Touring Standard vs Bose Radio (USA spec)

D

Dermochelys

:
2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD
I've decide to get a 2016 CX-5 in the Touring trim and I'm facing the choice of the standard radio vs the Bose/moonroof package. I really don't want/need the moonroof, so the radio is the determining factor.

After reading various threads on here the general consensus I've come away with is that the Bose system is better than standard system, but not a "premium" system. I don't blast the radio volume with huge thumping bass or anything, but I enjoy my music sounding good.

So here are my questions...

1) If I get the standard radio, what would it cost to get it up to the Bose system level of sound quality with upgraded speakers only? I'm not interested in a head unit change and I know speakers will only get me so far, but I'm no audio wiz and would have to pay a shop to install anything aftermarket.

2) I was going to bring a CD to test the two systems back to back. I was given a Bose Wave radio a few years ago as a gift and it came with a test disk with various sounds and classical music to show off the system. Would this be a good way to test the two systems, or because the disk is from Bose would it be too biased towards their system? I don't listen to CDs (I stick to radio and my 3rd gen IPod Nano), but my understanding is that this would be the most consistent way to do this test.

Any thoughts would be great, thanks.
 
I have the Bose system in my CX-5 and I'd say that it's pretty good. Not top of the line but more than just adequate. I'm a bit of an audio nut but not so much as to spend a lot of money on car audio, I used to be that way but it's too much trouble and expense these days. Plus I love the integration of todays systems.

I can't help you with #1 above but for #2, if you're going to compare the two systems side by side you'll need to do a little set-up first. Check the settings on both systems (bass, treble, surround sound on (Bose system only), fader, balance, etc....). Once you get them both set-up similarly play some music that you're familiar with, forget the test CD. You'll be listening to music not test tones. Choose a couple of good quality recordings to audition and let your ear be your judge.

The first time that I was able to really sit down a listen to the Bose I played Al Green, Love and Happiness. All I had to say was WOW!!! I was more than pleasantly surprised. At first I thought that there was too much emphasis on the center channel (surround sound on) but when the back-up singers kicked in, I had a BIG smile on my face. It sounded GREAT! Then I played my favorite Black Keys song, Sinister Kid. That sounded great too till I cranked it up. That's when I could hear some of the plastic in the CX-5 vibrating along with the speakers, not in a good way either. Too much bass with the volume turned up caused lots of rattles. You may not notice this as much while riding down the road though.

I didn't audition the standard system so I can't speak to a comparison between the two.

YMMV
 
Dermochelys said:
⋯ I don't blast the radio volume with huge thumping bass or anything, but I enjoy my music sounding good.
Click to expand...
Base on this statement alone Bose system is perfect for you!

Yeah you have to pay premium ($1,130 MSRP) for a mediocre "premium" sound system on the CX-5 Touring, especially comparing it to similar Bose system on Mazda6、CX-9、or even CX-3, as Mazda has removed dash tweeters and doesn't include a sub-woofer in CX-5. But since replacing speakers on a basic audio system won't improve sound quality too much, and replacing head unit is not something you want to do, I think getting a factory integrated Bose system is the best compromise for you.

Besides, once you added the Moonroof/Bose Package, you get a chance to add $1,275 MSRP Touring Technology Package which has LED lightings with Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)、rain-sensing wipers、auto-dim mirror w/Homelink、Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and other goodies. I believe LED DRLs alone make your CX-5 looking more modern and cool, not to mention LED headlights with AFS improve visibility of night-time driving for much greater safety.
 
Does the Bose system always come with the moonroof? I have a Touring w/moonroof and was never sure if I had the standard audio or the Bose audio. Is there someway in the infortainment menus to tell? Dealer never gave me the window sticker. At the time it wasn't a big deal but it would of been nice to have.

Anyway, the audio system is adequate, CD's sound good, radio so-so. Don't drive the car much so audio is not a big deal to me.
 
wlong01 said:
Does the Bose system always come with the moonroof? I have a Touring w/moonroof and was never sure if I had the standard audio or the Bose audio. Is there someway in the infortainment menus to tell? Dealer never gave me the window sticker. At the time it wasn't a big deal but it would of been nice to have.

Anyway, the audio system is adequate, CD's sound good, radio so-so. Don't drive the car much so audio is not a big deal to me.
Click to expand...

Well if the front door speaker grille says BOSE its got BOSE.
 
wlong01 said:
Does the Bose system always come with the moonroof? I have a Touring w/moonroof and was never sure if I had the standard audio or the Bose audio. Is there someway in the infortainment menus to tell? Dealer never gave me the window sticker. At the time it wasn't a big deal but it would of been nice to have.

Anyway, the audio system is adequate, CD's sound good, radio so-so. Don't drive the car much so audio is not a big deal to me.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that the Bose system and the moonroof come as a package.

