The two 6x9 Jensen speakers on the rear deck pumped out mega bass.
Bose
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 382
Likes: 1
From: yacolt wa
Bose
Curious why some people think the Bose stereo is junk. My ears are not the best, but I think it sounds great! Some have changed to aftermarket tuners to improve sound, but do they also change speakers, which constitutes the majority of sound quality?
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21,136
Likes: 212
From: Long Island New York
You're in luck Slogo! Theres a whole audio section in this Forum that will answer all your questions and then some.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audio-electronics-20/
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audio-electronics-20/
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,673
Likes: 9
From: Upstate New York
That said, my test is simple. I have 2 other cars that cost a fraction of what the Corvette does...and I like the sound of their audio systems (that's a stretch to call them that) better than the Corvettes. Acceptable if it was the base radio in the Corvette, but mine's got the Bose. To me it should be clearly superior to the others, but it's not even equal.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,075
Likes: 6
From: Wilmington NC
I have to say the Bose is probabley better than that but for the price of the option and what is available in after market audio equipment, the Bose is on the bottom of the list. Their pricing reflects their advertising, it's adequate sounding with premium pricing.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,426
Likes: 3,611
From: Commerce Texas
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 282
Likes: 1
The audio fed to the head unit by the XM tuner helps drive the negativity expressed over the Bose system. It's really a shame that this subscription service sounds as bad as it does. The car's audio system sounds much better if the source is a CD.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,364
Likes: 408
From: Greer, SC
Is is not the XM tuner that sounds bad it is XM in general. XM and Sirius compress the signal to take up less bandwidth and that is the cause of the bad sound generally. An iPod is often just as bad because to get the most space the songs are usually highly compressed. When I ripped my CD collection years ago I ripped everything using a lossless codec and that is very close to CD quality. Of course 400 CD's takes up about 100 gig. Typically if you do a head-to-head A/B of an iTunes song and the same track on a CD the CD will sound MUCH better. PCM which is the CD format, uses no compression. With today's newer compression algorithms songs sound much better than they once did from iTunes but IMO most are still no match for the sound quality of a CD. Again, all that really matters is that the listener is happy with the sound.
Last edited by Mike02z; Jul 28, 2009 at 02:45 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 5,464
Likes: 1
From: Chicago
Sometimes perception becomes reality. On the other hand many believe because it costs more it must be better. Many audiophile/electronic companies have made millions on people like this.
BTW. In no way have I said Bose is the best. However, in no way, shape, or form does it deserve the bad rap it gets on this forum. The obligatory Bose has a good marketing campaign will soon appear on this thread.
Last edited by Vette Suspension; Jul 28, 2009 at 02:55 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,364
Likes: 408
From: Greer, SC
Bose has been doing this for years with their home systems. BOSE, Better sound through marketing
(There ya go!)In general audio systems, espeically speakers have HUGE markups. Years ago I built a set of home speakers using high end SEAS drivers for about 1000 bucks. To get a speaker that sounded as good as the system I built I would have paid 10,000 or more.
Of course my hearing is probably not what it was 25 years ago but I still fancy myself an audiophile. Generally the car is not a very good place to get great audio no matter how much money you throw at it. Road noise, exhuast noise etc. prevent audiophile grade sound.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 5,464
Likes: 1
From: Chicago
Bose has been doing this for years with their home systems. BOSE, Better sound through marketing (There ya go!)In general audio systems, espeically speakers have HUGE markups. Years ago I built a set of home speakers using high end SEAS drivers for about 1000 bucks. To get a speaker that sounded as good as the system I built I would have paid 10,000 or more.
Of course my hearing is probably not what it was 25 years ago but I still fancy myself an audiophile. Generally the car is not a very good place to get great audio no matter how much money you throw at it. Road noise, exhuast noise etc. prevent audiophile grade sound.
Outstanding point. A car is no place to get great audio.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,075
Likes: 6
From: Wilmington NC
and because of that, I spend zero dollars for aftermarket audio equipment for my cars. As I mentioned earlier, the Bose is adequate but not outstanding. and overpriced for what you get as an option for this system. It is as good as I need for the Vette.My home system is another story.
Racer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 252
Likes: 2
From: Mississauga Ontario
I know that I must have done hearing damage from my days of doing my car stero for competition. I find the Bose system quite good for CD listening. I find the best system you can get is the one you like the best. It's a matter of taste and source material which will help you decide.