Why are Bose systems hated?

Bster

This sounds promising! =) I'll throw in my opinions when I get my car next month.

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MrFancyPants

M4 Stang, same here, it does lack some deep base. I was able to by equipment 10%below cost , so I got some nice stuff when I worked in an AV store five years ago:

In my current vehicle I have MB Quart separates powered by a JL 3004 amp and a JL CLS110RG-W7 powered by a JL 5001. Great sound quality. I listened to one song for 30 minutes before I got to the dealership; once there, I popped in the cd and was not totally sickened by the bose set up, it wasn't really that bad. I am OK with Nissan's bose sound system.

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LETSGOEERS06

I for one am totally against bose...

I really hope the 2011 370z comes with something else... every vehicle I have owned besides my current jeep I completly redid the sound in the car usually boston accustics or JL

but I also have brand loyalty from JL AND BOSTON and KENWOOD AND ALPINE so that could just be me being biased

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Anatoray

Bose is not bad for what they are, but they are expensive. Talk to any audiophile and they will spit on Bose as a "high end audio" company. Simply put, the only thing amazing about them is the amount of sound they get ut of their tiny speakers, the problem is, even with that kind of feat, it doesn't change the fact that they are tiny, and won't be very full or robust compared to other larger speakers that cost a fraction of the price.

As far as cars are concerned, they get the job done, but again, are way overpriced for their performance, and have issues with longevity. And trust me, if you think the hate for bose is bad in a car forum, you do not want to go to an audiophile forum lol.

MrFancyPants

"No highs no lows, must be Bose"

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RedlineHR

I am a complete and total audiophile - within reasonable limits, mind you. The Bose in the Z33 was a complete let-down of expectations after you read about the 10" subwoofer behind the driver's seat. It was a complete rip-off. Absolutely ZERO sub-bass from the subwoofer, I don't think it can play below 100 Hz and the rollof at 100 Hz is probably 30dB per octave. Just ZERO sub-bass. Worst excuse for a subwoofer that I ever heard. I am quite sure I could build a sub with a paper plate - glue on a bobbin with a voice coil and some foam surround and a basket and magnet, put it in an enclosure and it would sound better.

The 10" "sub" from the 350 is SO bad that My wife's base system gets more sub-bass from jusr her two front (door) speakers than I get out of my BLOSE "sub" on my 07 350z. But even with her system, you have to fade all the way forward so the rear speakers in the same non-enclosure as the sub don't mess up the bass response. One major problem with the BOSE sub in the z33 is they did not even try to seal the rear chamber off from the front. Remember your early days of car audio when you thought you could just sit your 6x9's on top of the rear parcel shelf or on the floor and then you realized that you could not create bass unless the soundwaves from the rear were sealed off from the front or they would cancel eachother out? Well, appparently Bose and Nissan never got the message in the z33.

I think the bose bass in the z34 sounds 100x better than the bass in the z33. and it sounds like the z34 has more power. My own complaint with the z34 has to do with the placement of the tweeters on the dash rather than the side mirror housings. The dash placement of the tweets really kills the imaging since you are now listening to the tweeters directly on-axis - it reflects off of the windshield.

So the z33 Bose has a better soundstage and imaging, but the z34 has 100x better sub-bass and gets slightly louder overall.

But overall, yes, Nissan needs to hire Rockford Fosgate to do their stereos. Or infinity. One of the best OEM stereos I have heard was in a rental Kia Amanti with the Infinity stero - nice!!! If infinity could do it cheap enough for the Kia, they could do it cheap enough for Nissan.

Nissan/Bose OEM stereos FTL!!!!

In Bose's sub/jewel cube home audio speakers, there are highs and lows, just no midrange!!!! listen to them back-to-back with some very reasonably prices NHT bookshelf speakers - night and day.

BalanBro

I used to be a car audio installer back in college and can remember the VAST quantities of early 90s maximas that used to come in with dead bose systems. The drivers were very cheap treated paper cones (fronts were tiny too). One thing they did do to help remedy the small, cheap drivers was to use a molded plastic ported enclosure to enhance the lower frequencies. The enclusure also doubled as a housing for an internal amplifier (the most common part that failed over time).

