kkbma

The B&O stereo is it's own option, independent of packages. So if you want to order a Q7, you can get it separate. When dealers order one for their showroom, they may assume that someone who will pay $6000 for the B&O will also want the Prestige and Luxury packages, etc.

ezgo

$2,500 to $,3000 would be a good price. it sounds a lot better than bose at all levels,
bose will get distorted if turned up pass 1/2 way,with B&O the base mids and highs stays accurate and crystal clear all the way to maximum,
its not that load and tweeters are not bright that would leave your ears ringing like a aftermarket system,its kinda audiophile quality...

Arrie

And you sound experts, of course, know that the quotes about B&O sound system being superior compared to anything else ONLY are valid if you sit in the car with it not running the engine and not moving at all. Just engine noise nullifies any comparison to Bose or just the premium sound system and tire noise of a moving car is just 10 fold bigger disturbance to "accurate" listening.

Keep it real guys. If you have money to spend for B&O system with the fancy speakers just do it but don't do it for sound quality. Doing it for looks is ok, which has been B&O selling point for home stereo systems for decades. Their sound is not bad but you can get MUCH better for fraction of the cost compared to them.

Bose makes very good sound systems and believe it or not it is 90% about the speaker performance and not about the look of it, i.e. moving pop ups are always a compromize to sound quality.

But, we all like what we like. Someone finds it nice to have B&O logos around with their very good sound performance but others are satisfied even with the "basic" Audi sound system, which very well compares to the Bose system I had in mt Tahoe.

Arrie

IAS5

unless you have differing information, the 2010 US brochure states that it is only availble on 4.2 and TDI prestige models.....

kkbma

You are right, I researched it further and on the TDI Prestige, it also requires the warm weather package for some reason.

The 4.2 only comes as a Prestige. You can add the B&O to the 4.2 and not have to add any other packages.

Bulldogz

I hope you are only talking about car sound systems when referring to Bose making 'very good sound systems', otherwise your post is dubious if implying that it is B & O selling flash over sound.

Bose makes quite possibly the most overpriced/overrated speaker systems in the world. They lost their way back in the early 80s after the 901s IMHO, and are the biggest ripoff compared to the competition. Ever wonder why you can't do direct comparisons against them, and that they always have a separate setup away from the competition? Better still, ever see what's inside their cube speakers? Thin paper cones and subpar materials.

IMHO, they excel far better in auto systems because of the closer proximity, and ability to perfect the acoustics with their closed-end systems (literally impossible to upgrade/swap speakers). I will be going to the dealership this weekend to check it out, hopefully I can forego the $6k upgrade, but because I plan on keeping this for approx. 6-8 years I just want to be fully satisfied.

IAS5

guess you gotta keep that B&O warm!!!!

ezgo

I am not talking about looks. it's the speakers, they are a hell off a lot better than bose........

digitalwok

As a previous S5 owner I had the B&O upgrade and compared to the Bose in the Q7 music had more fidelity. Listen to the same music (from an iPod encoded @ 192K Mbps) the Bose system sounds flat.

That said I would have loved to get the B&O system for the Q7 but at $6K its just not worth it no matter how long I keep the car. For $6K I would rather upgrade my home theater to those really nice backlight LED LCD's with local dimming. What kills me is that the B&O upgrade for the S5 was $800...no typo, eight hundred dollars! I thought that was super cheap whereas this is super expensive. I wonder if Audi is just trying to rake us over the coals here? A more reasonable price would be around $2-3K

Edge

As you can see, we are all very passionate about the B&O system one way or the other

I personally don't care about it and as almost everyone has said, it's all about personal preference. I have a 15 month old baby who stares at a DVD screen in the back when we're driving and my wife and I spend that time rare alone time in the front seat talking and not listening to music at all.

When I am alone in the car, I find the Bose system to be more than adequate. It sounds good to my ears and its loudness potential is more than I'd ever appreciate.

The B&O looks cool, but I couldn't justify the cost for my needs/wants.