Hi all,
This might get moved to the audio section of this forum, but I really wanted to ask a general question. This isn't so much an audio topic, but it has to do with the audio. I don't know. nevermind. Basically.... are you happy with your Bose Sound System?

My friend has a C230 Benz and it has a Bose system too. But his sounds a LOT better than mine, and seems to get a lot louder and clearer. My Acura Bose system sounds about the same as my father's 98 Accord stock sound system. Maybe a little bit more louder and has some more bass, but it doesn't sound as good as I was expecting it to. I even rode in a friends Altima that has the Bose System and it sounds a little better. Whats up with that?

So has anyone changed out their entire sound system?
I'm thinking about getting an amp to push more power into my mid and high range speakers and maybe get a sub in the trunk. If I decide to throw in an amp and sub, will i have to change out the door and rear speakers?
The Bose system was one of the reasons why I bought the TL, thinking i would have a nice system that I wouldn't have to upgrade once I got the car. But it really doesn't seem to get loud and clear enough for me. At least not compared to other car's Bose Systems.

But anyway, have any of you updated your sound systems in your caR? If so, what did you have done? Did you replace the whole Bose System?

Thanks!
-Rob

 

I think it comes down to what type/brand of HU used in the Bose system. I have a friend who has a S4 which also has Bose system but the head unit is made from Symphonic. His system actually sounds better than my TL-S plus the HU also has a build in EQ and it is adjustable.

Just my $0.02

Cheers !!!

 

A LOT of us have been disappointed with the stock Bose system. I too thought that I would be getting a really nice sound system with the Acura name and the Bose name combined. I actually took a CD to the dealer and listened to the system before buying. I knew instantly that the system sucked, but still bought the car anyway.

Thus, I've spent six months over on the audio forum, where I suggest you do some reading. There's a LOT of good info over there. From simple speaker changeouts, to full system upgrades. I feel your frustration... My 94 Toyota Camry has a much better sounding system than the TLS

Welcome, and Good luck finding a satisfactory solution.

 

Truth: get MB QUART INSIDE/ JLW7 IN THE TRUNK & blow away any bose BS.
BOSE IS HOME AUDIO NOT CAR.

Now: the bose i have at the house. Thats a system

 

I agree that all Bose systems are not the same. The 6-speaker Bose system in our old '98 Pathfinder LE absolutely kicked the ass of the stock unit in the TL.

 

I dont know, I like the Bose system in my Acura - I think that it performs well for a stock unit.

 

well when i moved from my old camry to thet tls, i thought the bose system is pretty decent.

but now i got my gs400, and the stock (not even the optional upgrade) and the sound kicks the ass of the bose off..... now the bose sounds like nothing........ it's that much difference..... i don't know what the heck acura is doing with bose, specially the base...

 

The Bose is OK... it's good for mid-range and a little bit in the high range, but there's really no bass... even with the subwoofer. This is why I (and many others) add subs in the trunk.....

You know the saying... "No highs, no lows..... must be Bose"

 

Ironically, I find the system to be good when I turn treble and bass down to zero and crank it up.

If anything, the sub provides too much of that cardboard box sounding midbass and the highs are ridiculously bright.

Try it and you'll see what I mean.

 

the bose system with an added sub sounds pretty good

 

Bose always uses paper type cones in their speakers. If they would only use a polypropylene or equivalent material in the woofers, and metal (titanium )or soft dome tweeters. That along with their Bose designs would be awesome.

 

"Bose always uses paper type cones in their speakers. If they would only use a polypropylene or equivalent material in the woofers, and metal (titanium )or soft dome tweeters. That along with their Bose designs would be awesome."

But then they would be a real audio company not just a marketing company pedalling crap

 

Most Bose products are crap and the TLS's system is no exception. Anyone who's into high-end audio will tell you it gets a lot better than Bose. Some of the Bose Lifestyle Systems get points for their "cuteness" and compactness but fall far short in the area of sonics. Re: Bose's paper cones I have friends who got rid of their 901's after their cones warped due to the the high humidity.

