Bose only does OEM, no aftermarket. The slogan, "No Highs, No Lows, It Must Be Bose, So Out It Goes" is very true. Lexus used to have Nakamichi, but since Toyota has gone with JBL, Mark Levinson was the replacement for Lexus since they both are from Harmon International, and offers Navigation that Nak doesn't.
Bose is clearly NOT the market leader. They have great marketing, but their product doesn't compare. Ever wonder why all the Bose home stereo equipment are all setup in their own room? It's because if you compared to other manufacturers side-by-side, you'll know why Bose sucks.
Bose has been around for a long time, has tons of money for research and development. Companies like JL don't have the disposable revenue to further their line. You are comparing apples to oranges, and their market is totally different.
I would think Panasonic or Pioneer would be 'market leaders', mainly because they make OEM audio equipment that's used in high-volume models. I think the stock audio gear in my 98 Camry is Panasonic.
Bose just has name recognition. They're kinda like Microsoft - Some of their products are neat on the outside, but once you look at the details they don't look so hot. For example, the mini-speakers are a neat idea, but they don't give you nearly as much response as a larger speaker.
That's my two cents... I'll be expecting change.
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1998 Camry LE V6 --- 149,900 miles and counting...
Originally posted by CamNub Its clearly the market leader.
Where are you getting this information?
As for BOSE, they touted themselves as an engineering R&D company, that's supposively their competitive advantage. The main guy who started the company didn't like the sounds he was getting from his stereo years ago, so he started his own company. They have the right marketing strategies (ie. Wave radio) for the home market, but for the auto market, I don't think they're that great.
Nissan uses them (dunno if they still do), and they used to amp each individual speaker, with the leads having 1 ohm of resistance. The amps blew all the time, and they were expensive to change...go on the Maxima forums, everyone complains about them.
Bose was never designed to play only bass that's why most of its detractors say there are no lows. Their car systems are specifically designed for each model that is why you can't just go to a store and buy a 6x9 that will fit anywhere you can put a 6x9. The same goes for their amps. They are designed to drive only the speakers that go with that particular system. Bose is definately not for everyone. They make their systems to sound good to most people with any type of music, at "reasonable" sound levels and even at low levels without losing any of the sound quality. That is why they are OEM or upgrades in :Acura, Alfa, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, Ferrari (612 Scaglietti), Infinity, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes, Maybach, Nissan, and Porsche. Contrary to popular belief, Benz, Cadillac, and even Maybach are actually marketed to "older professionals" who will never replace their wheels and tires with anything other than OEM and who will never be featured on MTV Cribs. Anyone who loves mostly bass and only loud will always want to individualize their systems, so Bose was never designed for them.
The only thing Bose is good at is marketing. They fool the consumers into thinking their stuff is better than other brands. In fact their speakers don't cover much of the frequency range. For example the sub may only hit 50Hz. But they boost the gain at 50Hz to make it sound like is is playing deeper. And the tweeters may only play up to 10,000 Hz. They boost the gain here too to make them sound brighter and therefore better in the average consumers eyes. The trick is they don't sound real or natural at all. They aren't precise or accurate. But the marketing gets ppl. Another thing is if you ever see what a Bose speaker looks like you'll wonder how it is possible to sound good. That is b/c it doesn't sound good. I'd rather have cheap Pioneers off a cheap 15watt rms hu than a Bose system. Another reason they sound better than most OEM systems is because of the focus on acoustics. This is one of the few areas I give Bose credit for.
im sure if bose made aftermarket car audio stuff it would be pretty nice. their factory systems are better than most other premium systems but aftermarket will beat almost any factory system.
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1995 Silverleaf Metallic Camry LE Automatic beater
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