Bose Sound Pack - Opinions

[TS23]

The BOSE system is crap. People say that Harman Kardon in a BMW is not that good, but BOSE in the Macan is way more worse. Burmeister is better, but not great for pop / EDM. For classic music and concerts it's great.

I’d say the opposite (though it’s fluctuates by model), but the HK systems in BMW have gotten worse over the last 15 years I’ve been buying them (8/9 in total) and the handful of cars from the Porsche stable with Bose seem to be better.

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[CHP]

I would like to know what do you mean with "base EQ" ?
I have the Macan Electric Turbo since march 2025 with the Bose System and I have only the possibility to change the bass and treble.

Basic EQ: Sliders for Bass and Treble. You are not missing out.

 

[actuario]

Hello all
I was testing the Macan Ev before I ordered one and it had Bose. I used to drive a AUDI Q3 with Bose and I might recognize that Bose sounds better in Audi.
In anyway I was a quite frustrated hearding the BOSE in MeV...... until I changed the parametrics of the system. ( only bass and treble I think )

 

[JohnnyRoaster]

Keep in mind the speakers need about 100 hours to break in. They will sound a lot better after a few months.

 

[jwatte]

the speakers need about 100 hours to break in

This is a myth. No modern speakers change measurably with "break in." In fact, there's probably more difference between cars built on different days, than there is between the same car when new, and the car after 500 hours of listening.

Of course, this is a human perception thing, so if you *believe* they need break-in, your brain will tell you they're better after break-in. And if your brain tells you they're better, who am I to harsh your mellow?
Should probably go with the acid-free silver speaker cables, too!

 

[CHP]

This is a myth. No modern speakers change measurably with "break in." In fact, there's probably more difference between cars built on different days, than there is between the same car when new, and the car after 500 hours of listening.

Of course, this is a human perception thing, so if you *believe* they need break-in, your brain will tell you they're better after break-in. And if your brain tells you they're better, who am I to harsh your mellow?
Should probably go with the acid-free silver speaker cables, too!

For sure there is a lot of snake oil in HIFI. Breaking in high end speaker however makes kind of sense as moving parts are not as flexible as they need to be for optimum results to be realised. The higher the quality of any driver system, the more demanding the loudspeaker will be regarding time for running-in the system. That being said, not sure if this applies to BOSE at all. I choose BOSE over baseline for volume and bass. I don't think there is too much difference in highs and mids until mid volumes.

 

[jwatte]

Breaking in high end speaker however makes kind of sense

Right, but when it's been measured, it hasn't actually proven out, for the normal speaker designs measured.

For what it's worth, I used to be vehemently against "snake oil" because I was on the pro side of audio. Until I realized that the consumer is buying an experience, and it's what the consumer ultimately believes they experience that matters. If someone feels really good about paying $2,000 for 8-gauge purple power cords for their HiFi equipment, it would be right mean of me to try to remove that good feeling they paid so much to get!

It's only when someone says "I can see on this oscilloscope that the mid-range dynamics delivery changed" that I'm inclined to call them out
If the argument is "you'll feel better about these after 100 hours of loud listening," I'm inclined to agree with the recommendation. Just not for any physically measurable sound response change reasons!
Brains are funny like that.

 

[JohnnyRoaster]

Any speaker designer will agree that there is a break in period to seat the drivers. Times will vary from minutes to hundreds of hours depending on manufacturer. Quantifying the change is impossible. I know that a new shoe is going to take some time to break in but as far as I know there isn't a machine that can prove it.

 

[jm1883]

Spent a lot of time in two Macan EVs, one with and one without Bose. As we pool scheme cars often at work, I can honestly say there’s not that much difference. The default speakers are very good. Bose made a difference in ICE Macans and certainly does on the Taycan.

Nothing has ever come close to the HK system I once had on a JCW Mini Hatch though, even the Burmeister system in our EQA.

 

[Tacoman]

I like my Bose....but have no clue what the standard Macan option sounds like

No complaints on my end

 

[KLMRCLL]

I don't like the sound at all. I find it dull, voices muted, bass is dirty and doesn't go that low. There is no sound image. Worse than that, I feel it compressed and with no punch. I've tried every kind of music, usb driven, no compression and its not one of those "bose sounds good with rock, but no so good with classical or jazz".
I have my past (and present) in sound systems and I don't expect it to sound like hifi, but I expected it to sound just "fine".

