obviously, for the die-hard very few factory systems will do, but for an everyday factory system, how does it sound? i am an avid music listener and find many factory systems decent enough for the car experience.

the mark levinson found in many lexus cars sounds great, as well as th JBL found in the upper end Camry. not a huge fan of BOSE, but have heard some GM cars that the BOSE sounds exceptional (say the Avalanche) and some BOSE that doesnt sound any better than a free standing radio with rabbit ears (the last corvette i sat in C5)


anyway, i am a potential buyer, maybe by year end, and am curious how it stacks up?

thanks

I own a bose equipped Avalanche and a G8. The sound quality is much better in the G8. All i have done with mine is add a couple of 12's and it is about right.

Honestly, I'm not overly enthused with the system. I had installed my own system in my '99 Grand Am and it sounds MUCH better than this system and it wasn't anything extremely nice or expensive. All I had was a Kenwood KDC-MPV619 head unit, two Pioneer 4x6" 2-ways in the front doors, two Pioneer 6x9" 3-ways in the rear deck, and a 12" Polk audio sub with a 1000w amp in the trunk. The system was extremely customizable as I had control of the trebble, mids, and the bass. I can't seem to get this Blaupunkt system to sound anything like that because when I turn up the bass it also turns up the mids and it makes it sound like crap. I've tried turning up the gain on the sub amp in the trunk, but it only goes so high. I don't know if taking out some of the 2-ways and adding 3-ways would help or not, but I'm seriously considering it.

Overall, not a bad system, but definitely not the best I've ever heard.

well, i am not really expecting the best, but almost every professional review has commented on how good the sound system is, which to me was sorta odd as i havent seen anyone really mention it from actual owners.

i just hate muddy systems. again, usually not into adding to or putting more money into the stereo, but if it was fairly good i would be happy.

I think the stock system will make most avg users very happy. If I changed anything, it would be to add high quality speakers.

Ditto...the head units is pretty good but the stock speakers are traditional GM paper cones. Nothing a good set of after market speakers can't fix.

It soulds a heck of a lot better than the MonSUCK system in my Camaros. If you turn up the gain on the sub amp it has a decent amount of bump for a free air dual 8" system. It's not perfect but one of the best factory systems I've heard in an "average" vehicle. I haven't been in any luxury vehicles lately to hear what their stereos sound like.

I would agree that it is much better than most stock systems, but like others have said, I think some better speakers would help. I still wish I had control of the mids in addition to the bass and trebble. You'd be amazed at how much better a system will sound when you have control of all three ranges of sound.

I would agree that it is much better than most stock systems, but like others have said, I think some better speakers would help. I still wish I had control of the mids in addition to the bass and trebble. You'd be amazed at how much better a system will sound when you have control of all three ranges of sound.

Add an aftermarket EQ... manually set the factory compltly flat and adjust your curve from the EQ.

i enjoyed the stock Bose system in my 2003 Sierra SO much more. i did have a sub under the rear seat which helped with the low end bass. A buddy had the Bose system in his 2002 ML430 as well, sounded awesome! Overall I'm not pleased with the G8 radio.....i bet if i added a sub in the rear i would be much happier with the sound.

i enjoyed the stock Bose system in my 2003 Sierra SO much more. i did have a sub under the rear seat which helped with the low end bass. A buddy had the Bose system in his 2002 ML430 as well, sounded awesome! Overall I'm not pleased with the G8 radio.....i bet if i added a sub in the rear i would be much happier with the sound.

Yeah... it lets you tur down the bass level which cleans everything up...

Add an aftermarket EQ... manually set the factory compltly flat and adjust your curve from the EQ.

Got any recommendations?

Got any recommendations?

Honestly any eq will do the trick... the main problem with mst of them is that they only have L and R inputs so your fade function on the had unit will not work (actually it will work but just as a volume control). Kenwood has a fairly basit unit in the $150-200 range, which works fine... not that I am usually a fan of Kenwoods... I belive it is 5 band.

If you really want the best sound out of your head unit the way to go is with a DSP. I ran a JL cleansweep with my factory (proabably Delco) headunit in my silverado and it sounded as good as the older eclipse unit I had in my previous truck. You do not get the same control as an EQ but the sound is really good... plus it has line in and has the ability to turn on aftermarket amps etc whih will not come on with most newer car stereos because the head unit output voltage is too low...

No highs or lows??? THEY MUST BE BOSE! :wink2:

OK I had nothing to offer but that as I haven't yet taken delivery of my car.

Remember though that speakers have to break in to sound 100%. Many GOOD A/V shops will break in there speakers over a weekend by just leaving the receiver on all weekend. :)

i think it is excellent i get so many compliments on the radio

I took a G8 for a test drive the other day, and was actually surprised at how well the system sounded. I have Bose in my car now and feel that the G8 sounded a lot better. If you are a potential buyer, don't let the system stand in your way, it's not that expensive to fix that anyways. Plus, the G8 has a huge trunk so you can fit plenty of subs back there. We all know the G8 doesn't weight enough!

This is my first car with an above average stereo in it. I love the way this stock system sounds. No complaints whatsoever with sound quality.

However, my one major complaint is the HORRIBLE radio station reception that it gets. By far the worst out of any car I've ever been in. Stations that my wife's G6 has no problems picking up crystal clear and unlistenable in my G8. Sucks.

This is my first car with an above average stereo in it. I love the way this stock system sounds. No complaints whatsoever with sound quality.

However, my one major complaint is the HORRIBLE radio station reception that it gets. By far the worst out of any car I've ever been in. Stations that my wife's G6 has no problems picking up crystal clear and unlistenable in my G8. Sucks.

I NEVER listen to locals anymore now that I have XM. Crystal clear from here to Cali on the same channel! :)

I NEVER listen to locals anymore now that I have XM. Crystal clear from here to Cali on the same channel! :)
I had XM in my rental car for 4 days earlier this year and hated it. I couldn't find a station with decent rock music on it. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough because there's only like a billion channels, but I was not impressed.

Its mostly MP3 CD's for me now

I had XM in my rental car for 4 days earlier this year and hated it. I couldn't find a station with decent rock music on it. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough because there's only like a billion channels, but I was not impressed.

Its mostly MP3 CD's for me now

Really? Hmm... They have EVERYTHING! I listen to alternative rock like Creed, Staind, Candlebox, Fuel and so on but they also have metal, and the tear your heart out kind as well... The only thing I think it lacks is a good country channel which I don't listen to anyways. They have '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s channels too for the nostalgic. I like that I can listen to Fox news or comedy channels which helps pass the miles a bit quicker. :) I think it takes a bit to get used to like cable TV but once you know where YOUR channels are it's all good!:)

I NEVER listen to locals anymore now that I have XM. Crystal clear from here to Cali on the same channel! :)

I did that for 2 years, but got tired of paying to listen to channel 46 all the time. :)