Well... I've been checking the sound in my new car a bit, and it's not that bad really.
Not "excellent", as it does sound a bit muffled, but overall better than expected.
On heavily compressed music it's like a somewhat aggressive JBL tilt is beeing applied sounding overly muffled, on more dynamic recordings it sounds less "corrected" and the issues with driver placement and crossovers become more apparent.
Sounds reasonably good tbh, but not better than the Infinity setup in the original Ioniq that was clearly made based on completely different ideals (better integration, driver placement and crossovers).
Deep bass is better in the Ioniq 5 (Bose), as that was somewhat lacking in the first Ioniq (Infinity).
Not "excellent", as it does sound a bit muffled, but overall better than expected.
On heavily compressed music it's like a somewhat aggressive JBL tilt is beeing applied sounding overly muffled, on more dynamic recordings it sounds less "corrected" and the issues with driver placement and crossovers become more apparent.
Sounds reasonably good tbh, but not better than the Infinity setup in the original Ioniq that was clearly made based on completely different ideals (better integration, driver placement and crossovers).
Deep bass is better in the Ioniq 5 (Bose), as that was somewhat lacking in the first Ioniq (Infinity).
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To be fair all of my cars, except the previous one with a Harman system, had sound systems I built, so I wasn't comparing the Bose system to stock systems. The Harman system was heaps better than the Bose. I have the treble at almost full boost to get the Bose system flattish to maybe 8kHz or so.
Just for fun I pulled out the Bose 'subwoofer' (a five inch driver on a waveguide). It really shocked me just how resonance its 'cabinet' is. The resonances are way above the passband of the sound the subwoofer is reproducing, so I guess Bose thought that was OK. But the resonances are not above the frequency range of road noise. I got to work on the cabinet with some damping material and reinstalled it. Surprise, surprise a lot of irritating rear wheel road noise has disappeared(!) The road noise was obviously being amplified by Bose's flimsy low-cost crapplastic enclosure which is bolted to the chassis between the rear wheel arches.
Just for fun I pulled out the Bose 'subwoofer' (a five inch driver on a waveguide). It really shocked me just how resonance its 'cabinet' is. The resonances are way above the passband of the sound the subwoofer is reproducing, so I guess Bose thought that was OK. But the resonances are not above the frequency range of road noise. I got to work on the cabinet with some damping material and reinstalled it. Surprise, surprise a lot of irritating rear wheel road noise has disappeared(!) The road noise was obviously being amplified by Bose's flimsy low-cost crapplastic enclosure which is bolted to the chassis between the rear wheel arches.
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I find the practice by companies of hiring audio design consultants/contractors looks like a marketing move. Regarding cars, there is only so much that can be done within the noisy and acoustically challenged cabin environment, even with noise cancelling. Limitations on driver placement should be noted, as well. If anything, it’s about branding and creating buyer perception of value and exclusivity. Bose has done well at that.
Among other things that enters my thoughts is the question lifecycle. Cars eventually reach the end of their lifecycle, they fall out of desirability, or our needs change. Then what good was spending the extra money on its sound system?
Case in point, my previous 7 series BMW had the active crossover/12-channel DSP audiophile package. It was bundled as such, in order to get certain features the car was also fitted with the sound system. There was a defect in those cars that would allow water to traverse the wire harnesses and run down into the amplifier’s aluminum casework. The corrosion would swell and short the circuit boards. All that technology gone to waste.
Even if it hadn’t, the car aged and I moved to a newer vehicle. I prefer in-home audio, and my attention is on the road when I drive, so it’s unlikely I’ll buy into upgraded car audio again.
Another thing that comes to mind are the Dynaudio/Harmon Kardon/Altec/JBL/etc audio systems being put in notebook computers, desktop speakers and the like. As far as I have heard in person, they are nothing superior to the more generic options.
Among other things that enters my thoughts is the question lifecycle. Cars eventually reach the end of their lifecycle, they fall out of desirability, or our needs change. Then what good was spending the extra money on its sound system?
Case in point, my previous 7 series BMW had the active crossover/12-channel DSP audiophile package. It was bundled as such, in order to get certain features the car was also fitted with the sound system. There was a defect in those cars that would allow water to traverse the wire harnesses and run down into the amplifier’s aluminum casework. The corrosion would swell and short the circuit boards. All that technology gone to waste.
Even if it hadn’t, the car aged and I moved to a newer vehicle. I prefer in-home audio, and my attention is on the road when I drive, so it’s unlikely I’ll buy into upgraded car audio again.
Another thing that comes to mind are the Dynaudio/Harmon Kardon/Altec/JBL/etc audio systems being put in notebook computers, desktop speakers and the like. As far as I have heard in person, they are nothing superior to the more generic options.
Just a marketing move. like Hasselblad optics on some cell phone cameras.
How many know about those cameras, and that Zeiss made special lenses for them?
Or that stock Zeiss lenses that could be used on those were centred and realigned, so the lens was a very big part of the camera reputation also.
Hasselblad is more or less in the same situation as B&O, surviving on name alone.
Short explanation:
Hasselblad cameras could change film magazines mid way through a roll, and also use 120 and 35 mm film, very popular among high end fashion photographers.
Lenses also of course could be changed.
Pricier than almost every camera made.
How many know about those cameras, and that Zeiss made special lenses for them?