I've have had the opportunity to try a taycan and a cayenne (both from 2022-2023) for some days and the difference is clear.
The taycan sounds much better in any of the aforementioned points. It sounded quite good for the upgrade it is. One could argue its the cabin (smaller). Others than different cabins require different approaches.
The cayenne sounds better, not nuch, but appreciable. There is some soundstage and voices are there, bass has some more punch and its cleaner. In the rear seats sound fine too.

Come on, current class-d has incredible amplifiers and dsp systems are super cheap and powerfull.
Thats why I feel they just decided to throw in some speakers, a subwoofer and no proper tunning was made. Unfortunatelly there is no way (AFAIK) to try to balance the system out. Feels like no one was there to tune it.

 

[Yves]

Knowing what I know now, I would take the standards and go aftermarket … gain some space along the way … I have Burmeister and it’s OK, but not worth the price … the B&W in the iX on the other hand …

 

[AlexJ]

I’d say the opposite (though it’s fluctuates by model), but the HK systems in BMW have gotten worse over the last 15 years I’ve been buying them (8/9 in total) and the handful of cars from the Porsche stable with Bose seem to be better.

I have just gotten my Macan with the Bose.
I’m coming from a 2015 BMW 4 series and… the Harman Kardon inside is much better than the Bose.
I love the car, but I’m a bit disappointed by the Bose, I was expecting a bit better.

And I think for once, the surround option is the best of the profiles.
Usually it’s really crap, but here, it’s the only one you can listen to.
Stereo and Linear are extremely flat

 

[pm4s]

I don't like the sound at all. I find it dull, voices muted, bass is dirty and doesn't go that low. There is no sound image. Worse than that, I feel it compressed and with no punch. I've tried every kind of music, usb driven, no compression and its not one of those "bose sounds good with rock, but no so good with classical or jazz".
I have my past (and present) in sound systems and I don't expect it to sound like hifi, but I expected it to sound just "fine".

Come on, current class-d has incredible amplifiers and dsp systems are super cheap and powerfull.
Thats why I feel they just decided to throw in some speakers, a subwoofer and no proper tunning was made. Unfortunatelly there is no way (AFAIK) to try to balance the system out. Feels like no one was there to tune it.

I agree with the above, I find the Bose in the Macan EV shockingly bad, it is easily the worst optioned system I have heard I my life.
Although systems from HK, B&O, Meridian, ML sounded better than the Bose in my Boxster, I loved that system and was satisfied 100% with it.
Satisfaction with Bose in the Macan is 0%, the sound is terrible, a lot worse than stock systems.
I have tried every setting & every source, it sounds as listening under water.
Without ripping the system out to study it, as I know Bose can sound good from experience & Macan or Macan sized cars can sound good, again from experience, I am happy to blame Android for the truly awful sound, not because I can prove it but because I simply cannot think of anything else.
I like to think the AAOS mixer resamples everything to 8 kbps mono as that's what I can best describe the sound as.
I may have lost half of my hearing but I'm not deaf and can certainly tell the difference between every system. No 2 systems sound alike.

I don't understand 2 things:
1) Why is the sound so terrible?
2) Why some people don't mind the sound, think the sound is ok or even like the sound, are we not hearing the same thing?

My advice if you like sound systems:
1) Do not get a Macan EV
2) If you have to have a MAcan EV untick every possible option just to tick the 5K (6K now?) Burmester* option
*Disclaimer I have not heard the Burmester in the Macan EV as I would probably kill my self for not specing it

In the 1 in a trillion probability somebody knows someone at Bose I would ask them the question how they managed to create a system that sounds completely crap. Unless they just made the BOSE badges and Porsche used some speaker supplier that uses wet paper for the cones?

If it's just the speakers (I doubt it; how bad can they be) I am assuming a company would pick up on this and offer plug & play speaker replacement kits with adapters/harnesses/instructions, etc.

 

[JohnnyRoaster]

In the 1 in a trillion probability somebody knows someone at Bose I would ask them the question how they managed to create a system that sounds completely crap. Unless they just made the BOSE badges and Porsche used some speaker supplier that uses wet paper for the cones?

I do know a few people that work at Bose. Their headquarters is a couple towns over. I'll ask if they know which design team it was.

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