plat27265

Sound quality is very subjective and you really have to demo both to determine if Bose makes you satisfied or whether B&O is worth the upgrade. If your ears are not used to listening to quality sound then you won't miss anything if you just settle for the base Audi sound system. You be the judge.

I have trained ears that are not too esoteric. My career is based on me knowing that the sound system sounds good. If I were buying a Q7, I would definitely go for the B&O System especially if I am going to use it through traffic or long commutes that will make me spend quite a bit of time riding in it. If I don't plan to spend a whole lot of time in it, I may settle for the Bose System. The Bose system is not that bad. It is a very good step up from the Audi Sound System which does not satisfy my ears in any way.

Spaceframe

Are you using the two subs placed on the back floor or the one you put in to replace the Bose? I would be interested in replacing the Bose and would be interested in what you have learned.

rsilvers129

I was not happy with my attempt to replace the driver in the BOSE enclosure. I am convinced that it can be done with the same amp and be noticeably better though. I just don't think the driver I picked was the answer. That being said, you can only do so much with a single eight inch driver. So yes, I have external subs but with the factory amp. One thing you can do is have an external with a patch cord that allows you to remove it in 30 seconds and plug the wiring back into the BOSE one when you want cargo space.

Chrds

Hi,

I have a 2018 Q7 E-tron. I auditioned both Bose and B&O before deciding. I went for B&O. It sounds much better than Bose, which to my ears sounded brittle and unpleasant, even with treble durned down and had muddy low-end. The B&O is so much smoother, and sound very good at both low and high volumes. As is should at almost 6 X the price in Europe. And this thing plays loud.

Whether it is worth it is up to you, but I would listen to both if at all possible.

One important thing when listening to the B&O - turn of all the 3D trickery, it makes the sound much worse. I was a bit dissapointed the first two weeks before I turned it off, after that a whole new and better experience.

Christian from Norway

gsobol

If money is no object, go for B&O. It is a level higher than Bose. Is it High-Fidelity as a state of the art home setup - NO. Is it one of the best sounding car (OEM) installed sound system - YES.

Yes, you can opt for Bose and then tinker with it, or (God forbid) base system and then replace the entire setup. However, if you want to replicate or improve on the B&O, you will have to spend similar amount of money (at least for entire replacement project) and you won't have the car integrated system as the OEM B&O.

Humble Bear

I got the standard Audi sound system with ten speakers, 180 watts and single CD player with MP3 playback capability, it sounds much worse than my 2010 Golf. B&O was not even an option in the base trim because I didn't want the sunroof(too warm) and the heated seats(too hard). If you are getting the Premium+ and up, you must get the B&O!!!

Spartan01

I did a side by side test drive of Premium w/Audi stereo and PP w/Bose and you can absolutely tell the difference. Audi stereo sounds a bit underpowered and muffled to my ears while the Bose system sounded a lot better. I never had a chance to test B&O but at the price, I decided the Bose was good enough. I paid 800 for the Harmon Karmon system upgrade with my BMW and it was a good system.

rsilvers129

I didn't know that was in question. The base stereo is only usable for talk radio or fleet use such as rental cars and taxis. It is actually an expensive way to go as it would need to be fully replaced later on. As for the BOSE, it is still weak on bass, but is a reasonable system to build on with a subwoofer box, and B&O is too expensive.

BigKutta

I think these high-end $$$$ stereo upgrades are truly for the audiophiles and those who know what the hell they are listening for. Otherwise this is wasted money for most people like me. Yeah, I'll take the one upgrade from the base stereo, but the B&O will do nothing for me. So it really depends on you.

Lectoid

Seconded. I'd rather spend $5,000 on a better home audio set up. I never thought a car was the ideal place to listen to high fidelity audio anyways.