DinoBob

I often post threads praising stuff that other people love to rip.
Today, the Bose.

While the Bose clearly does not match up well with the audio systems of today, it is clear that absolutely no one, ever, put a serious effort into quality factory automotive sound before Bose and GM.

The Bose amps suffered from some defective capacitors that were rampant in the '80s. So the amps fail. But an intact set has a nice sound and is plenty loud for me.

Now, I do not say it's a perfect system. But the people who beat on it should remember that they did pretty good for their era.

mike100

I had the opportunity to drive these cars when they were brand new and I thought the Bose was not any better than the standard Delco radios. Especially not for the option cost. Now as far as ripping it all out and going aftermarket or keeping it going with the help of the information shared online... yes, definitely, it's ok enough if it is fully functional.

DinoBob

My son and brother in law both have 92 Buicks with a Delco cassette head unit that is identical to the non-Bose unit that was used in the 84-89 Vette. Trust me, the Bose is much much better.

And my wife's 2011 Kenwood DNX6140, which cost about $700 for just the head unit, does not sound as good as the Bose.

ghlkal

I agree that the Bose system was pretty good for the day. A lot of audio engineering went into the development of the speaker enclosures along with the characteristics of the speakers themselves.

FAUEE

Jeep had the Infinity Gold system in the early 90s that sounded very good. My C4 had Bose, but it has long since been removed, but on other C4s I've driven I can't say the sound from the Bose really impressed me.

The Bose in my C6 GS also, is unimpressive. It sounds decent, but it is definitely not what I'd consider "good". We had a Mitsubishi Outlander with a Rockford Fosgate OEM system that was a million times better sounding than the Bose in the C6.

mike100

My 96 base model Chevy Cheyenne regular cab had a rockin' system compared to any C4 system ever made. Perhaps the truck cab acoustics were optimal for a louder radio or maybe it was getting along in model year improvements in an age where people wanted good audio in even the cheaper cars.

I don't like the way my car looks with the antenna up so I don't even turn on the radio for trips under 10 miles.

Tom400CFI

Say.....WHAT!?

No way that's true. I have a '96 Silverado with the "upgraded" stereo (factory separates in front), and while it's "good enough", it in no way impresses. In no way.

Properly working C4 systems do impress...at least with mid bass and volume/power, and especially for the time. My first experience in a C4 was in an '84, the owner was blasting The Toadies "Possum Kingdom". The stereo, like everything else about the car (for the time) was an "extrovert". Changed my perception about what a factory system could be.

w/FAUEE about the C6 system...very lame for its time.

greest_lightnin

The Bose system in the wife's '92 ROCKS...

Just my opinion...

Al

QCVette

Overall, I am not too impressed with the Bose in the C4's, although I agree that back in 1984 it was one of the better systems.

I noticed on mine that at low volumes it doesn't sound as good as a little louder (maybe half volume).

It does make it harder to upgrade since the Bose is set up with a head unit, the receiver (CDL?), and separate amps at each speaker. The complexity means a total replacement for most upgrades.

GKK

For the Time period, The C4 Bose Audio system was a nice improvement!...

Others Agree or Disagree, depending on individual listening preferences.

mike100

I think it is more about the passenger compartment and speaker locations which varies from car to car. I thought a camaro I had with the standard radio was as good as a c4 bose gold- maybe not a fair comparison apples to apples. My c6 is very lame and sounds about the same- maybe the hatch type rear sucks acoustically...unless you are trying to amplify muffler drone. Anybody spend any time with a C7 yet? how's the radio in those?

mike100

Is it a regular cab? The regular cab sized passenger area really worked well with the arrangement that truck had at the time.

Tom400CFI

No. x cab. But you've got the base am/fm head, right? 1 way, terrible paper speakers...I can't imagine anything good/loud/an "experience" coming from a '90's truck.

mike100

I only had the truck for 3 years- not long enough for that stuff to go bad. I'm pretty sure it had the cassette. It was a base V6 5-spd but with the $1000 cheyenne equip group which got the chrome bumpers and grill, trim rings and caps on the wheels, cloth bench, and the cassette am/fm. That CPI was terrible- a conversation for another post perhaps...

glava2876

I agree that they developed problems, but when I bought mine the PO had changed to a "better" Clarion system and spent a ton getting the system wired up to work with the Bose speakers. He included the original Bose unit when I bought the car and I took the Clarion system out and put the original Bose back in and love it.
Yes it snap, crackle and pops once in awhile, like the rest of my C4 -but when I get cruising and have it about 3/4 volume -I am in 1984!
My wife has a Bose in her SRX which is real nice and my CTS Performance Coupe has a 10 speaker Bose surround sound with a 50 GB hard drive device that allowed me to copy most of my CD's into it -the sound is incredible!

Larrye

I remember the introduction of the C4 as I have spent nearly my entire career within Chevrolet/GM dealerships. At the time, the Bose option knocked the socks off any sound system available from the factory, and made upgrading unnecessary. However, as time has progressed sound systems became better and better.

My '85 has the Bose option, with a later model non-Bose Delco AM-FM CD unit properly wired into the system. I have considered upgrading, but I also like the factory looking appearance it currently has. Overall, the sound could be better, but it ain't bad!

H P Bushrod

The Bose system in my '93 works perfectly and sounds great. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

aklim

Yes it was for the era. An era that has long passed. Yes, you were a hero YESTERDAY which has no bearing on TODAY. If one speaker fails, I have to go scramble around to get it fixed. I can't pop a new one in from Best Buy or some stereo shop. Parts are hard to come by and 2nd hand. Old parts are more likely to have issues.

I had the car rewired so I wouldn't need more than power. I couldn't see spending more money to fix something and have another fix. Now I have a system where I can dump anything that breaks. Rear speaker goes? Dump the rears. Front go? Same. Head unit? New one. Much cleaner.

Old system? Target practice.

aklim

Yes but when it breaks, the fix is not as simple.

AstroMan1

I love mine. It wasn't really working, just kind of a whisper so I had it all the way cranked up, on 10, and it was barely marking any noise and then I moved the treble control a little and it kicked on at full volume! Talk about impressive.