Bose versus B & O Stereo
04-29-2018, 12:24 PM
#11
Club AutoUnion
In my last car (Acura) the only sound offered was a Bose system. 5 Days after I took delivery it was in my audio installers shop for a solid week while they ripped the factory Bose system out and replaced everything from the head unit, amp and speakers with what I wanted. Literally they removed everything from the passenger compartment (including the seats, carpet and door panels) and insulated, rewired and replaced the entire system.
Not looking to start any arguments but I do not care for Bose products!
In listening to the B&O system in the Audi, I think I’ll keep it stock for awhile - though adding a small sub-woofer and amp to drive it is not out of the question.
Not looking to start any arguments but I do not care for Bose products!
In listening to the B&O system in the Audi, I think I’ll keep it stock for awhile - though adding a small sub-woofer and amp to drive it is not out of the question.
04-29-2018, 06:39 PM
#12
AudiWorld Senior Member
1. I have grills.
2. There is plenty of room between the kick pod and the brake pedal for my foot.
3. I usually have my left foot rested behind my right leg anyway.
4. If you want your stereo to sound right, this is where the speakers need to go.
04-30-2018, 06:35 AM
#13
I know nothing about audio equipment sound & quality. I admit I've always been puzzled by the price for the $4900 upgrade, so much so that at the time I tried to do a little bit of research to understand it. I'm not a huge music listening fanatic, I'm happy with status quo, I'd honestly be ignorant to, and unable to appreciate the differences the B & O sound system would deliver. The two things that attract me to it, strangely enough would be the cosmetic ones. Those twitters that pop out of the dash are so cool, I'm sorry. I also really like the look of the contrasting brushed aluminum speakers on the door panels. The actual sound quality and system functionality that the system would deliver would be a side benefit for me. So then I need to rationalize that price tag, and I have a pretty big problem that makes me want the best that products have to offer, so I'll spring for the gold most of the time. In this case however $5,000 is a lot of money for what I perceive as a money grab, more than an actual better sound system.
05-01-2018, 05:51 AM
#14
AudiWorld Senior Member
The main benefit of the acoustic lens technology is for sound dispersion in the horizontal axis, while limiting dispersion in the vertical axis. It works quite well in cars because we want to do our best to limit the reflections from the windshield.
I know a guy who took some B&O home speakers, took them apart, and then installed the tweeter lenses and midrange drivers in his car on the corners of the dash. Combined with a dBX Driverack DSP, the soundstage he achieved was remarkable.
He did have to do some very specific acoustic foam materials above and below the lenses, however. He used a Basotect foam to help clean up some early reflections on the dash and windshield.
In the case of the Audi B&O system, the results won't be anywhere near as good as what my friend did with his custom setup. No surprise, there.
The main problem is that the midrange speakers are not close enough to the tweeters. The mids need to be up on the dash within about 8 inches of the tweeters to get them optimized.
Audi has left them down in the door, however. Not a good location if soundstage is the goal.
And, of course, the Audi B&O does not have the kind of processing needed to get the system dialed in for a single listening position.
I know a guy who took some B&O home speakers, took them apart, and then installed the tweeter lenses and midrange drivers in his car on the corners of the dash. Combined with a dBX Driverack DSP, the soundstage he achieved was remarkable.
He did have to do some very specific acoustic foam materials above and below the lenses, however. He used a Basotect foam to help clean up some early reflections on the dash and windshield.
In the case of the Audi B&O system, the results won't be anywhere near as good as what my friend did with his custom setup. No surprise, there.
The main problem is that the midrange speakers are not close enough to the tweeters. The mids need to be up on the dash within about 8 inches of the tweeters to get them optimized.
Audi has left them down in the door, however. Not a good location if soundstage is the goal.
And, of course, the Audi B&O does not have the kind of processing needed to get the system dialed in for a single listening position.
