This surprised me today.

[Dude]

“If I spend twice as much on a set of speakers then I probably need to think they sound twice as good”

Sound falls off at 1 over the square of the distance so if I spend twice as much then they need to sound 4 times better ?

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[Meanderthal]

But you're right about one thing: perception is a funny thing. If one THINKS a speaker sounds better then it doesn't really matter whether "experts" agree with you or not. If I spend twice as much on a set of speakers then I probably need to think they sound twice as good.

This is how “bad” the BS B&O system is. People spend the money for it (me included) and then realize how poorly it actually sounds. Then when the hardware is exposed as the cheapest possible speaker Ford could find and you discover that B&O did not make any of the hardware but just “tuned” the system, then the house of cards that is upgraded factory audio comes crumbling down.

 

[sajohnson]

I think the biggest complaints about these two companies from purported audiophiles is price. Both Bose and B&O charge a great deal of money for their names, and you can get the same or better quality sound for much less money.

But you're right about one thing: perception is a funny thing. If one THINKS a speaker sounds better then it doesn't really matter whether "experts" agree with you or not. If I spend twice as much on a set of speakers then I probably need to think they sound twice as good.

Cost is a factor, but there are other expensive "high-end" brands like McIntosh and Carver that few people criticize.

One legit complaint against Bose is that they refuse to publish specs for their gear. Essentially every other mfr provides specs -- freq. response; S/N ratio; THD, etc. -- not Bose (unless they have changed their policy). Having said that, I have a pair of Bose noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones that got a bunch of positive reviews, so they must be good!

No, they do sound good, but they should for the money. As you said, no doubt there are comparable, if not better, noise-cancelling headphones for less money. The Bose headphones are 'over the ear' and very comfortable. Also, when an earpad deteriorated (out of warranty), they sent 2 new ones for free (after a bit of persuasion). Customer service like that is almost non-existent anymore.

Still, one may be able to get equal/better performance for (say) $100 less.

Bringing this back around to the B&O system in the BS -- from the name alone it's impossible to make a determination about the sound quality. It could be excellent, or perhaps B&O has followed the lead of so many formerly excellent companies and is trading on its name -- a shell of its former self. I have no idea.

The only accurate way to compare the sound quality of components is side-by-side, A/B/X testing. In this case, with car audio systems that cannot be done. The best one could do would be to park 2 or more vehicles close together and listen to the same material at the same volume (spl) -- and even then, the delay between listening to one and then the other is significant -- much more than an A/B/X switch.

 

[sajohnson]

This is how “bad” the BS B&O system is. People spend the money for it (me included) and then realize how poorly it actually sounds. Then when the hardware is exposed as the cheapest possible speaker Ford could find and you discover that B&O did not make any of the hardware but just “tuned” the system, then the house of cards that is upgraded factory audio comes crumbling down.

I'm very disgusted to hear Ford did that.

There are far too many examples of this kind of weaselly, gotcha behavior. Like many people, my wife and I benefit from a rising stock market, but I'd be happy to give up some of those gains if we could go back to when corporations (generally) treated people right.

One example -- decades ago, we bought a large thru-wall A/C unit from Lowe's. It was an 'as-is' (but new) Whirlpool. It was missing the grill, filter, and a couple knobs, but it was $300 vs $650 in the box. I figured I'd buy the missing parts and still be way ahead. When I called Whirlpool, the CSR refused to let me pay! I told her it was sold as-is, and she said, "It's new to you and it should have all of the parts." Everything was express shipped at no cost.

Contrast that with the experience I just had with "Hitchcock Wide Shoes" earlier today. I've been a customer for decades. I just received a pair of boots I pre-ordered a couple months ago. They were expensive but they sounded very good and are made in America (PA). Unfortunately, they did not come with insoles(!); they are defective; and they are too narrow -- even though Hitchcock asks for foot measurements (which I provided) and mfr/style/size of a shoe that fits (also provided). They are insisting that *I* pay for the return shipping! In the past, many companies offered free shipping both ways, no questions asked. At a minimum, if the customer was not at fault, they did not pay (that is/was Amazon's policy).

Just trying to give Nationwide money for the BS BL insurance yesterday was like pulling teeth!

Slapping some cheap speakers into a vehicle and paying a big name audio equipment mfr to put their name on it may boost the bottom line in the short-term -- but in the long-term it will backfire. People get tired of being cheated, mislead, and lied to.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

IMO the Sony Audio Systems Sounded great in the Fords.My brother had a Fusion Sport and the Sony Audio System in that sounded great.I had a IIRC 2009 Ranger with the 290 Watt Pioneer Audio System in it and it sounded great and i really liked it.

 

[davidg4781]

I was browsing through the local Ford dealers used cars online and found this. A 2021 Bronco Sport Big Bend, nice looking and only 19k miles. The dealer is asking $31444, and it showed the original sticker with a price of $31470. So it seems they are asking $26 under the original sticker price for a 3 year old used BS. And the dealer has 6 new 2024 Big Bends on the lot for only about $1000 more. It is the only used BS they have in stock and it is listed as a "Special Offer". Do they really think they will get that price?

You had me a bit excited about this but I don't think they're buying back BSs at such a good premium anymore.

For me, I'd like to find one with the packages I want and get a lower APR. Oh well. I think I'm just stuck with this for a while.

