Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Sometimes Bose gets it right. I'm just like you guys...no matter how good the stock system sounds I have to improve it. I had one exception. The Bose in the 98 RS Camaro I had. It was fantastic. So good I used to sit in the car for hours listening to it. I've had Bose in other cars, Infiniti and Benz but they were nothing compared to that one in the Camaro. I'm sure the placement of the speakers had a lot to do with it. The subwoofer was in a box in the corner of the hatch trunk. Just where I usually put them. I kid you not, it was the bomb.

GFerg

I know the Bose in my Maxima is pretty damn bad, and not a major improvement over the stock stereo. The only difference I can tell is that it produces a slightly clearer sound at higher volumes, and the high notes(treble) is slightly better as well. Thats about it. Not to mention its glitches every now and then, and the fact that its so damn hard to mod the system if I take the headunit out. In my car, every speaker has a separate amplfier and if I change ojut the headunit then the sound would be messed up, unless I throw out more money for an adaptor or aftermarket speakers. Damn BLose system.

I must say that they have been improving their systems, but still no where near a ML system.

Iceman

It's obvious from some of the statements here that people are not the least bit familiar with Bang & Olufsen. To compare them to Bose is absolutely laughable. And I won't let myself get distracted, but mindless Bose-bashing reveals a certain lack of A/V knowledge as well. Bose is clearly not high-end or audiophile-quality, but they do produce some good equipment, especially in extremely small enclosures.

But back to B&O. This is a serious shot across the bow to the Lexus/ML partnership. Let's leave out the "audiophile" crowd. They represent a tiny, TINY fraction of the population, certainly not enough to drive car sales. Then there are the rest of us, who really appreciate great sound and are not usually satisfied with stock systems. Lexus did a brilliant thing by bringing ML in early in the design phase, letting acoustic engineering have a seat at the table when selecting interior materials, shapes, and designs. No other carmaker, NONE, has matched this level of commitment to excellent sound reproduction in a vehicle.

Until now. B&O, unlike ML, has a long history in this business and is not part of a larger corporate conglomerate. How many ClubLexus members know that ML is part of the same company as JBL and Infinity? B&O's hallmark is an unwavering commitment to excellence, both technically and aesthetically. The blending of the two is perfectly suited to automotive audio, and it's a wonder to me that no one seized a relationship with them before this. BMW is hooked up with harman/kardon (also part of the ML corporate family), and Acura is in the Bose camp.

I guess the bottom line to me is personal. I was never impressed with Audi design and a search of my previous posts will reveal that I've called them "overpriced Volkswagens" on more than one occasion. Their partnership with B&O, BY ITSELF, is enough to make me reconsider that opinion and put the A8 on my short list of next vehicles. I doubt I'm the only one...

LexFather

Wow, good post, thanks. Products like this do make a car moe desirable.

I never ate fried green tomatoes until about 2 years ago, now I LOVE eating them...

Sorry, off track here

nthach

The Bose system in my friend's VW Jetta VR6 actually sounds really good, same deal with my friend's Hummer. now my cousin's Infiniti/Bose system

Hollister uses Bose speakers in their in store touch-screen jukebox system, and it lacks highs and mids. Now what if they used Revel or Klipsch speakers? Revel designed the ML speakers...

mooretorque

Excellent points, all. However, this isn't the first response to the Nak/ML partnerships with Lexus. McIntosh has put systems into Subies (of all things) and the Ford GT. Altho McIntosh doesn't have speakers worth listening to, their electronics are def the high end of the consumer food chain, with all components military or NASA-spec, incredibly rugged and durable with quality of construction that was Lexus-like for decades before there was a Lexus. (More than 85% of ALL the McIntosh equipment built since its inception in 1954 is still in service!!!!!) Again, a brand sniffed at by the audiophile community (as Ice points out, a VERY small fraction or the community and I neither need or want a 10 wrms/ch class A tube amp for $10K, either) but one that would seem to be part of the "dream team" for an auto mfgr.

Bang & Olufsen is a wonderful brand (and the partnership with Audi seems like one of those "Well, of COURSE!!!!!!......." moments); I've owned two of their turntables over the years. And who can forget their product placement in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"?

Gojirra99

Yes, the Bose in my G35c sucks so bad compared to the ML in my SC430 that I usually only listen to the news in my G35c. After the news, I'd rather just turn everything off & listen to the exhaust note