philg3

Bose was standard on my 2004CT, and it's good, not great. Just took delivery on a 2012C V6 with the standard sound and PCM -- not as good as the Bose, but good. There is a USB connection in the center console for a flash drive -- downloaded from iTunes, and system is very good -- visuals, control, sound. Bose would be better, but IMO, it's overpriced -- worth maybe $600. Also, come resale time, no one would give you $2K more for your C becasue you have a Bose. What ever you do, don't get the CD changer.

Had the 2012 V6 since last weekend, and am very impressed -- major changes from my 2004CT. Power is good, and much more user friendly from many respects. My wife drives it, and she thinks it's the best thing on earth, and she's probably right.

ltc

philg3

One more thing on the Bose. I'm not sure if this is a requirement to get Traffic on your Nav, but it might be. I've gone throught the manuals, and it's not clear to me -- maybe you need Bose that has XM for this functionality, but then I'm not sure if you also need an XM subscription.

If traffic comes with the Bose, it might be worth it.

mudman2

ltc

mudman2

let me think about that

Mike in CA

You've framed it exactly right. For a bunch of extra money, the Burmester gets one a system that has a superior S/N ratio, improved clarity and dynamic range and then is used in an automobile with 70-75+db of background noise from wind, road, engine, etc, masking probably 95% of the improvement. If the intention is to do a lot of listening in the garage, or transplant the system to a quiet listening room, go for the Burmester. Otherwise, for the road, the Bose in the '11 Cayenne in very listenable (better than the Bose in my Carrera, I might add), and you can buy PDCC or PSE with the money you save.


+1 on all counts.

daddyscar

Some base stereo's are fine. Some are just not good enough. You really have to just listen because it will be a pain to upgrade. You would think a base sound system on any luxury brand would be ok but sometimes they are not.

TGED

There are actually 4 types of audio in the Cayenne, not three. The base, PCM with Navi, Bose, Burmester. To get the USB connection, you must get the PCM with Navi. Upgrading to Bose or Burmester from the base system will not get you the USB.

TGED

Please do not refer to the base audio as PCM standard audio, as it can be confusing. Unlike the previous Cayenne, the current base audio already comes with the PCM screen, but it is still the standard base system, by adding the Navi option you get higher wattage, more speakers and an USB input.