MP4.2+6.0

Did 20's instead of 21's for better dynamic ride quality; you lose 9 pounds a corner if you choose right, in OE wheels. Audi says 1-2 percent better fuel economy too (per UK site where they now have to publish economy #'s for any optional wheels). But 9 pounds a corner is a huge amount--for steering feel and dynamics if sensitive to it, rebound, more lively feeling etc. Read or watch the S8 reviews that often go down the "cold and fast" but not that dynamic on roads with any real curves, and notice virtually every time it is a manufacturer provided car with 21's. I used twin 7's (forged) in 20x9 OE. You can find the twin 10's (also forged but a bit more weight), like a dime a dozen availability wise. Often off A7/S7 tire size wise, but lots of loose (rim only) sets of those around too. Yes, a lot more tires in 20" sizing, especially 275s. I have a set of DWS06's for that, besides the DW summers.

Already posted on stereo, but basically yes Bose even back on D3 was very good and well above prior C5 Bose. There are different "levels" of Bose quality, just like there are for B&O is you step down to more basic A4/A5/Q5 or similar. B&O is tighter/crisper if pushed. Both are arguably just about as "loud" for casual listener, and many think Bose has better bass. I think more so for the subwoofer and thumper sort of crowd. But, if you turn up the pre amp settings on D4 as I uncovered and posted, then you can drive B&O safely a fair amount more. I get the sense they pulled down the preamp settings with D4, since on D3 folks would say B&O could be driven harder even at stock settings. I played with the hidden preamp settings some to find distortion points and then backed of a bit. More satisfying incrementally when you want to crank it for whatever reason, including in quiet passages of good tracks. I would be hard pressed to pay for it new, but was definitely high on the want to have list for anything late model used like I bought. On a lower price point Q5 like we also have, it was a lot easier to spec new. But then Q5 level B&O (at like $1500 if not packaged) is probably not even quite D3 level Bose as far as sound quality, apparent loudness max pre-noticeable distortion, etc.

Ngerstman

Most people seem to think the B&O system is better, some think it is light years better, others just a bit better. In thinking about whether to commit to the s8 at this point, even a used one is a big monetary commitment, I keep my cars for a long time as well, my main concern might be if it is too long in the tooth technology wise. What are the main things in that area that you wish the car had that it doesn't, infotainment, safety, etc. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

MP4.2+6.0

If you want much better, I would say hold to D5. But then, that is about two years, and if you skip year 1, that's three. Then if you wait for S8, that's usually at least another year, so 4. And if you wait for some discounting and better used pricing, that's about year...6. Sort of where we are now... There is always some new shiny object to be tempted by. And yes, I hold a long time too. Had D3 W12 from 2007 to 2016 and served me well. Even today that technology is not obsolete at 90% level--good enough if you will. Has all the creature comforts, ACC, Nav, ESP, quattro, of course ABS, good brakes, and so on. More power than 95% of what's out there. So D4 S8 has all that with yet better ACC, now Google Earth GPS, better seat massage, even more nicely done interior, somewhat better seat ventilation, more MMI integration, Gen 3 air ride (gen 1 = allroad), etc.

If I had to do it better, I would want AirPlay/Car, but then Audi still tries to control it by tightly restricting apps. If AirPlay ever gets open implemented, bye bye over priced factory nav, but then also folks text their brains out and other not good stuff too. MMI Nav is also slow w/ Google Earth on top--slower than D3 was for start up. Like 2-3 minutes at times to get in order after you turn the key is crap when you want to get going and need to know right off bat which freeway to head toward--my choices on SF Peninsula are in opposite directions. It's a 60gig ten year old laptop hard drive buried in there spinning away. Meanwhile, more power now than 99.5% of what's out there even pre-Plus, so how much do I really "need." At or a bit beyond Corvette fast. Do I need McLaren or (only latest) 911 turbo fast?. Would want virtual dash, which is a total given it will be done at latest and best integration level for D5.

