I used to dabble in near high end audiophile stuff (linn, magnaplanar, CAL, etc.) and have a thought and can make a statement.

Statement - There is no "best" from the perspective of how something sounds to you (though the difference between Bose and Burm could be so great it is hard to dispute Burm is "better"). Everyone has individual tastes in how music is presented, I like warm tones with rich voice reproduction and have listened to some mega-buck systems that I did not like because they were to bright for me - while the owner loved it. Developing a system is incredibly complex as if you change any aspect of it, it can dramatically modify the sound and make you like it more or less. You need to listen to each system, with the same source that you will normally use, in the same conditions (e.g. driving on the highway at equivalent speeds with a CD on the same track playing) to be able to make a decision.

Thought - IMHO, the car is not really the place for high end audio. First, you are distracted (appropriately). Next, the background noise (no matter how well damped) will intrude on the listening experience. Finally, I believe too much signal processing needs to happen to get a good soundstage in a car. Having said that, I would still go listen to both with the few seconds of source file I use to test any sound system.

Different strokes.

 

Simon, your point is well taken. I always tell potential buyers to go and test both systems during a drive with the same audio source (preferably an uncompressed format CD). If they can't tell the difference or if they predominantly listen to suboptimal audio formats, sports radio or news...it is a no-brainer. The extra $$ is better spent on other options than the Burmester. To me there was a big difference but I also will tell this. My family and I do most of the music listening in the car during our long drives which is on most wekends. This and the fact that the Burm vs Bose difference was night and day made me go for the Burm and the noise insulated glass. Now people may say that I am crazy to shut off that wonderful exhaust of a V8. Having an air-cooled classic in the garage, I do not miss the sound of a Porsche.

Thank you Simon for that nice contribution with your post.

 

simoncpj,

Thank you for the provoking statements and thoughts. I agree with you to an extent, that extent being that I would like to get the "best" possible sound, whether or not the scenario lends to it or not. I have suffered now five years of listening to mediocre audio, largely due to bad experiences with custom (expensive/intrusive/warranty), Bose (blown speakers), Acura TLS (or whichever the DVD-A is called). When I purchased my current vehicle, I said to heck with paying for audio, it was pointless and I would be better off spending money on a good home setup. All the while, realistically, outside of home, I tend to listen to audio the most, while in a vehicle.

Based on my decision five years ago in car audio, my current situation regarding audio (amongst other things), is dire. So bad, that I choose not to listen to audio while driving, et al. Distraction is a very realistic element. Safety is first and foremost, you need every sense all the time when driving--eyes, ears, nose, etcetera, etcetera. However, all of those functions are compromised, be it by windows, doors, padding...point being, there are limitations.

With these limitations in mind, I as a consumer try to get as close as possible to creature comforts that make my journey a pleasant one. Heated steering wheel and seats, performance enhancers, metallic paint, lighting packages; none of this stuff is needed, but yet it is so desired. Granted a vehicle is not the proper vessel to accomplish many of the things that a normal or dedicated outlet would be able to accomplish with ease. Common elements, such as heating, lighting, sound damping, road noise, Mother Nature and a host of other elements, play roles in the overall delivery of the minute nuances of sound. To an extent, my mind overcompensates for the lack thereof a majority of perceived shortcomings (in audio and all nice-to-haves combined); however, there is no denying below/good/average/excellent quality.

In audio and horsepower everything gets to you there; it's a game of percentages and what gets you that extra 1, 2, or 3 percent closer to where you want to end up (wherever that may be). In car audio it's definitely an uphill battle, but I'd like to get the “best” that I can get, rather than listening to nothing at all for 5 to 8 hours depending on how long I drive and where I'm headed.

I totally agree with about 95 percent of what you wrote.

Again, thank you for the insightful post.

 

Applechilli: That was a great follow-up post. It all boils down to NEED vs WANT.

 

Interesting discussion. I found I stopped chasing "great" in audio when other priorities took over (namely kids and pets - they don't mix well with expensive, somewhat fragile components) and making any change got silly expensive. I have actually just ended up with "good" and found with the change in mindset, I spent less time trying to get past listening to the sound to get to the music and just started listening to the music. I can't do total crap sound reproduction though (and "good" isn't that tough or expensive generally).

Maybe I will come back around to audio as I am afflicted with the need to tinker (always involving building something with my hands). Audio, golf clubs, bikes, woodwork, cars, .....

Thanks for the kind words and thought provoking discussion.

 

I've made a decision its in my best interest NOT to even listen to the BURM

 

Read more: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/cartech/pors...#ixzz16p9x8Lli

 

Nice link Apple. Made for a fun read. When you look at the technology, research, build material quality that go into each component of the BURM, it is astounding and well worth (I would actually call it a steal) its premium price. It is up to you to decide whether you would benefit from it or not. Whenever I see a newbie ask the question Bose vs Burm ..is it worth the extra $$ ...I chuckle.

 

Thanks for the great post. Any suggestions for a web site carrying high quality CD's yo play on the Burm?

 

To my knowledge DVD-A or SACD's have the best sound. AM/FM/iPod/CD's -- nothing comes close to a DVD-A

I'll research some more information on this, but for starters, you can find discs at Best Buy.com, Amazon.com, Target, Wal-mart, etc. Key is to look for the deals and pay attention to the reviews from dedicated audiophile sites and magazines. Some music whether remastered or not doesn't sound up to snuff as it should. However, find the right disk and it will become your one and only reference.

 

Blue man group has some DVD-a that sound great on a good
System.

 

Can you play DVD-A on the Porsche audio systems ?

 

On pages 79-82 of the Porsche brochure, which deal with PCM/audio/Burmester, it states that DVD audio can be played. My question for someone that has the Burmester would be can you play the SACD? From what I'm reading they may be pretty good in their representation of music; not sure if they're compatable though.

 

Thanks much! Have a zillion tunes on my iPod but now need better quality for the Burm