maverickpk

Greetings fellow G37'ers,
Last Saturday, I gifted myself with the 2012 G37 Sedan with Prem, Nav,Wood Trim, Interior Accent Lighting. Been driving around town the last couple of days to get a feel for it and noticed that the audio(despite being BOSE) isn't as spectacular as I had come to expect. There is no thump and punch in the Bass no matter what I did. I also have a 2008 Honda Accord EX-L Coupe with a 6-speaker premium sound system. The difference is night and day. Same set of CDs sound significantly better on the accord sound system with the deep bass but sounds pretty flat on the G37 counterpart. As much as I like everything else about the car, the audio was a disappointment considering that I paid $40k+.
I googled for the last couple of days on this issue and seems like there's hardly anybody who likes the audio system on the G37s, atleast as far as bass is concerned. It's almost like there is no sub-woofer at all anywhere in the car. I should have done a little more research on the audio part before I bought it but I kinda assumed there would be no complaints in that area since it was all premium and I was paying a higher price. I was totally wrong.

Now here's a funny story - When I asked the sales guy about it, he said BOSE speakers sound better as they age and go through the burn-in period. I paused for a moment and said - uhh urghhh Mr. I'm talking about the speakers not the transmission or tires or brakes etc. He said - Yes Sir, I understand, I'm talking about the same. I'm not sure how far that's true but once I heard it from him I was like WTF, are you kidding me. Never heard of a burn-in duration for speakers.

What are my choices here if I need more thump in the music, considering the following facts
- I do not want to forfeit a lot of trunk space if that's possible at all.
- I'm a total noob when it comes to modding a car. I however do
computer mods, both at the PC case level as well as hardware and
software level. So I do not have the guts to open any part of the car
myself considering that the car is just days old.
Do I just need to put in a sub-woofer (and amp?) in? or should I be looking at replacing the speakers on the door panels also?

Ohh by the way, the lady at the front desk in this infiniti location has a great pair of . Thought I'd mention that before I forgot.

PICS TO COME IN A DAY or TWO.

2011G37JOHNBEST

In fact, speakers do have a break in period, especially if they are made with wood. However for G's Bose, I suppose you probably gonna need to tweak a little bit to tune up such as the bass setting as well as tremble setting to middle bar, try it see how it goes

maverickpk

Thanks for your response John. Learned a new thing today with what you said about the break-in period.
As far as settings go, I have tried all possible combinations of Bass and Treble but did not feel anywhere remotely close to how my accord sounds.

rpm&my_G35

The Bose SOW is pretty often discussed on here and G35Driver. The general consensus is poor highs and lows.
Do you have Driver's Audio Stage enabled? It helps a little although I am unsure if/how much it detracts sound quality for passengers. I leave it on.

maverickpk

I have tried with and without Audio Stage. Still doesn't please my ears enough.

2011G37JOHNBEST

Break-in question on Speakers - AVS Forum

Speaker "Break in" is part audiophile myth and part physical reality.

Every time a conventional speaker driver is used after a lengthy rest, it takes a little while, usually measured in seconds, to take on its long-term-use parameter values.

If you let the speaker sit around unused for a period of time measured in weeks or months, it takes on its at-rest parameter values.

Conventional loudspeaker drivers can be both temperature and humidity sensitive as well.

Often more significant can be listener break-in, which happens when a new combination of loudspeaker system and room, are put together and the listener gets used to how it sounds.

A brand new driver does take time to break in. Epoxy is used in the construction of most drivers, to hold the spider together. When you first start using the driver the spider is fairly stiff, but over time the epoxy develops a spider web pattern (haha) of tiny cracks that loosen things up.

Bottom line is the T/S parameters of most drivers are measurably different after break in. Sometimes by a large margin.

So how should you break in your speakers? Just use them, there's no magic CD you need to play. I might avoid driving them to really high levels right off the start, but that's even debatable. You may or may not notice the changes as they break in, but there's nothing you need to do differently during that period.

