nm3210

You're getting nitpicky if you count the subwoofers as two :-P Yes there are two drivers but they're in the same enclosure and right next to each other. And get fed by the same output I think? I will say that I am impressed by how much better the Bose system sounds but probably more saddened how bad the stock system sounds.

jcman

Factual Yes, I'm just stating the total physical speaker count.

I've had Symphony I + Bose in our 2001 and Symphony II w/sat + Bose in the current 2004, the difference between the two is an estimated 60watts +/- and the sound seems a tad bit fuller with a meager bass punch, no big deal compared to stock Infiniti systems I've heard.

Bose has never been a good subject on any audiophile forum yet I still have
a pair of 28yr old 501 series 5 home speakers with a Dayton woof up-grade and Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone still projects very pronounced and deep compared to the car? Go figure when it's Bose.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Still love my 501 series with the active equalizer. Using a Marantz 100w/ch RMS solid state receiver with bad monitor switches (too lazy to tear into it). Frogged out of the preamp into the active equalizer and back into the main amp...works great.

jcman

Thats cool Sloop because when I bought the 501's way back when Marantz was my choice too Gold Series if I recall with about the same power only to be replaced with an 94 very heavy Onkyo ARV-410 amp @110watts x 2 with two channels A, B or AB combined along with a selectable 4-6-8ohm impedance switch, but my prized vintage gem to is the 1984 Marantz TT-440 linear track turn table with the new "affordable these days" p-mount audio technica stylus/cartridge, this still keeps me rockin!

Jon Wolff

I have no bose branding anywhere in the car. The subwoofer is a blaupunkt unit and all the speaker grills are black. When I unplug the wiring harness from the sub in the back only the rear speakers and sub die.

Everything so far points to a non-bose system running in bose mode. I'm going to check the coding today and see where I'm at afterwards. I'll report back what I find.

Jon Wolff

It was the coding. I re-coded to the standard non-bose setup (00007) and now everything works great and the system sounds better in general.

The coding was set to 00117 originally (bose, cd changer and front left w/phone).

for reference this is the link I used to determine the coding:
http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/audi/radios/concert.html

Thanks for the help.

clancy

I believe the 901's were the speakers that had an eq and took lots of power. This was necessary because the "901" meant 9 speakers or drivers (8 pointing toward the wall and 1 pointing forward)and 1 equalizer. The eq was necessary because the drivers were all the same 4" size and it required boosting both the bass and the treble to get the speaker to sound reasonable. They were to be set up with the speakers in corners or at least backed up to a wall for the "Direct Reflect" to work. Originally sold with trumpet shaped pedestals for the speakers. The Bose 501's were the much smaller "bookshelf" speakers that did not have an eq.

Bose' claim was not necessarily audio sound reproduction accuracy, rather the experience.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

You're right...the active equalizer says 901 Series V.

jcman

301's maybe not 501 series 5's, mine are direct reflecting to add with no Bose EQ.

clancy

Yep 301s were the bookshelf speakers. Totally forgot about the 501s. My old age is showing. Thanks for correcting me.