Bose - unimpressed

Covenant

Covenant

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Not that I had a choice as I forced a good deal by taking a car immediately available, but I'm seriously unimpressed by the Bose sound quality on my new A3.

As I'm a bit low on funds to go upgrading anything right away, can anyone tell me if getting the eq set to non-Bose will give me a better range adjustment? The tone at the moment is very flat, especially in mid-high.

Also can someone suggest an upgrade path when funds allow?
 
Yes if you want more bass/treble adjustment then get the HU switched back to non Bose EQ. The Bose EQ is set very flat as the Bose amp is supposed to provide the EQ, but all you really get is a very woolly sound. Normal EQ will give you a much more responsive bass/treble control.
Main problem with A3 sound is the sub, so the biggest single upgrade is to replace the sub = proper bass = less distortion from cabin speakers.
Any other upgrade to the Bose system really requires ripping everything out.
 
how do you revert back to normal eq settings is it easy ? reversable ?

Matt
 
It's a VAG-COM setting which means a trip to main dealer, specialist or someone who has VAG-COM.

Edit: removed link to eq settings on Symphony I
 
i found the a3 bose better than a3 non bose ( i had both) but if your bag is bangin' bass then go for an aftermarket setup completely; thats not what bose is about.
 
I read on AudiWorld that the VAGCOM setting just puts the Bose name on the display on startup and that the EQ is controlled by grounding one of the pins on the back of the HU. Has anyone done this and if so which pin?
I'm guessing it's the Bose pin on the power ISO shown below (SymphonyII), but this is shown as GA (for GALA speed sensitive volume) on a non Bose HU schematic, which make sense as Bose uses a different speed sensitive system.
symphonyII_pin.jpg
 
AndyMac said:
I read on AudiWorld that the VAGCOM setting just puts the Bose name on the display on startup and that the EQ is controlled by grounding one of the pins on the back of the HU. Has anyone done this and if so which pin?
I'm guessing it's the Bose pin on the power ISO shown below (SymphonyII), but this is shown as GA (for GALA speed sensitive volume) on a non Bose HU schematic, which make sense as Bose uses a different speed sensitive system.
symphonyII_pin.jpg
Click to expand...

Be nice to find out for sure - although the sensing volume freaked me out at first I'm actually liking it now. I thought the volume was based on cabin noise not speed though? I sure get a lot more volume doing 40mph on cobbles than at 70mph on a motorway.


If anyone near Edinburgh has a set of keys to remove the HU I'd be prepared to give it a try to see if it makes a difference.
 
Well apparently it is the GA pin, so if you have Bose this pin is grounded so easy enough to check. If you snip the GA wire then it returns to normal EQ. VAGCOM just does the Bose display
 
Sorry to go slightly off topic, but am I to understand that my car has speed sensitive volume system? I wasn't aware, i.e hadn't noticed!
 
Yes - speed or noise sensitive anyway, though I don't know when they introduced it. It's definitely noticeable on my 2006 model.
 
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