It's easy to tell if you have the Bose system. Look at the front door speakers. Do they say Bose on them? There you go.



Back in the day there was a little saying that went along with Bose.

No highs? No lows? It must be Bose.

Bose has improved a bit since then, maybe.
 
I've only heard the Bose system once, and it's a little "too busy" for my taste (perhaps due to the center dash speaker). I do enjoy the standard speakers in my Touring, although the road noise might be a little too distracting. I've been keeping my EQ at Bass=0, Treble=+3 and are quite happy with it, cranking the bass+1 sometimes is needed to overcome road noise, but that also makes the bass muddy/boomy.

I did some measurement, but as Conrad mentioned, your ears auditioning the music, not test tones, so don't take the numbers/charts seriously:
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123853934-Non-Bose-frequency-response

In my vocabulary, BOSE = Buy Other Sound Equipment :)
 
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I have the touring and by replacing the dash speakers, with the 3.5" Polk Audio speakers and the door speakers(all 4 since second kit came for free), with Infinity Primus PR6500cs components, the sound quality has increased a lot.
 
Conrad 16.5 said:
Check the settings on both systems (bass, treble, surround sound on (Bose system only), fader, balance, etc....). Once you get them both set-up similarly play some music that you're familiar with, forget the test CD. You'll be listening to music not test tones. Choose a couple of good quality recordings to audition and let your ear be your judge.
Click to expand...

Thanks, yeah I was planning on being sure the settings were all the same when doing a test. The test disk I have starts off with animal noises, a dog, chicken, a horse (which sounds incredible on the Wave Radio) and then transitions to various pieces of music. I figured bringing a CD with me was the easiest way to test these systems without having to connect my IPod, but I'll make a special play list of a few songs and try that to.

sillyxone said:
I did some measurement, but as Conrad mentioned, your ears auditioning the music, not test tones, so don't take the numbers/charts seriously:
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123853934-Non-Bose-frequency-response

In my vocabulary, BOSE = Buy Other Sound Equipment :)
Click to expand...

Wow, that link is really great. I wish I knew how to interpret the graphs though. In your opinion is the Bose worth the extra $1,000? Again, I don't want the moonroof, so that's a negative for me, and if the Bose really isn't "that" much better, I might prefer the regular set-up and maybe add some speakers later if I really want to.

tibimakai said:
I have the touring and by replacing the dash speakers, with the 3.5" Polk Audio speakers and the door speakers(all 4 since second kit came for free), with Infinity Primus PR6500cs components, the sound quality has increased a lot.
Click to expand...

Good to know, Thanks!
 
Ok, so I went to two Mazda dealers in my area tonight to test out the two systems. The guy at the first dealership, which is only 5 minutes from my house, didn't want to go to the overflow lot to get a standard stereo car out and fed me some B.S. about how it would take 30 minutes to drive there. Little did he know that I live 1 minute from their overflow lot, I drive past it every day, so I knew he was full of it and left.

The second dealership was really nice about letting me do this. The manager even talked with me about it, and to my surprise actually didn't push the Bose system at all. He said he could tell a difference and that I probably wouldn't really be able to tell either.

So on to the test. First I did the Bose test disk in each car at volume level 40 (which is about as loud as I would listen to music if that tells you anything). Between the two, I could tell a slight difference with the Bose sounding more like it was coming from the center dash speaker and maybe just a touch more bass. Honestly though, not a really big difference. I then played a few songs from my IPod. On the standard system I had to turn the volume down to 30 and in the Bose system 25 to be at about the same level. I really couldn't tell a difference between the two systems again beyond a more "centered" sound in the Bose and maybe a little more bass.

At the end of the day, because I see the moonroof as a negative, the Bose system would have to justify being being $1,130 more all on it's own. I didn't hear enough of a difference to justify that cost, so I think I'll be just fine with the standard system, and if I really want to, then I could look into upgraded speakers.

I will say, I think both systems were on par with my current set-up that came as a special factory package in my 2002 Toyota Solara with a JBL system, and I've always been fine with that system.
 
If you have no interest in the moonroof, and no interest in the Tech Package (with which the moonroof/Bose package is necessary), then save your money and go without it. Its certainly not worth an extra grand for the stereo alone.
 
CX-5um said:
Well if the front door speaker grille says BOSE its got BOSE.
Click to expand...

Thanks, didn't mean to hijack the thread but wasn't sure what audio system I had. Turns out it's the Bose system. Speaker grills say so. Can't compare to the base system but the Bose is OK.
Could use an external sub-woofer though.
 
Dermochelys said:
I really couldn't tell a difference between the two systems again beyond a more "centered" sound in the Bose and maybe a little more bass.

