Bose = garbage

[Ground Pounder]

I've read a bunch of post about the bose head unit breaking and keeping all 6 of your cd's. That's why i highly recomend getting rid of the head unit asap. It's sound quality is low class and it doesn't have much to offer! Take a trip down to best buy and pick up a head unit that's a little higher on the food chain than bose(naughty)

 

[chief_wiggum]

Bose doesn't make the head unit if i recall correctly.

 

[Ground Pounder]

The whole set up kinda reminds me of a spider web :-0 Just ugly and lacking sound quality that can be achieved from aftermarket speakers. Sooooooo much better when you re-do it properly. Can easily be done for under a grand

 

[chief_wiggum]

The whole set up kinda reminds me of a spider web :-0 Just ugly and lacking sound quality that can be achieved from aftermarket speakers. Sooooooo much better when you re-do it properly. Can easily be done for under a grand

so what exactly are you trying to sell?

 

[Ground Pounder]

Trying to let people now they need to get rid of the equipped head unit before it starts eating there cd's! I've read ton's of posts about them breaking down and keeping there cd's! Also the sound quality the head unit offers is very low quality, the speakers bring in the mud once you turn them up and the sub is well.... a joke. the worst thing about the speed's is the bose set up!

 

[kvndoom]

Clarion makes the head units... bose makes the amp and speakers. Nothing is wrong with keeping the stock deck unless you really want some features it doesn't have.

Look, we all hate bose as much as you and the next guy, but the deck that comes with the bose option is actually really good. Anyone worried about it eating their CDs... well they shouldn't be using the original discs in the car. You can buy literally thousands of blank CDs for the price of a new HU.

 

[Kain]

Clarion makes the head units... bose makes the amp and speakers. Nothing is wrong with keeping the stock deck unless you really want some features it doesn't have.

Look, we all hate bose as much as you and the next guy, but the deck that comes with the bose option is actually really good. Anyone worried about it eating their CDs... well they shouldn't be using the original discs in the car. You can buy literally thousands of blank CDs for the price of a new HU.

+1

I don't think the CD-eating "feature" is as prevalent as you make it out to be. Also, the signal from the stock HU is actually very flat and clean; as mentioned, it's the Bose amp that is the weak spot. The Bose speakers are OK (in non-audiophile terms) if they aren't asked to do too much. I added an amp/sub to my Bose setup and have the speakers handle only the mids/highs and they pull their weight most of the time.

 

[Ground Pounder]

Yes we all can read the white sticker on the head unit that says clarion we just all refer to it as the "bose set up" as a more general term but most mazda owner's are making it seem like it's gona cost 1 million dollars to put in a head unit when in reality it's not really all that expensive and a much better way to go about things. Guess i'm an audio junky :-0 It's a huge improvement even adding a head unit, even just adding a head unit i noticed an improvement in sound Beleive it or not you can even keep the display up top using metra's kit

 

[Design]

Yes we all can read the white sticker on the head unit that says clarion we just all refer to it as the "bose set up" as a more general term but most mazda owner's are making it seem like it's gona cost 1 million dollars to put in a head unit when in reality it's not really all that expensive and a much better way to go about things. Guess i'm an audio junky :-0 It's a huge improvement even adding a head unit

Much better by whose standards? At face value, you've spent several hundred on a decent HU with crappy integration and mismatched speakers. We all agree the Bose signal processor is the weakest link. How you go about your improvement plan depends on budget, appearance, and functionality.

 

[Ground Pounder]

HU'S do not cost several hundreds of dollars unless you find that you have to have a dvd player! There are plenty of deck's with some good options for around $200ish give or take

 

[mike000g]

im actually switching the alpine head unit,the only one that actually matches the interior and allows the steering wheel buttons to keep working,i will post pics later on this weekend if you guys are interested.

 

[Ground Pounder]

im actually switching the alpine head unit,the only one that actually matches the interior and allows the steering wheel buttons to keep working,i will post pics later on this weekend if you guys are interested.

Yea post some pics man, andddd there is also one other deck wich kenwood makes and that i have just recently purchased that mathces the lights inside pretting darn friggin close

 

[Design]

There are plenty of deck's with some good options for around $200ish give or take

Most w/o steering wheel controls, trip computer, proper fit & finish, etc. Sound Q is a component of the entire package. And your approach solves some problems while creating new ones. I'm not saying it's wrong; but a simple HU replacement is not going to be the right solution for everyone.

This is a typical Metra/Scosche kit. After viewing several installed in person I can confirm they are cheap/flimsy (compared to reputable manufacturers like Kanatechs). But for some it's good enough:

 

[Ground Pounder]

I would say $300 ish should get u all you need when getting a non dvd unit keeping in mind steering wheel controls and all that good stuff

 

[Breezy]

If you really want to improve the sound immensely without dropping big bucks look for the "fix for Bose" thread, wherein a few crossovers transform the sound of the package for about $50 or so. And most importantly everything still looks stock.

 

[Ground Pounder]

who cares about stock? lol boringggggggggg lol

 

[Design]

I would say $300 ish should get u all you need when getting a non dvd unit keeping in mind steering wheel controls and all that good stuff

Yes and no.

Many people don't realize that the front pre-amp inputs from the HU are just as good as most budget to mid level aftermarket HU's. On our cars, an HU replacement is more about functionality than sound Q. Personally I'd rather put that $300 towards a 2 ch amp, entry level components and installation hardware. Keep most of the OEM fit/finish/functionality and minimize theft risk. Would sound MUCH better than a budget HU with paper speakers rated at 2.2 ohms lol.

If you really want to improve the sound immensely without dropping big bucks look for the "fix for Bose" thread, wherein a few crossovers transform the sound of the package for about $50 or so. And most importantly everything still looks stock.

I think you're referring to this:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123745169-The-fix-for-Bose!!!

On a budget, this sounds like a good approach to mitigate the varying frequency levels generated by the signal processor (supposedly). I haven't listened to one but I'd imagine the processor would still cut out high and low frequencies, and still generate some mild distortion in the mid range.

The real problem is that a Bose upgrade is an all or nothing approach. Changing out one component is just a band-aid until both the speakers and signal processor are replaced.

 

[mike000g]

im still waiting on this guy to ship my alpine.

 

[Ground Pounder]

Just not a fan of the HU don't like it, the eq on it sucks and i wanted blue tooth and all that good stuff and i stil get to have steering wheel volume controls etc. To me it looks a lot nicer with aftermarket and you can set the sound up a lot better plus you get all around better signals but yea if any you guys have after market installs throw em up on this page

 

[mike000g]

this is the best hu for our cars,Alpine iDA-X305S.its bluetooth capable,ipod,satellite,hd radio,blue or red back light,and let not forget the steering wheel control add on.`