I can go on, but honestly a great car and picking nits. Actually unlike some here, I think car could be better styled/designed for exterior. Facelift cleaned up some, but I'm not that much a fan of the BMWesque flame design of side contours--very plain and slab looking on sides. People like big hoods on these kinds of rides too, but it is getting sort of old Lincoln caricaturist to me. Pop the hood and notice how far back front of motor now is. Some of that is crash protection stuff, but it reminds me of when i was a kid and you had an old V8 10 year old American full size family hand me down that was a cast iron everything motor, clutch fan, 4 bbl, tune ups like every 5K miles and such. Well, among other things since by 10 years old they would overheat on the first serious grade on a hot day, you would just take (at least) a gallon of water/antifreeze and stuff it in somewhere in that foot wide space up there before they plastic trimmed everything--some for airflow but some for show. Or, maybe I think of first gen Hawaii 5-O with (Jack Lord) McGarrett barreling around in the bloated Lincoln. The aggressive mean spoiler front end look is getting a fair amount boy racer to me too. Opinions differ on all these, but signs it's time for a D5 fresher look. I suspect D3 lines will survive as more classic than D4 actually. Meanwhile, back in today's world and personal views aside, perfectly contemporary for German Autobahn burners. Not offensive to me like lots of other designs out there that are bucking for Aztek/Studebaker status--anything laughable bloated BMW w/ even number X's that are trying to undersell even Acura's already DOA ZDX, now Merc. copycats, lots of Lexus and Toyota over styled stuff of late, etc.

Net, gotta decide if you are getting in pool or not--same post theme on B&O as you keep walking the "pool perimeter" is showing... Obviously though wait to find the right one for you. You will know it when you see it. For me, the Vermont Brown Exclusive interior was my tipping point on top of S8 power and general fit and finish--luxurious, not another black on black type ride, ridiculously fast, etc. Yes B&0 tunes all good BTW...but so are motor sounds if into cars. Bose plenty good, and frankly unless solo in car you aren't going to turn it up enough to get at the deltas. And yes, I do that too since majority of time I am solo driving. If I looked at something else today, it might be Tesla. But around me those are "Atherton Chevies"--sort of fashion statements to many, not at fit and finish level of Audi, even Model S not at (old) mediocre level of Audi reliability deeper in systems, etc. Simplified, a ginormous iPad screen, go fast electric drive if you get P level, nice coupe sort of sedan styling (easily found w/ various others too from XJ to CLS to other implementations), lots of fan boys, and a Toyota "Limited" interior once you look past the iPad sort of styled into dash w/ a crowbar. BUT, priced basically at S8 level, so no bargain for level of finish, tax gimmicks and fakey gas savings funny math notwithstanding. Next Gen S of either Audi or Tesla flavor, maybe, but not quite this one for Tesla. Electric will be more and more common and integrated, but you will see that in new directions in D5 too. If you want it now in similar size, and go in direction of much of country, honestly that's a new Q7. But not in same league (planet?) power wise or 6 tenths or more driving dynamics. Nonetheless exactly what the 75+ year old first owner of my S8 traded in on. A guy with serious net worth and who also bought their Bentley's over the years; I pretty much know who it was. All fine since I got it w/ 3200 miles, clean, well priced, loaded and unlikely to have ever seen even 4000RPM.

Ngerstman

You're the best, thanks for the thoughtful and comprehensive answer. There are a few nice 2015 and 2016's around but none have the B&O, that is what I'm most in consternation about, whether it's worth waiting for or "settling" for the Bose. The 2015 is black on black, the exterior being the black pearl finish, which is ok, not as nice as the current Mythos black. The 2016 has special Balao Brown interior with Oolong Gray Metalic, not sure if you've seen that color combo. Either is enticing, the 2015 is cpo so one has 4.5 years of warranty which is great. Thanks again. Regards. Ned.

andrewmr

Ned,

I've posted in other B&O versus Bose threads and I think part of it comes down to how much you enjoy music. What is your home system? Do you spend a lot of time listening? How much time do you spend in your car?

