There have been a lot of threads about how bad (for lack of a better description) the Bose sound system is. Many threads about replacing it with some other system....

My wife and I have tried to critically listen to our Bose premnium system in our C6, trying to find the flaws. We've listened to FM radio, XM satelite, and numerous CDs including our audiophile gold CDs. With the windows up and top on, the system sounds beautiful to our ears. It even has a certain amount of 3 dimentional ambience..., lacking in most auto stereo systems. We find the clarity and definiton very good as well. The amp (amps?) have enough power to reproduce passages with a broad range of frequenices, without clipping...

I don't get it... What are we missing? Admittedly, my ears aren't so good, but my wife's hearing is excellent. The bottom line is, all the music we listen to sounds great! I don't get all the bad press... Is it truly justified?

Are folks trying to trick their systems out so that they sound like those little ricers with the boom system you can hear 100 feet away (with your windows up)?

Any thoughts?

 

Many thoughts, but if you and your wife are happy with the system, all I would have to add is enjoy it. But let me warn you, don't get into a car with a good system in it. Then life becomes a bit more complicated. I am on the final legs of updating my Bose/NAV and hopefully it will join the acceptable/good ranks. All in all I will be in about $300 and a few hours work.
My hearing is not so perfect, and XMs (which I listen to 99% of the time) compression kills the highs and makes the lows sound tinny. A quick speaker change improved the system three fold. The clarity is not bad. And the bass should be much better when I install a small sub.

 

Everything is relative.I used to think my s2000 had plenty of power till I bought the c6.If your happy with the system then you don't need to change it.I don't have the Bose Premium setup and mine is horrible.I also have a discriminating ear.I build Classical and Jazz guitars for a living and also paly classical guitar so yes I am very picky.I've had premium custom systems installed in my vehicles in the past and once you've had one you can't accept anything less.

 

I too love the Bose system. I actually went out and was replacing the 3.5 inch door speakers with Infinity’s and as soon as I put in the left door and compared it to the right door, I quickly removed the new Infinity and put the factory Bose speaker back in. The difference was dramatic and much worse.
There is one thing that I noticed about this system. The bass, midrange and treble adjustments can be adjusted for each preset. So if you adjust it on one preset and assume that you are done, all the rest of your presets will remain flat and you might not know.
I think there are a lot of different personalities here on the forum and I owned a car stereo store myself back in the late 80's early 90's. I had an 1987 Corvette that I had a show system in it and can fully understand why some people would want more boom, but as I get older, 40 now, I guess getting older has it's advantages.
I love the factory Bose system and will enjoy it as it is.

 

I am in your shoes on this one...but I did replace the secondary speakers with Eclipse units and sound is crisper...just my taste but quite honestly I could have gone without the change...I am always futzing about with something Also I am totally delighting in the XM...
I guess at 55 years my ears aren't as critical tonal receptors as some of the younger crowd
Michael

 

I dont know whats wrong with bose systems in cars, but its a known fact, actually a very well known fact that Bose systems are amongst the top quality(selling as well)speaker systems in the world...i would say not even a handful system come close..nakamichi is another which ranks in the top...I have bose in my infiniti, i agree its not the best around, but its not bad..but to name bose as a bad brand is going too far..


by the way bose was an MIT grad worked under some very famous scientist and now he(his company) has developed a revolutionary suspension system which is very very intriguing to say the least.. you should read about that..

 

What Bose does best is design enclosures to best maximize sound quality. In the C6 there are NO ENCLOSURES none,nada, zip. Now we are left without what Bose is good at and some cheezy made in Mexico speakers. Oh Joy.

 

Of course, sound is a very personal thing. But I'll throw my opinion out anyway. Also, please note that my '62 year-old ears suffered through several years of working around jet engines.

What Bose has always been known for is the accuracy of reproduction of the source. This is true almost to a fault. When tube type amplifiers were still the majority, Bose speakers gave the most faithful reproduction of the 'color' in the sound. With CDs and solid state amps, the source material has less of that natural distortion that we grew to like. (Look at the number of high end home systems coming back with tubes again.)

