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Bose offering full-function head unit with simple style
Bose in-car audio systems were originally introduced in 1983 on the Cadillac Seville and in the ensuing 25 years have made their way into all manner of expensive road-going machinery. Most recently, the purveyors of high-end in-car audio systems have outfitted the Bose Media System in the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. That system, which features a 30-gig hard drive and a simplistic button layout including proximity sensors on the knobs to detect a user's interactions, will soon be available to the rest of us hacks. Bose is currently and actively pursuing partnerships with other automakers to offer the system in more plebian forms of personal transport. One of those automakers could be General Motors, which has had a long history with the company. The new system will also feature all the other features of expensive head units that we've come to expect, including navigation, satellite radio, voice commands and hands-free mobile phone integration.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aprime 4:59PM (4/25/2008)
... That's retro?
wat
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Chris 5:25PM (4/25/2008)
uhhh, what?
nothing in this article mentions this unit as being retro. they say simple, not retro.
renmimby 5:30PM (4/25/2008)
Actually, the title bar for the page reads 'Bose offering full-function head unit with retro style'. So it does describe it as retro.
Xcountryflyer 10:23PM (4/25/2008)
Two knobs--that's about it, it would seem.
Derek 5:36PM (4/25/2008)
I don't see an aux input jack for my MP3. Otherwise, not bad.
My only suggestion for improvement (aux input aside) would be to sell a kit that doesn't incorporate a faceplate or anything, just buttons with lead wires. This way, someone could custom install it in whatever configuration they want. Maybe with the display up high for visibility, the dials lower down in the console with an easy reach and the CD slot perhaps in the glovebox.
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Benfolio 5:41PM (4/25/2008)
Yeah, give Circuit City something else to F up.
Cause you know 90% of the public is too stupid to work on thier own cars.
Derek 5:56PM (4/25/2008)
Seems that CC is able to screw up things no matter how simple it is, so what's the difference?
My point is, I like the idea of a unit like this, but the size and styling would not fit in any of the cars I own. The best cars for this kind of upgrade are classics being resto-modded, but this unit would look terrible in anything but a modern interior.
Chris 5:35PM (4/25/2008)
oh, my bad. they must have changed it cause now it says 'simple style'
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Benfolio 5:37PM (4/25/2008)
Not at the top of my IE window it don't. Still says retro :P
Derek 5:56PM (4/25/2008)
Mine said simple earlier, but now it says retro.
Aprime 6:58PM (4/25/2008)
Cache issue, most likely.
But I didn't misread anything, it clearly said retro earlier. :V
Ted 8:23PM (4/25/2008)
Audio guys know the old saying:
No highs, no lows....must be Bose.
-ted
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Seoultrain 6:04PM (4/25/2008)
Bose - Buy Other Sound Equipment.
Carmakers need to broaden their scope in terms of car stereo brands. Lexus has had some success with Mark Levinson, but for most companies, Bose systems are not worth their premium on most option lists. And then the alternative is aftermarket, which is either expensive or crap, and is nearly impossible to adjust to each car's size, shape, and environment.
I'm looking forward to how the Lexicon system sounds in the Genesis. Great move for Hyundai on that front.
Oh, and how long until we get some kind of universal mp3 player connection that can change tracks? For those of us without iPods (gasp!), we have to reach over and change tracks manually.
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Preston 10:05PM (4/25/2008)
Regardless of premium name they're usually harmon systems. I believe even Mark Levinsons mobile audio line is now done by harmon.
Atropos 6:19PM (4/25/2008)
No highs, no lows... must be Bose.
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Ted 8:27PM (4/25/2008)
Damn, Atropos - you beat me to it!
Still - I've yet to hear any Bose system that remotely sounds like real music. Bose takes a small driver and then EQs the heck out of the signal to make the driver do what physics will not easily allow. The result is - well - subpar.
-ted
psarhjinian 8:28PM (4/25/2008)
What a nice departure from the typical Ghetto Spaceship style we normally see.
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Jon55 10:15PM (4/25/2008)
Looks a hell of a lot better than most crap-setups in cars today. It seems like they're getting worse lately, not better.
raize221 11:01PM (4/25/2008)
I think I've found my head unit...
Never been a big fans of Bose, but finally - a clean looking, flat black, fully-featured head unit. Now I just have to wait about a year and start scouring Ebay for a decent used one. I just hope Bose doesn't charge an additional premium for a unit "Born from a Ferrari".
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Jason 12:16PM (4/26/2008)
Reminds me of the factory stereo in my Dodge Ram...
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