[syzonker]

We just picked up a new '07 Suburban LTZ and we love it. We had Suburbans in the past and, in a moment of insanity, "downsized" to the Expedition. Although it was a decent truck, we found we couldn't live without the extra space that the Suburban offers. We're now back...

The new navigation system is great. The touch screen is a huge improvement over prior non-touch models. The one problem I'm having is that I can't find the DSP or AudioPilot function. Although I don't generally use DSP, the AudioPilot sounds like a good feature, automatically adjusting the sound to compensate for actual road noise rather than just basing the adjustment off speed.

The LTZ comes standard with the Bose system. The speakers are labelled Bose so I know it's in there. The manual states that if you have the Bose system you have AudioPilot and will be given some AudioPilot related choices when you go into Audio Setup / Automatic Volume Adjustment. Unfortunately my only choices are Low, Medium and High which the manual states are the non-Bose choices. There are also supposed to be some DSP related settings under the speaker / equalization screen, which there don't seem to be any. I see no indication that the DSP system is actually installed. The sound of the system is great, but I'd like to know that I got what I was supposed to get.

I called Chevrolet support and they were absolutely no help. They explained that they don't offer technical support, only support finding something in the manual - not much help. They suggested that I work through the dealer to get an answer (my dealer is researching it).

It appears that either the DSP system really isn't installed or control over it never actually made it into the User Interface development of the new navigation system, or although it's installed the navigation system just doesn't know it's there.

Anyone find the controls for these features?

Thanks for the help!

Marc

 

[84fiero123]

Try caslling Bose in Framingham, Massachusetts.

I'm sure if you call 1-800-555-1212 thay may even have an 800 number.

 

[84fiero123]

Try calling Bose in Framingham, Massachusetts.

I'm sure if you call 1-800-555-1212 thay may even have an 800 number.

 

[syzonker]

Thanks for the suggestion of calling Bose. It turned out to be the most knowledgable contact.

I reached a very helpful support person at Bose Automotive group who really took ownership of the issue. She researched it and found something very disappointing. The Bose functions mentioned in the manual are not available on the Chevy Suburban, only on the GMC and Cadillac versions. The same is true for the Tahoe (only available on the Yukon and Escalade). The Bose system in the Suburban LTZ is a Bose 5000 which only has a four channel amplifier. Even though it's a "nine speaker system", the two speakers in the D-pillars (rear of the truck) are tied to the rear door speakers and the two speakers in the A-pillars (sides of the windshield) are tied to the front door speakers. Then there's a subwoofer in the center console. On the GMC and Cadillac versions, when you order the Bose system you get the Bose 6000 amplifier which is a true 7.1 amplifer (some speakers must still be tied together).

It's only with the Bose 6000 that you get the extra DSP, Centerpoint and AudioPilot features.

I asked whether the speakers were still all wired individually back to the amplifier but tied together at the connection. Then I felt I could convince GM to swap out the 5000 for the 6000 since the manual claims the Suburban has the features. She was pretty sure it was an entirely different wiring harness with the speaker tied together in the chassis and all that made it back to the amplifier were the four speaker connections.

I have faxed copies of the relevant manual pages to Bose. They're very disturbed by what appears to be a mistake on Chevy's part, claiming certain Bose features are in the vehicle when they're not.

The (navigation) manual, which is for the Chevy and GMC versions, simply states if you have the Bose speaker system, you have these features. Unfortunately it should qualify it to say not applicable in the Chevy Suburban (or Tahoe).

My dealer, after reaching Engineering in Detroit, confirmed the very same information.

I haven't been able to confirm it, but from what I can find on the web, only the Denali and Denali XL have the advanced Bose system (and probably the Escalade as well). Not the basic Yukon. The difference is that on the Yukon the option is described as "Bose premium 9-speaker system, with subwoofer in center console (UQA)" and on the Denali it's described as "Bose luxury 9-speaker system, with enhanced performance amplification, Audio Pilot noise reduction feature and subwoofer (UQA)". I guess it's the difference between Premium and Luxury.

Interestingly, both the dealer and Bose asked me if I had ever experienced AudioPilot. I told them I hadn't but that it sounded pretty neat, automatically adjusting volume based on actual background noise rather than just based on speed (SCV). They both feltt that the basic SCV worked much better than AudioPilot and that AudioPilot was too subtle to hear the effects. The support person at Bose said they get a lot of complaints on AudioPilot from customers feeling that it's not working.

So, I didn't get what I thought I was getting, but I might be better off.

I'll keep you posted if I find anything else out. Until then, I'll just enjoy everything else the new truck brings us.

Marc

 

[84fiero123]

Glad to of help.

I worked right down the rode from Bose at CPC Framingham, Ma. Assembly plant for GM.

I ran into a lot of Bose people over the years and they all were really into sound.