Many people today of a certain age group, equate booming bass with quality sound. Bose systems will not provide that. They remain true to the premise that accuracy is more important than adding something to the music.

If you like the sound of a concert hall, and you buy the Deutsche Gramophone recordings of classical music, you'll love the Bose reproduction. If, on the other hand, you're into hip-hop, you'll find the Bose output rather dull. Most people fall somewhere in between.

Of course, the Corvette is not the quietest car in the world.
So, whatever you install will always be a compromise in any event. Personally, the best mobile OEM system I've heard is the Mark Levinson system in the Lexus LS430.

Your mileage may vary....

 

Go to a BMW dealership and listen to the factory installed Logic 7 sound system. You'll then no why the Bose system is junk.

 

All that you need to do is listen to a Bose system in a Chevy truck, then the C6. Then say it is good. It has nothing to do with booming bass. It has more to do with crisp clear highs and mids, and rich full bass. It sounds just OK with a well recorded CD and goes downhill from there.

 

The high-end (or lack thereof) is easily explained.

Bose doesn't use tweeters. Not ribbons, not soft-dome, not audax-type. None.

They use basically a small coned speaker (I think they call it a 'twiffer' or something like that)... like you'd have found on some old home stereo speakers from the early 70's.

And no, Bose is no longer considered a very high-quality product. It's considered a really nice product in a really small package (for home use) but it's now the good stuff that you can get at a BestBuy or Circuit City - not something you'll find at a decent stereo or home theater shop.

Like the saying goes.. 'no highs, no lows.. gotta be Bose'

I'm not sure if/when i'll bother to change out the stereo - but it IS the only real complaint I have about the car. Once all the experimenting is done, and people have found some really good solutions (Ted seems to be well on the way) I'll probably do something.
"-)

 

Sounds like some of you folks have bought into the advertising. Only Bose themselves will tell you that they are accurate. No one who knows anything whatsoever about audio will tell you that. No one. That so many people buy into the advertising I find frankly shocking. At any rate Bose speakers are among some of the worst in the industry in terms of accurate sound reproduction.

 

I think Ted has pointed out something that is both very true, and at the same time is also the reason people should not over react to the anti-bose sentiment that we see on the forum (and I saw it on the Infiniti forum as well).

Sure, there are better stereos out there. Sure, after hearing them, the Corvette may dissapoint. But that's like saying "don't drive a Viper, you'll never be happy with the 400 hp in the Corvette if you do".

It's all relative. It's all about dollars as well. I've had many vehicles with Bose stereos, and I"ve had some other even better stereos in cars as well. But we must also remember that the Corvette is not as good of a platform as some other vehicles to begin with. As a sports car, it has more road noise, engine noise, and is just generally not as quiet and refined as most other vehicles that Bose comes in.

I recorded some MP3s the other night and took them out to the car. With the engine off, and sitting in my garage, the stereo in my C6 sounded fantastic to me. But driving at 70 mph it loses a lot for just the reasons I mentioned above.

And finally, as a sports car, I find it hard to fault "team Corvette's" priorities. Spend the money on what makes it a better sports car. The Bose sounds pretty damn good to most of us. Just like the people who spend 6,000 or 8,000 to add 100 hp to the Corvette because stock just isn't enough. You have to draw the line on the stereo as well. Let the relatively small group of stereo junkies upgrade via the aftermarket. Can't please everyone.

 

My problem is I have a 2 vehicles that have much better systems in them and both are Bose. So each time I think the system sounds good (and I do get that way) I drive one of the other vehicles and am disappointed and start posting and buying more equipment.

 

The first step is to admit you have a problem....

I have an outstanding sytem in my Acura TL that is my daily driver. I guess it comes down a lot to expectations. I didn't expect the Corvette to be as good, so I'm not dissapointed. Besides, I don't really listen to the stereo in the Corvette that much anyway. When the top is off, or the windows down I don't listen to it.

 

Interesting posts, some good, some misguided... It is certainly not true that Bose Speakers are some of the best in the world, they're not... There are a number of highly rated speakers on the market today, Bose is not amoung them. I've not heard the Mark Levinson system, but I've heard good things about it.... Fact is, audio in a car, no matter what car or who's system, is NOT going to sound like an audiophile system in a home.

