premium package bose stereo opinions and questions

[BigChiefMunkey]

howdy.

so i've been sweating for a new car for quite some time - and i LOVE the G coupe. i've been lurking here for a while, but now i'm getting closer to being able to grab a shiny G for myself and i've some questions.

i went in to grubbs and the guy tells me that they basically only order the premium package on the 6MT (which is fine - seems like a great deal to me pricewise.)

i've a nice set of bose speakers in my house that i purchased many many years ago and have been really happy with the range that they put out. and i've always been impressed by the full sound that the wave radio puts out as well. my current car's stereo isn't killer at all (i'm usually on my VTX1800!) - couple aftermarket boston acoustic 7" mids and tweets with stock rear speakers, etc.

my question is (and sort of quasi-directed at Semi On) how do y'all like your bose stereos?

i know for a fact Semi On does not like them based on several things he has posted about that i've seen.. Semi - honest question - would you just say that you're simply an audiophile with *really* high tastes in general? or is it just _really_ that bad? not bashing your opinion, just curious as to our tastes, that's all. if it IS that bad, i want to know about it.

thanks much everyone..

[Semi On]

My bias is that obvious, huh?

I suppose your estimation is pretty accurate. I'm a big believer in the principle of exposure. I spent something like $10k on my home theater. I'm used to a relatively high quality of sound and I've done a lot of listening to figure out what I like.

If you're really concerned about the quality of the sound system, I suggest grabbing a couple of CD's you know REALLY well, asking the dealer to take one for a test ride, getting out on the highway and listening. The great thing about the audio hobby is that it's entirely subjective. What some like others hate. The human brain does all kinds of funky stuff and my opinion of the Bose system in this car should NOT be considered gospel.

Check it out for yourself before you drop the cash. Insidentally, despite the sound system, I still like the Premium package.

[Kalmairn]

I know this was mostly aimed at Semi On...

I like the sound of the Bose in the G35, I think it has a pleasing sound but does lack in a few places. I think there is a bit of a lack of top-end treble and low bass, but at least in the latter you can put in a sub without tearing out the whole system.

Stock, it sounds very good, and if you aren't used to having deep bass and high treble you may never care.

Kal.

'04 G35 Coupe 6MT, Black/Black, Premium Package, Aero Package w/Spoiler

[kloh]

It's all about how discriminating your ears are. Many people find the Bose to be quite pleasing, so it's worth a listen with music you like to determine whether or not it's "good" for you. Personally, I don't like the range and I think it distorts too much at the low end when it's loud, so I based my Premium decision on other factors. I wanted a sunroof and liked the homelink rearview mirror. Plus, I wanted navigation, and Premium was a requirement for that.

-Ken

<font size="1">2003 G35C | 5AT | DG + Willow Leather | Nav | Premium | Performance | G35iPod.com</font id="size1">

[BigChiefMunkey]

yeah, I'm not looking for Bose == gospel, but more just that this is a good system that I'm not going to have to worry about replacing a week after I drop the cash for this car. heh heh.

That said, I can't *wait* to get my hands on one. I bet I have cost infiniti a significant amount of bandwidth over the last month just pulling up the site, building my 6MT, snagging wallpapers, etc etc. heh.

My taste in music is relatively wide - I've got a handful of classical cd's (can't go wrong with some peaceful vivaldi in traffic), but also harder rock, Beastie, Front 242, Chemical Brothers, etc. So the mids and highs are relatively important for the classical stuff and while I'm not one of those stoplight trunk-humming jerks with bass, the techno and industrial and hiphop side of me definitely wants some thump.

Also, while I definitely was looking for Semi's take on it, I'm curious to the rest of you as well - get a feel for the general public's taste (which is probably where I lie) as well as an admitted audiophile. *(:=

thanks guys,


---
brian welch : aka BigChiefMunkey

tha rabid munkies
http://munkies.net

[docron1]

Bose Satellite Cube Speakers, Wave Radios sound good at home.

Remember that the stock HU is actually a Clarion product. The speakers and the amp are Bose.

Non-premium still has same Clarion and Bose speakers but "premium" add 6x9" "subs" on the rear shelf and the ~225W(?) amp.

With that said, I, too, am somewhat of an audiophile. The stock Clarion/Bose system IMO didn't cut it for me. CD's sounded like FM reception. When I increased the volume, the treble lacked and the bass seemed imbalanced and at times, overwhelming. I, too, have a WIDE variety of musical tastes, depending on my mood.

The limitations of the stock system is the lack of sufficient frequency tweaking (bass, treble, mid, etc.), lack of power and the speakers are paper thin with tiny magnets (you have to look at the speakers to see what you get for the money you spent on this "premium" system). The last things are that you lack .mp3 capability and have that gaudy ghetto tape deck slot. Sure you have a 6 CD changer but I personally like having 1 disc with 200 .mp3 files and not having to insert/eject a disc everytime I want to change it.

I gutted out my whole system and spent a good chunk of chanage. Was it worth it???? For me, YES! The sound quality is much, much better and I can adjust the gains, EQ, etc with better control, have .mp3 capability, and overall, it soothes my ears.

To each his own.........others might find that the stock Bose system is enough esp. since upgrading the sound system requires a little more time/$$$ since the G's setup is a little atypical (doubleDIN, Ac controller, antenna adapter, etc.) than your standard Camry upgrade.

