hkguns
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I've never heard the GM system, however the old adage that friends don't let friends by Bose probably applies. Bose BLOWS so I certainly hope it is better.
Sony premium sound
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I've never heard the GM system, however the old adage that friends don't let friends by Bose probably applies. Bose BLOWS so I certainly hope it is better.
No highs, no lows, must be Bose.
Bose in GM products is pretty much like the Sony stuff in Fords. You get a name and a product that is marginally better than standard. It isn't anywhere close to what is available aftermarket.
My thing with Bose is they have no experience in the automotive industry except what they produce for GM.
Home audio and car audio are two different environments and technologies.
It is much harder to produce good quality sound in a car/truck. The natural acoustics are terrible and things like speaker placement and size is limited compared to a home environment. Bose was an innovator in the home environment when it came to big sound with a small size. They have been riding that horse forever. They have very limited range and honestly are no better than whatever you can buy on sale this week at Walmart. Say Bose to any audiophile and they will just laugh. The stuff in GM is crap. The bass is muddy and overboosted, the highs are tinny and the systems are close loop design that don't allow for any expansion. Is it better than the Delco crap that you get otherwise? Yes, barely, but not for the money they charge.
The Sony systems are limited too, but they don't clip as much and allow for expansion.
My thing with Bose is they have no experience in the automotive industry except what they produce for GM.
Home audio and car audio are two different environments and technologies.
It is much harder to produce good quality sound in a car/truck. The natural acoustics are terrible and things like speaker placement and size is limited compared to a home environment. Bose was an innovator in the home environment when it came to big sound with a small size. They have been riding that horse forever. They have very limited range and honestly are no better than whatever you can buy on sale this week at Walmart. Say Bose to any audiophile and they will just laugh. The stuff in GM is crap. The bass is muddy and overboosted, the highs are tinny and the systems are close loop design that don't allow for any expansion. Is it better than the Delco crap that you get otherwise? Yes, barely, but not for the money they charge.
The Sony systems are limited too, but they don't clip as much and allow for expansion.
im no fan of bose. many years ago they took a 2 way speaker and smoked crack and came up with a great idea. however bose will never compare to whats available. every auto manufacturer contracts an audio company to provide sound in production vehicles. but the auto manufacturer has the final say in what goes in and how it goes in. sony makes decent stuff afternarket. but ford put restrictions in place to prevent the audio system from failing or blowing speakers. end result? a crappy sounding system that will (usually) never blow a speaker. ford doesnt want warranty claims because someone turned their system up and blew out speakers, so its limited to a specific frequency curve. as the volume goes up, the frequencies go down. this prevents damage but cutting the low and high frequencies. every auto manufacturer does this. european vehicles have it less so they tend to sound better. my wifes mazda came with a bose system. it was horrible. luckily i dont drive it because it would be gone if i had the chance, but she doesnt want me ****** her car....... at least until the warranty expires. simply put, the stereo system is going to suck. now for a lot of people, they are ok with the oem system. and thats because most people have never heard a real audio system before so they have nothing to compare to. thats why i made disco raptor. i have sold many high end audio systems because i have put people in the drivers seat of my truck. its a difference that needs to be heard to truly understand whats possible now. most people think of an expensive sound system is going to be absurdly loud. it isnt. its about sound reproduction and the proper levels of adjustment. so if you arent happy with the sound system, theres a reason why it sounds that way
StrikerHawk
Full Access Member
So let me ask, with respect and out of true curiosity...
If my objective is ONLY to improve sound quality and NOT simply go loud, what components in the factory sound system would you expect to have to replace, and what's typical of the cost to do so ?
I mean, it's a no-brainer to know that the speakers themselves would likely have to be upgraded, perhaps even additional speakers added.
if I'm not worried about upping the volume, is that enough, or is there likely need to add an Amp or EQ ?
At what point, if any, do you simply have to replace the entire unit (head unit I believe it's referred to now) in order to achieve "good" sound quality ?
And again, I don't care about going loud. Stock systems have always been loud enough for me. I'm interested in learning about the smart, cost effective approach to improving sound quality at normal, every day, sound levels.
Thanks.
Good sound reproduction is more than just the speakers. You need to be able to reproduce the full spectrum. A subwoofer is a requirement and at least on set of separates( speakers with a separated woofer and tweeter, although nowadays you can get these packaged in such a way that they will mount where a standard coaxial speaker lives) for front stage. You will need and amplifier for the subwoofer. An amplifier for the front speakers is optional depending on the head unit. Replacing the head unit is usually recommended because factory units usually clip the high end (above 18kHz) and the low end (below 50Hz).
To have good sound reproduction cost more than just being loud. To have good sound requires creating a system that will just as easily play the full spectrum with out distortion at any sound level.
Most average listeners have no idea what a good system sounds like and think that they can go to a big box store and pick out a few upgrades and make improve the factory system. The truth is that in most cases you haven't improved the sound, you just made it different.
You need to understand how the components work together, how much distortion they have and at what level.
To truly make it sound great, it really is all or nothing. You should budget between $2k-$3k for a new head unit, separates for the front doors, coaxes for the rear doors, 2 subwoofers and two amplifiers. Then if you are having it installed add another $1k.
there lies the question only you can answer. it all depends on how much sound quality you want. replacing the head unit is probably not going to be an option for quite some time, if at all. auto manufacturers have always been behind the curve with audio. and now that they are using auto eq systems in their vehicles, they have become more expensive to upgrade. as i stated before, when the volume goes up, the frequencies go down. thats all integrated into the oem amplifier. so you need to find out what volume you want and what you want it to sound like at that volume. the only way to offset the frequency drop with volume increase is to use a sound processor of some sort. this allows you to get a more level frequency response rather than the hill. i refer to the hill as the frequency curve. when volume goes up, the lows and highs drop off resulting in a hill between 350hz to 8k hz approx. a speaker replacement will help and is usually the first step to upgrading the sound. some are happy with it other want more. you dont get volume with speakers, but you do get more clarity. try that first and see what you think. after that, you can determine what you want to upgrade next if at all.
StrikerHawk
Full Access Member
Seems to me that there needs to be a way to replace the factory AMP rather than the entire head unit, eliminating the frequency curve, and then upgrading the speakers, adding subwoofers, etc. Is the oem amp a replaceable unit within the head unit by chance ?
If the Sync3 is like the current Sync, the amp is separate. You could use an integration product like Audio Control DQ-61 or Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty to interface with the factory head unit. From that point you can build on it with any amps/speakers you want.
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