i keep thinking about it and i can't believe how simple the bose audio-pilot thing is. it goes up +3, +6, +9 decibels. from the description, it sounds like it should be imperceptibly adjusting the volume. although i don't like bose systems (home theater) in general, i have listened to their noise cancellation headphones and they work very well so they are capable of sophisticated systems.

can someone w/out bose confirm if their cars adjust their volumes at different SPEED changes? or ambient noise levels (i know they correlate)?

could they be working simultaneously if you have the bose upgrade/audio pilot?

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here's a description of how audio pilot works from bose's website

<b>How does AudioPilot work?

A microphone continuously monitors the total sound level inside the car- both the music you want to hear and the noise you don’t. Then, Bose digital electronics separate the music from the noise, and use a compensation algorithm to modify the signal continuously.

It’s difficult to achieve, because the signal modifications must occur as the music plays, noise enters the cabin, and the dynamics of each continues to change. But with the AudioPilot system, everyone in the car can enjoy all the passages - no matter how loud or soft - with no adjustments. And you and your passengers will perceive no change in the overall volume of the audio system. The volume adjustments are that smooth.

Bose AudioPilot circuitry is completely different from conventional speed-controlled car volume features, which simply raise the overall volume as the car increases speed. The Bose system "listens" to the noise, defines its character, then compensates for its presence by adjusting the specific musical tones affected by the noise. To properly engineer our AudioPilot system, we thoroughly examine the car's environment. This knowledge is an important benefit of the Bose “clean sheet” approach to car music system design, in which the vehicle and the sound system are engineered simultaneously from the ground up. </b>

and i was told one of those little grilles in the overhead teleaid/light control thing was the microphone (from bose tech support).

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my theory is that what i thought i had turned off a long time ago (well, reduced to +3 decibels) was actually the speed regulated volume adjustment and that the bose audiopilot was unaffected (and the technician who made the adjustment is unaware of it - the service manager was certainly unaware of audio pilot altogether)

 

It's the speed that affects the sound amplification... not the noise, unfortunately... Simple test: open your sunroof/windows at speed and see how the volume changes. It won't.

 

also, the bose site says only the S-class(2000 +) and C-class (2001 +) have audio pilot.

adam, if the CLs have it, then bose's website probably updated... i thought it was odd too.

 

Strange.. The 2000+ CL Class has Audio Pilot as well. Actually the audio system in the S class is really the same one for the CL Class.

 

i had mine turned off in my delivery instructions.

i always thought it was silly and gimmicky

greg

 

I tried this the other day in my Coupe w/Bose and the volume definitely got louder. So loud, in fact, that I had to turn it down. As soon as I closed the roof the volume normalized.

 

I've got a C240 without the Bose system, and I definitely have speed-related automatic volume compensation. I can notice the changes around 30, 45 and 60mph. I was under the impression that the Bose system did use audiopilot in the C-Class, but I wasn't aware that it used the "regular" speed-related compensation also.

Vadim, do you have the bose system? If yes, it seems like it should compensate for the added noise of an opened window or sunroof.

 

I noticed mine increases and decreases around 40 and 60

 

well, then, i'm 99.9% convinced that the volume adjustment system that i had reduced was the speed-determined system and not the bose audio-pilot system. (of course, the audio-pilot is hard to tell if its working or not so i'll just assume it is).

this makes me feel a little better about bose.

 

Hmm... I do have the Bose system, and I have noticed some correlation between the speed and the volume, but no wind noise compensation.... I'll try it again today and pay close attention...