05-09-2018, 07:52 AM
#15
AudiWorld Junior Member
I bought my S6 used, but it had what I mainly wanted in the Exclusive interior. I can't fathom why it would have that upgraded interior but the lame Bose system. I had Bose in other cars and yes, it's crap -- Bose has never been good at doing cars. To add insult to injury, I had a 2018 A3 loaner car with the B&O in it and it was definitely a lot better than the Bose in my car. If I bought my car new, it would definitely have to have the B&O system.
That's fuggin awesome!!!
That's fuggin awesome!!!
05-13-2018, 05:49 PM
#16
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2017 S6 Bose question
I'd have liked to have B&O over Bose, but didn't have a choice, since it was the new S6 on the floor or nothing. But having sampled many B&Os before, I wasn't blown away, plus the Bose on this car is better than all others I've owned and heard before, so not that disappointed at all. Guess the other reason for that is I fine-tuned the sound thru the Spotify's equalizer, so at least the highs are much better now. I have zero doubt the B&O is better than Bose, but really doubt it's $5K better, based on my past experiences. Oh, and definitely not a fan of more chrome in the car, plus more moving parts, so overall quite happy with the Bose
. By the way, the best car system I've heard by far is the Meridian on my brother's Land Rover. It makes all others sound like crap by comparison, and I've owned many supposedly high-end systems, like Burmester and Mark Levinson.
. By the way, the best car system I've heard by far is the Meridian on my brother's Land Rover. It makes all others sound like crap by comparison, and I've owned many supposedly high-end systems, like Burmester and Mark Levinson.
05-18-2018, 02:27 PM
#17
AudiWorld Senior Member
I picked up a low mileage 2017 Daytona Gray S6 since my 2016 S6 lease is up next month snd the 2019’s allegedly won’t be out for some time yet. So the 2017 is an “interim” car. It has a Bose system and being completely ignorant about Bose car stereos, I noticed in the trunk the following: under the rear deck there is clearly a speaker mounted on the left, but I do not see a similar looking speaker on the right nor any noticeable subwoofer, although all the interior grills are in place as normal. Is this just part of the Bose configuration or is something missing? Again, I’m completely ignorant about the Bose setup in the trunk rear deck area. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
It's the subwoofer. There is only 1 and it is not centered.
06-10-2018, 07:30 AM
#18
AudiWorld Junior Member
I've got the Bose system and my only real complaint is that the stock subwoofer just can't keep up. It's fine at lower volume, but the bass gets lost at higher volume levels. I have an Infinity Basslink amp/sub combo left over from when I upgraded my summer car's stereo so I threw that in the trunk to see if it was an improvement over that weak little stock sub. It's got speaker-level inputs which also work as an on/off signal, so hooking it up was a breeze - leads from the existing sub wires and power straight from the battery which is so conveniently located right there in the trunk. The difference is insane - I'm very happy with the overall sound at all volume levels now. Obviously not competition level, but hey, free upgrade.
That said, I would've gotten an S6 with the B&O audio if I could've found one. My next S6 definitely will.
That said, I would've gotten an S6 with the B&O audio if I could've found one. My next S6 definitely will.
06-10-2018, 10:08 AM
#19
AudiWorld Junior Member
Who knows. The first owner of mine paid the extra $1500 or whatever to upgrade to the pinstriped aluminum / Beaufort oak trim, but he/she was apparently fine with the unimpressive Bose audio. Different priorities, I guess.
Last edited by Pike Parker; 06-10-2018 at 10:19 AM.
06-14-2018, 08:43 PM
#20
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I ordered the B&O with my 2014, as I had previously went aftermarket but didn't want the trouble of hacking up the car this time. Overall, it sounds great relative to most cars. However, it's disappointing relative to the huge price tag due to weakness in the lower frequencies. If I didn't feel too old to drop a sub in the trunk, it would probably solve the problem and pull it all together, as the mids and highs are there (and clear).
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