The B&O system is definitely a better system. But, and this is a big but, some people prefer the sound of Bose. To me Bose is not as accurate and that was important to me. Plus, I like the way the tweeters come out of the dash :-)

I spent a lot of time looking and was at a point where I was considering looking at cars with Bose but in the end I decided it was worth the expense and the wait for the right car.


What do I wish the car had.... the only thing that comes to mind (stereo related) is the ability to play hi quality digital files.

And then the big thing (to me) is the lights. I can't for the life of me figure out why DOT won't let the cars come in with the good Euro lights.



Mike

Ngerstman

I'm am a long time audiophile although less so in recent years as I tired long ago of chasing the holy grail, cost of the high end gone verticle and not having a great room for acoustics in my current home. Like I said, waiting for a B&O system in the used market limits you greatly, most don't have it. The tester I drove was very nice, a 2015 cpo with only 16,000 miles. In my 15 minutes in the car, not focusing strictly on the stereo, I thought it actually sounded very good, nothing to be embarrassed about, one of the better car stereos I've heard. That of course doesn't mean I wouldn't be at the next level, thrilled, with the B&O, I'd love to hear it so I would know. I've had absolutely great after market $8,000 stereos in past cars and the sound can rival the best home stereos wih less room acoustic issues. Really tough finding the total package of options one really wants. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

Jack88

Keep looking and if it's important to you, don't settle for less than exactly what you want. I know it bugs me pretty consistently any time I make concessions with my cars. These ones, especially, are too much of a guaranteed financial loss not to be precisely what you set out to get.

MP4.2+6.0

It isn't a big deal to me, but I suspect you are talking about avoiding D/A A/D conversions. W/ my music files on ITunes I just burn all the tracks off original CD's at 320kbps in AAC. Those are "digital" of course. Plenty good enough for my ears, and that is a big step up from the low bit rate defaults or downloads. But still compact enough to fit thousands of tracks in 32GB devices, and most anything in a 64G or bigger. If you aren't at least at high bit rate recording, at least do that. I finally bit bullet at one point and pulled out my several hundred CD's and re dupped them at 320 to maximize quality in now practical size files for small devices.

Assuming you likely know all that, I thought you can get around the D/A stuff (if that is the thing you want) if you use the jukebox function and or/ some on board cards in the memory slots or some such. Never felt the need myself, but you could look into that as far as most pure reproduction.

MP4.2+6.0

Having owned Brilliant Black on my W12, a clean black car always looks sharp. But if I ever did black again, I would definitely get a metallic--hide the swirls, little marks, etc. But the metallic blacks were not yet out in 2006 for that one. Yes, I know Balao Brown. Used to be the only Exclusive interior until Vermont Brown came out. One poster here held out for it as a must have. Matter of personal taste, but too straight Brown to me in some of the key areas. My 2000 A6 had a similar brown look for the dash trim, steering wheel, etc. and over the years and with some fade I tired of it. The wife's Q5 has a pretty std. medium dark brown upholstery color, but keeps dash in black that I think looks better. Vermont Brown interior uses a very deep gray for dash--all the leather areas for starters. Looks great to me, though black would reduce a bit of the minor reflections you see occasionally off of the HUD area or a few other places.

To me CPO on a recent year one makes a lot of sense with these, and is exactly what I did on the 2015 S8. And, on the preceding then one year old W12. If you hold for a long time and do a really careful inspection both before end of 4/50 and then CPO, you can get a whole lot cleaned up. BTDT on the D3. Besides the $ several thousand in parts for various visits (ABS controller unit was biggest), service manager told me they had over 20 hours into my final punch list--last visit only! All for my one low $ deductible payment on each one; I would just hold them for one annual visit unless something was seriously awry. Things I would catch inside warranty would otherwise just fester and then turn into an out of pocket cost if you wait until it becomes obvious--leaks, outright bad running, strong vibrations, etc.

Mike911A8

MP4, your analysis has brought me back to my senses. I had become annoyed by the direction in which the D4, and automobiles in general, were traveling, and had made up my mind to just stick with my D3. But that's not really practical if I have enough years left in my tank.

I've got other stuff in my fleet that can keep me connected to the past; a nice D4 S8 would buy me another decade.

Mike