Why are Bose systems hated?

Originally Posted by irondoc

I am an audiophile like many others here, but for me, a name should only lead you to listen to a specific brands products in audition - not to buy something without first listening. Once you listen, everything else comes down to what you are willing to pay for, personal taste and what kind of music you like to hear.
Most would agree that Martin-Logan is high end stuff, my brother loves it, I don't. (But we both love my Mirage OMD-28 speakers) So the fact that many of us here look down on Bose should not make any one who is satisfied with Bose decide to upgrade. If you like your Bose - God Bless - you will save the ridiculous sums of money some of us have paid to upgrade. So just listen and enjoy, and ignore the yapping of the audio nuts like me.
It is entirely possible to upgrade your speakers and amps but leave the head unit in place with everything working seamlessly together.
I have a 2013 Sport Touring with Nav. I upgraded with an Audio Control LC8i - this is the heart of the system and makes it possible to use the head unit with aftermarket amps and speakers.
Even with the Bose in place the best thing you can do to improve your listening experience is sound dampening. Anything and everything in the car will sound better with less noise in the car