silver cx5
Member
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- cx5 touring awd bose sunroof tech package
Hello all...just put a down payment on a cx5 touring with bose and tech package...picking it up Monday! Just wondering what the sound quality is like with the bose?...thanks!
CX-5 Bose Sound System
- Thread starter silver cx5
- Start date
I have the Bose system in my previous Mazda 3 SP23. For me, it was fantastic in that vehicle and was a very big selling point when it came to resale. The new buyers loved the way the system sounded, and because it was factory installed there was no chance for it to be a dodgy self install job in the eyes of the new buyer.
With that system in mind, I was glad to see Bose in the GT I ordered. On my test drive I tested it out and found it to be superior to the excellent system I had in the Mazda 3 SP23. An additional feature I really liked in the new system is that it has noise cancelling. In simple terms, a microphone in the system picks up noises in the car and reverses the wave of noise. This is played through the speakers along with the music being played. The result is a reduction in the ambient noise whilst the music being played sounds very clear. Seemed to work quite well.
See: http://worldwide.bose.com/axa/en/web/popup_automotive_audiopilot/page.html
Main Page: http://worldwide.bose.com/axa/en/web/automotive_systems/page.html
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silver cx5
Member
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- cx5 touring awd bose sunroof tech package
Thanks inodes for the reply! From your description it looks like its going to be even better than I thought!
The front door speaker grills say 'Bose' on them so I assume I have the Bose system on my GT.. 
I'm no sound expert, but the sound is definitely clearer. I can hear the different instruments coming from the different areas. What I find disappointing is that I can't seem to adjust the fader to balance the front and rear to my liking. I like to have a decent amount of the music coming from the rear so I'm surrounded by it. Also, I can't turn up the bass enough. I don't want the whole car shaking as I roll down the street, but I'd like a bit more bass.
Any suggestions? Other than getting a subwoofer?
I'm no sound expert, but the sound is definitely clearer. I can hear the different instruments coming from the different areas. What I find disappointing is that I can't seem to adjust the fader to balance the front and rear to my liking. I like to have a decent amount of the music coming from the rear so I'm surrounded by it. Also, I can't turn up the bass enough. I don't want the whole car shaking as I roll down the street, but I'd like a bit more bass.
Any suggestions? Other than getting a subwoofer?
The front door speaker grills say 'Bose' on them so I assume I have the Bose system on my GT..
I'm no sound expert, but the sound is definitely clearer. I can hear the different instruments coming from the different areas. What I find disappointing is that I can't seem to adjust the fader to balance the front and rear to my liking. I like to have a decent amount of the music coming from the rear so I'm surrounded by it. Also, I can't turn up the bass enough. I don't want the whole car shaking as I roll down the street, but I'd like a bit more bass.
Any suggestions? Other than getting a subwoofer?
I didn't check the CX-5. The Bose systems in the other Mazda's have a sub-woofer hidden somewhere. In the Mazda 3 for example, it was under the driver's seat.
The CX-5 system should have a sub-woofer that's not included in the speaker count (or even mentioned anywhere).
I used to be able to get excellent base from my Mazda 3 system. But I had to turn the bass up full.
mazdadude
ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM
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- '16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring
I looked online, through websites, brochures, etc... There is no diagram, or explanation of the stereo system components. The only description I can find is "Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound audio system with AudioPilot and 9 speakers".
There is an option on the radio to turn off the BOSE centerpoint setting. This helped to reduce the volume coming from the center speakers.
I usually enjoy spending the time and effort to install and upgrade the audio systems in my vehicles. However, this time I decided to go with the BOSE system for simplicity.
I have not yet put a good familiar "Test CD" into the unit and cranked it up hard. But so far, listening to bluetooth streamed MP3's, I am happy.
There is an option on the radio to turn off the BOSE centerpoint setting. This helped to reduce the volume coming from the center speakers.
I usually enjoy spending the time and effort to install and upgrade the audio systems in my vehicles. However, this time I decided to go with the BOSE system for simplicity.
I have not yet put a good familiar "Test CD" into the unit and cranked it up hard. But so far, listening to bluetooth streamed MP3's, I am happy.
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which year mazda 3 has the bose under the seats?
The Mazda 3's I've seen here with the bose system all have the woofer in the trunk. It's a dingy little thing so that's probably why the bass is quite lacking.
In terms of upgrading your the bose sound, I don't think there's anyway to escape adding a separate amp and subwoofer. Even a decent 8" subwoofer will probably blow away the bose bass IMO.
The Mazda 3's I've seen here with the bose system all have the woofer in the trunk. It's a dingy little thing so that's probably why the bass is quite lacking.
In terms of upgrading your the bose sound, I don't think there's anyway to escape adding a separate amp and subwoofer. Even a decent 8" subwoofer will probably blow away the bose bass IMO.
Maybe different here, but in my Mazda3 the amplifier is under the driver's seat and as stated the subwoofer is in the trunk/boot.
Centerpoint was mentioned. It seems that this is better with high quality original or copied music. For mp3 file type formats, which have compression, it is often better to have it off.
My SP23 was a 2005 model. I think they changed the sub woofer to being the boot (trunk) after that.
I liked it under the front seat for the same reason I moved the sound as far forward as possible.
But I found that when passengers were in the car, I had to send it back because they couldn't hear the sound as well.
It's with passengers that Centerpoint will come into it's own.
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110321
As a sound engineer, I'd like to chime in on the quality of the CX5 Bose system. I took an extended listen at the dealer with "Off the Wall" by Michael Jackson and "Ten Summoner's Tales" by Sting. From my past experience, Infinity, Polk, and Alpine have the edge. I have a custom Infinity Reference system in my current car, and it sounds tight, transparent, and balanced. I was skeptical of Bose, because they notoriously use their name to overvalue the actual quality of their product.
