[Camaro fanboy]

i used to be an audifool..i think our systems are quite good. tbh i dont really care nowadays.
as long as the stereo works i'm happy

[ember1205]

My biggest issue with the Bose system, in my convertible at least, is that the bass sounds like mud when you try and raise the volume to offset the wind noise in the cabin. It's a very poorly thought out system with regard to speed-comp for the volume or just raising the volume on the system in general.

[keep_hope_alive]

For me, I liked the 1SS for the 8" screen without Bose because I am going high-quality aftermarket for the audio. So Bose would have been a waste of money since it would get removed anyway.

The sound quality improvement with Bose is worth the $1k since aftermarket would be 3-4 times that.

[GearheadSS]

It's pretty darn good in the Camaro.

[ctrlz]

I have upgraded audio on every car I've owned except this one. I have the Bose in a 2SS. It is good enough.
The upgrade path to do any of these systems properly involves getting some processing equipment that can combine already EQ'd speaker level signals and output a new composite line-level signal you can send to a new amp and new speakers. I believe there are also some units which will interface with MOST to get you line-level. None of these routes are cheap. Then, once you have great output, you might as well add some sound-deadening products to quiet the cabin. This makes perfect sense but, IMHO, takes away from the "muscle car" experience of the cabin.
There are some very nice upgrade threads in the audio sub-forum. From what I can see a decent DIY upgrade costs about $2000 and up. If a shop is doing the install, $3000 and up.
I am not impressed with Bose products in general, but this system is good enough.

Just noticed that keep_hope agrees with my numbers:

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

The sound quality improvement with Bose is worth the $1k since aftermarket would be 3-4 times that.

[MX5Racer]

Originally Posted by TheYankeeMarshal

I will second this. I was waiting on a 2023 Supra 3.0 (I drove a 2021 for a few days) to arrive when I lucked into the Camaro.

I drove a 2021 for 2 years

See the black Camry in the background? The JBL system in that thing blows away the Supra, AND it holds 6 CD's in the dash like God intended

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

IMO that's because the tweeters are not pointed at your head (i.e. A-pillar mount). Most modern luxury cars with upgraded system and lots-o-speakers will perform better than a muscle car system with low-door and rear-deck drivers.

There are no tweeters in the Camaro from the factory. The front channel comprises 6x9 single-cone wooders in the doors (not coaxial or three-ways, just a woofer) and 2.5" single-cone drivers in the dash (commonly referred to a "twiddlers"). They are designed on purpose to reflect off the windshield. The factory drivers are just not very good, and they are probably hobbled by the crude high-pass "crossover" that consists of just a single capacitor inline with the dash speakers. But you can get a much improved mid- and high-frequency performance from good drop-in replacements of the dash speakers and improving the crossover. Only a few companies offer 2.5" twiddlers, though. The Audiofrog GS25s I use made a world of difference. They actually do extend up to 20kHz and (with DSP) they even image pretty well.

[MX5Racer]

Originally Posted by Msquared

There are no tweeters in the Camaro from the factory. The front channel comprises 6x9 single-cone wooders in the doors (not coaxial or three-ways, just a woofer) and 2.5" single-cone drivers in the dash (commonly referred to a "twiddlers"). They are designed on purpose to reflect off the windshield. The factory drivers are just not very good, and they are probably hobbled by the crude high-pass "crossover" that consists of just a single resistor inline with the dash speakers. But you can get a much improved mid- and high-frequency performance from good drop-in replacements of the dash speakers and improving the crossover. Only a few companies offer 2.5" tiddlers, though. The Audiofrog GS25s I use made a world of difference. They actually do extend up to 20kHz and (with DSP) they even image pretty well.

Are you talking Base or BOSE? If the speakers in mine are single-cone drivers then they are darn good quality because it cranks. BOSE in my Tahoe also cranks, but I do agree it's a crapshoot vehicle by vehicle. I've heard BOSE that was less than awesome.

My car has 9 speakers, is the odd man out a sub or a center ??

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by MX5Racer

Are you talking Base or BOSE? If the speakers in mine are single-cone drivers then they are darn good quality because it cranks. BOSE in my Tahoe also cranks, but I do agree it's a crapshoot vehicle by vehicle. I've heard BOSE that was less than awesome.

My car has 9 speakers, is the odd man out a sub or a center ??

Both the base and Bose have no tweeters. Bose-equipped models add a center dash speaker (another 2.5" twiddler), plus rear deck subs for the coupe. I don't doubt that the Bose system plays way louder than the base system: that's why it uses 2-ohm speakers. But I do doubt the sound quality: Bose practically invented the "boom and tizz" tuning that allows very cheap hardware to capture people's attending for a 30-second audition but isn't actually very realistic or musical. The problem is that very few people know what good sound quality or live music sounds like, so they think high SPLs and "boom and tizz" is the shit.

[Chutzpah]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

I have upgraded audio on every car I've owned except this one. I have the Bose in a 2SS. It is good enough.
The upgrade path to do any of these systems properly involves getting some processing equipment that can combine already EQ'd speaker level signals and output a new composite line-level signal you can send to a new amp and new speakers. I believe there are also some units which will interface with MOST to get you line-level. None of these routes are cheap. Then, once you have great output, you might as well add some sound-deadening products to quiet the cabin. This makes perfect sense but, IMHO, takes away from the "muscle car" experience of the cabin.
There are some very nice upgrade threads in the audio sub-forum. From what I can see a decent DIY upgrade costs about $2000 and up. If a shop is doing the install, $3000 and up.
I am not impressed with Bose products in general, but this system is good enough.

Just noticed that keep_hope agrees with my numbers:

On my LT1….A couple small Alpine line level amps, some decent speakers and a Gen 5 harness is going to run me around 1.2k (self installed) I’ve spent $400 so far (adding rear deck speaker and amp)…it already sounds far better than the convertible Bose set up. Once the fronts are done, I know it will be markedly better than the Bose coupe. There’s no two ways about it, all of the stock speakers are as cheap as they could make them. Sound processors and sound deadening is nice and all, but to me it’s just a car (keep it simple). I want it loud, clear with reasonable separation with windows open… I just don’t think the Bose does that, even if there’s a shining moment on a particular song, you’re pushing the system to the ragged edge.

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by Msquared

they are probably hobbled by the crude high-pass "crossover" that consists of just a single resistor inline with the dash speakers.

Msquared is a shining star around here, but it would be a capacitor, not a resistor. I actually suspect the Bose is crossed over in the digital domain, but I have not had the 2.5's out.
Some people around here would consider me quite the lunatic, because I actually like front center speakers in cars! That's also something "created" by DSP, and is part of the Bose package.

[PJS57]

The stock system in my 1SS is a potato, but this is why I made sure to get the NPP exhaust. The Bose system in my dad's ZL1 is significantly better, but still not as good as the B&O in my daily driver Audi. Definitely worth the upgrade if its only $900 in the LT1 IMO.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Msquared is a shining star around here, but it would be a capacitor, not a resistor.

D'oh! That's what I get for posting something in haste. Thanks for catching that, and I've edited the post to be correct.

[Theroider]

Originally Posted by PJS57

The stock system in my 1SS is a potato, but this is why I made sure to get the NPP exhaust. The Bose system in my dad's ZL1 is significantly better, but still not as good as the B&O in my daily driver Audi. Definitely worth the upgrade if its only $900 in the LT1 IMO.

Funny, the B&O in my Audi S5 was not very good. The Bose in my son’s 2SS is much better.


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