The base was OK - but missing oomph and some lower frequencies - so I added a 10" kicker sub with a mono amp. The bass was then acceptable.
But the real issue lies with the quality of speakers - tweets and mids. I'll say it again, the speakers are NOT at par quality - so Bose applied a proprietary Eq setting to it... and it pushes the crappy quality speakers to the limit.

Does the system sound better than other stock units? Let's compare. Bmw 3series [Infinti G's competition] comes with optional premium sound by HK. The HK unit, even though it is less loud - sound quality is much,much better - clearer and vocals sound like they should. OK - so HK is a premium option - costs a bit more... SO lets compare my friend's '05 Toyota Camry. The system is a standard 6 speaker sytem made by Panasonic [I believe]. It definitely sounds clearer - tweets are more acurate... esp. at lower volumes. At Higer volumes, it does tend to distort quicker... but that is easily fixed by replacing the speakers... then head unit + add subwoofer if necessary - an easy feat on this system. On the Bose? - forget it... It runs on 1-2ohms [most if not all aftermarket speakers run on 4ohms]... Ohwell... I'm stuck with this crappy "premium bs" bosoe system for a few more years.

Thanks for listening to my rants!
New to this forum and find alot of excellent info on various items~!

L

Yeah HK would slap the Bose around the block.

 

[mperfct]

This is why I just listen to flacs via my sennheiser ear buds. There is just too much environmental noise in a car (especially mine) to have any kind of decent soundstage without investing in sound reproduction as much as the car is worth.

 

[ErnieM]

Alpine and JL Audio

In my 2003 Malibu I have:
Alpine CDA 9884 head unit (works with my iPod)
Alpine SPS 406 speakers in front doors
old Chevy stock speakers on back shelf
JL Audio 12 inch sub CS112RG

THis system sounds really nice, IMHO.
I had it professionally installed as I'm hopeless with more than a screwdriver.

 

[ErnieM]

Opps forgot sub amp

Alpine MRP M450 mono amp (400 W)

 

[Biggiesized]

I have a 2006 Infiniti G35 Sport and it too has a terrible BOSE sound system. The bass is boomy and drowns out a lot of the mid range.

 

[lucidd]

Alpine MRP M450 mono amp (400 W)

alpine's got some awesome car audio components.
I'd wish they were the ones making and installing systems into the Infinitis.
It would be lots better than any Bose system!

L

 

[lucidd]

I have a 2006 Infiniti G35 Sport and it too has a terrible BOSE sound system. The bass is boomy and drowns out a lot of the mid range.

Yes, I've heard the 06 G's have boomy bass and bad midrange. Not too much different compared to my 07 G.

Seems like it is a constant story on how bose systems lack sound clarity.
Very like their HTs.

I'm gonna do some comparison with my buddy's proud Bose 5.1 speaker system powered by a Yamaha amp -- with my Klipsch cinema 8 powered by a Pioneer amp... We'll play few movies: blurays: Blackhawk Down, Bolt, Transformers, and some music: mp3 192kbps and over [we don't have any vinyl ]. Although I've heard that Bose have really bad HT speakers... I really want to experience it for myself - and play my choice of media, and have a more fair comparison. I don't doubt that those small cubes - with 2.5" drivers, no tweeters [LOL] will sound -ummm- lacking. I just want to see exactly how bad it is lacking. + I can't stand the fact that the Acoustimass bass module is designed to fill in the blanks [lower mid frequencies] that the 2.5" drivers cannot produce. Silly*... I'll post the findings if anyone is interested, but I'm sure you guys have heard it all.

L