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My new MDX is scheduled to be delivered this week.
Mesabeige with touring and nav.
For those lucky few who have already received their MDXs,
how would you rate the Bose system? Is it really worth it to replace it? I have a Bose Acoustimass Series III speaker system at home and love it. Relatively speaking, would you consider the MDX's on that level?
Anxiously I await..... |
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NOT the same at all !!!!
The bose in the touring SUCKS!!!
It uses junk components. I have had bose systems in other vehicles, and while I never liked them, they were not this bad. |
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| Although I am still waiting for my Beige Touring MDX to be arrived in April, I am kind of wondering if upgrading the speakers to a better ones will dramatic improve the overall sound quality ? |
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quote:
Originally posted by newjack
My new MDX is scheduled to be delivered this week.
Mesabeige with touring and nav.
For those lucky few who have already received their MDXs,
how would you rate the Bose system? Is it really worth it to replace it? I have a Bose Acoustimass Series III speaker system at home and love it. Relatively speaking, would you consider the MDX's on that level?
Anxiously I await.....
Loaded question newjack. There are a lot of audiophiles on the board who think the Bose system is FUBAR. For me, it's fine and as good as what was in a ML430 I drove for a while and my other M-B. I guess it depends on your expectations and ear. |
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| Some "genius" at BoseCoInc decided to use 1ohm speakers. If you subsititue "normal" resistance speakers you will see power effectivley cut to 1/4. Not good. I have not really looked around to find suitable low ohm speakers, I believe it is better to simply swap out the amps (which are garabage level anyhow) put in the adapter harness, new amps & speakers. By careful shopping this should cost just a few hundred dollars. Rather annoying that Bose is so "non standard" -- clearly smacks of non-competitiveness... |
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| Some "genius" at BoseCoInc decided to use 1ohm speakers. If you subsititue "normal" resistance speakers you will see power effectivley cut to 1/4. Not good. I have not really looked around to find suitable low ohm speakers, I believe it is better to simply swap out the amps (which are garabage level anyhow) put in the adapter harness, new amps & speakers. By careful shopping this should cost just a few hundred dollars. Rather annoying that Bose is so "non standard" -- clearly smacks of non-competitiveness... |
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newjack
I was one of the first outspoken critics of the Bose system on the forum. With that said, I do not believe it is as horrible as some would make you believe.
My suggestion.. take two or three different CD's to your dealership and ask for another demo ride. This time pop your CD's in, blast away and see what you think!
Good luck |
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quote:
Originally posted by newjack
My new MDX is scheduled to be delivered this week.
Mesabeige with touring and nav.
For those lucky few who have already received their MDXs,
how would you rate the Bose system? Is it really worth it to replace it? I have a Bose Acoustimass Series III speaker system at home and love it. Relatively speaking, would you consider the MDX's on that level?
Anxiously I await.....
newjack:
mesabeige has it right; it all depends on your expectations. My wife is pleased with the Bose and since it's her ride, that's what counts! I feel differently but also admit that I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to audio (current project is modifying my home theatre to go active; adding active crossovers and providing a channel of 400 watts amplification for each speaker driver).
A simple 1 ohm driver replacement won't do enough; the amps need replacing too. Only you know if that's important enough for your MDX experience to be satisfying.
I used to go nuts on auto audio systems but no more. Cars are too shortlived and I can get my high-end audio fix at home.
Good luck! |
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| The Bose system is ok, but I did expect much better. I've no plans to upgrade the system yet, since I did spend hefty amount of money for it. But some other people have listen to it and thought that it was great. Just depends on your expectation and what other systems you've had before. But still, this car rocks. |
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Just did important sound system tuning in our touring model MDX. Basic knowledge of soldering and wiring is required.
To make the music more intelligent and to take away that aweful booming and overextension on these small 1 ohm bad boy drivers, I consulted an audio engineer and decided to roll off the four front and middle mid- bass speakers 6db at 100hz We used 800 microfarad, 63V non/bi polar capacitors I purchased from Chokes Unlimited. WOW!!! Much cleaner, less muddy mid bass!!! I put the caps in series with the positive lead of the speaker, using heat shrink tubing to insulate the soldered leads.
To address the dreaded "Booming Subwoofer", as the MDX manual so precicely puts it, I installed a 100 Watt L pad and dialed the L pad back to mid position (probably attenuated the sub by 6db min. Sounds much better overall. I also purchase the L Pad from I Chokes Unlimited in Gold Hill, Oregon.
