Doug Green

No highs No lows it must be Bose.........

Astor

You sound like Ricky Skaggs, good thing my home Bose speakers are nothing like that. These speakers in the car really aren't either, they just need a midrange cut on the eq

Doug Green

Look!!!! NO HIGHS NO LOWS IT MUST BE BOSE!!!
Bose, Amar Bose from the mid-east is a great master of marketing no question. His marketing has resulted in millions in sales world-wide, he is a genius in his field. He got in bed with major car makers world-wide and made millions. He hired the best salespeople in the industry. He attached M.I.T to his credentials.
So what happened?
People listened, and all the salesmanship in the world did not help. After a while people and car-makers did not buy into the story. Mercedes-Benz and various other car-makers are bailing out fast because of compalints of inferior sound (after the contracts expire). Most high-end car makers are going with Harmon Kardon logic 7 systems (the best factory systems I have ever heard) my new Range Rover has it and so does BMW and all Mercedes in the future.
In the old days (1980) I had Bose 901's (because I was sold) Strong sales-people can make you think you are hearing the best made. I was wrong and so was many others, when real speakers came B&W, even Klipsch the new sound was so superior.
No major Stereo or home theater publication has any-thing good to say about Bose...I mean nothing.............
Most all of Bose products are a product of China.
On a good note they do make 1 good product, noise cancelling headphones for use by us recreational pilots and civilian models that work very well at keeping the db's down in the cockpit and cabin, they work wonderful......but it is the only product that does by this great marketing company.

TiRX8

I agree. If you are going for speakers B&W cannot be beat! That's all that runs in my home system.

khoney

I have yet to hear a better system in any of the vehicles I've ridden in. That's not to say Bose is the best (it isn't), but it's not nearly as bad as you are trying to make it out to be. Will the bass vibrate the people 5 cars behind you? Thankfully, no.

Some people don't consider ear-bleeding volume to be a sign of quality. The Bose system is more than adequate for many people's listening needs. I've posted before, that a drum kit solo from a test disc sounded great on this system. But then, that was a real drum kit with real drums, not some syntho-crap.

Astor

My home system runs on bose, and many professionals have visited my home, ie: Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs, several studio execs., etc. they all took back their bose statements after hearing.

Doug Green

I mean no disrespect, but not any sound studios (Abby road..example uses B&W) or professional's use Bose.....I am a purist and have invested thousands in my systems (home and cars) I am not into "thumping" just good pure sound that is reproduced with accuracy. Why are all the Car-makers leaving Bose? simple NO HIGHS NO LOWS MUST BE BOSE!!!!
Great marketing and sales however.....I love my RX-8 but the Bose was the first to go because it blows.............
Listen and you will know,,,,,,,,,Mercedes customers were not happy.....they can afford not to be and buy what they want....BMW same thing........When did you go to the movies last and hear of them using Bose (never).

TiRX8

Many BMW and MB owners are unhappy with the Harman Kardon systems as well. Quite frankly, I think HK is shitty. My 540i does not sound any better than the RX-8.

Astor

well, I know what kind of speakers big studios use, and there is no way I'm spending 20K + for great reference speakers, I'm refering to casual use and not for profit, I was mainly saying that I've heard that saying and it was reneged after hearing my home system, it might be different because my Bose home speakers are about 15 years old.

Astor

Not to mention my hearing is blown due to many years of guitar playing.

TiRX8

Bose's older products were of good quality. It's the newer products that dissapoint, however the research put in by Bose and Mazda in to RX-8 is evident. It is better than what I expected.

Astor

yes, my Bose speakers are the tower type with an actual sub in them, sound great on my hardwood floors. But I stand with my original statement, the stock Bose stereo in the 8 needs a midrange cut. Other than that, it is perfectly capable of delivering quality sound at less than ear damaging levels.

rotarygod

I'll put my 5 watt single ended triode tube amp and Lowther Voight pipes against any Bose product anywhere any day of the week. The fact is that you do need a relatively decent sized speaker to get relatively decent sound. At least in the ears of those who know what relatively decent sound is. Unfortunately that is not a clear majority of the people out there. Most people believe what you tell them. Bose actually has some very brilliant engineers. Why they don't produce a product in line with their abilities is beyond me. The car systems are generally worse than the standard systems in most cars. Oh BTW, most Bose speakers are made in Mexico. This little gold sticker on the back of them says so.

