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    Bose - Pants or broken?

    2nd day with the car. CD24 + Bose installed. Quite disappointed with the sound. Can't work out if there's something wrong, or the system is just pants. I seem to remember it being a lot better in the demo car.

    Seems to be lacking any mid-range noises, so the music just lacks any weight. I'm not expecting it to be living-room Hi-Fi quality, but the standard fit system in my Golf had better presence than this!

    What's everyone else's experience of Bose + CD24, or Bose + PCM?

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I am quite happy with the Bose in my car, not that I listen to it that much, a bit more now than I first did. Bass sounds in particular I find very good, I've left the sound settings pretty much as standard. May be your hi-fi expectations are higher than mine. I don't have surround sound at home, but one things for sure it is NOT surround sound in the Boxster, whatever the brochure hype might say - I don't see how it can be in such a confined environment. I don't know if the PCM allows additional sound adjustments?

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Hmmm... I had the Base up to 9 this morning... didn't really make too much difference. If you did that on yours, would it make your ears burst?

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Ive got Bose + CD24...

    IMHO I certainly dont think its worth the Pounds800.. Not a very good stereo at all. Radio reception and quality is pants... CD quality is better but not worth the money. I'm guessing that for Pounds800 a could have got a very nice sounding third party stereo, but I wanted the factory install look.

    If I order another porker I wont be bothering with any stereo upgrades... As Dreamcar say the sound of the engine is the best anyway!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I'll try it next time I'm out in it. Be interested if you can tell any difference next time we meet - try one of your (non MP3!) discs in mine and see what you think. I know radio reception is better with PCM because there are extra antennas embedded in the windscreen. If you want real good hifi a sports car is probably not the best. Lexus (or is it Lexi?) are superb.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Will definitely compare at the meet, but I'll probably take it to a dealer after I've had another fiddle, and stuck my ear next to all the speakers. Will let you know. I don't expect Lexussia levels of music (different car altogether, and for a relaxing alternative I might have considered one, despite the image problems) But something's missing.

    Taking it to get paint sealant done tomorrow. Hopefully they'll clean the bugs and seagull poop off as well. There are upsides to living in the country, but the excesses of wildlife mess up the paint damn quick!

    (Actually, I'll attend to the poop ASAP, but it's dark now. I'm sure there's enough wax on there to stave it off until the morning).

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    ARGH!! If you got bird poop on your roof or paint GET IT OFF IMMEDIATELY!!!!!
    Seriously, I let a birdiepoop sit for 5 hours and the ammonia in the poop is damn near impossible to get rid of. I now have a light spot where the poop used to be (OMG, sounds like the title of a sappy popsong)..so get some mild solvent to rinse it off.

    Concerning the BOSE:
    I've been a Blaupunkt man all my car-life, but being "forced" to use BOSE has been fine. I'm no ICE or HiFi freak at all, but I appreciate great sound and always make sure the ICE is of a good quality.
    Same goes for my soundsystem at home.
    I got the 986 with BOSE package, and I thought it was pretty overrated...that is until I bought a well-produced CD (usually play older CD's as my willingness to explore new music basically came to a halt somewhere back in the 80ies where the sound lacked depth)
    At any rate, try popping in a well-produced CD - fusion-funk-pop-songs are prone to use midrange soundfield whereas many hiphop, house, rock songs are (too) heavy in the bass-range. ..and crank it up!
    I dunno about radio reception...mine seems fine- but cranking up the vol on a great CD sounds great IMO. The sub is pretty darn good considering its size.
    Havent found a way of controlling the subwoofer level individually tho.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I had a similar experience and a friend of mine told me good systems need to "run in" just like an engine.

    I was very disappointed with mine initially, it seemed to get better, then I had a loan car with a standard system, what a difference then I realised it was amazing.

    100mph roof off and the stereo sounds great.

    Have BOSE at home and have it in A4....no comparison. (does amplify bad recordings though...again sign of a good system I am told)

    Bear with it!!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Quote:
    Dr. Phil said:
    ARGH!! If you got bird poop on your roof or paint GET IT OFF IMMEDIATELY!!!!!


    Done. It's fine. Maybe the poop gets more acidic in the fruit season
    The AutoGlym Fast Glass spray that I've got kicking around seems to work fine without being too creamy and gloopy as a full-on bug remover... and is also good for windows! Probably helps that the car's still well waxed.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    If you have the base up to 9 and your garage doesn't fall apart something is wrong. I have the Bose + PCM and a base level of 5 (on either radio or CD) is the maximum I can set before the car takes off the ground at every beat.

    The Bose / PCM system isn't sensational but it's good, and certainly better than the default or sound package.

    Get yours looked at.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Righty ho, Ente. I'll see if I can take it in. Thanks for your advice!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Make sure your surround sound is turned on. I think this makes a big difference!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Quote:
    Wolvy said:
    Make sure your surround sound is turned on. I think this makes a big difference!