Happy driving and grooving.
saja
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quote:
Originally posted by sajakake
Just did important sound system tuning in our touring model MDX. Basic knowledge of soldering and wiring is required.
saja
If I understand what you did was to establish a crossover network amoung the speakers and the subwoofer. Is that right because when I put in a powered subwoofer with a variable crossover network on my home stereo a number of years ago it cleaned up the mid and mid low range tremendously. Are we talking about the same thing here. It looks like you have found the silver Bose bullet. Out of interested how much did this stuff cost and how long did it take you to install the stuff. Also did you put the capacitors in line or mount on some type of board and run the wires that way? This is the most intelligent thing to me that anyone has posted on this site about the Bose system to date. Good work man.:D |
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Remery: I actually created a high pass crossover network by rolling off the lows around 100hz in each of the 2 front and 2nd row 5-1/4's so that they are no longer run at "full bandwidth". And yes, I simply soldered the caps in series without a PC board or anything else. The caps are about the diameter of a quarter and approx 1 1/2 inches long and weigh an ounce or two, not much weight really. I did wrap a couple of the caps with self adhesive closed cell foam weatherstripping just to keep them from vibrating.
The caps cost approx. $4 each from Vern at Chokes Unlimited http://www.chokes.com 800-233-3530
The subwoofer was a completely different story. I simply installed the 100watt "L" pad in its proper orientation (Vern supplied a drawing with the L pad) and knocked down that ugly boominess . The L pad was approx. $10 if I remember right.
The whole shebang took approx 5 hours. Not quick, but well work the effort.
Cheers, Saja |
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quote:
Originally posted by sajakake
Remery: I actually created a high pass crossover network by rolling off the lows around 100hz in each of the 2 front and 2nd row 5-1/4's so that they are no longer run at "full bandwidth". And yes, I simply soldered the caps in series without a PC board or anything else. The caps are about the diameter of a quarter and approx 1 1/2 inches long and weigh an ounce or two, not much weight really. I did wrap a couple of the caps with self adhesive closed cell foam weatherstripping just to keep them from vibrating.
The caps cost approx. $4 each from Vern at Chokes Unlimited http://www.chokes.com 800-233-3530
The subwoofer was a completely different story. I simply installed the 100watt "L" pad in its proper orientation (Vern supplied a drawing with the L pad) and knocked down that ugly boominess . The L pad was approx. $10 if I remember right.
The whole shebang took approx 5 hours. Not quick, but well work the effort.
Cheers, Saja
Saja,
You have a few of us less technically competent brethren salivating. Is there any way you put a picture or drawing up on the gallery and maybe put in an even more detailed description of what you did so we can do this too?
I would appreciate any help you could give.
Thanks
MB
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I'll try and scratch out some drawings or take photos, but it'll take me some time as we're off on a 1000 mile trip in the MDX today for a week.
Bon Voyage and I'll see what I can do upon my return.
In the meanwhile, a competent Auto Audio shop could do the work in no time and probably for not mucho dinero.
6 discs in the changer & clean sound to go!!!
Cheers, saja |
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quote:
Originally posted by sajakake
I'll try and scratch out some drawings or take photos, but it'll take me some time as we're off on a 1000 mile trip in the MDX today for a week.
Bon Voyage and I'll see what I can do upon my return.
In the meanwhile, a competent Auto Audio shop could do the work in no time and probably for not mucho dinero.
6 discs in the changer & clean sound to go!!!
Cheers, saja
Thanks Saja, Enjoy the weekend, the ride and the tunes! |
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Many of us await your return Saja.
Happy motoring!! |
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This sounds like a great low-cost solution to clean up the sound. Unfortunately for me "creating a high pass crossover network by rolling off the lows around 100hz" isn't something I do on a regular basis. In fact, folks up in these parts that crossover get in trouble for it;)
So, I'll look forward to an English translation - how about a "High Pass Crossover Network for Dummies" post!
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| I have a good ear for music (joined the CD crowd in 85) and appreciate a good sound system. However I do not hold any automobile to the same demanding standards that I hold my living room to, for the simple reason that cars can never be as quiet as my house. The car is quiet, but there is some tire noise, engine noise, traffic noise, and wind noise and always will be. I consider the Bose system to be more than adequate for the environment it is sitting in. Furthermore music quality is both objective and subjective. Objectively the system works!! It plays the music w/o static, hiss, hums, flutter, etc. As for the subjective part, well it is subjective. Not every listener cares for the same level of high/lows. Ideally a system should reproduce the sound exactly as it was played. For the most part I never hear the original so I do not how how well the reproduction matches. For me the Bose sounds fine, and certainly not worth me putting in more money into it. |
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msu,
If you have read some other posts on this subject I made, you would see I am in almost total agreement with you except for one thing.
