Subject: Re: 90-96 front Bose boxes by screamin_conure on 2011/6/17 13:45:04
Quote:
bogus wrote: Ken,
When I got my 92, it was only 8 years old and the Bose seemed to be in good order.
I am just an audiophile and demand more than what Bose can produce.
Music is a tapestry that runs the gambit from highs and lows; from the crisp sound of a cymbal, to the punch of a synthesized bass pedal. From the falsetto of the Beach Boys to the growl of Metallica. And everywhere in between.
(oh, if you haven't heard it yet, the Beatles Remastered is absolutely art work)
Several years ago - 1998 - my then gf and I went into the local Bose outlet. I brought with me the soundtrack to the movie Titanic. Now, a few days earlier, we were cruising along in my car, 1994 Honda Prelude VTEC with the following audio system:
Alpine CDA-7939 head unit Alpine ERA-G320 EQ Butler Tube Driver 1500 (2 channel, 150w per) Acoustic POS for the rear fill Rockford Fosgate 500m (1 channel, 500w mono) for the sub 10" Alusonic sub, dual voice coil in a sealed box (box made of 3/4" MDF, fiberglassed into the trunk). Front stage: Canton Pullman RS3 (still have these) 3-way components, 6"/4"/1", with passive crossx. Rear stage: Canton Pullman RS2, 2 way components, 5.25"/1"
I put the CD in. The music starts with the opening lilt of the simple recorder. This is the music that accompanies the ship as she firsts leaves port. I had suspect there was some bass in there, just having heard the soundtrack in the theater, but her little Sony box thing had no chance of finding it. Well... that system found it... when the bass pedals started, the car literally shook! She about leaped out of her seat and asked, "What in the hell was THAT?!" I said, "what you have never ever heard. Sub bass. I felt it was there, but up to this point, no audio system was reproducing it. Either by choice or by capability."
We are going into the Bose store with the CD (repeating from above, sorry) and I put the CD into the CD player for one of their Lifestyle systems. The ported sub box uses 2 5.5" nominal drivers, physically running at a frequency that is most effective for them, but the porting then slows the response down and makes a pair of speakers running at 1500 hz all of a sudden subs! HA!
It just doesn't work! All bass response dies at about 55~60 hz, give or take. Those bass pedals? Not even close.
Top that off with dubious highs and suspect mids, my dislike for Bose becomes apparent.
My overall theory on car audio is simple: it's a small place, it's a noisy place, you need power and speakers with excellent off axis performance. When done properly, it should sound much like a good set of expensive headphones. Balanced, warm, intimate.
I don't come to opinions like this lightly. I learned as a child that I had hearing issues. As a young boy, I spent much of the time from about 3 years old to 6 years old with ear infections. My ear canal goes up at a funky angle, some 40* according to my doctors; most only go up at 10*.
When I was a tweener, I learned I could tell which TV was going to die first, because I could hear the horizontal output transistor screaming!!! I also learned that me and cheap audio did not get a long, at all. Cheap audio is just too harsh and brassy for my ears to enjoy.
Just so you all know I am not just some nut with a bone to pick. I have no grudge against Bose, I just don't like their sound. I know many do, and that's fine! Enjoy!
Hey Andy, you're serious about your music! Wow! Are you also a musician? I hang out with a few musicians and sound engineer types (I play a little guitar myself) and this post sounds just like conversations that we often have.
