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Bose vs JBL

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by CAR4TWO, Jun 19, 2009.

  1. CAR4TWO

    CAR4TWO New Member

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    I have a Bose system in my Mercedes SLK and my Corvette and now JBL in the Prius. First, I would like to say that not all Bose is created alike. Bose did a magnificent job of designing a system specifically for the SLK. I think Chevrolet just want to have a sound system in the Corvette that had the name Bose written on it.

    I have package III with Navigation so I have six speakers. Two are located way up near the windshield with two more in the drivers door and two more in the rear doors.

    The Bose in the SLK is 40% better deeper crisper than the two speakers you get in the Corvette. The Bose in the Corvette is very good but not excellent. The SLK has six speakers with a subwoofer behind the seats. It has tweeters and mid sized speakers in two different locations and I rate it Excellent!

    The two front speakers in the Prius are very good. I had to adjust the treble, mid range and base but I am most pleased with the JBL system. It’s not quite as good as the Bose in the Corvette but still very good. The SLK is a 10 on a scale of one to ten. The Corvette is an 8.5 and the Prius is a 7.8.

    I could not hear the speakers in the rear door at all. I tried to move the sound around in the cabin but could not make any noticeable improvements. FM radio sounded better that XM Satellite. I won’t be subscribing to that. My CD’s sounded great. Volume was very good.

    I rate the JBL base an 8, mid range about 7.5 and highs at 8 so it is darn good. The negative is that 80% of the sound comes out of the two in-dash speakers.

    I am please with the JBL's. We all have to remember that the Prius is not a $50,000 sport car but it is the best family sedan I have ever driven.

    Dan
     
    #1 CAR4TWO, Jun 19, 2009
  2. Bruno_S

    Bruno_S New Member

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    The JBL is OK but it is not a premium sound system like that of luxury cars. My '06 Volvo S60R (47K MSRP) sounds much better with it's Alpine made, 13-speaker Dolby Surround system. Also the very strong construction of the Volvo cabin and doors (car weights 4000 lbs) helps with acoustics.

    On the Prius I had to adjust the fader so the back speakers could be audible. The upper dashboard front speakers dominate the sound. Had to lower treble and mids for that same reason. The XM reception and sound are not so good as FM but the selection of music is great and nav-trafic is a nice gadget. I may subscribe after the trial period.
     
    #2 Bruno_S, Jun 20, 2009
  3. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    2010 Prius III and above has 8 speakers ;)
     
    #3 cycledrum, Jun 20, 2009
  4. StarBrite310

    StarBrite310 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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    I too cannot really hear my front door speakers at all no matter how many times I have played around with the sound options. It seems like all the sound is coming from the upper dash speakers in the corners. My 06 did not have this problem. I guess this is something the 2010 Prius' are dealing with according to the OP. Any other people notice this?
     
    #4 StarBrite310, Jul 5, 2009
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    You guys need to concentrate more on driving and less on other things. ;)
     
    #5 David Beale, Jul 5, 2009
  6. StarBrite310

    StarBrite310 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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    I'm in the music business so music and sound systems and all of that is VERY important to me.
     
    #6 StarBrite310, Jul 5, 2009
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    The Prius JBL is a so-so system. It's not bad, but it's not a premium system either. That said, I've never been very impressed with Bose. Bose mostly trades off of their name, charging big bucks for average sounding systems.

    Tom
     
    #7 qbee42, Jul 5, 2009
  8. darkleafar

    darkleafar Member

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    Im confused, is it 8 or 6 speakers?
    I will be getting a Prius IV with solar, so how many speakers will i have?

    And those of you with 8 speakers, are u also having trouble in any way with the audio system? (some speakers not audible, etc)
     
    #8 darkleafar, Jul 5, 2009
  9. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    I don't know if they have changed their design but the Bose I had in my 300ZX had speakers that couldn't be replaced with anything but Bose. When they went bad (and they always did) they were expensive. Had little options. I'm not real picky. The JBL in my Expedition is nice, but the system in my TCH was average. At least I thought so until I bought the HH without the JBL and I found the base Toyota system sucks.
     
    #9 wvgasguy, Jul 5, 2009
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    8-Speakers for the JBL audio system.


    Hmm, then you should try the JBL in the Camry. I still think it's far superior to the Prius' JBL system. The 9-Speaker system in our 2005 pales in comparison to our 6-speaker system in our 2002 Camry (neither has a sub). I can almost guarantee it's the same for the 2010 Prius vs. 2007+ Camry. Maybe it's the acoustics or soundproofing but I'm fairly sure the Camry has better quality speakers.
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, Jul 5, 2009
  11. wacko999

    wacko999 New Member

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    This is what I am afraid of. The best sounding stereo that I had was the Bose in my 2004 Acura RL. My 2009 Lexus GX has Mark Levinson which is really good also. I had the JBL premium sound in my 2007 Camry and my 2004 Prius and was not impressed at all. Hopefully, it is better in the gen III Prius that i have on order.
     
    #11 wacko999, Jul 5, 2009
  12. CAR4TWO

    CAR4TWO New Member

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    We have a III with Navigation. I thought the base was not as good as my Bose in the SLK but after giving it more time; it does not need more base. The only thing I don't car for is the placement of the speaker's way up by the window where 80% of the sound comes from. Still, it is a nice package for the Prius. It is a darn nice premium sound system for a $25,000 car. It has 8 speakers and delivers an above average sound. To get more you are going to have to spend a lot more money. We don't intend to make any changes to the sound system.
     
    #12 CAR4TWO, Jul 6, 2009
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