oodlum

My 8 doesn't arrive for a couple of weeks and I'm curious - why do I hear people say the sound system could do with improvement. I mean - 300W Bose, 9 speakers. I've already started bragging about it.

What am I missing?

Psylence

The cd player is skip-prone, but aside from that I think it sounds fine. If you are into overly-bassed systems, then it might not suit you. No complaints here!

Shocka

the system is good but nothing amazing. i think my dads galant the infiniti system sounds ALOT better.

Shooter

My only stereo complaint is the difference in how loud it is between radio and CD even though i dont change the volume. noticeably louder at the same level on cd vs radio.....I know the cd is gonna be louder but it seems a bit too loud in contrast to the radio level....

RX8Z

Lets be honest, they didnt do any work or development with the sound system

Im assuming Mazda figured, it wasnt a big deal to begin with. They throw in Bose speakers, but the system itself is ok but not great compared to others in the class.

But everyone has their own view and own perception to what sound system is the best. Im ok with it, but Im not out to go deaf like others if you know what i mean.. =)

Later on, I'll prob add an amp and change some things around to give it some substance , instead of the empty hall type of sound

but you know what, when your driving, nothing else matters =)

Z

meladdin

It's BOSE. IMO BOSE= Medicore. There's no depth and the bass is REALLY lacking. But since I put on my Borla exhaust, I'd rather keep the volume down anyways :D

XeRo

This has been discussed THOUSANDS of times....

but to elaborate...Bose has become fixated on mass production for meeting sales forcasts instead of meeting quality standards...it's all about the bills now...which is sad..my dad has some of the first Bose shelf speakers and they sound SO great but their current models both car and home audio are just as stated...mediocre..

I have never bought a car with the intent on keeping the factory HU and speakers...

There obviously is NO engineering in the design

1) because tweeter placement in the RX-8 as well as my Z71 Tahoe (has Bose also, for now) is not pointed in the optimum direction for audio clarity. I would have been happier if I could have gotten the GT package with out the stereo but that was not a choice...

2) they are unconventional in their application in the realm of Ohm-age, wiring the amp, etc...

3) the center speaker makes absolutely no sense because if it's purpose is to serve as a TRUE center speaker, optimum placement is pointed directly AT THE AUDIENCE not the windshield..

I plan on as well as quite a few others to rip this out and start from scratch...it's just easier..well..easier after a console replacement has been made.

which in fact I am working on now..i ordered some carbon fiber and will be trying my hand at this...I have done plastic molds and fiberglass but never carbon fiber..this will be fun...i am as well planning on making carbon fiber panels to replace the ones on the mirror/tweeter application. Sorry for the temporary hi-jack i will start another thread when I get far enough to be able to provide pics...weather here has been absolutely crappy...

mdw33333

OK, I been in the car audio business for 10 years and I'll agree this isn't the best sounding stereo system I've heard (not even close). However, to say that no engineering went into it is just kind of ignorant. First of, the tweeter location is fine, just below ear level. Second, the center channel is a "filler" channel, not a dedicated center channel. It is design to "fill" the car with a center sound stage, nothing more. This isn't a 5.1 surround sound set-up, so this speaker's purpose is different.

Anyone who knows anything about sound, knows that it's reflective, and the position of the center speaker is near perfect for reflection off the center portion of the windhsield.

Now I can't speak for any of you, but I don't know of many cars (let alone sports cars) that are equipped with 9" mid range/mid bass drivers in the doors! Not to mention another set of them in the rear deck. This system may not sound as good as one you'd put together yourself, but for anyone to say that there was little thought put into designing this sytem, is just foolish. For what it is, the factory Bose system is definitly "up to par," when compared to many other factory audio systems. It maximizes the space available in the vehicle without compromising practical application. Plain and simple, if you want more bass, you lose space.

Sputnik

What I think you are missing, and what the others who responded have illustrated, is that like cars, people are going to need/want different things.

Those who aren't pleased (for whatever reason, valid or invalid) are going to be the most vocal, and the most prominent in a forum meant for customizing audio. Those who are perfectly satisfied won't bother. So it will seem like more people don't like it, when that isn't necessarilly the case.

Exactly. You have alot of people (I don't mean anyone in particular) who will say something "sucks" just because they just don't happen to like it, and not because it is of poor quality.

---jps

G8rboy

I think the Bose system does a very good job reproducing highs and mid-range, just doesn't have much depth to the bass. I don't understand why there isn't more, considering the sub-in-the-door design, but that was the only aspect I've complained about (I also miss my Miata's headrest speakers with pseudo-surround 'wide mode', but that was an oddity in the car audio world).

I have since built a small custom sub enclosure (see link in sig below) and now the system sounds phenomenal for all types of music, IMO... and I've received several compliments on the audio from passengers in the last week since I've added the box.

93rdcurrent

The other problem with these systems would be how integrated they are. If you want the MP3 player that's $435 out of pocket. If you want the mini-disc that is again $450 out of pocket. If you want to put in your own system which is already MP3 & XM or Sirius ready, then you need a $750-1,000 custom dash done. Then you have to pay the shop to research and decide how to integrate your Nav, alarm and anything else.

I posted this elsewhere and some of you may have read it, but auto makers should stick to building engines and performance. Those of us who are Audiofiles are going to want different things and making it this exenpensive and difficult to switch out is ridiculous. Some people are ok with the stock system and that is ok. Not everyone likes classical music either. I find it to be very mushy. No clean sound. If I want to hear classical guitar I want a crisp sound. When I put in Busta I want more bass and highs. I am just not satisfied with the system and I would just change it without bitching if it weren't for the fact that it is so much of a pain in my ***.