At the end of the day, because I see the moonroof as a negative, the Bose system would have to justify being being $1,130 more all on it's own. I didn't hear enough of a difference to justify that cost, so I think I'll be just fine with the standard system, and if I really want to, then I could look into upgraded speakers.

I will say, I think both systems were on par with my current set-up that came as a special factory package in my 2002 Toyota Solara with a JBL system, and I've always been fine with that system.
Click to expand...

I'd have the same opinion. I feel the center dash speaker actually is the down side of the system, like having a center speaker in your home theater that overpowers the rest and doesn't even have the same timbre.

From my previous measurements, both the Bose and non-Bose charts are pretty nice and similar to each other. The Bose chart is flatter around 200-800Hz (most music) perhaps due to the center dash filling in, but that's a little too full/coloring IMO. Also, the 2016 didn't have good noise insulation, so it's not worth paying extra for the Bose system as you won't be able to tell much difference over the wind/road noise.

If you're in a heavy snow area, that $1,130 can easily get you a nice snow tires/wheels set. Or, you can just use that for floor + cargo liners, protective films, or just upgrade the speakers later (although I don't see a need).
 
I have got a 2016 GT, with Bose as a loaner for three days and I have listened to that system. It is loud, that is really nice for a factory system. It sounds good for a factory system, but my cheap Infinity Primus upgrade, sounds better in my opinion. The Bose speakers sound kind of lose and mine, much more rigid and harder punching. Most likely, the aftermarket composite materials are to be "blamed"(in a good way). If you understand what I'm trying to say.
 
sillyxone said:
I've only heard the Bose system once, and it's a little "too busy" for my taste (perhaps due to the center dash speaker). I do enjoy the standard speakers in my Touring, although the road noise might be a little too distracting. I've been keeping my EQ at Bass=0, Treble=+3 and are quite happy with it, cranking the bass+1 sometimes is needed to overcome road noise, but that also makes the bass muddy/boomy.

FYI - you can turn the center speaker off. It does overpower the front speakers. Turned off they sound much better.
Click to expand...
 
Too bad the center dash speaker in the Bose system doesn't have a level control like most all other surround systems have.
 
Some of my hobbies are speaker and crossover design and pro audio sound support.

The 2015 Blose system in the CX-5 is the worst sounding POS I have ever heard in a car. Mine measures +/- 14 dB from 40 to 14k Hz with a giant peak at 40 Hz (with the bass tone control at min), an equally deep, ragged trough from 200 - 1000 Hz and a ear-spiltting plateau from 3k to 7k. No speaker system can do that naturally. Mazda told me that was "tuning".

OTOH, the base system was curved by another member and his test showed it was acceptably smooth and relatively flat, overall. Get the base system. Consider adding better dash speakers IF you are not happy with it's "clarity".
 
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yrwei52 said:
Base on this statement alone Bose system is perfect for you!

Yeah you have to pay premium ($1,130 MSRP) for a mediocre "premium" sound system on the CX-5 Touring, especially comparing it to similar Bose system on Mazda6、CX-9、or even CX-3, as Mazda has removed dash tweeters and doesn't include a sub-woofer in CX-5. But since replacing speakers on a basic audio system won't improve sound quality too much, and replacing head unit is not something you want to do, I think getting a factory integrated Bose system is the best compromise for you.

Besides, once you added the Moonroof/Bose Package, you get a chance to add $1,275 MSRP Touring Technology Package which has LED lightings with Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)、rain-sensing wipers、auto-dim mirror w/Homelink、Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and other goodies. I believe LED DRLs alone make your CX-5 looking more modern and cool, not to mention LED headlights with AFS improve visibility of night-time driving for much greater safety.
Click to expand...

I'm revising my previous (Thumbs up) on advising people in getting the BOSE/Moonroof/Lighting combo package to a Shrug. If you're not into loud music, don't mind a sunroof, and like brighter lights then its a thumbs up. Otherwise the aftermarket for lighting and sound is there. Wasn't there a few years ago. Aftermarket LED options have matured, aftermarket sound solutions are there, and the CX-5 has been in the market for a while now. The Blind Spot Monitoring system inclusion is a huge value though.
 
The lighting package is much more than just "Brighter Lights" Adaptive lighting package is awesome. Would be almost impossible to add them aftermarket.
I like the Bose system, has better sound than the $875 HK system that was in my BMW. Plenty loud for me. Hate the sunroof though.

Part of the Technology Package on Touring and Grand Touring
models, the Adaptive Front-lighting System automatically
adjusts the angle of the vehicle’s headlights according to the
steering angle and vehicle speed. When cornering or
approaching intersections at night, the headlights’ beam
illuminates the path the car will actually follow, enhancing
driver safety.
 
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