Or that stock Zeiss lenses that could be used on those were centred and realigned, so the lens was a very big part of the camera reputation also.
Hasselblad is more or less in the same situation as B&O, surviving on name alone.
Short explanation:
Hasselblad cameras could change film magazines mid way through a roll, and also use 120 and 35 mm film, very popular among high end fashion photographers.
Lenses also of course could be changed.
Pricier than almost every camera made.
The Ioniq 5 is the quietest car I've been in.
Not sure how big the sub driver is, but I seem to recall 80 liters volume being mentioned somewhere.
It's very clear to me that there's a certain amount of branding happening, but I think the primary factor for general sound quality in factory systems would be budget.
I was at a small outdoor concert Sunday featuring two old folk artists (Josh White Jr. and Mike Ball) playing acoustic guitar and singing for about 75 people under an open sided tent. They used a pair of Bose professional systems that I had not seen before consisting of a bass module with a tall very narrow array for higher frequencies integrated into the front center of the bass module. A file pic from the Bose Professional website is below (grille covers removed):
For scale the vertical array is about 2m tall. In this venue and for the style of music played they sounded good, plenty loud, well balanced and not fatiguing to listen to for 90 minutes.
For scale the vertical array is about 2m tall. In this venue and for the style of music played they sounded good, plenty loud, well balanced and not fatiguing to listen to for 90 minutes.
Attachments
The flagship 901 was not the first the Bose direct/reflecting speaker the company sold but the 2201. Not hard to see why he changed gears.
Bose L1. The picture is missing the controller.
Like You I've also heard one time a guitar player in a shopping mall and liked the sound.
I can show You a wedding venue were Bose speakers were installed and they sound awfull. It doesn't make sense using 5cm speakers on 30cm round ceiling grilles.
The Bose 2201 was a corner located ⅛ spherical enclosure that doesn't invoke reflections in the way the 901 does. I think the 901 with 8 of 9 drivers facing away from the listener and 1 of 9 facing the listener was the first Bose speaker based on his 'research' that in an auditorium only 10% of the sound arriving at the listener's ears is direct, and the balance reflected.
A view from the past
I was in the US military (Germany) in early 1980s. The US military PX especially overseas, was a prime market for audio gear. This was, perhaps, the golden age of consumer electronics, long before the Internet and maybe even the DAK catalog. If you ever got the chance to see the "Audio-Photo Mart" at Mainz-Kastel (sp?) or I'm sure others elsewhere, they were probably only equaled by audio shops in major world cities. I mean, it was hi-fi porn in the flesh, a house of ill repute for gadgets from the cheapest to the most luxurious, something to empty the pocket of the lowest PFC or the careerist Colonel, multiple floors, a shopping mall just for consumer electronics.
Yes, Bose always had slick marketing, major promotions and it sounded "good." I may be forgiven, perhaps, that I was in my early 20s and lacking wisdom I acquired in time since. As "good" as Bose were, I did not buy any of their gear then. Later, in my 30s and 40s, I dabbled in a few pairs, always used. 501s and in my 50s, I went nuts and bought and restored 901 series I and II. I now have nine speakers, in various states of repair, collecting dust. If you need a pair for cheap and are near me, please message!
I don't know Dr. Bose's history in detail, but he did invent, or at least refine, a couple interesting technologies beyond overpriced speakers: active auto suspension, noise reducing headphones.
Also, how many speaker manufacturers can brag they took a libel case all the way to the US Supreme Court?
I was in the US military (Germany) in early 1980s. The US military PX especially overseas, was a prime market for audio gear. This was, perhaps, the golden age of consumer electronics, long before the Internet and maybe even the DAK catalog. If you ever got the chance to see the "Audio-Photo Mart" at Mainz-Kastel (sp?) or I'm sure others elsewhere, they were probably only equaled by audio shops in major world cities. I mean, it was hi-fi porn in the flesh, a house of ill repute for gadgets from the cheapest to the most luxurious, something to empty the pocket of the lowest PFC or the careerist Colonel, multiple floors, a shopping mall just for consumer electronics.
Yes, Bose always had slick marketing, major promotions and it sounded "good." I may be forgiven, perhaps, that I was in my early 20s and lacking wisdom I acquired in time since. As "good" as Bose were, I did not buy any of their gear then. Later, in my 30s and 40s, I dabbled in a few pairs, always used. 501s and in my 50s, I went nuts and bought and restored 901 series I and II. I now have nine speakers, in various states of repair, collecting dust. If you need a pair for cheap and are near me, please message!
I don't know Dr. Bose's history in detail, but he did invent, or at least refine, a couple interesting technologies beyond overpriced speakers: active auto suspension, noise reducing headphones.
Also, how many speaker manufacturers can brag they took a libel case all the way to the US Supreme Court?
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I guess the best single word to sum up "Bose's philosphy of sound production" would be: Inoffensive
Not a fan, but it's okay for a lot of the, IMO, very offensive modern mastered music that my kids like.
Lacks impact and punch, details are lacking, most of this could be attributed to poorly optimized driver placement and crossovers. Bass seems "impressive" but it feels a bit dislodged from the rest of the soundscape.
Not a fan, but it's okay for a lot of the, IMO, very offensive modern mastered music that my kids like.
Lacks impact and punch, details are lacking, most of this could be attributed to poorly optimized driver placement and crossovers. Bass seems "impressive" but it feels a bit dislodged from the rest of the soundscape.