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    Bose or not to Bose

    Trying to determine if I need bose on the 997. I had it on my old 996 and thought it was better than the standard system. But I am unsure on the 997. I have yet to hear a standard system yet..Any thoughts.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Order the upgrade Bose. It is brilliant, trust ne you will not regret it. A very good option to have in the event of a re-sale.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Bose! You'll be pleased!

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    Holminator said:
    Bose! You'll be pleased!


    Ditto, for reasons of resale, sound quality and I'd hate the thought of my interior being pulled apart for a system install

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Depends how much you want to spend and how you want to set your car apart without it looking "ghetto-install". If you really have the money, and I mean really (20%-30% of your car's MSRP) - go with a custom made Alpine F1 Status install with Focal Utopia Be or Dynaudio Speakers (Esotar tweeters). You can choose integrated touch screens, motorized or non-motorized (I would go non motorized for an OEM look), and custom subwoofer enclosures designed to fit the cabin. You can even put two screens in the center stack while moving the climate controls to accomodate this. One screen for DVD (Alpine F1 unit does DVD-Audio too, and decodes Dolby 5.1, DTS, and all accompanying processing modes) and one for Navi. I know a lot of people on this board don't like custom install, but you need a shop that knows what they are doing. Here in NY, it's AI Design. Check their site below, you will be believers soon enough...

    For those of you that know your high-end home audio, you are well aware that you could add every Bose system and speaker item in their product line, and it would come to 1/32 the quality (and value) of just two Dynaudio or Focal speakers.. :-D

    AI Design - www.aidesign.com
    Focal - www.focal.tm.fr
    Dynaudio - www.dynaudiousa.com
    Alpine - www.alpine1.com (click on Alpine F1 Status)

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    In my opinion, the Bose is well worth the money. I would order it again if given the chance.

    Absolutely Bose Your Car!

    Definitely Bose your car. If you have working ears it is an absolute must have. Why? because if you do decide on an aftermarket upgrade you already have the speaker holes and trim.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    "BOSE baby!!!!!! Yeahhh ~~~ " (said like Austin Powers)

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    I concur. I did that with my Boxster S, and all the shop has to do is replace the drivers, amp, and head unit instead of drilling holes all over. The size of the drivers match other speaker manufacturers...

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    med said:
    Quote:
    Holminator said:
    Bose! You'll be pleased!


    Ditto, for reasons of resale, sound quality and I'd hate the thought of my interior being pulled apart for a system install



    That's a catchy title...


    It's worth having it on a CAB... and like the guys said no worries about scratches or rips with an after market install.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    How do you replace the head unit on a 997? And how do you attach your system to the MOST BUS?

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Call up Matt (the owner) at AI Design www.aidesign.com - he could give you more information. Just tell him Alfred from Chappaqua referred you to him.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Just curious, for all the folks recommending the Bose system, have you heard the standard system? While there is probably no doubt the Bose is better, do you know how much better? I just wonder how many are recommending one system over another system without having heard both systems????

    Phil

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    ash said:
    Order the upgrade Bose. It is brilliant, trust ne you will not regret it. A very good option to have in the event of a re-sale.



    I don't know if I would use the re-sale value as an argument to get the Bose. It costs $1390 new. A used 2004 911 with a Bose system only gets $320 more than a non-Bose equipped car according to Kelly Blue Book. It looks to me like you lose $1070 when you buy the Bose. Granted, not many options get you much upon re-sale. You just can't use re-sale value that as an argument to buy the Bose.

    Phil

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    PS CA said:
    Just curious, for all the folks recommending the Bose system, have you heard the standard system? While there is probably no doubt the Bose is better, do you know how much better? I just wonder how many are recommending one system over another system without having heard both systems????

    Phil



    Depends alot on kinds of music you listen to, I bet. There's no bass in stock unit. The more refined and rich you want the sound to be the more you should get Bose. IOW, there's probably no reason to compare. Can make decision on how you like your and how fussy you are about your music.

