[GeeBee]

Am I being a little too picky?

My 2016 SL is advertised as having an 11 speaker BOSE sound system with dual subwoofers...

While I'm no audiophile, I have to say that the stereo is very week. I mean, it's not very loud. The low end is weak. Mids and highs appear to be okay.

In order to get any volume out of this stereo I have to turn it up to about 50%.

I feel like my old Ford Escape had more range and a louder system than what I have now.

Am I alone here?

Does anyone have any suggestions on tweaks to the system that will help to optimize the sound?

 

[MuranoNYC]

Make sure you play the music via USB and that the file is high bit rate. But even then, from the past three vehicles that I had with the Bose, the Bose in the Murano does seem to be tuned down. Could be from the location of the sub/speakers.

 

[dand.]

We have 2015 Mo Platinum, I think its very low quality sound system, just to get a customers attention by name. BOSE itself just very well promoted brand with minimum audio quality. Mid range Yamaha or Sony speakers can produce wider frequency range. Harman group the best in car audio, klipsh in home. Just my opinion.

As MuranoNYC recommended, use high bitrate MP3s 320 is the best, streaming Pandora, Amazon get you up to 128.
You can stream FLAC from clouds via BT, new BT protocol supporting 320 rate.

 

[GeeBee]

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I've only tried streaming via bluetooth at this point.

I'll try a usb stick with some high bitrate files to see if that helps to improve the experience.

 

[MuranoNYC]

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I've only tried streaming via bluetooth at this point.

I'll try a usb stick with some high bitrate files to see if that helps to improve the experience.

Bluetooth streaming is pretty bad in the Murano, the volume gets reduced by atleast half compared to plugged.

I agree with dand, looks like they just slapped on the Bose tag on regular speakers just to get the consumers attention. Don't get me wrong, it's not all that bad, but my Altima and Infiniti Bose system sounded much better.

 

[Trappistmonk]

Agree, I would not have ticked that option box if it was not mandatory on an SL, there is no real improvement over the base system

 

[assad]

You are not being picky, a lot of people have complained about the audio system on the murano, nissan did not do a good job at all on that. I believe there was a thread that explained how to improve the audio on the Bose by doing some modification, do a search on this forum.

 

[bwebb6322]

I agree too. The system is pretty weak in regards to volume and punch. The mid range is pretty good, but the highs and lows are not that great at all.

We had a 2014 Durango with the 9-speaker Alpine system. It was much louder and hit way harder than the Bose system in the Murano.

For that matter, the Bose system in my 2003 Acura TL only has five speakers and the mids and highs are comparable to the Murano's Bose. The bass is better in the old Acura.

 

[Northof8mile]

Anything audio related is subjective to individual users preferences and experience level. Bose is one of those things that people either love or hate or just don't care about. Generally the only people that post are the ones the aren't satisfied so you get a lot of what appears to be dissatisfaction. Myself I don't have a problem with the Murano system and I've owned and driven many different Nissans with Bose over the past 15 years. IMHO it's at the about the same level as Maxima's system and much better than the Rouge system. All of the Infinitis have better Bose systems.

I understand that some people like extra bass boost, just not going to see that in Bose system. One thing I like about the Bose is that there is minimal distortion at high volume levels and the car doesn't shake and rattle since Bose works closely with the Noise Vibration Harmonics group at Nissan. Another thing you have to take into account is the source of your music, compressed music files will sound bad on any system and especially bad via bluetooth. Pop a CD of known quality into the player if you really want to evaluate a system.

There was time when I would remove the factory head unit and speakers and install aftermarket product but systems like Bose make that a less necessary task than it used to be. That and top OEM systems are so integrated into other things that you take a chance of something else not working properly if you mess with them.

 

[breviceps]

I have to say that when I first got the car, I totally hated how the Bose stereo sounded and this is coming from my Honda Element with a Pioneer head unit. But like all speakers, they need to be broken in, so the more you use the Bose stereo/speakers, the better it sounds. Now I'm much happier with the audio.

 

[Tiku82]

Hello everyone I'm not sure what to say about this topic but my Bose system on my 2015 MO platinum with tech pack rocks.. I don't know if people want louder or more bass or more treble..not sure but I love my system.. Try playing this song on YouTube. Gasoline by Halsey.. And crank it up. It's all about the boses whole system coming together that you realize what a good system should sound like..

 

[gabagoo]

I have to say that when I first got the car, I totally hated how the Bose stereo sounded and this is coming from my Honda Element with a Pioneer head unit. But like all speakers, they need to be broken in, so the more you use the Bose stereo/speakers, the better it sounds. Now I'm much happier with the audio.

you may have a point there. I am now in month 3 and the sound system is a little better. I use an old phone plugged into the USB 2 slot in the back and keep the phone in the armrest storage so that it is always on when i start up the vehicle. It does sound better than my current phone using Bluetooth audio.

Has anyone ever bothered putting a cd into the stereo to hear how good it could be? I keep forgetting to try.

 

[wtgkb8]

For my 2015 Platinum with 11-speaker Bose (9 speakers plus 2 subs) I use either a USB to play music or Pandora through Bluetooth for most music...then XM for the rest. I have found all to sound good...but the USB and Bluetooth for Pandora the best quality. Those two sound awesome at 3/4 volume...and I have the bass set to just over half which provides the perfect thump for my tastes. No rattles too!

One note for Bluetooth...when I do connect to my phone...it warns me about loud music...and sets the phone volume to half. All I do is set the phone volume to full...and control regular volume using the car stereo. It's sounds nearly as good as the USB (which also sounds just like CDs I have experimented once). Initially...I didn't think this stereo was powerful enough...but like some have mentioned...after a few months...it sounds great ever since.

