Problem with Bose is (1) not directly compatible with satellite radio, requiring purchase of secondary or replacement system, (2) no auxillary input....therefore no DIRECT mp3 attachment, (3) the tape player is worthless to most of us...some use it for the tape mp3 input which, like FM modulation, is not what we wanted with the purchase of this car, and (4) system is proprietary....audio stores cant mix and match and repair....if something breaks, replace it all.....Nissan should be ASHAMED of handing this out of date technology to new customers. Incidentally, the sound is probably good enough for me.....my main problem is the antiquated technology for input sourcing.

 

This thread is old news, too!

I've never understood how Bose does so well, but they must have the best marketing department. I mean, it makes sense, build cheap stuff, charge twice as much as normal, and people jsut assume it's great (and most people can't tell the difference)

 

Exactly right. Bose is a living case study in a triumph of marketing over substance.

Their stuff looks decent and they spend a ton on advertising. And by building CRAP they can pass the savings on the oem customers like Nissan.

 

From the perspective of someone who understands and appreciates true SQ I can see where you guys are coming from. However, no amount of marketing can save a poor product. Life is based on perception and as long as people perceive the Bose brand to be a good one they will continue to do well. This is not due to the marketing department alone. People actually listen to the product and if they are satisfied, they purchase. I understand that the typical audiophile can appreciate certain tones and frequencies that Bose may fail to reproduce. You will buy an alternative that suites your evaluative criteria for a car audio system. However, for someone who does not have the same appreciation as you for car audio, all the Bose product has to do is be better than the closest competition which apparently it is. Personally, I love a beautiful sounding home stereo or theatre system. For a vehicle, I am not quite as concerned with audio so the Bose sounds pretty nice (after the fix and some dynamat) compared to a few thousand dollar aftermarket system or the regular Z stereo. I cannot compare the Bose to a system in the, say S2000 or a BMW or whatever. I wanted the Z and not the other cars. I bought the CAR for its DRIVING characteristics and not for how the stereo sounds (as a priority - car stereo quality does matter but not as much as a number of other things (handling, power, etc.)). Overall, I am satisfied with the Bose system in my Z and would not spend any money to improve the parts of the system. It sounds good enough to be at my threshold of tightwadness. As long as it is there, Bose will sell product.

Talking about how much Bose marks up its product, don't assume that other brands are not marked up just as much. Electronics affilited with entertainment (as opposed to technology) are marked up a lot. So is food. Ever think about how much markup is in the plate you eat at a given restaurant? How about services performed for you somewhere? Unless you are in the industry you will always be surprised at cost compared to a selling price. This is capitalism. People are charged only what they are willing to pay and nothing more but certainly nothing less. Just my 2.

 

Wow.

Most amazing post ever.

I agree 100% and have grown tire of ppl complaining re: the bose sound - to the point of feeling personally wronged by Nissan/Bose, wanting to sell their cars and other inane acts of idiocy.

To expect the bose to perform better than a $$$$ aftermarket system is ludicrous. That said, I found the bose after the 1st amp switch (cd400) sounded better than a $1300 system in my old prelude.

To be fair, I appreciate the dedication and persistence of the individuals who got Bose to re-engineer the sound - as I'm a happy Ce400 amp owner. It really sounds better now - way better than my preludes aftermarket system.

And to think - they accomplish that great sound with crappy paper speakers - they must be doing something right...

 

I don't mind the Bose system audio quality so much but I'm fairly sure I've got the updated system (Build Date 09/2004).

I COMPLETELY agree with Ed Ross wrt Cassette and lack of inputs. There is NO way they can justify not taking this into account for a high-end Factory system.

I for one, am pretty dissapointed with this "high end" system.

 

You're right, many people think Bose units sound great, and it is because they don't know the difference. I don't consider myself an audiophile, but I am a musician, and ever Bose system I have ever heard, from their home audio to their PA stuff to their car audio stuff (practically different companies, really) is all junk.