If Microsoft made it this difficult to use another developers web browser they would have been in more trouble than they got into for a monopoly. Why are auto makers getting away with it?

XeRo

do we get points or something towards being a moderator if we demean others intelligence on this board?

mdw33333...i have been in car audio for 12 years and in competitions all throughout the southeastern US, i think i know what i'm talking about...but i'm NOT doing this macho i know more than you bout....demean me all you want...

i'm simply stating the facts that i have percieved in owning my car that is equipped with a Bose system...

you state that i'm ignorant for thinking no engineering went into the design ...but who in god's name if put a little time into it could NOT get sufficient low end from 2 pairs of 9" midbass speakers...I'm not a bass head by any means but the low end on this system is very weak...i could have gotten the same response from 2 4" midbass and a pair of coax's....if you ARE a 10 yr vet in car audio you know you should have posed several questions regarding this setup yourself...

What about the buzz's, rattles, if these were well engineered this wouldn't be happening...i'm not getting into this... i was just stating my opinion to the fellow asking about the Bose setup and what I plan on doing to fix my problem with it and several others that aren't happy...

i will say this though...you are right about the RX-8 Bose setup being better than most other "factory" systems...

mdw33333

To XeRo,

Well, what you consider to be a "sufficient" amount of low end and what Bose/Mazda engineers considered "sufficient" amount of low end are two different things. Yes, these are 9" midbass drivers, however, keep in mind that they are in the doors. They use only the doors as their enclosure. What did you expect from this system and its totall power of 300 watts (and that's a generous rating)? Come on now... The type of "bass" I believe you expect really can't be achieved by using 300 watts of "total" system power. If that 300 watts (again, a generous rating, probably less in reality) was dedicated specifically to subwoofer output, then this system might please you... but it's not... so add a amp/sub and be happy.



By the way ignorance and intelligence are also two different things. I don't believe I'm insulting you (I'd have nothing to gain by doing that), I'm simply pointed out the inaccurate portions of your statements. Your questioning of the position and function of the center speaker told me your knowledge was relatively limited. Again, no offense, but a "12 year vet" would've known its purpose and understood its location.

G8rboy

300W of total power should be more than sufficient to send enough power to the door woofers to have more bass than they do. My Explorer has the cheapest option stereo available packing a massive 80W, and it's door speakers have fantastic bass... ergo I expected at least equivalently deep lows in my RX8. I just don't get it... but it was easy enough to solve.

oodlum

Thanks for your input everyone. G8rboy - nice job on the sub!

zerobanger

I think the system sounds great, the MP3's sound really good and quality is good. I wish they had base speakers in the seat backs like the 1993 Miata did, that was fun.

Sputnik

The thing about the 9" driver is that it is working as a mid-bass, not a subwoofer. Regardless of it's size, the fact that it is having to reproduce such a large range of frequencies actually compromises it's ability to do either mid-range, mid-bass, or bass frequencies too well. Even though it wasn't designed as a mid-range only speaker, it would reproduce midrange frequencies better if you added a crossover to block bass frequencies (and vice versa).

---jps

G8rboy

95% of my music comes from my Lyra 40GB jukebox, and once I tweaked the graphical EQ built into my player, I agree that MP3's sounded much better. I think the Bose would sound better with a true equalizer and not just bass/treble gain settings for radio/cd/tape.

BTW, you can add those 'bass shakers' to your RX-8- I considered it myself. They're always on eBay for $30-$50 a pair, depending on the size... here's a set I just found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=1287

shebam

I imagine that the amount of air moved in your Explorer doors is at least double that in the RX8 doors -- should be good for a "free" 3dB of bass.

Baller

The car is great but Bose does suck...no doubt about it.
Just mid-range.......not much highs or lows.

Squidward

when I read post after post of people's description about how the Bose sounds in the RX8, and how it lacks this or that, the only thing that is true is that everyone hears differently, and that this issue is highly subjective.

Some people say it does fine in high and mid-range, but lacks bass, while others, including myself believe the high and lows are decent, but the mid-range is utterly lacking.

So, don't take anyone's word for it, just experience it yourself. Perhaps it will be excellent to you, as it was for a few of my passengers. One passenger even said I had on way too much bass, so like I said, everyone's different.

Raevik

...and I'm comparing it to a 7 year old factory install on my Mazda MX-6 M-edition.

Really.

I was listening to a copy of Tool: Undertow, not exactly gangster rap, and I'm picking out bass rattle in my door speakers.

Shouldn't factory speakers be calibrated to only produce frequencies they are capable of? I got a nice speech from my dealer on how the RX-8 interior was built specifically to support to stereo to avoid rattles and unpleasant vibration, etc etc....

Day 3, door bass rattle. What a disappointment.

I'm hoping the speaker just sucks and I can turn the bass down. If it's door rattle, not even adding my amp and sub will help, it'll just make it rattle more.

EDIT: I wanted to add that this is the "premium" stereo that came with the Touring package, too. So far, there's nothing premium about it. Does the Bose speaker setup actually say Bose somewhere? I didn't notice it anywhere on mine....I better not have gotten ripped by the dealer.

Astor

The Bose logo should be on the front tweeters. Undertow has a less Mastered sound than some of the later Tool, so the bass drum hits harder, I've read a thread where they went to the dealer and had extra insulation put into the door. Just make sure you don' t have anything down in the map holders on the doors.

rotary_it_up

The tweeters on the doors have the BOSE name on them. If you have a sunroof, then you have the Bose system. I am assuming you are in the US.

93rdcurrent

Go look over at the Audio/Video/Security section of the forum. There are many threads about the Bose sound system. If you are looking for more Bose representation in your car there is even a thread about making more stickers to put in your car (read the thread before you flame me).