Why are Bose systems hated?

awesomez

32 kbit/s – MW (AM) quality
96 kbit/s – FM quality
128–160 kbit/s – Standard Bitrate quality - probaby stock 370Z system
192 kbit/s – DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) XM (but not quite. depends on channel and reception)
224–320 kbit/s – Near CD quality

For me CDs do not play anywhere near 300 kbps or CF Card quality for some reason. This is the CF card I bought: Newegg.com - Kingston 4GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card Model CF/4GB - Flash Memory
You will also need a card reader and save high quality MP3s to it. Do a lossless rip as theDreamer said from a CD or download on internet. Plug it in and the Bose system becomes alive. The switching between songs is instant, not like with Musicbox or CD or XM where there is a little lag. Full text is available including file name on the screen if you have navigation.

fly yellow

In my opinion BOSE is to stereos what Rolex is to watches. It's the high end brand that the general public thinks is the best, but afficianados know that there is better stuff out there. There is a marketing strategy to Nissan putting Bose systems in their higher end cars. They are assuming (usually correctly) that older customers will be buying the car with no intention on upgrading and they will recognize the BOSE name as being "high end". This is the same reason that they use the Rockford Fosgate systems in the Sentra and Exterra, because those cars are typically bought by younger people, and they tend to be more in to car stereos and to them the Rockford Fosgate name has more street cred.

Having said all that, I tend to just buy the best I can afford that comes with the car. I rarely keep a car longer than 3 years and I'm not going to spend a ton of money on something that I won't get any return on. I have the Nav system and the sound is definitely something I can live with, although I once had a Spec-V Sentra with a Rockford Fosgate and it did sound much better. I do think that Nissan's ipod interface is one of the best in the business for stock radios. If I were 15-20 years younger and I planned on keeping the car for 6 or 7 years, I would have bought a base model with sport package and gone nuts with the stereo and interior.

Let me give Bose props for one thing, the best customer service I have ever seen. About 6 years ago I bought a Mitsubishi big screen and a Bose Lifestyle system at a high end TV store. I live in smaller places and the Bose does get good sound through tiny speakers. I had a ton of trouble with the Bose system and had to send it back 3 times. The third time was out of warranty, but they covered it anyway. Four years after I bought it I went back to the same store to upgrade the TV. I told the salesman about the problems I had with the Bose system and he had the district manager get in touch with me. After hearing of my troubles the guy sent me a brand new version of Bose's latest Lifestyle system and had a guy come out and custom install it. This was like a $3500 value and I only paid like $2000 for the original system. The new system has been trouble free. There is better stuff out there for the money, but they have great customer service.

nightfire

I'm not familiar at all with CF cards or card readers etc. So you put the CF card in the card reader and then the card reader has plugs on it that plugs into the car just like an MP3 player? Also how are the downloaded songs transferred to the card? I'm guessing the card reader plugs right into a computer as well?