Bose vs No Bose. Which is worth it?

Reidan · August 17, 2016

I have Bose in my 03 Avalanche. It sounds great. My wife got a 05 Lucerne with non-Bose. Could really hear the difference. She really wished she had Bose. 4 years later someone ran a traffic light and totaled the Buick. So we ended up getting a Traverse with Bose. Sounded much better than the Buick, but not as good as my Avalanche.

Back in March I rented a Silverado for a few days while the Avalanche was in the shop. It was a base model with non-Bose touchscreen radio. Sound was about even with the Buick. So, when I decided to in July get the Sierra, I knew without a doubt it had to have a Bose radio.

Now the Bose radio in my new Sierra sounds good. But, I think the Bose in my old Avalanche sounds better!

Don't know if the acoustics of the Avalanche are better. But, it does have more speakers. The Avalanche had speakers on the A Pillars where the Sierra does not. So better high frequency capability with those extra tweeters on the pillars.

And the Bass speaker would rattle the rear view mirror so much the cars in the mirror were distorted.

fbachman · August 17, 2016

Well, having left the days of upgrading the sound systems long behind me (old fart now)...

I find the non-denali bose system in mine quite good. Will it blow out the windows from the inside with bass? Nope.

But, as a musician in a previous life, having perfect pitch, and the sort, I find that the sound, clarity and fidelity is pretty darn good out of the box (to me).

Beats the pants off of the system in my '07 (non bose). I find it quite good. (That is until I listen to AM... there is definitely a software update still "pending" to get the AM fidelity in check). It's not the speakers, as when you flip over to pandora, from AM, the difference is absolutely huge.

Maybe GM will figure that one out soon.....

ChevyRoofer · August 17, 2016

Well, having left the days of upgrading the sound systems long behind me (old fart now)...

I find the non-denali bose system in mine quite good. Will it blow out the windows from the inside with bass? Nope.

But, as a musician in a previous life, having perfect pitch, and the sort, I find that the sound, clarity and fidelity is pretty darn good out of the box (to me).

Beats the pants off of the system in my '07 (non bose). I find it quite good. (That is until I listen to AM... there is definitely a software update still "pending" to get the AM fidelity in check). It's not the speakers, as when you flip over to pandora, from AM, the difference is absolutely huge.

Maybe GM will figure that one out soon.....

I was told I have the upgraded speakers up front, but no Bose system. So I opted for the Kicker AMP/Sub combo, since this only works with non-Bose systems.

It's the best add-on for this truck...besides the Borla Exhaust.

Toestrong · August 18, 2016

I think there is another thread like this with lots of replies about bose vs no. That aside I don't have the bose but I am very impressed with the stock audio. The best part is the amazing bass for having no real sub and on stock settings. I still plan to eventually get a sub so I can get better mids out of the speakers. This stock system sounds better than my Civic with premium sound "including sub" and my WRX with full OEM kicker upgrade. It has been a real bonus.

just got a Sierra 1500. Selling my wrx. Gonna miss it

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mmwest · August 18, 2016

I'm assuming that most that are commenting are using a sound source other than the crappy over-compressed XM radio? Using my USB stick sounds so much cleaner and richer in sound with the Bose system.

I have never tried the USB stick.

Can you just load music from you laptop to the USB and go from there?

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Boardmember · August 18, 2016

I've got the Bose. I've got hearing loss in right ear that two surgeries couldn't repair. Damn Bose sounds great to me.

But what do I know? I saw Aerosmith when "Toys in the Attic" first came out. Stood right in front of the towering speaker column. The Bose ain't quite that good and my memory is better than my hearing.

Far out.

.

2Speed · August 19, 2016

I've had both. Bose is 100% worth it. The base stereo system isn't bad, but the Bose is far better IMO. Now the Bose in my '93 and '04 Vettes were kinda sorry, so I didn't expect much from this one. I've installed MANY custom stereo systems over the years, and this is the best "stock" system I've ever owned. Not once have I wanted to upgrade it. Well, a little 'mo bass might be nice...

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