    If you like music alot: Stock is "it will do" Bose is, "that's much nicer, maybe not perfect but definitely nicer."

    Something like that...

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Listen to the two side-by-side and see for yourself which sounds better. I did that at the dealership and the Bose sounded somewhat better to my ears, and much, much better to my girlfriend's ears (she's a musician).

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    MMD said:

    There's no bass in stock unit. The more refined and rich you want the sound to be the more you should get Bose.



    Have you spent much time with the standard system? Are you assuming there is no bass because there aren't any sub-woofers? Comparing the standard system in the 997 to the Bose system (w/sub-woofers) in my wife's S Class Mercedes, I think that the standard Porsche system is as good as that particular Bose system. I haven't spent anytime listening to the Bose system in the 997, so I cannot compare the two.
    I would assume that the Bose is better (for $1390 it had better).

    You can't compare two systems by looking at them on paper. You have to actually spend time with both to make a judgement on the quality of each. That is the only point I am trying to make. When someone can report that they have spent time with both and list the advantages of one over the other, then that is a valid argument. Just because someone has the Bose system and says it is great (compared to what??)doesn't answer the original question in this thread.

    Phil

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    anotheruser said:
    Listen to the two side-by-side and see for yourself which sounds better. I did that at the dealership and the Bose sounded somewhat better to my ears, and much, much better to my girlfriend's ears (she's a musician).



    This is the kind of answer that is valid. You actually listened to both systems. You really can't say one is better than the other until you have actually listened to both. You can ASSUME the Bose is better, but without hearing both it just an assumption.

    Since you said that the Bose sounded "somewhat better" than the standard system I would guess that in your opinion the standard system is good and the Bose is just a little better?? In other words, the Bose didn't blow away the standard system?

    Phil

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    PS CA said:


    You can't compare two systems by looking at them on paper. You have to actually spend time with both to make a judgement on the quality of each. That is the only point I am trying to make. When someone can report that they have spent time with both and list the advantages of one over the other, then that is a valid argument. Just because someone has the Bose system and says it is great (compared to what??)doesn't answer the original question in this thread.

    Phil



    My point is this. The Bose IS better than the stock because all the experts say it is.

    A Steinway is better than a Baldwin because the accomplished pianists the world over say so.

    As an amateur you should buy stuff with the best reputation you can afford. Why? because you'll be buying the chance to refine your appreciation and enjoyment more.

    We all rely on expert opinions of quality. There's no way we all have time to research the material and refine the senses in order to appreciate something on the level of the experts.




    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    I have listened to both of them side-by-side and the Bose is clearly superior to the non-upgraded factory unit. Improved (off-board) amplification via stronger power reserves and increased driver amount were the biggest differences in sound. As far as OEM systems go, the Bose is pretty good. Radio reception isn't as good as other makes (probably due to the weak reception the integrated antennas in the windshield provide)but on 2-channel sources and with the Bose unit in 2 channel mode, it sounds pretty good. Once you start screwing around with the surround sound DSP processing things can get screwy...

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    MMD said:
    My point is this. The Bose IS better than the stock because all the experts say it is.





    I think you would find most "experts" in the high end audio business think Bose is far from the best. In the world of high end audio Bose doesn't exist. So, just saying it is Bose doesn't make it good. Check out any high end car or home audio store and you will find that they do not even offer Bose.

    Having said that, I am sure the Bose system in the Porsche is great. I have heard so from many owners.

    You keep missing my point, until you have actually listened to both systems you are should not comment on which is best. To do so is to assume. I assume the Bose is better than the stock system, but I do not know this for a fact (because I have not listened to the Bose system). I am also assuming you have never listened to the stock system.

    Phil

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Quote:
    PS CA said:
    Quote:
    MMD said:
    My point is this. The Bose IS better than the stock because all the experts say it is.





