stereo specs ?

[CmdRiker]

Hi
Does anyone know the exact specs of the Bose system in the 2012 MO LE ?

I am curious because I notice a difference in sound quality between the Bose system in my 2009 MO SL and this one. The 2009 MO SL sounds better in my opinion.

Cheers

[CmdRiker]

Just went digging on the Bose site for info.. not much there.. in fact in their FAQ there is a question that asks " can I get specifications for the system in my vehicle" and the answer is " No, because we custom engineer each system etc..bla bla bla" ..

So, I did send them an email, not asking for specs, but if there was any changes made to "the system" from the 2009 model to the 2012 model. I have to say that it is a very significant difference in sound quality. The 2012 model system sounds like AM radio compared to the 2009 model system.
I am a part time musician and have a home recording studio so I'm picky about my sound, but less so in my car than my studio of course. I was quite happy with the sound of the 2009 MO, not bad at all for a car system. My wife thought it sounded amazing, but she made the first comment in the 2012 LE, "is it me or is the stereo sounding really bad compared to our other MO ? " No dear, it's not you, it definitively sounds significantly worse than our old MO.

What changed ? lower quality drivers ? I would bet that they used much lower amplification power in the 2012 model vs the 2009, and I would also bet they changed the drivers to a smaller size, smaller voice coil. It sounds thin, not engaging, dull, lacks life, no dynamics, NO LOVE !!

So, not sure what Bose will come back to me with.. but I'll be sure to share it here.

If anyone else has had this experience or knows about the details of the system, Please chime in

[frankmar]

I have a 2011 sl and the sound system is great. I have to believe you cause the white paint in the 2012 here in Canada is not Pear White its KANOKE white, and looks cheap believe me.

Now they cut even on the sound system. What a pity.

[HVT]

Very hard to find much info on the power output of the Bose systems. But both Bose amps are the same part number from 2009 to 2011. I couldn't find the one for the 2012 model.

[CmdRiker]

Originally Posted by HVT

Very hard to find much info on the power output of the Bose systems. But both Bose amps are the same part number from 2009 to 2011. I couldn't find the one for the 2012 model.

So I got some information from Bose directly. All of the speaker drivers are exactly the same, however, the digital amplifier in 2012 has 9 channels of custom EQ vs 10 channels of custom EQ in the 2009 - 2011.

They did not tell me if the amplifier had less overall power (my guess is it does have less power), the sound is different because they put in one less EQ channel and also changed the EQ curves.

They are sending me a demo CD and want my opinion / feedback on the sound of each track. I guess I'm on "team Bose" now . Hopefuly they will take my feedback to improve the next model.

I wonder if I could swap out the amp for a 2009 Bose amp ? assuming I could even find one.

[HVT]

No shyt? Wow. But why change like that just for the 2012 I wonder. I know our 2011s sounds amazing for what it is. Thanks for the info. Glad you were able to get to the bottom of it. Good ears too...lol.

[CmdRiker]

Originally Posted by HVT

No shyt? Wow. But why change like that just for the 2012 I wonder. I know our 2011s sounds amazing for what it is. Thanks for the info. Glad you were able to get to the bottom of it. Good ears too...lol.

Maybe to cut costs ? not sure For me the biggest difference is that the sound is more focused on the center speaker than on the front door speakers which diminishes the stereo image of the music. It's like listening to 2.0 stereo track on a home theater system with the center channel cranked up, it's not as natural as we are used to hearing a stereo image. In my humble opinion, the middle speaker should be there to "bridge the gap" between the right and left speaker and present a uniform sound stage, which worked really well in my 09 MO. In this one I feel like they pushed the center to much and it all seems to come out from the front dash. The rear speakers seem a bit weaker as well. I also feel that when they tweaked the EQ the reduced the mids / low mids frequency to give it more of a smiley faced sound which is popular these days. Pump the bass and the treble and scoop out the middle. Uggg..

In any case, I'm stuck with it for many years to come so I'll just have to get use to it.

[Block8head]

That's suck!.. As far as i know the sound in the 09 is amazing when you play certain songs....
Kenny G may be?.. LOL