Astor

mine say made in germany, and have 12" subs, they stand about 2 1/2 feet tall.

Astor

I'm sorry, they say made in U.S.A., however the manual was entirely in German.

babylou

Unless plate tectonics are moving faster than anticipated India is not in the Middle East.

Doug Green

You better ask him...I have met the man!

Kind regards,
Doug Green
Las Vegas

Ioman

The Harmon Kardon Speakers in my friends BMW 330Ci are a lot worse than the Bose in the RX8, thats for sure. I have heard that the Mark Levinson speakers in the new Lexus's are very nice however.

As far as stock car speakers go though, Bose are still the better ones out there. And that is not saying much!

By the way, my home speakers are Axiom Audio Epic 80 home theater speakers. Think B&W sound for 1/4 the price.

selmeralto

I dislike the Bose system as well, mainly because I don't find the frequency response smooth and accurate.

My main gripe however is not with the sound itself but rather with the physical configuration of the head unit and speakers that makes replacement of the system all but impossible.

babylou

Apparently you don't know him very well. Check this out. http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/bose.html

Kinder regards,
babylou
Dean of Geography:p

Doug Green

I do indeed stand corrected.....but do you believe everything you read?........That India thing is to hide the truth.

Dean of reality

93rdcurrent

Better Speakers for your car would include, OZ, Focal, and Crossfire to name a few. I am pretty upset that I can't put my Pioneer 8400 deck in and switch out or add my Focal speakers to the mix. I would love to bring back the crisp sound of my Polyglass mids and highs (they are seperates). It isn't about rockin' the people five cars down it is just about having a clear and crisp sound. I find the Bose system to sound "mushy". Without doing some serious and expensive fiberglass work to the dash, I can't get my nicer head unit in the car. It is also XM radio ready and plays MP3's. The other irritation is that I would loose the controls on the steering wheel. Why can't the manufacturers of recent model Auto's understand that if they are going to put sub-prime equipment in a car when so much excellent after market equipment is available that we need them to make it easy on us. Bose car audio is crap compared to the wonderful world of car audio available today. I have been trying to figure out if I can add my Polyglass speakers to the car without adding a seperate amp. Hell adding a seperate amp may not even be completely the answer. As you can tell I am pretty frustrated by all of this.

jonnyb

actually you can install your pioneer head unit in the rx-8. it just has to be independent of the stock stereo and located somewhere other than the dash.

D MENAC 7

Generally, Movie Theaters use a lot of JBL or a few other brands of professional audio speakers. I've never been a big fan of Bose either, especially in use in the home systems. I'm more of a Klipsch fan in the home theater or music speaker system. They do not make car audio, of course. That is my opinion.

This Bose system is adequate for the average person, but to those who are demanding audiophiles, it may nopt be so. Those who are that will find ways to modify or replace this system, those who aren't could care less. I spend just a short while in my RX-8 daily and am satisfied with what I have.

Remember here, when discussing such a topic as what sounds better, this is a matter of opinion, not fact. Try to satisfy yourself, be happy with that. You have nothing to prove to anyone else other than yourself.

I've been working in the field of Audio, Video and Projection for 22 years and I have never found anyone who knows it all though there are a lot of know-it-alls out there.

rotarygod

As long as your radio has the ability to use a remote, you can hook it up to the factory steering wheel controls. I forget the price of the modules but when I worked in the stereo industry I installed a few of them. Neat trick. Factory controls with aftermarket radios.

My irritation is with the dash itself and the shape of the radio. Than god the radio itself is a din and the faceplate is the issue. I can easily fix that but as you said it would take a little work.