    I think you would find most "experts" in the high end audio business think Bose is far from the best. In the world of high end audio Bose doesn't exist. So, just saying it is Bose doesn't make it good. Check out any high end car or home audio store and you will find that they do not even offer Bose.

    Having said that, I am sure the Bose system in the Porsche is great. I have heard so from many owners.

    You keep missing my point, until you have actually listened to both systems you are should not comment on which is best. To do so is to assume. I assume the Bose is better than the stock system, but I do not know this for a fact (because I have not listened to the Bose system). I am also assuming you have never listened to the stock system.

    Phil




    I agree. Bose has no pedigree in terms of Audiophile stature. The way they deal with their harmonics is off the wall and targets people with wallets and less refined ears. However, the Bose is better than the standard system.

    One fair warning though, if you get the Bose and are unhappy with it, upgrading the system will be far harder than upgrading the stock system. Bose utilizes very weird acoustic techniques in building their systems (e.g. they have individual amps for the side speakers, making it very difficult to upgrade).

    My advice: If you're a lay listener, trying to upgrade a bit, go with the Bose. If you're looking for something better, get the stock and upgrade it later. Your ears will thank you.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    Bose has ABSOLUTELY NO STANDING in high-end audio, I agree with a lot of the opinions posted here. Their products don't even reflect the full range of audible sound - what's worse, they inflate certain parts of it (midrange in particular). It may sound "good" to the average listener, but it sure as hell does not sound accurate. The high end in home audio is similar to car audio in that the top drivers are made by Focal and Dynaudio (last I checked Wilson Audio didn't make equip. for cars :-D) ... you won't have Classe or Macintosh amps, but hey that's what Alpine F1 and Zappo are for...
    You want better than stock? Get the Bose but it's no way close to being the BEST in car audio, very far from it. Maybe they can start making speaker cones out of something other than paper....

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    I had the same debate... But finally decided to get the bose. It's a lot better than the 996. Pretty decent system.

    Carrera S Artic Silver

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    ajcastaneda, I think we all get it that you're an audio elitist. Ok let's move on. Bose may not be HIGH END, but they aren't priced that way either! You keep on harping about spending $20K on upgrading the 997's audio and then turn around and say that the $1600 Bose radio can't measure up! Well HELLO, its not $20 thousand either. And I'll venture that your home audio is probably 10X the cost of the most expensive Bose system there is. So I don't get the Bose trashing you keep harping about.

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    I listened to both and thought that the Bose sounded much better. As for resale value, you should get what you want in your car. It is not an investment. it is something that you should enjoy!!!!

    Re: Bose or not to Bose

    If you re-read my posts, they are in response to what other people have said, not purely blind ranting about crappy Bose quality.

    1) Stock unit -- the worst option
    2) Bose upgrade -- decent upgrade over stock
    3) Custom high-end -- as good as it gets *if you can afford it*

    One solution does not work for everyone...Bose is good for most, but for some people it just isn't good enough, that's all.

    PARDON ME.

    Bose is better than the STOCK system, that's all I would ever say.

    It's common knowledge that BOSE is a POS in the audiophile world.

    I'm merely saying the "experts" at Bose got a chance to improve the Porsche stock sound system. They did and it's better than stock. Bose engineers aren't morons.

    Oh, I'm also sorry if my two cents worth of opinion comes across as blunt or rude. I'm just typing as fast as I can here at work and hitting send button.

    Re: PARDON ME.

    I don't care for the stock radio or the Bose, as they are no where near as good as what I am used to in the aftermarket world.
    I just did a custom audio job in my car that is being "considered" for the pages of a couple magazines.
    I'll be posting pics in a few days.

    Re: PARDON ME.

    Quote:
    JP66 said:
    I don't care for the stock radio or the Bose, as they are no where near as good as what I am used to in the aftermarket world.
    I just did a custom audio job in my car that is being "considered" for the pages of a couple magazines.
    I'll be posting pics in a few days.



    JP66,

    Just make sure you attach an audio clip!

     
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