[Snoman]

Originally Posted by Curr

Don't rag on Bose too much. They definitely earned their way into discussion of important engineering feats that we take for granted today. Early on they were pioneers into acoustics research, and a lot of what we know today is from them forging that trail. They were ahead of their time when they started taking into account spatial properties of noise and the environment in which it was playing in building their loudspeakers and tailoring it to the listener, making sure that they were the focal point of the music.

I will admit, their stuff is mostly middle of the road, or worse today, and you can do better for the same money.

(One of my EE professors in college was a former Bose, Philips and Bell engineer. Amazing stories from him)

Agreed, but my point is none of that engineering is going into the car in any capacity.

Perhaps a better analogy is this; They are selling Rolex watches on the streets of New York for $100 and they are 100% genuine.

[joemosfet]

Originally Posted by Snoman

They are selling Rolex watches on the streets of New York for $100 and they are 100% genuine.

A hundred dollar Rolex probably isn't very nice, eh?

[Treefrog]

Originally Posted by joemosfet

A hundred dollar Rolex probably isn't very nice, eh?

of course it is!! It says 'Rolex' right on the face!

[Sledgehammer70]

Originally Posted by Treefrog

of course it is!! It says 'Rolmex' right on the face!

Fixed.

[fastball]

I was an electronic repair technician for Best Buy for 11 years. Bose is seriously overrated. Maybe they were engineering leaders in the 1970s but today they are only marketing leaders. Whether it's home or car audio. When you took their speakers apart you could tell the difference in the materials and magnets used in the loudspeaker, and the difference in electronic components used in the crossovers and power supplies compared to other, better speaker manufacturers.

But GM isn't the only ones who try to wow people with sub-par stereos. Frankly there's no system from any manufacturer that comes from the factory that's as good or better than you can do with about $1500 for an aftermarket system.

Speakers should have polypropylene surrounds which are supple, durable, and let the speaker move freely - anything with paper or foam, which is what Bose uses, is cheaper, less durable, and more restrictive to the loudspeaker's movement. They should also have the largest magnet that can fit in the space the speaker is being installed. Car companies really get their speaker vendors to skimp here because they want the car to be as light as possible. Fine, you get your weight savings. But the sound system is junk.

Amplification....... let me just say that old fashioned MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semi-conductor Field Effect Transistors) are the way to go. They run hot and use amps, but they kick butt and are super reliable. The modern digital FETs used in most car amps are more efficient, but they lack the true punch and richness you get out of a MOSFET amp.

Those tiny amps they use are good to hide in the kick panels or under trunk lining. But they're chintzy and sound thin.

[GTIanZ28]

I am a bit of an audiophile.

I have attempted to "upgrade" the stereos in many cars. if you don't mind ripping into your car it is relatively easy to "improve" the system. But, to truly achieve quality audio in your car major modification is required. One must use copious amounts of sound absorbtion (heavy) and modify your car by building up "dead" mounting boards. If you stop and think about how speakers work it should come as no surprise that mounting a driver to a stamped steel panel is terrible for good sound quality. Then there is the problem of road/engine noise. When the sound floor of your listening environment is 60-70db you will never hear the subtle nuances of music.

One thing I have come to realize after building up a rather serious home audio system is that a car will never achieve anything close to what is possible in a home. Everytime I turn on my home stereo I get floored by the differences in clarity, balance, and fullness of my system. So much so that I generally just listen to sports radio in my car.

So, I guess what I'm getting at is one would be better served spending $1500 on a decent pair of loudspeakers for their home than bothering to improve their car audio.

For all you SS guys..... That damn V8 is going to produce much better music than any car audio system!

[G-10]

For all you SS guys..... That damn V8 is going to produce much better music than any car audio system![/QUOTE]

Well said Brother!!!

[BahamaTodd]

Well here's one of two Bose speakers in the top of the trunk of a 2LT: