Good morning everyone!
I'm in the process of upgrading my 2017 CX-5 w/ Bose System and want to provide a sort of build log in case others feel the same way I do about the system. My biggest gripes are that the system sounds messy and the bass is sort of lacking in terms of clarity and oomph (of course, it's a 5" driver!) Modding the subwoofer actually makes a wonderful difference. Thanks to some members of this forum, I completed a DIY mod to the subwoofer. Bass is tighter, cleaner, and more defined. It does make you realize that the front stock woofers are pretty muddy though. They kind of ruin the sound coming from the tweeters and center channel, IMO. I'm making an effort to upgrade the Bose system because it's really not THAT bad, although bad enough for me to want to make minor tweeks. Below is a link to Musicar's work on a Mazda 6 w/ Bose. My upgrades and progress is going to revolve around the Match PP86DSP. It should be delivered today, but I won't be installing for another 2 weeks. Basically, I'll be retaining the factory amplifier and speakers and adding a DSP/Amp after the Bose amp to give a lil more juice to the speakers. Here is the article from Musicar on my future plans for the Bose System.
List of Modifications and Product Used;
- Dampen Bose Subwoofer - Poly-fil + https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
- Dampen Front Doors - Soundskinz Pro
- Lubricate door seals
- Install DSP/Amp - Match PP86DSP
- Install Spare Tire Subwoofer - https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
This past weekend, I was able to dampen the front doors, although just the sheet metal portion.I have not dampened the door cards yet, although I have it in my schedule to do so. I won't be supplying photos for door card removal, etc. I basically removed the sealed plastic panel holding the harnesses and regulator and dampened all the sheet metal inside as well as providing a layer of damping material between the speaker housing and the sealed plastic panel. What I did want to talk about was the difference that it had made: An extremely noticeable one!!!
Note; No graphs or science can be provided. I'm not a professional, but I do car audio as an extremely passionate hobby. I've installed custom systems in my own/fiancee's cars as well as friends.
The clarity of music is definitely better. The higher frequencies are much clearer and the vocals are actually quite amazing! Tweeters are not too bright and provide a neutral to slightly warm tone. The center dash speaker definitely shines more as well. Keep in mind, I was not able to define those details in the speakers PRE-dampening. A lot of the muddiness from the woofers was reduced providing clearer sound from the components. If there is any modification to do to the Bose system, it's to dampen your doors. I still have to dampen the door cards, but I would imagine the sound would be top quality afterwards. There's a slight muddiness that is profound after dampening the sheet metal, and I'm sure it's from the door cards.
So how do the woofers sound after sheet metal dampening? Much better, although there is a little bit of muddiness left to address. The midbass is really nice and clear. Bass notes are punchy and tight. Overall, the listening experience has gone from okay, to pleasant enough. Goal is to reach smile inducing sound every time I drive!
This experience is compared to a 6.5" MPK component set from Hertz and a 150W 12" Subwoofer from Kicker in a hatchback, totaling less than 500W. Using Pioneer's 4200NEX, I don't feel like I need 1000+W systems, as a DSP or built in DSP really helps sound quality. Crossovers, time alignment, and EQ is what set's the system apart.
I still have to dampen the door cards and lubricate the door seals. I will update this post once I do it. Also, once the DSP/Amp is installed and the appropriate parameters are set, I'll chime in as well. I can honestly say that I think Bose did a decent job with this system, especially with it getting included in the cost of the Preferred Equipment Package! Another note, I don't think Mazda did as much as advertised when it came to sound dampening. Sure, it's pretty quiet in the cab when parked or going at lower speeds, but the doors don't have any dampening material, minus some poofs of polyfil-like material. This is all to say that I'm not trying to get whisper quiet. If the cab gets quieter, that's just a cherry on top for me. Reducing vibrations to a minimum to provide clarity in audio is what I'm trying to achieve.
TLDR; Dampen your doors at least, if you have the Bose System.
