Don't mind BOSE at all...

Sami

When they come packaged with a car. I just updated my daily driver to a 2005 Altima SE-R with 18k miles on it. Bose comes standard with that trim and it's a used car so not much of an option to leave it out.

As far as the sound, it's decent. Nothing spectacular but to me auto environment isn't suitable for hi-fi so I'm not a very demanding customer there. In fact my previous DD didn't have a CDP in it, just radio (mostly turned off) and cassette (never used). I'm sure I'll start to listen more music in my car now that I can pick my own playlist. Not about to become a Blose-fanboy so relax...

PolknPepsi

My wifes Acura came with a bose too......since it came with the car it's OK and I cant do any "critical" listening anyway in an automobile. It does sound better than my 92' Dodge pickup w/ 212,000 miles............the radio doesnt work in it.

On the plus side, the controls are easy to use and it looks pretty good.

dorokusai

Same here...it came with the car and it sounds fine, no complaints.

aaharvel

if you want to hear a great car stereo look no further than the Panasonic in the Acura TL. And the Mark Levinson in the Lexus LS isn't too shabby either.

I actually know alot about Bose systems in cars. In most cases, the difference in the std. and the bose in cars is just the inclusion of a "Bass" driver with it's own small amplifier, and the BOSE label on the tapedeck of the faceplate. That is all. Not exactly worth $1,000 extra imo.

Sami

aaharvel wrote:

Not exactly worth $1,000 extra imo.

If I had the choice to had it removed and get $1k back, in an instant. It's not worth $1000 extra over standard system but I doubt the SE-R baseprice is that much higher with Bose in it (of course we'll never know).

mantis

My 2005 Nissan Pathfinder has a Bose system with a sub in the back. I like it. It's fine for the road.

Dan

TroyD

Wait until you have to replace one of those speakers.....

BDT

Sami

TroyD wrote:

Wait until you have to replace one of those speakers.....

Isn't that a good reason to upgrade?

madmax

I had an 87 Camaro that came with a DelcoBoso system. I could talk myself into thinking it sounded ok but it was gone shortly...
madmax

brettw22

aaharvel wrote:

In most cases, the difference in the std. and the bose in cars is just the inclusion of a "Bass" driver with it's own small amplifier, and the BOSE label on the tapedeck of the faceplate. That is all. Not exactly worth $1,000 extra imo.

Each speaker is individually amped, so when one of them goes, it costs an astronomical amount to replace just that one speaker. The deck no longer does the amplification, and replacing just the deck isn't a viable option either as those systems are either all or nothing. When I had a speaker go in my old Maxima, I replaced the entire system for little more than what they wanted for one speaker.

RuSsMaN

Bose system in mama Gates Tahoe. Don't care for it at ALL. Best 'factory' system I've heard, was an Infinity job in a Grand Cherokee.

Brett, you are exactly right, each speaker has it's own amp, and each speaker is made with paper / foam - fine for home use, not for the conditions cars are subjected to. If you enjoy your Bose system, do so while you still can.

Cheers,
Russ

Sami

Aren't those amps still external, not built into the speaker? That's how it was in my Skyline before I changed the whole setup. Couldn't I just replace the speakers and leave the amps? Anyway, that's not a worry of today at least.

TroyD

Sami wrote:

Isn't that a good reason to upgrade?

No, as brett and other point out, they speakers are indiviually amped and the replacements are astronomically expensive.....

BDT

brettw22

If you're asking if one speaker blowing out is a good reason to upgrade your entire system, the answer is yes. My one Bose speaker replacement would have been just under $500, and for a few bones more, I installed a completely new deck and 4 sets of speakers (granted, this was about 5 years ago).

The speakers are not seperate from the amps in a conventional setup you're thinking about. It's actually integrated into the speaker housing and it's a one piece assembly. That also means that you cannot just switch out all 4 speakers and try to use the Bose deck, because the deck doesn't amplify anything......just sends signal out.

ND13

The best sounding systems I've heard in "Affordable" vehicles are, by far, the Infinity systems in the Sebring/Stratus coupes and in the Grand Cherokees. They do everything right, especially for a factory system. The only thing that might need to be added would be a small sub, just to add the extra oomph in the **** end.

