From what I read Bose is quirky and incompatible with any other units.
Mt head unit failed under warranty, and then the 6 CD changer failed under warranty.
Why is Nissan stuck on Bose

 

Because everyone recognizes the name and quality of the mid-90s when Bose reached it's peak. For the past few years, I think Bose has ridden it's success with the Wave radio as well as prior successes and not really innovated much in the standalone speaker department. IMO, you pay for the name.

~THT

 

100%

 

because bose is the best

 

bose is great and I am glad nissan uses it. Both of my maximas came with it and it saved me $ on changing head unit + speakers + amp.
It has a terrific depth of sound, much better than Harman Kardon found in luxury german cars. Sure it doesn't have the same bass as a pair of L7s in the trunk, but for factory it absolutely rocks!

 

I am going to have to go with Maciek on this one....for a stock system, it is awesome!

What would you rather have? Infiniti? I don't think so! They are cra ppy. Infiniti gets put into Chrysler's and Jeeps and they have no bass at all. I like how much bass the Bose has. Yeah, so every once in a while you have to put a new head unit in or something, but they are overall about the quality of aftermarket speakers in a stock system. Best of both worlds.

I don't like, however, how they are not compatible with anything else. That is just because Bose is selfish and they are trying to keep you from using other brands.

 

bose is the very best, newer cars with bose are soooo nice, my buddies parents have a 02 volvo with 6spkr bose with sub, its so nice

 

As mentioned before, Bose is pretty good for stock. And failing stock HUs is pretty common across most brands - even the ones that use Clarion, Alpine, or AC Delco. The competion to keep the prices down is intense because signing a contract with someone like Nissan means high volumes and thus high profits. The cheapest bid wins.

Also consider that most people would be happy with the 2" paper cone from their alarm clock radio if it was in their car.

 

I would much rather have a Bose than Clarion, Alpine, or AC Delco. They all sound cra ppy compared to the Bose.

 

My 93 had a Bose unit....no, wait...It had 5. I'll never own one again. And say something to the dealer, it's like you're the only guy who ever had a problem. I'll never own anything from Bose, car or otherwise.

 

Bose is a widely recognized name in the audio industry.

The Nissan OEM decks are made by Clarion (some are Rockford Fosgate). I too have gone thru 3 6-disc in dash changers and they do suck. Clarion refurbishes the OEM decks for Nissan for warranty replacement. Clarion does have some issues in their service department, believe me.

 

Has a LBL premium stereo system in my Ford SHO. It sucked compared.to the Maxima Bose system. As for the quality? 1997-2004, no problems yet. Maybe I just got lucky? And I dont hip-hop down the road at maximum volume. I'm half-deef as it is.

 

Name recognition. My buddy with a new Mazda 6 w/ bose system (with what it calls a sub but hardly plays down to 60 hz) hates it, as do I....and it stinks that they're incompatable with anything else. Other cars I've heard w/ bose I haven't liked, though the typical consumer that would never upgrade a stereo likes having a bose and may think it sounds good (I know many many many people who are happy with very crappy stock systems...not your 20 year old buddy, but older folks).

As far as I'm concerned, after listening to the wave radio, the bigger wave radio (the 1000 dollar one), many cube systems, and a few car bose systems (have never heard the 901's, so don't count that), my opinion is....

if it's got no highs and it's got no lows, theres a good chance, you're listening to bose.

I've heard great things about the stock Levinson systems that Lexus' or Mercedes or one of those cars comes with...never heard it though.

 

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

 

Alpine has a less than 1% defect rate. I guess my ears are different than yours because Id take Alpine hu/speakers over Bose anyday, and having it never break would be nice.

 

Shocking thoughts here. I personally think the Clarion, I mean Bose, systems in our cars are horrible. My Durango has Infiniti's and they sound much better for a stock system. I couldn't deal with the Bose and yanked everything out.

 

I think Bose or the people behind it have been claiming to reinvent sound physics since the 70s, you know:
"new technology lets you get the sound of a 12 in speaker from a 6 inch speaker etc etc:

Hype

 

Come on guys,
Infiniti = car company
Infinity = sound company

You guys don't want a system that's in:
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Audi
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet (Corvette)
Ferrari
GMC
Honda
Hummer
Infiniti
Lancia (never heard of this company before)
Maserati
Mazda
Mercedes
Maybach
Nissan
Porsche

I'm happy with my Bose system and my friends like it too

 

nissan uses clarion also

 

You are either not listening to anything that you want to have bass on, or either you are one of the very few fortunate Infiniti (Gold or whatever) owners that does not have crappy speakers that are problematic. Take them apart, and you will see with your own eyes that the Bose are much higher quality than the best thing that is put into the Durango. I sold durango's for over a year, and their "system" is far less than superior.

Well, when Nissan starts putting Alpine into their cars stock, we will see how highly you think of them. I can guarantee that they will not be the same quality as the aftermarket ones you are referring to.

As far as the systems in the Lexus and other high end ("rape-me") systems, don't! They are much much much too overrated. Even the huge system that comes in the Chrysler Pacifica is better and beats all those by like 100watts.

 

Oh come on guys, admit it already. Factory systems regardless of the name use speakers that cost the car company about $5 or less per speaker. Most of the headunits, or all of the headunits are not made by bose. Alpine made some of them in the 80's or 90's, Clarion made a bunch in recent years, whatever. For the most part the headunits really aren't that bad. They have tested equal or superior to aftermarket equipment.

All of the high end systems you are referring to use the same brain and amp system. In other words they all have the same amount of power. They do that because it's a dependable unit and compatable with the car systems installed as factory equipment across the board. I think they are also software upgradeable, or some techno garbage like that.

As good as these factory systems may be I'll take my system over them any day of the week.

 

Bose's stereo is really "tuned" well it sounds great for music at normal volumes. They take crappy speakers and tune them together so well that they can cheat and not even use tweeters in the rear. But I still tore it all out and changed everything.

 

honestly, i have always loved bose. i have a pair of those 8" 2-way bookshelf speakers in the massive boxes with the slot port and i love them to death. they're at least 10 years old and still sound better than any of my friends' home speakers and they can go much louder without distorting. when i bought my max with the 10yr old bose in it it still blew my dad's 2000 dakota with the infinity system in it away. of course the display was dead and it sometimes cut out when it rained :P. i would buy another car with a bose in it if i solely wanted to be happy with a stock audio system. yes, the HUs aren't of the best quality thats for sure, but the design on the front speakers with the small ported enclosure was pure genious. bose's strong point has always been making something make a lot of noise in a much smaller space than everyone else. who knows, if my bose still would have worked perfetly, i might never have become the audiophile i am now :P seriously though, people knock bose way too much. the only bose product i can seriously say i dislike is the wave radio.