hunterp27

Gang,

I will say right up front that those of you (including me) who have the B&O system prolly won't like this but here goes: When looking for my car I drove S8's with the Bose system but didn't drive one with the B&O. I tested the Bose quite loudly and played with the treble and bass settings fairly extensively. I was very impressed with the sound across the board. I said to myself, well if the Bose sounds this good, deep and rich.....I cannot wait to get the B&O rolling. So when I flew to FL and picked up my car I was expecting to be blown outta my seat with the B&O. I wasn't and I'm not. I actually feel like the Bose has better characteristics than the B&O and if purchasing new I certainly would not have spent the extra 6K. I would have put that money aside and made that my "tire fund" as these beasts eat rubber like tic tacs. Anyway, the B&O certainly has prettier speaker grills and it dresses up the interior, but come on.....6K for aluminum grills and pop up tweeters? Ripoff of all ripoffs. Just my opinion and I welcome opposing views

mishar

Here is one opposing view: B&O speakers look aftermarket and retractable tweeters are ridiculous.

Other than that I can't say anything, but since I don't have B&O I tend to agree with you that BOSE is better.

Brozee

Bose has nicer bass, but the B&O in my W12 was amazing sounding IMO. I have the B&O in my S5 and it's not even a comparison to the quality the A8 had. Overall both sound good to me, but the B&O is much clearer and crisp, especially at high volume on a nice 320kbps track. I agree though; not sure who in their right mind would want to spend an extra $6800 or whatever it is on the B&O. The B&O is much more affordable but still pricey at $800 for any A4/A5 etc.

QuattroDaniel

Whoa, something I feel competent enough to comment on!
(I'm terrified of doing the VCDS ride adjustment myself, and the two Audi tuner shops in my area won't do it either.)

I'm a bit of an audiophile, and did multiple tests on both systems before deciding on which to look for in an S8 purchase. (buying used made the cost difference when new mostly irrelevant). My tests were done on used vehicles, so there could have been speaker degradation, but both sounded and appeared to be in good shape. I tested the same tracks on both CD and high bitrate (320kpbs or higher) digital media versions of several sample songs. Not necessarily personal favorites, but these give a good read on full spectrum sound reproduction:

• The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• John Coltrane: Blue Train
• Neil Young: Harvest Moon

All of these were recorded / produced before the 'noise wars' began, meaning there are definite highs and lows / loud and quiet sections to hear and evaluate.

My subjective findings:
The Bose system sounded a bit better over the entire range, and did especially well with lower quality sources, like radio or lower quality MP3s. And sounded a bit better at very high volume.
B&O seemed a bit more crisp, which was especially evident in the high (treble) range. Horns and vocals really popped. ...But it also brought out the worst in lower quality sources.

Both are great systems. Bose is probably a better 'all around' performer, but if you feed the B&O a quality source, it offers more rewards.

Again, just my opinion!

mishar

Not on subject, but check the link from my signature. It's not complicated at all.

Howaboutthat

I am an audio fan and find the Bose just fine. Would have preferred the B&O, I suppose, but have not been disappointed. I put a higher value on the extended leather option -- just seems right for a car of this stature (should have been standard in the S8) than the audio given that Bose makes fairly good auto-based systems.

PaulW

I've got the B&O and it's very "bright" IMO. My 2001 S8 with Bose and subwoofer in the trunk was better IMO.

My wife's 2010 Q5 with B&O sounds much better than the S8, especially in the bass department.

cre8value

Who listens to the sound system, anyways? It's always turned off so I can hear the engine purr
B&O -> overpriced sound system
Bose -> overrated brand and hardware
Pick your poison.

1Wasserwerks

I opted for the B/O over the bose for two reasons. I thought the set-up looked nicer. Not a fan of Bose products.
No regrets.

TSHong

Unfortunately I have a Bose system since I have a MY2005. Never been a fan of Bose but the A8 does have the best sounding Bose I have heard so far. I would have loved to have the B&O and my added JL sub. It would have been a great combo.

I was looking at a 2007 4.2 with B&O but I found my 05 W12 with lower miles and price so I jumped on the W12.