I'm in the process of upgrading my 2017 CX-5 w/ Bose System and want to provide a sort of build log in case others feel the same way I do about the system. My biggest gripes are that the system sounds messy and the bass is sort of lacking in terms of clarity and oomph (of course, it's a 5" driver!) Modding the subwoofer actually makes a wonderful difference. Thanks to some members of this forum, I completed a DIY mod to the subwoofer. Bass is tighter, cleaner, and more defined. It does make you realize that the front stock woofers are pretty muddy though. They kind of ruin the sound coming from the tweeters and center channel, IMO. I'm making an effort to upgrade the Bose system because it's really not THAT bad, although bad enough for me to want to make minor tweeks. Below is a link to Musicar's work on a Mazda 6 w/ Bose. My upgrades and progress is going to revolve around the Match PP86DSP. It should be delivered today, but I won't be installing for another 2 weeks. Basically, I'll be retaining the factory amplifier and speakers and adding a DSP/Amp after the Bose amp to give a lil more juice to the speakers. Here is the article from Musicar on my future plans for the Bose System.
List of Modifications and Product Used;
- Dampen Bose Subwoofer - Poly-fil + https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
- Dampen Front Doors - Soundskinz Pro
- Lubricate door seals
- Install DSP/Amp - Match PP86DSP
- Install Spare Tire Subwoofer - https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
This past weekend, I was able to dampen the front doors, although just the sheet metal portion.I have not dampened the door cards yet, although I have it in my schedule to do so. I won't be supplying photos for door card removal, etc. I basically removed the sealed plastic panel holding the harnesses and regulator and dampened all the sheet metal inside as well as providing a layer of damping material between the speaker housing and the sealed plastic panel. What I did want to talk about was the difference that it had made: An extremely noticeable one!!!
Note; No graphs or science can be provided. I'm not a professional, but I do car audio as an extremely passionate hobby. I've installed custom systems in my own/fiancee's cars as well as friends.
The clarity of music is definitely better. The higher frequencies are much clearer and the vocals are actually quite amazing! Tweeters are not too bright and provide a neutral to slightly warm tone. The center dash speaker definitely shines more as well. Keep in mind, I was not able to define those details in the speakers PRE-dampening. A lot of the muddiness from the woofers was reduced providing clearer sound from the components. If there is any modification to do to the Bose system, it's to dampen your doors. I still have to dampen the door cards, but I would imagine the sound would be top quality afterwards. There's a slight muddiness that is profound after dampening the sheet metal, and I'm sure it's from the door cards.
So how do the woofers sound after sheet metal dampening? Much better, although there is a little bit of muddiness left to address. The midbass is really nice and clear. Bass notes are punchy and tight. Overall, the listening experience has gone from okay, to pleasant enough. Goal is to reach smile inducing sound every time I drive!
This experience is compared to a 6.5" MPK component set from Hertz and a 150W 12" Subwoofer from Kicker in a hatchback, totaling less than 500W. Using Pioneer's 4200NEX, I don't feel like I need 1000+W systems, as a DSP or built in DSP really helps sound quality. Crossovers, time alignment, and EQ is what set's the system apart.
I still have to dampen the door cards and lubricate the door seals. I will update this post once I do it. Also, once the DSP/Amp is installed and the appropriate parameters are set, I'll chime in as well. I can honestly say that I think Bose did a decent job with this system, especially with it getting included in the cost of the Preferred Equipment Package! Another note, I don't think Mazda did as much as advertised when it came to sound dampening. Sure, it's pretty quiet in the cab when parked or going at lower speeds, but the doors don't have any dampening material, minus some poofs of polyfil-like material. This is all to say that I'm not trying to get whisper quiet. If the cab gets quieter, that's just a cherry on top for me. Reducing vibrations to a minimum to provide clarity in audio is what I'm trying to achieve.
TLDR; Dampen your doors at least, if you have the Bose System.