I had asked Bose if they could give me any info on the audio system for the RX-8 - I was particularly interested in the "modules" that snap into the head unit - this is what they replied with:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Bose Music System that will be
offered in the Mazda RX-8. Bose Corporation supplies the speakers and
amplifiers and the radio/cass/cd portion of the system will be made to our
specifications and supplied by a manufacturer of Mazda choice.

Bose Corporation is planning to offer the following system content:

2" Nd twiddler in mirrors

9" manta in the doors

3" twiddler in-dash

2" twiddler and 6x9 speaker located on the package tray

I do not believe MiniDisc Player will be part of the factory installed
components however you will need to verify that with Mazda.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Thank you for choosing Bose Corporation.


- I wonder who will be making the CD player

 

NO SUBS???!!

 

werd ... what's up w/ that?

 

If you want subs, it won't be hard to tap into the Bose system. It is right underneath the rear deck.

Nine inch door mount woofers should satisfy most people in terms of bass and that is what they are trying to do: satisfy most people.

I will be adding some sort of add on subsytem in the trunk.

I'm just happy that Bose is trying to answer emails and keep people informed. However, I don't think you'll get an answer from them on the power output of their system.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

if u add a sub sys in the trunk then there are no more space for anything else......hmm.....hard to decide

 

I'd have to agree that the 9" speakers in the door should provide enough bass. Sub's are usually used to add "too much" bass anyways. Bose is all about accurate reproduction of the sound, not "feeling" the sound...

 

I wouldn't suggest that to a touring 350Z owner because you're liable to get punched! The Bose in that car is universally derided.

 

Ah ha ha ha ha ha. :D :D :D :D :D :D

Thanks! I needed a good laugh today!!!

 

Only if you don't know what you're doing.

---jps

 

I listened to a friends 350Z touring model and I can say that their system does suck. I would have to say it is one of the worst sounding systems I have heard in some time. My old 88 Mercury Grand Marquis sounds better than the 350Z Bose system.

Even though I will get flamed:
I like some of Bose equipment. Their noise canceling headphones are the best you can buy without getting into avaition grade. I also have an Acoustimass 15 speaker set which up until recently was the best sounding small speaker system I had heard. Most manufactures are trying to make small systems that don't take up the whole room and several are better than Bose now. But a few years ago they only way to get good sound were speakers 5 times bigger than those from Bose.

I am hoping that Bose and Mazda have a better relationship and Bose spent more time laying out the system in the RX-8. As I said I do enjoy their work but they can also screw up big as in the 350z.

 

From all reports, the Bose system has sounded very good in the X-8.

The Bose system in the RX-7 was liked by most.

I'm not a big Bose fan, but they do usually get something right and that is imaging. The speaker layout of the RX-8 seems to suggest they will do a good job there as well.

I think I will add a JL Audio 10" sub to my system in a small 1 cubic foot enclosure in the spare tire well. Giving it 150 Watts should be more than enough. I'll leave the rest stock (for the most part ).

-Mr. Wigggles

 

What spare tyre???

 

Sub's are only used to add "too much" bass when people who want their cars to shake everything around them get their hands on them.

Correctly tuned, a sub will make just about any music sound a whole lot more rich. You'd be surprised if I set you in my car when I had my system (if you want to be sit in it now, feel free to help me find the ******** who stole it). I could play classical and turn the subs off and you'd know it. It just added a dimension to the music that was not reproducable without it. A punch to the kick drums in rock, the low end harmonics of pipe organs were strong, you really would be amazed at how much low frequency information is brought out by a well tuned sub setup. Oh, and if you needed a good back massage the 2000 watt Zapco amp I had would do that for you too.

BTW: My old set up took quite a few 1st place trophies in IASCA Sound Quality competitions. Most of the musical production used to evaluate the vehicle was classical and jazz - and yes the 2 12" subs were extremely well receieved by the judges.

 

I meant "spare tire well" not "spare tire wheel". Sorry for the confusion.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

What spare tire well???

 

I tried the Bose on the RX8. It sounded really really good. The 9's throw a good amount of Bass. I am not adding a damn thing to that system. It sounded very clear and loud as hell with all doors open.

 

That's enough to sell me the car. I really want a good audio system and a quiet but powerful engine to listen to it with. Perfect!

 

Now, you are just being truculent.

The "spare tire well" as I define it is the space that a spare tiyre goes in for some the other countries.



-Mr. Wigggles

 

There is no spare tyre well in the RX8.

If you want a spare, it fits in a rack (optional in all countries) that takes up about one third of the boot space.

Most countries don't leagally require you to carry a spare.

 

Alright, Alright...

This is the "well" I'm refering to. For the spare tire or whatever:

 

You'd never get a spare in there!

See what you mean now, not too deep though, wouldn't it cause too much of an obstruction to the boot opening. Probably be better just mounting it against the back of the rear seats.

 

I don't know... You have to be careful seeing what the seat support and whatnot is made of, because you don't want to block too much airflow from directly in front of the sub, otherwise you'll be restricting the subs ability to move air appropriately. Even some padding and upholstery material will affect the performance of a sub.

---jps

 

From what Bose wrote back in that e-mail, it sounds like all the cars will have the exact same head unit, only the speakers and amplifier will be different with the "Bose" system. Seems like getting the base stereo (6 speakers) with my Sport Package won't be too bad after all.

I probably wouldn't have minded the Bose system, but I didn't want the moonroof.

 

Ditto. I was very happy with the Bose system in my 10AE Miata, but I really didn't want the extra stuff that I would have had to order to get the Bose in my RX-8.

 

the bose sound system is not worth it...cause look to be honest there has never been a car that came with a good sound system...300watts is what it pushes and with 9 speakers that comes out to be 33watts per speaker Peak...thats about 25 watts RMS...most after market speakers usually have over 35 watts rms...and most good car sound system push over 500 watts and thats not including the amp in an aftermarket system.... thirdly i think just like nissan mazda screwed us audio guys...cause i just bought the new alpine in dash and where the heck am i to do with a 2k head unit now...cause when i get the rx8 there is no where to install it...or am i mistaken cause the people at mazda had no idea how to put it in and niether did the stereo shops in my area and i went to places like 310 motoring, traffic jams, and mobile fantasy just to see if they could do it and all said it would need to be custom mounted somewhere...