Lot's of peopel also WANT to think the Bose is great, after they just spent $$$ (on top of the price of the base stereo they are upgrading from, which is already included in the car price), the same way people want to believe their new $1000 exhaust makes 20 more hp...

I've found most $250 headunits paired with some $80-100 speakers sound better than the average Bose system, and I wouldn't ever compare compare any stock system to a aftermarket system in the thousands.

If you really want value, get an enthusiat and upgrade form there, like most did. If you're a tightwad, I can't imagine spending half the money a dealer charges you for a Bose; it's about as overpriced as things get for what you get. Spend the same money on a decent aftermarket setup and I'd bet most people would think it sounds better.

And, worse yet, if I wanna get leather seats, or a few other options in most cars, I am STUCK getting and paying for that POS. I HATE paying for "options." All the other things you mentioned, I could chose to do or not, bu I am stuck paying for a Bose in most cars if I just want a frickin sunroof. Hell, I wish I could buy a car with NO stereo, and do all of it myself-I woulda muhappily paid for something else from my dealer with an even bigger markup (if such a thing exists) if it was something I actually wanted.

Yes, all companies advertise, but which as much as Bose? I can't htink of any brand as I see half as many ads for. Pick up any magazine, and there's Bose advertising. The better the product, the less advertising you need. How much Boston Acoustic ads can you think of in?

But, hey, to each their own. I WISH I liked Bose, just like I wished I liked American cars more than I do, but I just don't.

 

I always get a kick out of walking by the Bose store. They have all these little pretty displays, with little bows on everything, and a big plasma TV playing the latest Disney movie... and the sales people are STOKED. When you walk in, you get immediate enthusiasm from the sales team. Bose has their sales people sold.

I'm not going to say that Bose is crap, but they are clearly mediocre. They are good enough and certainly have style. There is also the whole percieved over reality thing. Video settings on TV are typically overly sharp because it looks impressive when you compare TVs side to side. However, to get the best picture at home you want to turn the sharpness way down. It's similar with Bose, they can probably impress people with good bass and whatnot on the showroom. They can't however create an accurate sound across the board.

That said, I had ZERO interested in a Touring model because there was no value in a Bose system for me. Believe me, Bose is totally missing the "educated consumer" market segment. The Track model had added value to me, Brembo has buying power with me.

If Nissan partnered with a company like JL to put an aftermarket grade system in a Z, I'd buy it. Nothing like that is going to happen until cars have 42V power systems however.

 

Not sure if this is true, but I heard that the "Brembos" on Nissans are not even manufactured by Brembo...it's simply a Brembo design that is made by some cheapass 3rd party.

True?

If so, turns out the Brembos aren't really worth the $$$ either.

NzZ

 

Take it or leave it. Most of the people that have purchased their Z's, for what ever reason have at least heard their sound systems and bought the vehicles anyway. You heard it you bought it. If you don't like it, make it better.
In my own opinion, I think that Z owners should complain more about the 15% to 20% decrease in hp from the crank to the wheels. That is where you really put out the money to make up for it. .

 

I still love my Z.

 

A couple of you are in a bad mood because the BOSE is in the Touring. Remember to place blame accordingly. Don't hate BOSE, hate Nissan. They are the ones who set the budget for the upgraded system they offer and how they want to offer it. Also, as for Nissan missing the educated market segment. First of all, you really can't segment a market based on demographics. You can use demographics to study trends of the past to watch sales, etc. However, the only way to market effectively is by needs and wants. You could be an uneducated 16 year old or a highly trained doctor of 65 yrs of age and lust after the Touring. Demographics make no distinction. I am not sure an educated segment exists when it comes to car sales. I think an educated segment exists when looking at people in groups. But why do that? People are not groups, they are individuals. People will always be in a different group depending on what you are looking at when you factor in needs and wants. Education, age, race, income, etc. can put people in the same group. However, there is no correlation between age and what flavor of ice cream you like. There is no correlation between education level and what type of stereo you like. The Bose salespeople are highly educated on the Bose product, right? They are educated and enthusiastic about Bose. This contradicts your statement. You cannot segment by demographics. Never forget it.