We Mahogany owners must hold our car stereos to a somewhat higher standard than the other color owners. Why you might ask? Well as the colorologist put it - "we are supposed to be sipping wine and listening to piano music." The piano along with percussion are two of the most difficult instruments to reproduce sonically because of the number of high frequency overtones they produce. So as you can see, our fine taste in colors is both a blessing and a curse!! |
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I don't know, let's look at the facts here:
[List=1]
[*] Remery is basically happy with the Bose system
[*] We see golf clubs in Rem's trunk. Now that's a step above bowling, but clearly he's not a member of the Xterra crowd
[*] Checking out his playlist, he's listening to Doors, Pink Floyd, Springsteen. Chances are he's attended a fair number of rock concerts in his day.
[*] Finally, he admits to being a musician, probably spent a lot of time in front of a stack of Marshall amps with his Stratocaster.
Now we've all got to realize that at some point, our ears just ain't what they used to be - in Rem's case, I'm guessing a stock Kenwood system would be just fine!
:D:D:D jeez, I kill myself sometimes...:D:D:D
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quote:
Originally posted by ghost
I don't know, let's look at the facts here:
[List=1]
[*] Remery is basically happy with the Bose system
[*] We see golf clubs in Rem's trunk. Now that's a step above bowling, but clearly he's not a member of the Xterra crowd
[*] Checking out his playlist, he's listening to Doors, Pink Floyd, Springsteen. Chances are he's attended a fair number of rock concerts in his day.
[*] Finally, he admits to being a musician, probably spent a lot of time in front of a stack of Marshall amps with his Stratocaster.
Now we've all got to realize that at some point, our ears just ain't what they used to be - in Rem's case, I'm guessing a stock Kenwood system would be just fine!
:D:D:D jeez, I kill myself sometimes...:D:D:D
1. Guilty as charged
2. Be careful when the PGA tour comes to Minnesota during your 3 weeks of summer, someone could throw a 9 iron your direction for that blasphemy.
3. Guilty as charged but I never inhaled!!
4. No. Peeve and Fender amps with drum sticks not guitar picks. Interesting enough, I used to bring my drums to the car dealer before purchasing a new vehicle to make sure they would fit. Now I just bring a picture of my dog!!
No my ears are fine even though a bit past the mid-century mark but still good enough to hear "chin music" when its broadcast in the vicinity or even a neighboring state of sorts! Although a lot of snow tends to muffle it quite a bit!:D:D |
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Yes I'm guilty!!
Ears are not what they used to be.
Mahogany owners are the most refined:D;) |
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quote:
Originally posted by msu79gt82
Yes I'm guilty!!
Ears are not what they used to be.
Mahogany owners are the most refined:D;)
Oh yeah!!! Says whom?? :p
Your heads are liable to swell bigger than the tires on the
MDX if you keep this up. :D :D :D :D
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| Us Silver guys are refined too, I sipped up the most of a box of wine tonight, listening to some Dr. John. Who says we ain't got taste? |
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ghost--you're entitled to your wine-in-a-box. It probably keeps your blood flowing sitting in your ice-fishing hut during those perpetual Minnesota winters :)
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| "Yes this is a MDX so do you have any Grey Poupon?" :cool: |
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You guys scare me! I'm not sure whether or who wants to know what to do, but suffice it to say that if you aren't sure what I'm talking about regarding doing these upgrades, then you probably shouldn't attempt them. In such case go to your local, competent Car Audio shop and ask them to put a 800 microfarad, bi/non polar capacitor in series with the positive terminal of the speaker in the driver, passenger and 2nd row seating 5 1/4" speakers, and then have them install a 100Watt "L"Pad into the subwoofer area, and have them leave the L pad control where you can adjust it prior to them putting the actual subwoofer back into its factory position.
AND NOW FOR THE 5-1/4" speaker upgrade for those of you with intermediate Electronics/Electrical and soldering competency...
With the MDX turned off & keys out of the ignition
The main thing is to make sure you identify the positive speaker terminal by hooking up a AA battery terminal with leads to the speaker and whichever connection of the positive battery terminal yields the speaker cone moving upwards, then this is the positive speaker terminal. Clip the wire(s) coming from the amp to the speaker here and solder thecapacitor in series with the between the speaker and the clipped wire(s). Repeat in 4 places. Be careful to put heat shrink tubing on all soldered connections and be careful not to stress, pull to hard on the speaker leads or speaker terminals. I had to cut some of the split loom tubing to give me enough play to make it easier to access enough speaker wire to make good solder connections to.
