i came from a 1989 volvo 740, so the bose sounds pretty good to me. however i am a bit of a computer nut and when i compare my computer speakers to my car, i notice that the highs in the car are a bit lacking. overall not bad, but not great

 

i like keeping mine at 1 bass and 2 treble..... it sounds pretty good that way. usually keep it at that when i listen to rock. if i want to "bump" it i turn the bass up to 4 cuz at 5 i dont like it for some reason. it still hits nicely. if you get an amp it should clean everything up

 

+1...I have no problem with my bose system.

 

I can't believe that anyone would like BMW's HK audio system. As I posted earlier, a car's audio system is no big deal to me unless it sucks big time, and HK meets that test and then some.

 

Mine sounds fine, great system for a 35k car and if you want to judge a system play classical music, and see if you can pick out the different types of instruments, if your tryin to bump rap etc, then yeah the bose isnt all that, but play some classical and turn it up, sounds pretty good, and yes I am 26 yrs old and not some fuddy duddy.

I think if you added another amp for the mids and the highs it would greatly help out.

 

I have to say I like my Bose in my 04 G35 coupe. It is the best OEM audio package I have ever had in my last 4 cars. I had the Monsoon System in my 2002 Grand Am GT and it was pretty decent, considering it used two 6x9 speakers for the rear that were rated at 2ohm. When I blew those speakers (paper woofers, they blew on almost every Grand Am GT of that model), I tried finding aftermarket 2-ohm 6x9's...IMPOSSIBLE! So I was stuck buying the same stock Delco OEM replacements. So coming from that, the Bose is a nice audio setup. I keep my Bass+3 and Trebel+5, while the volume is at 12-15 and it sounds great...sometimes the Bass is a bit too much at +3 so I turn it down to +2.

 

I like my Bose HU so much I am on my fourth replacement and I only have 3,000 miles on my G. Love that Bose quality

 

I've heard adding an eq and sub to the bose system makes a huge difference. Thats my next project.

-Vin

 

Stock Bose in 03 Coupe = extremely good indeed!

 

I'm very happy with mine as well...sometimes I wonder if some just have a different model in than others. I had a Infiniti Kappa speaker system in my Supra before and the Bose is better. I recently test drove a E46 M3 with a HK system and the Bose still sounds better...I think the HK had cleaner highs though...but the bass in the G was def. much much better.

 

I'm always amazed how many people can't hear a bad audio system. I think it's mainly because they've never heard a good one. I highly recomment that you DON'T listen to a good system because it might start you down the path to spending too much money on expensive gear.

Then there are the completely tone deaf. My wife can't tell the difference between her $20 computer speakers and our nice home system other than one is louder. She just says the $20 speaker are loud enough for MP3s on the computer. I get blank stares when I point out that there is no bass in the music at all on those speakers.

I can only speak of the G35 coup I test drove last week. The sound was horrible. I sounds like listening to music on a $5 alarm clock raido and I'm not exagerating at all. I would think that the G35 has the worst radio on any car above $10K on the market today. Then again, maybe the tester I drove had an issue.

I'm not a Bose hater, but I do completely disagree with their approach to music reproduction. Bose was the first to use the fact that low frequency sounds aren't directional. This means that the placement of speakers that generate mids and highs is very important but subs can be place almost anywhere. In my opinion, they go too far with this and move too much of the mids into the centeral "sub". I quote the word sub because Bose systems have a sub that instead of generating sound in the 30hz-80hz range like most system, generate sounds in the 30hz-120hz. For some people, they hear a seemless sound field. For others, it sounds like there are large gaps in the sound.

 

Grok42 has a point. Other posters have said audio is subjective. Yes and no. While there is NO difference in "Quality" between a Lakeshore Slate G and a Black one, there IS a quality difference in audio systems. But the truth is, not everyone can tell the difference. I too have a wife who thinks AM sounds just as good as FM.

As a musician (and budget-minded audiophile), I have heard really good systems, really bad ones and really mediocre ones. The Bose in my 05 coupe was not the worst I've ever heard, but would have been more appropriate in a Ford Escort than a 36k car.

Even people who have heard a "great" system may not appreciate it--as those who play a cheap guitar and think it sounds as good as the expensive ones have no idea because their ears don't differentiate. I wish my were like that. I would have saved thousands of dollars over the years

More to the point, Nissan/Infinity chose a cheap audio system that looks good and has features, but has mediocre quality. I've already replaced my speakers and my amp, and have decided that since the HU has such a nasty non-changable EQ (designed for the old amp/speaker combo) that I will have to break down and put an EQ in to try to smooth out the outrageous "curve" in the stock (upgraded) HU. If I could have bought the car with a big old hole in the dash, I would have.

 

I can only speak of the G35 coup I test drove last week. The sound was horrible. I sounds like listening to music on a $5 alarm clock raido and I'm not exagerating at all.

How can anyone take you seriously when you make a dumbass statement like that.

 

I haven't heard the bmw's HK system, so I don't have a direct comparison. But rattles and no bass sound like the system could have been pushed too far or the eq was set too accent the bass too much for what it was designed for. Some people like their bass really heavy, and equate that with 'good' sound. Also, boosting the highs and lows way up and judging the sound by that is not a true test of the sound quality. The only way to tell is to leave the controls flat and compare it to your home system as reference. As others have stated, it's pretty good for an oem system - I just wish it could have been a Mark Levinson sytem like in the IS350

 

bose blows period.