This was not exactly the case with the CX5 Bose system. It sounded good, with a sound that really filled the cabin evenly and was well articulated. In my mind, it scored something like a "B-". I believe that for the meager price increase ($600 or so), the system is definitely worth it. You could easily spend $600 on a (marginally) better aftermarket install, but only if you bought speakers on eBay and did the install yourself. When you factor in the time, effort, margin for error, and decreased resale value, it really makes sense to go with the the factory Bose system - especially if you're also in the market for a moonroof.
The audio controls were not very robust. Basically, you get volume, pan (left to right), fade (front to rear), bass, treble, and Centerpoint. From my understanding, the Centerpoint system essentially adds short digital time delays and small volume adjustments to each speaker, resulting in the sound from all 9 (?) speakers arriving at the driver's ears simultaneously, thus "centering" the perceived sound at the driver position. This seemed to work fairly well, but aftermarket headunits allow for greater fine-tuning in this department.
I don't believe the CX5 has the trunk-mounted subwoofer that is included with the Mazda 3. At least I couldn't hear anything that sounded like a sub or had as much bass as the Mazda 3 Bose system did. I was also disappointed at the lack of a "mid" EQ adjustment, as I found it difficult to use only treble and bass to adjust.
All in all however, I'm sure that even critical listeners would be impressed enough to find value in the Bose package. The treble was distinctly clear - something you would expect from a good custom system. The sub frequencies lacked, and the high-mids were a bit prevalent and thus harsh. The speakers sounded tight, hinting that the speaker cones are at least not made of paper.
This was not exactly the case with the CX5 Bose system. It sounded good, with a sound that really filled the cabin evenly and was well articulated. In my mind, it scored something like a "B-". I believe that for the meager price increase ($600 or so), the system is definitely worth it. You could easily spend $600 on a (marginally) better aftermarket install, but only if you bought speakers on eBay and did the install yourself. When you factor in the time, effort, margin for error, and decreased resale value, it really makes sense to go with the the factory Bose system - especially if you're also in the market for a moonroof.
The audio controls were not very robust. Basically, you get volume, pan (left to right), fade (front to rear), bass, treble, and Centerpoint. From my understanding, the Centerpoint system essentially adds short digital time delays and small volume adjustments to each speaker, resulting in the sound from all 9 (?) speakers arriving at the driver's ears simultaneously, thus "centering" the perceived sound at the driver position. This seemed to work fairly well, but aftermarket headunits allow for greater fine-tuning in this department.
I don't believe the CX5 has the trunk-mounted subwoofer that is included with the Mazda 3. At least I couldn't hear anything that sounded like a sub or had as much bass as the Mazda 3 Bose system did. I was also disappointed at the lack of a "mid" EQ adjustment, as I found it difficult to use only treble and bass to adjust.
All in all however, I'm sure that even critical listeners would be impressed enough to find value in the Bose package. The treble was distinctly clear - something you would expect from a good custom system. The sub frequencies lacked, and the high-mids were a bit prevalent and thus harsh. The speakers sounded tight, hinting that the speaker cones are at least not made of paper.
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- Mazda CX-5 Touring w/bose-tech
there is no sub with the bose, i went to a local audio shop and they wanted 300 to just design and install a box in the left hand rear 'pocket' not including an 8" driver and amp and associated wiring....
One of the other threads has a link to Bose that is useful:
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Mazda_CX5_en_tcm55-56157.pdf
The two front door speakers are what I've noted some other cars use as their sole "sub-woofer".
The old C-Class Merc for example uses one as its "sub-woofer" equivalent.
See: http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Mercedes-Benz C-Class_Model Year 1999-2004_EN_tcm55-6214.pdf
Likewise the RX-8:
http://www.mazda.co.uk/upload/country/en-gb/pdf_downloads/approved_used_range/rx8_brochure.pdf
A comparison can be made though with the higher prices Audi Q3:
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/bose-audi_q3-en_tcm55-51284.pdf
Or a Porsche Cayenne:
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Bose_Porsche_Cayenne_en_tcm55-29739.pdf
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Mazda_CX5_en_tcm55-56157.pdf
The two front door speakers are what I've noted some other cars use as their sole "sub-woofer".
The old C-Class Merc for example uses one as its "sub-woofer" equivalent.
See: http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Mercedes-Benz C-Class_Model Year 1999-2004_EN_tcm55-6214.pdf
Likewise the RX-8:
http://www.mazda.co.uk/upload/country/en-gb/pdf_downloads/approved_used_range/rx8_brochure.pdf
A comparison can be made though with the higher prices Audi Q3:
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/bose-audi_q3-en_tcm55-51284.pdf
Or a Porsche Cayenne:
http://www.bose.nl/NL/nl/Images/Bose_Porsche_Cayenne_en_tcm55-29739.pdf
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mazdadude
ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM
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- '16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring
Thanks! This is EXACTLY the illustration I have been looking for! Not sure why MAZDA America has nothing like this on the CX-5 Brochure or web pages...? Shows sizes, locations, and amp location.
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- Mazda CX-5 Touring w/bose-tech
dont worry about it, everytime i turned the function on, it flattened the music, sounded like it had no depth, as if it was a mono recording instead of stereo let alone 'surround' they claim
Only available for the inputs it can post process. So from memory, it cannot do radio (at least in Australia where we don't get the HD Radio.... which is a bit crappy given non digital radio will be phased out).
