Bose to Burmester

[f1eng]

And in terms of software:

- Bose Centerpoint 2 = Burmester Auro 3D ("surround")
- Bose AudioPilot = Burmester Sound Enhancer (noise compensation)
- Bose SoundTrue = Burmester Sound Conditioner ("upsampling")

It's running on the same PCM in the same operating system, I have a hard time believing there's a significant difference in what they do.

Burmester no doubt sounds better than the Bose system, but most of that is probably because there are more speakers and maybe because the speaker components are higher quality. Software processing in the PCM is likely to be the same. High tone speakers are all amplified directly by the PCM. The additional amplifier is different between Bose and Burmester, but is unlikely to be different in quality.

It's an upgrade Porsche offers because they can, and they know some people will buy it because they want the best.

Burmester is also suspiciously similar to the Audi B&O Advanced system. Similar number of speakers, similar amount of power, similar price, the same 3D/noise compensation/enhancer. Probably the same amp and at least some shared speakers. Reality is that VW group just has this software and the parts laying around, and has a bunch of brand deals with various audio manufacturers because everyone wins with a branded audio system.

I have been into audio at home for over 50 years and even worked in record player design before going into motor racing full time.

Having a good income but not much spare time I usually followed journalist recomendation to get a short list to audition but was always a bit baffled, as an engineer, by some of the "common wisdom" in magazines which appeared to defy the laws of physics.

Anyway when I retired I did some scientifically well controlled listening comparisons.
The most important thing to control is the volume since a bit louder always sounds better and get somebody else to make the changes so you aren't influenced by expectation bias.

Anyway my conclusions were that audio actually does comply with the laws of physics so it will be the speakers, their position and the processing that makes the biggest difference. The drivers would have to be mega inefficient for vast power to make a quality difference as well.

I can see that the Burmester should be better with more, better placed, drivers but not enough for me to listen to my favourite music in a car.

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[Iben]

I too have the Burmester and have similar thoughts. I like it but its over priced.

I have Burmester and I`m going to buy it next time as well.
Really happy with it compaired to Bose (tested on a loaner car during software updates).

 

[TaycanHero]

I have been into audio at home for over 50 years and even worked in record player design before going into motor racing full time.

Having a good income but not much spare time I usually followed journalist recomendation to get a short list to audition but was always a bit baffled, as an engineer, by some of the "common wisdom" in magazines which appeared to defy the laws of physics.

Anyway when I retired I did some scientifically well controlled listening comparisons.
The most important thing to control is the volume since a bit louder always sounds better and get somebody else to make the changes so you aren't influenced by expectation bias.

Anyway my conclusions were that audio actually does comply with the laws of physics so it will be the speakers, their position and the processing that makes the biggest difference. The drivers would have to be mega inefficient for vast power to make a quality difference as well.

I can see that the Burmester should be better with more, better placed, drivers but not enough for me to listen to my favourite music in a car.

Gold or palladium plated connectors? Now there's an audiophile conundrum.

(I work in marketing)

?

 

[f1eng]

Gold or palladium plated connectors? Now there's an audiophile conundrum.

(I work in marketing)

?

There are much more serious ones than that which are completely accepted despite being technically non-sequitur.

I was surprised when I carefully tested stuff, and, of course myself. I have a volume control calibrated in dB and it is interesting to listen to how big a change 3dB, 10dB and 60dB are.
Also actually listening to known frequencies can be quite surprising.

In the end though my experience is that it is the sound quality of the recording itself which varies the most, certainly compared to the difference between competently engineered kit.

 

[tigerbalm]

As a software engineer - reading that special gold cables provided a “warmer” sound on a digital signal - hurt my head.

So long as a cable isn’t so terrible that its triggering error correction - and thats a surprisingly low bar - it couldn’t possibly “warm” a sound.

 

[Ambroos]

@tigerbalm I've seen people say WAV files sound better than FLAC.

THEY DECODE TO THE SAME THING.

I used to work on video streaming tech in Belgium, and the amount of bits you can take out of audio with it still sounding okay with a good encoder is wild. HE-AAC v2 at 32kbps was doable for talk TV for example.

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