Happy With Bose Sound System?

Wrench589 · December 29, 2014

Looking for some feedback on what folks think of the sound quality of the Bose sound system in the 2015 Denali. To be honest, I'm not that impressed. The sound seems very accurate, for lack of a better term. Clear and precise. No complaints there. But, it seems to totally lack loudness. Reminds me of the old saying "no highs, no lows, must be Bose!" Lol. Seriously, though, I do find it lacks "punch". Yes, there is bass from the subwoofer, but the overall sound seems to lack punch. Turned up 50%, it really isn't that loud. The Bose system in my 2005 Sierra was significantly more loud and sounded pretty good. I guess this one in leaves me wanted more sound. Sounds is what I would expect from a $20,000 base car I get at the car rental at the airport, not the flagship GMC vehicle! But hey, maybe my expectations are too high! Lol.

Anon2015 · December 29, 2014

No, your expectations are not too high. It is a horrid sound reproduction system for a vehicle at the Denali's price point (and the cache GM would like the marque to obtain). The Meridian system, for example, is in the Jaguar XF (60K), and the Land Rover LR4 (50-60K) and is tremendous. Systems from JBL, Harmon are much better than the Bose system.

reels · December 30, 2014

This is the one thing that has let me down. The stereo is missing something. Depth, richness, punch, something. It is just blah, like a bench radio.

Anon2015 · December 30, 2014

Yes...Stereo imaging is pretty frumpy to non-existent. They have a multi-channel installation that is being used as dual mono. Multi-channel tracks on BluRay can be OK but there is no excuse for exceptionally poor reproduction of stereo material. If you're the only one in the car, you can go into the menu and change the center point to the driver's seat and get something better (or, if you're the only one in the car who contributed to the purchase price...other passengers can either pony up or get over it). The bass can be over bearing and they provide zero parametric EQ capability. The Audio Pilot non-feature is a bust...the Bose engineers that let that creature out of its cage should be forced to listen to it 24-7 until they go daft (on the other hand, empirical evidence suggests they are deaf in any case). For all the trouble GM went through to get the cabin quiet, their efforts deserve much, much better. Here's the nasty rub ... it is so integrated into IntelliLink features, you're not going to find an after market upgrade anytime in the near future...if ever.

Anon2015 · December 30, 2014

Interesting. The Audi Q7 will have the B&O 3D sound system installed for the 2016 model year. Whether based on Dolby Atmos or Auro3D is not known; however, it is clear they will be using ambiance extraction to create the effect for non-3D encoded tracks. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, GM premium vehicles are stuck in the late 50's.

Wrench589 · December 30, 2014

Anon2015, tell us what you really think! LOL! Seriously, thanks for the candid comments. I thought it might be me being overly picky (as I've been accused of many times by the better half).

I'm afraid you point out something all too real - that the sound system is likely too integrated to ever upgrade with aftermarket, so we'll be stuck with it. Sad, I guess.

Thanks!

glamis44 · January 6, 2015

Yes, Very Weak. I thought it would be better. The Escalade got 16 speakers, but I have not listened to that system to compare the two. At 76k, I expected much more.

I have a Harman Kardon system in my BMW 5 Series and it smokes the Bose with little effort.

Anon2015 · January 6, 2015

16 speakers is marketing. That means next model year, the "wanna be" will have 20 speakers. The number of speakers is no indication of the resultant sound quality.

Luster · January 6, 2015

I have 3 Chevy's.

2013 Equinox - Pioneer System

2014 Silverado - Bose System

2010 Corvette - Bose System

I listed them in order of Best to Worst.

The Equinox sound is excellent, thanks to the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) amplifier and Pioneer speaker system. Very much like an aftermarket system thanks to the up-front tweeters and the 8" built-in sub in the back. I actually like the sound in this vehicle.

Things go downhill from there.

