Why are Bose systems hated?

MrFancyPants · 03-19-2009, 10:39 PM

"No highs no lows, must be Bose"

RedlineHR · 03-20-2009, 01:17 AM

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 · 04-14-2009, 07:24 PM

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 · 04-15-2009, 10:22 AM

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!

03-19-2009, 10:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
MrFancyPants Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Horsham, PA Posts: 21 Drives: 88 Alfa Milano Verde Rep Power: 18	"No highs no lows, must be Bose" __________________ "At birth man is offered only one choice --the choice of his death. But if this choice is governed by distaste for his own existence, his life will never have been more than meaningless." --Jean-Pierre Melville

03-20-2009, 01:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
RedlineHR Base Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: CA Bay area Posts: 71 Drives: Red 07 Z, SS 06 Z Rep Power: 243	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. Last edited by RedlineHR; 03-20-2009 at 01:24 AM.

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04-14-2009, 07:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
BalanBro Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 318 Drives: 40th Anniv. 370Z Rep Power: 1113	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.

04-15-2009, 10:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
KillerBee370 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: So Cal baby! Age: 53 Posts: 5,964 Drives: with passion Rep Power: 323	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!