I use conrad-johnson electronics (all tube), MIT wire, and Magnepan speakers for my home system.... No way a car audio system will ever be qable to compete with any decent home system...

I do still love the sound in my C6... I would probably feel differently if it were a Mark Levinson orsomething like it...

 

As in any hobby, when it comes to audio there will always be those "enlightened" golden ears folks that can tell the difference between 24 and 18 gauge wire. I love the sound of the Bose systems in my 2 C4's, my 2 C5's and I'm sure I'll love the C6.

I don't get audio advive from written words, I get it from my ears. I like the Bose system. Of course I'm one of those ill informed brain washed Bose owners. I bought a pair of 901's back in 1972. Kept them until 1996 when I retired them and bought the new series 6 901's. I recently dug out my old and mint Marantz 2500 receiver I bought while stationed in Germany in 1977 and connected my Nakamichi Dragon and a new Denon CD player to it. All I can say is 250 watts of pure classic Marantz power and the Bose 901's will leave you speechless.

Tom

 

I have been into high end audio for most of my life. System at home combines Magnapan ribbon speakers (main) and Martin Logan electrostats (surrounds). Even the background hum of a refrigerator or water cooler can seriously degrade the sound quality. In a car, with road/air noise and boom of the rear hatch section, it is impossible to ever expect true high end sound.

That said, the Bose system is a major disappointment. As others have pointed out, its all in the comparison to other cars we have driven. I spend a good deal of time in a Honda Accord Coupe and really enjoy the music. When its time to drive my C6, I want the sonics to be at least as good. Its not. XM is does not sound anything close to CD quality regardless of equalizer fiddling. One reason I went with the coupe over the vert was for better cabin sound. Hmmmm.

I want to thank TedG for all his feedback regarding speaker substitution. This may be an inexpensive fix. Ted, where did you purchase the Eclipse speakers? What alternatives are available for the 10" door speakers? Can Circuit City be trusted to do the installation if speakers are brought to them?

 

Well, I guess I'll add my two cents worth here as well. I'm one of the "Bose is okay" people and don't think it's a bad sounding system at all. I have spent a lot of time playing with the tone settings and balance to get a pleasing sound, but I'm not unhappy with it.

Another factor here is whether or not you have the XM installed. I do not have XM and normally listen to my own CDs. Based on what Ted has said, I assume that the sound with XM is compressed and somewhat muted compared to a CD. I have tried my Sirius system in the car, and it didn't sound much different. I don't know if that's because Sirius uses a different compression scheme or I just happened to be listening to particularly good cuts.

Although I think the Bose is a decent enough system, at least average in comparison to most other car systems I've heard, I wouldn't be averse to improving the sound if it can be done without spending huge amounts of money. The posts I've seen by Ted seem to indicate this can be done for $200-300. I might do a minor upgrade in the future (as per Ted's advice on speaker upgrades) just to improve a good system to a better system. I'll still hold off on the neon lights though.

BTW....I hate one thing about this system. Who's idea was it to put the tuning dial right below the volume control dial? It should be on the right side of the head unit where you can't grab it every time you try to change the volume.

 

I totally agree - it's all in your own ears. What sounds nice to my husband sounds horrible to me. I almost can't stand to be in his truck with him - he has the treble turned all the way up - worse than finger nails scratching on a blackboard. He also has some high-end hearing loss from working around shop equipment for 20 years without proper hearing protection so that's how he compensates for it. I think that some people (musically inclined) have a good 'ear' for musical sounds and some don't - just like some people can sing and some can't (and don't really even know it - any Americal Idol fans?). Music and sound is such a subjective thing - go with your ears - if you like the sound of your stereo - great! If you don't, work on replacing the parts you don't like. Several people have posted solutions for a very resonable price. Keep posting your thoughts and ideas - this forum is a wonderful place for exchanging ideas.

Has anyone tried just Dynomat-ing the doors to see if it helps the speakers? I replaced speakers and added Dynomat. The classical XM stations sound sooooo much better now.

It's still a great car, even if it didn't have a radio at all!

Kay