The new Boston Acoustic sound system that can be had in the new 300C/Magnum/Charger and 05 Gr Cherokee sounds really nice, too. Just haven't had enough time with one to really critique it. I'm driving a Magnum R/T right now, while my Dakota is in the shop, which has the BAs and so far it does a nice job.

The Bose systems that I've had experience with sound "okay" at low levels, but completely lose their composure at moderate to higher volume levels.

aaharvel

Sami wrote:

Aren't those amps still external, not built into the speaker? That's how it was in my Skyline

woah! Where did you get a Nissan Skyline? They only make those in Japan! :eek:

Sami

aaharvel wrote:

woah! Where did you get a Nissan Skyline? They only make those in Japan! :eek:

Motorex, while they were still legalizing them. I've had it for almost 4 years now.

aaharvel

yeah I knew you could get them through Motorex- but damn man that's a rare car. Does it have the turbo gauge on the top of the dash, etc, etc?

awesome.

Sami

aaharvel wrote:

yeah I knew you could get them through Motorex- but damn man that's a rare car. Does it have the turbo gauge on the top of the dash, etc, etc?

Stock it has but now that column and stereo are replaced by touch screen LCD (for the computer I built).

nadams

Ya, those Bose systems suck when you have to replace something in them. A former friend of mine had the Bose system in his Audi... it sounded horrible, and when he blew one of the rear speakers, he found that his had the amps on the speakers, so it was major $$ to replace. He still thought it was a superior system...

My brother has an Infinity system in his Durango, and it sounds quite impressive for a stock system. The best stock system I've ever heard is the one in my girlfriends parents Toyota Sienna minivan. Has component speakers up front, subs under the seats, the whole bit. It's totally stock, but was the best thing they could buy at the time. I think the van is 4 years old now.. It was before DVD systems were widespread.

faster100

My 04 pathfinder has a bose system.. 6 speaker, 6 disk changer and mine has a amp in the back, can be seen through the vents in the cargo area.. sounds pretty good and i don't plan to install woofers and aftermarket in this car so it suits fine.. Plus it has a weird double din but with a curve that doesnt look like it would match most double din aftermarket cd players.. plus it has all the controls on the steering wheel and has that feature where it says the artist name and song name.. no big deal, but if it has it fine..

MacLeod

The Nissan Frontier pickups had (I dont know if they still do ) Rockford Fosgate systems offered that didnt sound too bad. Still, for the money you could run down to Circuit City and put together a much better system.

faster100

Thing is, if you get a upgraded vehicle they come standard with these systems.. LE's SE's all come with Bose, or infinity or what not. unless you custom order it with no system or stock if that's even possible. some people just don't wanna rip apart the car to change it, specially if its a grocery getter family car/mini van/suv

madmax

While taking my old bose system out of the camaro I really looked at how they did it. The sad part is that you could tell all the engineering effort was put into finding/designing the absolute cheapest combination while still allowing it to be listenable. Pretty much a $500 replacement piece probably costs them two dollars to make. I don't mind this in most cases but it looked like they picked a rather low performance level to shoot for. Normally you shoot high and try to keep that cost low.
madmax

LiquidSound

Those wacky guys at Bose......

thehaens@cox.net

Sami wrote:

That's how it was in my Skyline before I changed the whole setup. .

Nice, R32 or did you go with with 34 GTR? I have a custom Z32 and from what I can remember it had the same bose stock system in it. It wasn't at all like the newer Bose systems. You, and I were right in ripping it out and replacing. We have a Bose in our Audi and it sounds good, def Bose did something right over the years with their car set up.

I had an older Pont Firebird that had the Delco Bose and that was crappy at best too.....

The older Bose are horrible, the newer ones are all right, the infinity in our Mits. Montero is good, but my set up in the Z is a whole lot better....Alpine/MB Quart etc.....

Scott

Sami

thehaens@cox.ne wrote:

Nice, R32 or did you go with with 34 GTR?

R32 GT-R. Never really developed much interest for the newer bodystyles (R33 & R34), R32 was always my favourite and I finally got one after over 10 years of dreaming.