Owners with BOSE Stereo system - How do you like it?

[Mr.Mojo]

I was curious how Mazda 6 owners with the Grand Touring or Touring with tech package feel about the 11 speaker Bose stereo system.
Does it have enough bass?
Clear sound?
What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[palomatic]

I am one big audiophile who loves listening to crisp music with some decent bass. What Bose offers is clear and crisp music with ample bass inside the car to make you feel good about your music and speakers. Bose speakers are not those typical overpowering boom-boom speakers and will offer adequate bass to compliment the music. I am more than satisfied with. the speakers but I don't expect everyone to feel the same.

I have a silver Touring w/Tech.

 

[Moose Muscles]

Personally, with the exception of the better base quality with the Bose, I think my 2004 Acura TSX had a better sound stereo. My 1996 626 had all Boston Acoustic aftermarket stereo stuff which trumped them all.

To answer more directly, the Bose is better than regular, but I immediately turned the base down once I took ownership of it.

 

[Tyrdstorm]

It's fine after I added a cheap slim "sub" under the deck in the trunk. You can find my original post in this forum.

 

[WokTato]

Like many Bose products, it has an abundance of midbass but nothing lower. It could use a well-blended sub to bring the bass down lower without it being obvious that it's there. I turned the bass down and the treble up slightly to balance the sound to my ears.

I usually have a strong dislike for Bose products but the stereo in the 6 is more than adequate. It beats out the system I had in my Envoy (Kenwood KIV-BT900 + 4x JL Audio C2-650x) by a fair margin. By comparison, the Bose system has fuller, slightly warmer sound with better-tamed highs.

Again, it's more than adequate. This does not mean that it's excellent. I've got truly nice headphone and speaker listening systems at home that destroy it. But it's a car, and for a car I'm quite happy with it.

 

[josby]

It's better than I was expecting. My previous car (Honda S2000) had a good aftermarket stereo (build log: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...gallery/156725-2008-honda-s2000-sq-build.html) but was so much more noisy than the 6. So, I find that I'm hearing details in my music that I hadn't heard before due to less road noise. But, the tonal quality is off - a lot of vocals sound like the singer has a cold or something compared to what I am used to.

IMO it sounds worse with the CenterPoint on - I think this is because the center channel is just a mid, unlike the left/right which have both a mid and tweeter.

The L/R mids are right up against the glass, which from what I've read is good for moving the comb filtering caused by reflections off the glass up into a frequency range that is less noticeable to the ear, so that's good.

I still plan to upgrade to something better, but I don't feel an urgency to do so like I was expecting I would.

 

[eyedocorlando]

To me it sounds fantastic compared to a few others I tried. It's well balanced out of the box and the centerpoint function does a great job of evening out the front bias so the soundstage is more accurate. The highs are very crisp, and with the right music the 9" door woofers are quite good. I give it a 10/10 for enjoyability for driving down the road. It would not be up to par for a home listening environment, but in a car with wind noise I have zero complaints. I am happy I got the Bose and not something lower end.

 

[Blackzilla]

its not bad but i personally liked the Bose system i had in my G35 better. but this does the job well

 

[Google]

Sony's audio in the Ford Focus sport sounds awesome. I think it actually sounds better than in the 2014 Mazda (Bose).

 

[KelOne333]

My 06 M6 Bose is the easily the best "stock" car stereo system I've heard in any car I've owned. (10+ cars). Its even better than the $3000+ I spent on audio in my 1980 Malibu back in 1998. Granted, it was my first (and last) stereo build, and I had little idea as to Wtf I was doing. Still. .Bose is tits

 

[Google]

I had a 1999 Malibu and the stock stereo was actually not bad. North American stock stereos actually sound decent for the most part in the mid size or higher cars.

I had as a loaner a 2006 Mazda3 w/Bose for several days. While it was a definite improvement over the stock Mazda3 stereo, it didn't have the wow factor I expected from Bose. The same goes for the 2014 Bose in the Mazda3.

 

[IgoZoom]

It definitely sounds better than the standard 6-speaker audio system, which is actually pretty decent for a standard setup. I rent cars several times per month for work and the basic Mazda system is as good or better than anything you'll find standard in any other mid-size sedan.

The 11-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound system is a substantial upgrade and well worth the cost. For $1325, you get the Bose audio upgrade, Power Moonroof and SiriusXM sat radio (on the Touring model).

I will admit that the similar 11-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound in my 2012 CX-9 GT sounds slightly better overall. It might have more powerful components (beefier amp and/or sub) or it may be due to speaker placement and a better interior acoustics??? Either way, I'd recommend the Bose upgrade on either!

In comparison, my 2006 Mazda3 had the Bose audio upgrade and I was not impressed by it. If I could have found one without the Bose/Moonroof Package back then, I would have went with the standard audio system. But the newer ones are a lot better, IMO.