From what I've seen in general (including some bose bookshelves I still own) they start with cheap, inexpensive speaker materials as a base, but then build slightly better than average enclosures to help optimize the capabilities of said drivers.

So yea, they sound better than your typical plastic home theater in a box systems (or your basic car audio speakers which are screwed directly into the metal door skin without any sort of enclosure/baffle). But you can do MUCH better by purchasing decent aftermarket speakers and focusing on a quality install (<-- this is key!).

I'm not trying to bash bose as they are more than sufficient for 99% of the people out there. It's just that there is potential for so much more while spending quite a bit less.

KillerBee370

I notice the Bose system in my 370 seems too quiet. I dunno, it's hard to describe. Not enough crisp highs and definitely a lack of boom in the base. I'm comparing this to the Rockford Fosgate system in my Mitsubishi Outlander which blows the doors off with incredible sound!

molamann

So I can upgrade the speakers/sub to another manufacturer or do I have to stick with Bose products?

BalanBro

You can always upgrade a system regardless of who makes it. A Bose system will just be a bit more involved and likewise, cost a bit more too.

RedlineHR

You need to match the impedance of the speakers to the impedance of the amplifier that is powering them. Most after-market speakers are 4-ohm. Some subs are 3.2 ohms and even 2 ohms. The lower the impedance (ohms), the less resistance the amp sees through the speakers and the closer to a direct short you get. Good aftermarket amps can handle 2-ohms with no problems - some even 1-ohm.

Many OEM systems have amps and speakers operating at different impedances - usually higher than 4-ohms. so you should know the impedance ratings of the bose speakers and subs if you plan on only replacing them.

Usually no one knows what impedance the OEM systems are workign at and if you plug in aftermarkey speakers, the bose amp could get fried quickly.

Some folks replace them amp and subs both - there are aftermarket converters that convert the pre-amp signal from the OEM head unit to a proper voltage for the after-market amps and then you use your aftermarket speakers.

pac-audio makes such converters as do many others.

good luck...

kannibul

One thing you didn't mention is that with solid state amplifiers (99.999% of car audio amps, unless you get tube...) can run with higher impedances (ohms), they just don't put out as much power.

So, if you have 8 ohm door speakers, and your amp is rated for 100w @ 4ohm, you'll probably get about 60-70w at 8ohm.

The important thing to remember is to not go BELOW what the amp can handle - run a 2ohm load on a 4ohm amp. That will make your amp unhappy, and could burn it up (overload)...

Alexus

I have spent over $10,000 in audio equipment from Bose over the years, from a full home theatre system, to a sounddock and a pair of earphones for my iPod. I even have the outdoor speaker system and let me tell you, it makes for one hell of a party.

Those of you who think Bose blows haven't experienced their home electronics, that's all I have to say.

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bigaudiofanat

Hang on let me stop laughing first

If you are happy with spend money on overpriced junk be my guest but there is better stuff out there for the same money or less. You just need to go listen to the better stuff, also if you want to start turning your volume up and just be able to hear a few things that's cool. I have a set of cheap polk bookshelf speakers that sound better than bose stuff, the fact is that bose, there in no way good.

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Anatoray

The real question is have you experienced real high end audio from other companies? While most of them are small and niche, Martin Logan has come into the mainstream lately, and is now sold by Best Buy, even if it is their cheap stuff.

My pair of Martin Logans that cost less than a Bose system shake the room, and not because they're loud. They hit the extreme lows perfectly, resulting in bass you can feel as well as hear, and with a sharp punch, rather than the muddy groan of a Bose sub.

Bose simply cannot compete on the level it tries to be at. With the proper research, you can get components that are miles ahead of them for the same money, which is the real reason they have such a bad image amongst high end audiophiles. If they were priced to compete with Sony, no one would probably say what they say now.