B&O or Bose 14 speaker

[ThetaB8A4]

Hey all,
I am in the process of upgrading from an A4 to an A6. I was looking at the prestige model, wondering if the B&O stereo is worth the upgrade? I have the B&O in my A4 now but back in 09 the other stereo option wasn't that great. Is the Bose 14 speaker system that comes on the A6 prestige acceptable or should I go with the upgrade?

[TunTap]

I have B&O, it's a great system and all, but bottom line is it's not worth $6k. It also lacks bass punch if you like bassy music at all. The new A3 has an independent subwoofer adjustment for B&O, but C7s don't.

[InvigR8]

The biggest difference I noticed is that the sound is much clearer at low volumes. Also, I have too much bass on my system with some of the songs, so might depend on the source.

[Wusty]

Not worth it unless money ain't a thing and if money ain't a thing.......S6/7 or RS7. I'm big into music and the Bose does its job great. You'll be fine.

[fusQer]

I'm a huge fan of the B&O in my A7. I love how the tweeters pop up and down (I don't think the A6 has this). I would definitely not purchase B&O with a new A7, but a CPO the deal is great b/c of the depreciation. I had a 2012 that happened to have B&O, and then when I got my 2013, I only looked for one that had B&O.

It has tons of bass (I used to have 2 12" subs in a ported box in my first car, a mitsubishi eclipse hatchback and I know my bass). The B&O is a fantastic factory system. That is my $.02.

FYI when you're testing quality of sound, don't listen to satellite radio, there is too much compression. Listen to a CD or 192+ mp3s

[trumphair]

I have the B&O system in my RS7. Worth the money? Tough to say because it is a ton and it's an individual thing. With that being said, it is an awesome system...probably the best I've had. I would say it has a ton of bass...if anything you need to dial it back at times.

[mwar99]

I'm a huge fan of the B&O in my A7. I love how the tweeters pop up and down (I don't think the A6 has this). I would definitely not purchase B&O with a new A7, but a CPO the deal is great b/c of the depreciation. I had a 2012 that happened to have B&O, and then when I got my 2013, I only looked for one that had B&O.

It has tons of bass (I used to have 2 12" subs in a ported box in my first car, a mitsubishi eclipse hatchback and I know my bass). The B&O is a fantastic factory system. That is my $.02.

FYI when you're testing quality of sound, don't listen to satellite radio, there is too much compression. Listen to a CD or 192+ mp3s

The tweeters go up and down on the A6/S6 as well.

It is a good stereo, clarity is great all the way to max volume and I like it. It is up to the purchaser if the cost is worth it. Listen to both if you can find a dealership that has both on the lot.

[ThetaB8A4]

Thanks everybody! I listened to the Bose 14 speaker system today using XM and it was nice.. I do love the B&O I have now though. Anyone know how hard it would be to upgrade the Bose with after market speakers if I wanted to at a later date?

[nosirrahx]

I listen to music at home and talk radio in my car. There was no reason to even think about getting the B&O on my RS7. No regrets skipping that upgrade whatsoever.

[lv2000]

I have had both systems the Bose is not bad but b an o is a lot clearer and louder I do love music and listen to it loud I would do b and o but all depends on your taste and what you listen to most. I find myself listening to Howard stern in my Bose s7 and music in my b and o a4 lol but people hear Bose and love it. I won't buy Bose again personally just my 2 cents I would recommend going and listening to both save 6k if you like Bose. The b and o also looks a lot nicer but 6k is a lot of money

[dennisg]

Thanks everybody! I listened to the Bose 14 speaker system today using XM and it was nice.. I do love the B&O I have now though. Anyone know how hard it would be to upgrade the Bose with after market speakers if I wanted to at a later date?

Generally it is hard to upgrade Bose with just speakers as they use proprietary drivers with strange impedances, usually low. i am sure that there are speakers out there that will work tho. To do a much more effective upgrade, you can use the Bose head unit but send the line level signals to a processor like an Audison and use different amps to power the new speakers. Can be pricy and a complicated upgrade that calls for professional installer, but would probably be less than B&O and sound quite a bit better as well.

[lv2000]

I added a12 inch sub and a amp to mine it wasn't to hard to do I did it myself any stereo shop that does European cars can do it I work at audi so I printed out wiring schematics and figured it out a lot of people have done it with Bose mods and highs are tricky as Dennis g said they use proprietary enclosures and usually run weird impedance speakers add a sub and you should like it

[VeryBadman]

There is no doubt that B&O is better. If $6k is not an issue for you, go for it.

[VVG]

The B&O is definitely pricey but very worth it to me. My car is a place where I really get to enjoy my music and the depth and clarity of the B&O is the best I have ever heard in a factory car audio system. The system is very capable of substantial bass, but it is source dependent. You can't dial in more subwoofer if the source is lacking in bass. That said, I listen to mostly rock and classical so it meets my needs adequately.

Also, I find listening to music in my car so enjoyable now, that I don't feel the need for an aftermarket exhaust. I have one on my M3 if I want that experience, so in a twisted way, spending money on the B&O has saved me from spending money elsewhere.