 

[Gents]

I have no psychological shortcomings that would prompt me to just p*ss all over 'B&O' because I know & like better audio equipment.
I've been in good audio for about 50 years and I know what I'm talking about and B&O was nothing more than a sometimes gorgeous vanity product that didn't sound nearly as good as a pretty good Marantz rig.
The B&O car stereos, like many name brand stereos that are sometimes merchandised in car lines, kind of sucks.
Beats, McIntosh, Bose, Mark Levinson, Burmester, etc. Anyone who knows what they're listening to will always tell you those are just name plates usually attached to the vaguely stepped up factory equipment. For whatever it costs to upgrade to the factory mid/lo-Fi fake B&O, you can source seriously good equipment on the open market and have it installed.
If I can be more candid, there's very little worth saving in the entire Ford BS infotainment system.
For me? Being honest, it's probably the worst infotainment system I've ever had in terms of function, user interface, display & sound. However it can be sonically improved for not too much investment.
There's an excellent thread on this very issue with a couple of really good, well thought out posters (Meanderthal & Riotfunk, I think) who did all the work for us to suss out what was really going on with Ford/B&O speakers and how they got a better stereo in their BS'.
I'll try and find it to post a link after I post this...

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/speaker-upgrade-with-b-o-stereo-system.7371/post-170599

 

[Gents]

IMO the Sony Audio Systems Sounded great in the Fords.My brother had a Fusion Sport and the Sony Audio System in that sounded great.I had a IIRC 2009 Ranger with the 290 Watt Pioneer Audio System in it and it sounded great and i really liked it.

I know you're right on this because working for a city that gets lots of random Ford fleet vehicles over the years, I've been in some Ford product like Fusions, Escapes and Explorers that sounded pretty darn good. I wish my BS did, but it absolutely didn't. In fact the whole damn vehicle isn't as good as any of the Fords I've owned or driven before, sorry to report.

 

[Mahargmot]

As a recovering 'audio guy', I recall that there were a few brands that people loved to hate on -- one was/is Bose, and another was B & O.

Both companies make good equipment, as do most other name brand mfrs. Audio quality can be incredibly subjective. The bottom line is, does it sound good to you?

It's easy to get pulled into the audiophile trap, where -- like a junkie chasing a high -- the person is constantly looking for audio perfection. There's a LOT of expensive snake oil out there, sold by people who take advantage of audiophiles. The crazy-expensive esoteric gear may not sound any better in "double-blind" A/B/X testing, but the marketing language is enough to get the true believers to think that it sounds better. And if they think it does, then, well, it does (to them).

Even the best systems can sound terrible it they are EQ'd poorly. IDK what sort of EQ the B & O system has, but the more bands and the greater the boost/cut range (usually +/- 12 to 15 db) the better. The typical 'bass/treble' controls are very limited.

Of course, what sounds good to you may not sound very good to someone else. Ideally there will be 2 or more EQ presets, because resetting a multi-band EQ would be a PITA.

Also, where a person is sitting makes a difference.

Finally, except when parked, audio quality in a car is limited by road and wind noise. So even the best system in the world will be crippled.

I have the b&o system and for 90% of buyers you are correct it will sound great but I'm an audiophile and love my speakers. And for me it underperforms for my liking. The eq in my system is a broad sweep from bass , treble and mids. With the option to turn on or off " surround sound" processing. Gimmicky at best again in my opinion. I'm coming from a completed kicker unit so I understand that it won't have the power I'm used to.

 

[Mark S.]

Being honest, it's probably the worst infotainment system I've ever had in terms of function, user interface, display & sound.

I guess you never used MyFord Touch, or Toyota's Entune...

 

[REDWM]

I was looking at the build and price site just for fun and saw that the Bronco Sport Big Bend is now offered for a basic price less than I paid for my 2023 deducting the options ordered. Are the sales so slow that they are giving manufacturers discount?

 

[Gents]

I guess you never used MyFord Touch, or Toyota's Entune...

Sadly, I'm always ready for new lows.

 

[CableXJ]

If you’re expecting your car stereo to sound like your home system, you’ll always be disappointed. It’s the nature of the beast. I’m not ever disappointed with my car stereo because it’s car stereo. Sure, you can upgrade speakers and receivers but at the end of the day, it’s a car stereo. Enjoy the tunes. It sure beats the single speaker ghetto blasters of the 80’s.

 

[sajohnson]

I have the b&o system and for 90% of buyers you are correct it will sound great but I'm an audiophile and love my speakers. And for me it underperforms for my liking. The eq in my system is a broad sweep from bass , treble and mids. With the option to turn on or off " surround sound" processing. Gimmicky at best again in my opinion. I'm coming from a completed kicker unit so I understand that it won't have the power I'm used to.

Rip it out!

Seriously, if you aren't happy with it there are replacement speakers that sound better. IDK what's involved in the installation though -- you might consider farming that out.

<Later> Lots of good info here:
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-fq4jbiwD09k/learn/2021-up-ford-bronco-sport.html

As an audiophile, you know that there is a school of thought that says tone controls and EQs should not be used. That the music should be "pure." People who believe that would set your system flat (and wish the EQ could be bypassed altogether). My position is that the musicians, the producer, and the recording engineer cannot possibly know what sort of space the listener is in, or what sort of speakers (or headphones) they are using -- not to mention their specific hearing. So an EQ can make a big improvement. You might consider a processor:

"Rockford Fosgate's DSR-1 digital signal processor is a hardcore sound-shaping tool for the serious tweaker. The DSR1 includes an iDatalink Maestro amp replacement module inside, so you can use an iDatalink vehicle-specific T-harness to supply clean audio and digital control signals to the processor. Controlled via Bluetooth® connection to your iOS or Android device, Rockford Fosgate's PerfectTune app provides eight channels of 31-band equalization, variable crossover filtering, signal distribution and balancing, and much more."
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/factory/sound_processors.html

 

[Bucko]

So, how did this thread turn from a dealer charging almost the same sticker price for a used BS to a sound thread?

Largest thread hijack I've seen here to date.

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