Both the Silverado and the Corvette Bose systems are a joke. No bass. When a song comes on that has an extreme amount of bass, the speakers vibrate because of distortion. I don't know how Bose has managed to survive all these years. None of their systems have ever been any good at accurate sound reproduction as compared to other "Factory in-car systems" such as Infinity, Pioneer & Harman Kardon.

If the Mitsubishi Outlander (a sub-$30k mini-van) can offer an optional 710-watt Rockford Fosgate Punch stereo that sounds fantastic, why can't we get that in a $50,000 top-of-the-line truck?????

(Well, I guess I could, if I wanted to spend a couple grand for a "Killer" Kenwood sound system at Independence Audio.)

glamis44 · January 11, 2015

16 speakers is marketing. That means next model year, the "wanna be" will have 20 speakers. The number of speakers is no indication of the resultant sound quality.

I disagree. If you use that reasoning then you will be happy with two speakers, Right?

My 5 series has 16 speakers and it works extremely well. Very good sound with little effort and it consumes the interior.

Anon2015 · January 11, 2015

One more time ... the number of speakers is no indication of the resultant sound quality. Other, far more important factors are at play in proper sound reproduction. And, for the record, there are many (including Tonmeisters), who very much enjoy a good two-channel experience. Neither loudness nor speaker quantity are indicators of sound quality.

patriot · January 11, 2015

BOSE isn't worth the price. Never was. Their 90x home speakers with the gimmicky pre-eq boxes in line were a joke. All that box did was attempt to compensate for cheap drivers. Their car audio isn't any better. It's almost as if they had never heard of Thiele-Small. For some reason, they have name recognition, probably from their multi-million $$$ ad campaigns.

Stick with the stock stereo at vehicle purchase, then add decent speakers and upgrade from there...if needed.

glamis44 · January 15, 2015

One more time ... the number of speakers is no indication of the resultant sound quality. Other, far more important factors are at play in proper sound reproduction. And, for the record, there are many (including Tonmeisters), who very much enjoy a good two-channel experience. Neither loudness nor speaker quantity are indicators of sound quality.

Good observation. I guess we should go back to 2 6x9's in the decklid then. Thanks for the audio lesson...........

Looks like I should disconnect the other 10 speakers in my Denali and the sound will improve...........

BTW, The "Two Channel Experience" has nothing to do with speaker quantity, so not sure what your point is......Just an FYI......

Anon2015 · January 15, 2015

Good observation. I guess we should go back to 2 6x9's in the decklid then. Thanks for the audio lesson...........

Looks like I should disconnect the other 10 speakers in my Denali and the sound will improve...........

BTW, The "Two Channel Experience" has nothing to do with speaker quantity, so not sure what your point is......Just an FYI......

I have no clue where you are coming from on this or where you expect to go with it...either is fine with me. Regardless, however, 10, 16, 20 speakers doesn't mean good sound and 2, 4, 5, 7 or 32 (full blown Atmos) doesn't mean bad sound either. Speaker quantity is not an indicator of sound quality. While your Denali says "10 speakers", be aware it is more akin to ten drivers. Some of those 10 are tweeters, some are midrange "woofers" (in their speak), and one is a subwoofer. (In a residential or pro system a single "speaker" may have one to many drivers. Residential speakers are typically two-way, three-way, and a few are 4-way.)

glamis44 · January 16, 2015

I have no clue where you are coming from on this or where you expect to go with it...either is fine with me. Regardless, however, 10, 16, 20 speakers doesn't mean good sound and 2, 4, 5, 7 or 32 (full blown Atmos) doesn't mean bad sound either. Speaker quantity is not an indicator of sound quality. While your Denali says "10 speakers", be aware it is more akin to ten drivers. Some of those 10 are tweeters, some are midrange "woofers" (in their speak), and one is a subwoofer. (In a residential or pro system a single "speaker" may have one to many drivers. Residential speakers are typically two-way, three-way, and a few are 4-way.)

Seems we have the same question of each other. I am not sure what you are trying to contribute to this post and why you are posting worthless mumbo jumbo (To be nice).

Back to topic, No I am not satisfied with my Bose system.