 

[yuhan0331]

Ya, I have to agree with the OP. I think it was kind of a gimmick. However Bose has never been known for its Low's, but more for its range in the Mid's and decent High's

 

[usbjbma]

You are not alone here with your concerns about the Bose system. I recently purchased a CPO 2016 Murano SL AWD with the Bose system. The Bose system in the Murano is by far the weakest performing upgraded vehicle sound system that I have ever experienced. Silly me, I failed to run the vehicle through sound tests before I made the purchase because I assumed that Bose & Nissan would get an 11-speaker sound system correct. Both my wife and I are huge rock and metal fans. Huge is an understatement. After my kids, metal comes next. We play our music loud and we expect a certain level of performance from receivers. This particular Bose unit severely lacks in the areas of sound richness & quality.

I first played music in this vehicle via Bluetooth. I found it odd that I had to turn the receiver up really high to get it to the level that I typically listen to. So, I connected my phone via the USB port. And, I experienced the same issue. Thinking it was a phone issue, I the. inserted a CD with the same exact music that was playing via Bluetooth and via the USB. I toggled between the three options, and to my wild amazement and absolute befuddlement, the music produced from the CD was the same level of low-quality than the Bluetooth and the USB!!! I almost wish this could qualify under the lemon laws b/c it is totally unacceptable. I have a 2010 Maxima w/Bose that I wasnt very impressed with, but the Murano is much, much worse. Am not sure what can be done???

 

[vortex]

Yeah it's definitely weak and low quality. I hate how the sound is directed to the front speakers when the fade is set in the center. I think an extra two speakers at the rear would be better. I think the set up is 7 in the front, 2 in the rear passenger and two subwoofers in the cargo. I think ideal would be 5 - 4 - 2. Just to distribute the sound in the cabin a bit more evenly. I don't think you'll find any luck looking for compensation from Nissan. It is what it is....

 

[usbjbma]

Oh, I’ll get something. Both Nissan and Bose market it as a “Premium” sound system with “high performance speakers”. That’s false advertising b/c it’s not close to anything premium or high performing. A Bose tech messed something up during the initial tune/calibration and I intend to get to the bottom of it.

 

[ChrisD]

We just took possession of the 2018 M Platinum on Monday. Haven’t had time to set everything up to our liking. The sound system will be the first. I will take in everyone’s opinions and form my own conclusion. Music quality ranks high with me. I have the Bose Wave system in my garage. Not impressed at all. With the close confinement of the passenger compartment sure hope it’s at least decent. Will update later.

 

[Robotaz]

We just took possession of the 2018 M Platinum on Monday. Haven’t had time to set everything up to our liking. The sound system will be the first. I will take in everyone’s opinions and form my own conclusion. Music quality ranks high with me. I have the Bose Wave system in my garage. Not impressed at all. With the close confinement of the passenger compartment sure hope it’s at least decent. Will update later.

I have the Soundtouch 30 in my kitchen and 10 in my wife's bathroom. They sound great for what they are.

They are wifi/Bluetooth speakers and have a great app for controlling and programming. I'm not normally a Bose guy, but they killed it with the Soundtouch. The only thing missing is a cordless option. If you can handle cords, Soundtouch 30 all the way.

 

[PaulDay]

Bose responds!

Here's Bose's response to my complaint:


Hello Paul,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Bose Automotive Music System in your 2017 Nissan Murano. I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed in the sound quality of the factory installed Bose Music System especially in comparison to the 2003 Nissan Murano.
Bose Corporation supplies the speakers and amplifiers and the radio/cd in 2003 was supplied by Clarion Corporation and I believe they are still the supplier but head units have changed in that 14 year timeframe.
In answer to your question regarding the 2018 maps did you bring the vehicle back into the Nissan dealership to see if they offer a software update after this installation ?


Original Text
From:Paul Day To:[email protected]CC:Sent:01/31/18 13:37:22Subject:Contact Bose Automotive
The Bose system in my 2017 Murano stinks. No audio control other then Treble/Bass. No bass from the system unless you crank up the sound and then it just sounds like a wall of mud. My 2003 Murano Bose system has Treble/Mid/Bass along with Bass Boost Low/Mid/Hi for audio control. Vast difference in sound. As far as I'm concerned, Bose has taken a huge step backwards with along with Nissan on the audio quality of their "Premier Audio System".
Also, after updating the maps to the new 2018 maps for the nav system, I no longer have any of the Bose features in the sound options, only Treble, Bass, Balance, & Fade only, even when listening to HD radio. So now the sound is even worse. I really want to rip this unit out, that's how bad it sounds.
You guys need to go to some of the Nissan forums and read how the this gen of Bose is getting trashed for the audio quality.
I'm sure that 90% of these issues could be resolved with a software update that adds back some equalization capability to the Bose system.

---------------------------------------------
Year: 2017
Make: Nissan
Model: Murano
Function: System Performance
Company Name:
Additional Information for Technical Support:


My Reply:


Thank you for the reply. I just did the map update this past Tuesday. I'll be contacting my dealer Friday about this issue.


Unfortunately, all people see is "Bose" on the manufactures web sites and "Bose" when they're sitting in the car. Bose is taking a bad rap then for someone else's less then mediocre product. Obviously no one from Bose upper management with an true ear for sound has spend time really listening to the current Bose (Clarion) setup. If they did, they would see that their name is not being represented properly.


Thank you for your time.


Paul Day


So now I'll be going to the dealer and seeing about getting in contact with Clarion and see how they respond. The Bose saga continues.


Have a good day.