Keeping things in perspective though, the TLS's audio still sounds better than 90% of what is out there. Have you heard the HK on the 3 series? (premium $700 option) My listening expereince tels me that Lexus outfits their cars with the best audio systems around. No boomy bass, razor sharp resolution. Listen to the Pioneer units in the older generation ES 300 or the Mark Levinson in the current generation and it is not difficult to notice the tightness on bass and the superb mid/high frequencey resolution. Btw the Mark Levinson option on the GS/ES/LS is the best system I have experienced .... by far.

 

My old '96 A4 with the stock radio sounded like a total bag of shi*t. So the TL-S stereo is quite an upgrade for me. However, I find the highs incredibly loud, and almost a kind of sound delay built into the system, possibly to enhance certain sounds of the music... it's hard to explain. Anyone who has a home theatre knows that you can set the millisecond delay between the front and rear speakers... the adjustment is there to allow you to set things up properly for the size of the room. If you increase the delay too much, the sounds coming from each speaker become very distinguishable, and almost a little echo can be heard. I seem to hear the same thing out of the bose system in our cars... then again, maybe I dropped too much acid that morning.

Dirk Diggler.

 

I have an accord and my wife has a TL with the bose system........to tell you the truth, my mids and highs sound better than hers for some reason, and get A LOT louder while maintaining clarity. Her bass is a lot more responsive than mine.......I had the Bose system in my z28, and it sounded a lot better than the system in her TL. It's still decent for a factory system, I wouldn't even think about upgrading it. In fact, I don't upgrade stereos.....I don't listen to it that loud anyways, it sounds just fine for my tastes. But I can see how some audio enthusiasts are not quite satisfied witht he quality of it.

 

I absolutly LOVE the system and I usually play techno.. its perfectly loud and there a perfet amount of base for anyone who wnat to enjoy very loud and clear music to themselves. I think the people that are unhappy are the ones that think everyone else want to hear thier music.

 

The TL Bose system is probably one of the best stock systems I have ever had. I had an e46 bmw with the H/K system, it was ok, kind of muddy sounding. I also had a maxima\bose, it was pretty decent. Overall I am pleased with the TL\Bose system, though I would like to add a sub at some point. I don't listen to loud music much in the car, save that for home.

If you are going to compare it to anything aftermarket, yeah it sucks, but for a no extra cost stock system it is pretty good.

 

the Bose system is not the best but is was built to a price point in our cars. I would love to have a Mark Levinson system in my Tls but the fact is that I don't want to pay $6ooo.oo for a system in a $30,000 car. I was into high end audio when I was just out of college but the price/return ratio now just can't justify spending that kind of money for that last ounce of performance.

 

I think the system is okay but I have heared much better.
I also don't listen to my music that loud & find the system to be lacking something. I also would love to have a Mark Levinson system in my car. I listen to one in a fully loaded LEXUS LS430 at the Auto Show it was real nice.

 

Yeah, the Mark Levinson system in my friend's new ES300 kicks some serious a$$. But it came with a high pricetag as well.

I was initially a bit disappointed in the Acura/Bose system in the TL-s, especially after it was given a rave review in Edmunds' entry-level luxury sports sedan comparison. (The car finished 1st, and the stereo finished 2nd.)

However, I must say that it is entirely adequate for the task at hand, and sounds pretty good when it is cranked up. Mostly I play MP3s (via Archos Jukebox) using a cassette adapter. I can store my entire CD collection on the Archos, and the sound quality is excellent.