Also, the few people I have talked to about this in the speaker building business actually run their speakers in the factory for 40+ hours before shipping them out. They don't want people hearing the changes and thinking something's wrong. I don't know how widespread this practice is, probably doesn't happen for cheaper speakers, but it's possible your speakers are already broken in when you unpack them.

sarge_in

I noticed same difference when I compared the G37 to Acura TL. The TL had much better sound, but even that is not to the level of aftermarket subs and speakers you can install. That said, speakers are relatively easier to change out than, say, the head unit (which is almost impossible in these cars as so much other functionality is also routed through them).

Depending on how much you are willing to spend, sub, amp, speakers can each cause a significant difference proprotional to the quality (and cost) of the components. Something like JL Audio / Arc Audio / ID Max subs with an appropriate amp will be a pretty nice upgrade. Speakers from Focal, Hertz, Morel, Rainbow etc are very well regarded.

Ibanez540r

iTrader: (1)

Of the car or the receptionist's tatas?

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

Is there a DYI of doing this? Specifically where do you tap in for the amp inputs (line level).

cy7878

iTrader: (1)

My understanding on Bose system from previous experience is that the speakers are generally bad, paper cone bad. The system uses some propriatary amplification and use of subwoofer to make booming sound that fools the listener into thinking they are actually hearing good music.

The problem I have is that on the Bose systems I have had, the high was not clear and the lows are too boomy and inaccurate.

In my G37, I'd be listening to music that I know doesn't have any lows (vocals for example) and I would still get the annoying boom from the sub. Low frequency sounds withoout reason gives me headaches; just like if I was waiting at the lights next to some "audiophil" with a loud sub.

In my last car, I gutted out the speakers and amp and headunit. In the G, I don't want to spent the >$2000 just to try.

Mudgen

The Bose issues are well discussed here and elsewhere, as noted. I REALLY didn't like the sound when I first got my 2011 Premium sedan, but have found that ticking bass and treble up to one under max and fading it one or two ticks to the rear, it becomes listenable.

But I was spoiled years ago by a McIntosh 300W unit with 150W subwoofer specially commissioned for the '02 Subaru Legacy H6 3.0 VDC. Have not had a factory unit to approach it since.

maxfinity

The bose sounds great to me. I have to amplify certain songs but other than that I have no complaints. Everyone whose been in my car always compliments the sound system. Maybe its sounds different with certain types of music. I'm thinking about adding a subwoofer in the trunk to level out the bass. Took some time for me to get used to the soundstage being in the front of the vehicle. Either way, different people have different taste. Most people either love the bose or absolutely hate it.

ijahman

iTrader: (5)

No matter what is done to Bose it sucks!

I agree with Sarge 100% It depends on how far you want to go...if your budget permits doing a simple 5ch install with a premium audio company like Hertz, Focal, Dynaudio etc it would change the whole dynamics of your audio experience in your G. With the right installer you can for sure keep your trunk space and greatly improve your audio... I would use Hertz High Energy 3 ways up front, Coaxials in the rear doors, 10" sub in the trunk, and a good 5ch amp like the Hertz HDP5...Im actually putting this same setup in my V70R...except Im using a Audison LRX5.1k 5ch amp.

Djfarhan

pics first!

QueenCityG37

I agree with everyone here. the Bose system is disappointing for the price of the car. i traded in a 06 3-series BMW for my G, and the audio system in the BMW was WAY better than the G.

Bose audio system lacks refinement...yes it can crank up loud..but the bass is WAY to boomy and not smooth or crisp. the mids are strong and the highs are just OK.

replacing the speakers to higher quality speakers would be a good idea..using websites like crutchfield.com can be a great help because they can tell you what exactly fits in the stock speaker locations.

keep in mind...speakers only sound as good as the amp thats powering them. i have heard low grade speakers come to life when you have high quality signal being pushed to them.
it will be interesting to see what some of you guys do to your cars.

i personally lease my G37...so i feel limited to what i can do. but im not satisfied with the audio and i would like to improve it as well.