    It sounded worse with surround on. Either the DSP for the surround compresses the sound stage horribly, or the mid-range speakers at the rear are blown or mis-connected.
    Playing with the Fader/Balance settings to shift the sound to the four corners of the car, the rear generally sounds lacking in oomph, and the passenger side sounds slightly crackly. This could be just the way the crossovers work - I know the mid-range speakers are slightly smaller at the back than the front - but it sounds a little odd.

    Ideally I need to compare it to another Bose setup, but I haven't had chance yet. Thanks for your thoughts

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Just been fiddling some more. With regards to the Surround, it DOES give more presence, agreed, but it's not necessarily better. Horses for courses really. It reminds me of a cheap 80's midi system. Lots of buttons for making the music sounds in-your-face and artificial, but no real talent for portraying an accurate and detailed sonic picture. It's not bad, but it's not brilliant. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with the rear speakers now, but I haven't completely ruled it out.

    And, to be fair, there's a whole load of difference between what sort of sound you need when sitting stationary with the engine off, and when blasting along. I'll have to take it on the road. Trauma!

    And yes, if you hadn't guessed, I'm one of those obsessive Hi-Fi people

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    OK, final verdict for today... (Bet you're all sick of me!)...

    The Bose system IS actually fairly good. BUT only if you turn OFF the surround (it does give the sound more presence, but screws up the sound stage), and keep the Base/Treble settings fairly neutral. If you tweak up the Base and Treble to make it sound better at low volumes (what a 'Loudness' button usually does), you lose the mid-range when you turn the volume up.

    Or at least, that's what's best for me. Everyone likes it different.

    I'll go away now!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Quote:
    Dr. Phil said:
    Concerning the BOSE:
    I've been a Blaupunkt man all my car-life, but being "forced" to use BOSE has been fine. I'm no ICE or HiFi freak at all, but I appreciate great sound and always make sure the ICE is of a good quality.
    Same goes for my soundsystem at home.
    I got the 986 with BOSE package, and I thought it was pretty overrated...that is until I bought a well-produced CD (usually play older CD's as my willingness to explore new music basically came to a halt somewhere back in the 80ies where the sound lacked depth)
    At any rate, try popping in a well-produced CD - fusion-funk-pop-songs are prone to use midrange soundfield whereas many hiphop, house, rock songs are (too) heavy in the bass-range. ..and crank it up!
    I dunno about radio reception...mine seems fine- but cranking up the vol on a great CD sounds great IMO. The sub is pretty darn good considering its size.
    Havent found a way of controlling the subwoofer level individually tho.



    For great recorded CD's, check out the backlist by Telarc or Sheffield Labs. They're great CD's to test home audio gear and really well recorded.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I have the Bose system. The adaptive mode where it adjusts the curves and volume depending on your driving is, well, to use your phrase, "pants".

    It has a really hard time matching the bass response. I am constantly fiddling with the bass controls from track to track. Very disappointed in that.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Glad it's not just me!

    I've just left the automatic gizmo's (AP and Surround) firmly off, turned up the base a little and turned down the treble a notch or two. Sounds rubbish when stationary, but OK once you're movin due to the funny way the ear works. Shame the Audio Pilot doesn't work like it's supposed to. At least the speakers themselves seem reasonably matched to the car acoustics so you don't get resonating bass frequencies. Thanks for the feedback and hope you enjoy your car!

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Thanks. I don't understand how this system could've been brought into production the way it is. Didn't anyone at Porsche ever test the thing out? Someone should've called Bose on their shoddy work.

    I'm told by a friend of mine with a 350Z that the 350Z community is also having similar issues with their Bose systems. Blah.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    Quote:
    eslai said:
    Thanks. I don't understand how this system could've been brought into production the way it is. Didn't anyone at Porsche ever test the thing out? Someone should've called Bose on their shoddy work.




    I disagree. I admit that I am not a hi-fi "buff" but I am more than happy with the Bose system in my car. Considering the confines of a 2 seater sports car I think it is excellent. Just not as good as the engine.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    eslai, out of interest, have you got the PCM or the CD-24 standard stereo?

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    The Bose bass behavior changes significantly when switching between open and closed hood driving. The system is still good, just not excellent. Not sure that can be attributed solely to the two-seater design, as I'm comparing it to the Bose in my Audi TT roadster which was noticeably better. I also had a 350Z driver confirm that my Audi Bose system sounded superior compared to his.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I don't have the PCM, just the CD-24, no 6-disc changer.

    I AM a hi-fi buff and perhaps that's my problem. I'm pretty sensitive to bass and more often than not, this subwoofer sounds overdriven. A true "one note" woofer if I've ever heard one before.

    Re: Bose - Pants or broken?

    I'm a hi-fi person too. I'm perfectly happy that the system in the car isn't going to be as good. There's too much ambient noise when on the road anyway.

    I have the CD-24 as well. I have a sneaky feeling that the PCM unit gives a better sound.


    Did you take the 'Surround' option off? I think it's a little artificial sounding. For me anyway!

    My problem was that the treble sounded really bright when driving. Almost painfully so. And the mid-range / Bass got a little lost. Which is the oposite of what you're reporting. Strange! It took me a few days of tweaking to get a sound I was vaguely happy with. Would have liked a little more control.

     
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