 

I live in MA near Bose headquarters and have a couple friends who work there. As well, I have a degree in audio/radio production. What I can tell you is this: Bose has crappy frequency response on their systems. They accentuate the bass and forget completely about treble. Personally, I like a flat frequency response that I can tweak to my own likings. However, the beauty of the Bose system is not how good or bad it sounds, but how it is designed uniquely for each car. I'm not a fan of their company, but I'm extremely impressed with their car audio department for what they are able to do. They check sound pressure levels throughout the car and have very few, if any, dead spots. I can almost guarantee you that unless you pay about $6k, you aren't going to get a system with fewer dead spots. Just my 2 cents.

Jason

 

i think that tls' bose system is fine. at least it's better than the one in my sister's 2003 maxima. one thing i don't like is that we can't only change the speaker but need to bypass & rewire it.

 

no kidding

magazines ranked TL's stereo third best among cars below 30000

i love my stereo as it sounds clear and nice...but 150watts isn't enough for bass thou

 

Besides the Bass, a quick upgrade that would go a long way would be to add ear level / directed tweeters. My wifey's old Accord has them and it sounds a lot better.

Bose is pretty lame Home, Auto or otherwise. The TL's can get loud but that's about it.

Funny that they market it as a "feature." To me it reads: 1. Cheap paper cones and tweeter. 2. Bass with artificial impact at 100Hz 3. Tailored to the taste of the guys who buy the BOOM-Master $68 Boomboxes.

 

Any idea how hard it would be to add tweeters to our Bose? Or is this system so proprietary that add-ons are next to impossible?

 

This subject again huh. I have said it before, I really think this stereo system sounds great. For those who are complaining, you are like I was when I was 20, when you needed the huge bass, and loud sound. Now pleasent sound is what I like and the TLs system delivers.

Now for those who say their Accord sounds better, I have the 2002 TL and a 1998 Accord EXV6 and the TLs stereo system is far superior.

 

The Bose system in our cars is merely OK; it sounds all right but there is better stuff to be had. For a freebie, it isn't a bad system, and the fact that there is an included 6 CD changer makes for a good deal.
I like a quality system and I believe Bose meets this criteria. If you want an all in one system without the hassle of an aftermarket stereo upgrade, the stock system will do a creditable job. If you think it is junk, by all means change it, but the quality of the sound is good enough for me...

 

I agree with many members here....

First off, the Bose system in our cars isn't the greatest out there.... and Bose systems tend to have lower Bass than other systems....

Also, keep in mind that new MBs(If my memory serves me right, anything newer than 2000)has most of the major eletronics running on Fibre Opticals rather than conventional copper wires... AMPs, Decks used are also much better quality than the ones on our TL/TLS(for those who have taken the system apart, you would know... how "huge" and "powerful" OEM AMP is... LOL...)...

Andy Kuo

 

get 4 high quality speakers [dynaudio ect.] a nice 12 to 15 inch sub, one third octive eq and about 1000 watts of clean power. have someone who is compitent at installing and tuning for sound quality[not boom] and wipe the tiers of joy from your eyes!

 

As posted on the audio board, I installed BAFX5s in the front only, and by fading about 2 notchs to the rear was able to get what I consider to be pretty nice sound, and for just over $100 installed....... also, thanks to randomwalk, I'll be dropping in the Kicker mid/sub which I expect to add that little bit of low midrange that I feel is missing with the BAs in the front.

It IS a pain having that non-adjstable Bose EQ module, though. Does anyone know if there's a <simple> way to bypass it while keeping the Bose head?

I really think this is a great car, especially considering the price!

JOHN

 

Bose is to speakers what Coach is to leather, it's a well known name from my understanding, not the best. Hell you can get Bose in just about any car now. I noticed with any Bose system, the louder you turn up the music, the lower the bass gets, it is annoying to me.

It might be difficult to replace any BOSE parts for diff parts.

 

The Bose speakers are terrible. The bottom line is even at low volumes, the bass lacks the punch.

I am not talking about turning your volume way up. At low volumes, you should still feel the bass (bass that does not hurt your ears) Most of you that have heard it will know what I am taking about (dunno how to explain it).

-Tom