[DB22]

I think that the Krell system in the Acura RLX is a much better upgrade to a Bose in the RLX and it costs around $2500 and you get some other features thrown in. $6000 upgrade is a joke for a car audio system. It is an upgrade, not in addition to but instead of, I.E. let's assume that the Bose costs $2000, so you have already paid for it and you don't get it, you get the B&O for $6K, that's a total of $8K. Did you spend that much on your full blown theater sound system in your living room?

[airborne7]

I have swapped BOSE speakers out before. It's not a huge issue, you just have them take the BOSE amp out or cut it out of the system. I think the issue you might have upgrading though is the ANC that Audi has put in the new C7 series cars. I think there was as thread about someone upgrading and having some distortion of some sort.

[agent47]

Like most of the people said - at the minimum $6000 is a lot of money if getting an option added to a new car. BEO sounds great but $6000 just seemed criminal to me. BTW if you want to check, hook up an I-Pod to the Bose and listen to FLAC format music. You will love it. The problem is that with any MP3, the music is compressed , of course there is a difference between a 128 and a 320 kbps MP3. But FLAC is just awesome. It's kinda funny that the BEO is 900 bucks on the A4 but 6000 bucks on the A6/7 . But again, if money is no factor, get it. And like Wusty said - if money is not a factor, go the S or RS route :D

[DB22]

In the R8 the B&O is an $1800 option. Offer them that.

[bturkel]

I went with B&O after kicking it around - both systems are good - the B&O system costs are inflated but they add a better amp, better enclosures with more speakers - it is cleaner through full volume range - it does depend on what you are listening too - I originally ordered Bose and switched one week before lock down - I am leasing so too me I am not paying FULL price for the system

[subterFUSE]

Thanks everybody! I listened to the Bose 14 speaker system today using XM and it was nice.. I do love the B&O I have now though. Anyone know how hard it would be to upgrade the Bose with after market speakers if I wanted to at a later date?

Not that hard at all. Just need to replace the speakers and add a processor and amp(s).

You could spend less than the $6000 for the B&O and get better equipment and better sound.

[s6er]

You could spend less than the $6000 for the B&O and get better equipment and better sound.

I was thinking the same thing while reading through this thread. Even at invoice, $5400 doesn't seem to be a value proposition. The "cool" factor is certainly worth something, but still....

Another thing to consider is that road noise is the great equalizer of car audio systems. Only so much of that can be engineered away, especially at higher frequencies.

I've read that some people love their B&O so much they sit in the garage and listen to music. If you plan to do that, or if your daily journey leads to a lot of time where you're stopped (or nearly so) maybe the B&O would be worth it to you.

[VVG]

Like most of the people said - at the minimum $6000 is a lot of money if getting an option added to a new car. BEO sounds great but $6000 just seemed criminal to me. BTW if you want to check, hook up an I-Pod to the Bose and listen to FLAC format music. You will love it. The problem is that with any MP3, the music is compressed , of course there is a difference between a 128 and a 320 kbps MP3. But FLAC is just awesome. It's kinda funny that the BEO is 900 bucks on the A4 but 6000 bucks on the A6/7 . But again, if money is no factor, get it. And like Wusty said - if money is not a factor, go the S or RS route :D

It is totally different level of system. My wife has an A4 S-line with B&O, and it is nice, but it not even remotely in the same league as the system in my S6. Is it overpriced?.....Absolutely, but after hearing it, I wouldn't want to be without it. Of course, I also have the $3000 Alcantara headliner. I did do without the driver assist package and night vsion package however. Personal choices, I suppose.

[DB22]

B&O is the only system in the world that is designed to be looked at not listened to. They are not noted for their audio they are noted for their design. Yes the Audio B&O is better than the Bose but for the price difference you can get a far better system.

[HyperM3]

Thanks everybody! I listened to the Bose 14 speaker system today using XM and it was nice.

If XM is what youre listening to, dont bother with the B&O. You wont get the benefit really. Now if you're listening to cd's or MP3's burned at a "higher bit-rate", then you will notice a difference worth the price. I have B&O in my car now and the Bose before it. Once the Bose is broken in and gets dialed in, its not that bad. The only reason I got the B&O in the car is because its an employee lease and I could, otherwise I couldnt justify it. You're better off putting that money into a stereo system in your house.

[agent47]

If XM is what youre listening to, dont bother with the B&O. You wont get the benefit really. Now if you're listening to cd's or MP3's burned at lossless, then you will notice a difference worth the price. I have B&O in my car now and the Bose before it. Once the Bose is broken in and gets dialed in, its not that bad. The only reason I got the B&O in the car is because its an employee lease and I could, otherwise I couldnt justify it. You're better off putting that money into a stereo system in your house.
+1 - XM f***s up the music. And also, I would rather put that money on a home theater sound system for my crib. But then again, it's a personal choice and your money, so you decide where to spend it :P

[DeerHunter]

...MP3's burned at lossless...

Pedantic point: MP3s are always lossy, although you can encode at high bit rates that improve the sound significantly.

[HyperM3]

Pedantic point: MP3s are always lossy, although you can encode at high bit rates that improve the sound significantly.

Pedantic or not, you understood what I meant.

[DeerHunter]

Pedantic or not, you understood what I meant.

No, definitely pedantic. I point it out not to pick apart your post, but to clarify things for others that may be reading. Just because you and I understand what you meant...