My only advice is that if you plan on upgrading the stock system, do your research first and listen to other systems in G's if you can before you do anything. Some people do incremental upgrades with unsatisfactory results, which usually results to more $$$ invested for more upgrades. It's better to do it right the first time!

stock HU + Bose amp + stock speakers
stock HU + Bose amp + aftermarket speakers +/- sub
stock HU + aftermarket amp + aftermarket speakers +/- sub
aftermarket HU + aftermarket amp + aftermarket speakers + sub

You get the idea......hope this helps.

doc


__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________

2004 G35c AT / DG / Graphite / Premium(-POS Bose) / Performance / Aero / Alum Pedals / Clear Corners w/PIAA Xtreme White / 6-Wire GroundingGear / Stillen HiFlow CAB / Z Tube / Passport 8500 / JDM v35 DoubleDIN Dash swap
Panasonic CQ DXE / MTX Thunder Amps x2 / Infinity Perfect 6.1 / Kappa 692.5i / Eclipse SE8363 / Infinity BassLink

DoubleDIN Conversion DIY guide:
http://www.g-owners.com/article_read.asp?id=33

"Never put sharp pointy objects on leather..."

g35driver.com ID: joepaniolo

[sagi]

actually the stock stereo sounds pretty good for a stock system.. but it can sounds 10x better with aftermarket components.. now maybe if an eq was thrown in and there is more adjustability than it might sound better.. I'm just waiting to save up so that I can upgrade everything all at once.. for now it sounds decent.. everyone has their own opinions, so you would have to just sit in one and crank that thing up and be the judge

[Semi On]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Non-premium still has same Clarion and Bose speakers but "premium" add 6x9" "subs" on the rear shelf and the ~225W(?) amp.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I'm pretty sure that rear amp is just driving the additional 6x9s. As such, the power it drives will be equyivalent to the premium rated power output minus the base model. I don't remember off the top of my head what that is.

[docron1]

yes, the amp drives only the rear shelf and the deck powers the rest of the "speakers"....[lol] Also not sure of the exact power output....

doc

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________

2004 G35c AT / DG / Graphite / Premium(-POS Bose) / Performance / Aero / Alum Pedals / Clear Corners w/PIAA Xtreme White / 6-Wire GroundingGear / Stillen HiFlow CAB / Z Tube / Passport 8500 / JDM v35 DoubleDIN Dash swap
Panasonic CQ DXE / MTX Thunder Amps x2 / Infinity Perfect 6.1 / Kappa 692.5i / Eclipse SE8363 / Infinity BassLink

DoubleDIN Conversion DIY guide:
http://www.g-owners.com/article_read.asp?id=33

"Never put sharp pointy objects on leather..."

g35driver.com ID: joepaniolo

[Semi On]

That 225W statement in the specs refers to the total system, not just the rear amp, which was the part of your post I was clarifying.

[BigChiefMunkey]

right, ok. so noted.

thanks for the word, gents. others are still welcome to jump in tho. *(:=

prolly still get the premium package for the other toys. i'll just see what we see with the bose.. if it is simply as dreadful as y'all suggest then we'll go about replacing it. heh heh

thanks again,


---
brian welch : aka BigChiefMunkey

tha rabid munkies
http://munkies.net

[mikeinaustin]

so the only difference between the base audio and the premium package audio are 2 6x9 rear speakers and an amp to run them? The head unit is 100% the same as are the other 6 speakers?

[docron1]

That is correct sir!



doc


__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________

2004 G35c AT / DG / Graphite / Premium(-POS Bose) / Performance / Aero / Alum Pedals / Clear Corners w/PIAA Xtreme White / 6-Wire GroundingGear / Stillen HiFlow CAB / Z Tube / Stillen TD CB Exhaust (soon) / Hotchkis Performance Swaybars / Hotchkis Sport Coils / Passport 8500 / JDM v35 DoubleDIN Dash swap
Panasonic CQ DXE / MTX Thunder Amps x2 / Infinity Perfect 6.1 / Kappa 692.5i / Eclipse SE8363 / Infinity BassLink

DoubleDIN Conversion DIY guide:
http://www.g-owners.com/article_read.asp?id=33

"Never put sharp pointy objects on leather..."

g35driver.com ID: joepaniolo

[Semi On]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mikeinaustin

so the only difference between the base audio and the premium package audio are 2 6x9 rear speakers and an amp to run them? The head unit is 100% the same as are the other 6 speakers?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Pretty obscene considering the cost of that package, huh?

[docron1]

lol semi....true...true...



Now ask me where my Bose amp and 6x9 "subs" (as well as the other stock paper cones and the stock HU) are......I think they are in a cardboard box at the bottom of a closet someplace in my house with my 1977 Star Wars figurines. I think my original Luke Skywalker X-Wing Fighter, AT-AT and Millenium Falcon are worth more than the Bose crap. Maybe the Bose stock crap will be worth as much as the Star Wars stuff soemday....


doc


__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________

2004 G35c AT / DG / Graphite / Premium(-POS Bose) / Performance / Aero / Alum Pedals / Clear Corners w/PIAA Xtreme White / 6-Wire GroundingGear / Stillen HiFlow CAB / Z Tube / Stillen TD CB Exhaust (soon) / Hotchkis Performance Swaybars / Hotchkis Sport Coils / Passport 8500 / JDM v35 DoubleDIN Dash swap
Panasonic CQ DXE / MTX Thunder Amps x2 / Infinity Perfect 6.1 / Kappa 692.5i / Eclipse SE8363 / Infinity BassLink

DoubleDIN Conversion DIY guide:
http://www.g-owners.com/article_read.asp?id=33

"Never put sharp pointy objects on leather..."

g35driver.com ID: joepaniolo