Also, while you're in there it would hurt to put some sound deadening material into the doors, or put some Power Pads (from Cascade Audio Engineering http://www.cascadeaudio.com) behind the speakers, as this vehicle has nil sound attenuating materials anywhere in the doors or elsewhere which probably another reason why the sound system sounds so feeble.
Good luck and if any of this scares you, that's your que to take your vehicle to someone you trust to do this work. It's not a lot of work for a competent installer to do in a couple of hours max!!!
Enjoy and happy motoring!
saja
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quote:
Originally posted by sajakake
You guys scare me! ...............
Enjoy and happy motoring!
saja
Thanks Saja! |
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quote:
Originally posted by ghost
[B]I don't know, let's look at the facts here:
[List=1]
[*] Remery is basically happy with the Bose system
[*] We see golf clubs in Rem's trunk. Now that's a step above bowling, but clearly he's not a member of the Xterra crowd
[*] Checking out his playlist, he's listening to Doors, Pink Floyd, Springsteen. Chances are he's attended a fair number of rock concerts in his day.
[*] Finally, he admits to being a musician, probably spent a lot of time in front of a stack of Marshall amps with his Stratocaster.
Now we've all got to realize that at some point, our ears just ain't what they used to be - in Rem's case, I'm guessing a stock Kenwood system would be just fine!
Yeah, but the poor guy is Colorblind! He thinks that Tootsie Roll Color is Mahogany! :D:D:D:D |
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The lack of amp power on the Bose system was one of only 2 disappointments in our new MDX. I hate to admit that the Infiniti Sound system in the Dodge Caravan we replaced, cranked out better sounding tunes than the beloved new MDX.
At this point not quite bad enough to go the the trouble of serious $$$ to remedy. I do like the head, and 6 disc in-dash changer. You'll love the drive when you get yours, and I've gotta add that the Navi system has exceeded my expectations. Enjoy!! |
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quote:
Originally posted by Gar
The lack of amp power on the Bose system was one of only 2 disappointments in our new MDX. I hate to admit that the Infiniti Sound system in the Dodge Caravan we replaced, cranked out better sounding tunes than the beloved new MDX.
At this point not quite bad enough to go the the trouble of serious $$$ to remedy. I do like the head, and 6 disc in-dash changer. You'll love the drive when you get yours, and I've gotta add that the Navi system has exceeded my expectations. Enjoy!!
I'll have to admit the Infinity sound system in my '96 Dodge Ram pickup had more punch than the MDX Touring Bose. The Bose MDX is a little weak. The steering wheel volume and change controls are great though.
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| Dec/Jan |
I have been drving a 1999 TL that came witht he bose system for almost three years.
I like everything else about the car.
Upgrading is difficult for the following reasons:
1. The dash opening is irregular, requiring a custom plate for the dash (production is too low for the Crutchfields, etc of the world to make a plate).
2. Replacing the head unit would result in loss of the steering wheel controls.
3. The odd electronics/speakers utilized by Bose makes replacing he head unit desirable. Teh head unit is high-output - therefore adapters are needed to tone down the outpur before entering a normal amp. The low-ohm speakers are worthless. The high output head unit overcomes engine whine that becomes obvious when power is connected to anormal, high quality amp. There fore, the amp must be amp output must be kept at a lower-than-optimal level. Worst of all, teh Bose head unit does some kind of dynamic "loudness control" that makes equalization a moving target depending on the head unit volume level.
I updgraded the whole back end with my ADS amps and speakers from a former vehicle and suffer with the head unit distortion as best I can. The upgrade was a major improvement, but replacing the head unit would be equally useful.
I'm assuning we're in for more of the same when the MDX gets here in Dec or Jan.
I am encouraged by the post saying that a head unit can be added in a pocket area without disturbing the factory head unit. At least you have an "out" that way if it is really bad.
:confused: |
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| slash007 |
| If you have the $$$, you can have plate custom made for the mdx. I was told by the audio shop that I use that they do it all of the time for certain benz's and for some of the lexus models. Basially they replace the faux wood surround with one that has a single or double din opening, so that it even looks factory. |
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| Dec/Jan |
I considered a custom plate, but at $200-$300, I would rather spend the bucks on solid electronics. So, I live with the Bose front end. Part of it also is tha I kept hearing that a standard kit would come out, but never has (so far).
The TL is the third car for my ADs stuff, so I have gotten great value from that. |
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