- My model of MX-5 is: __nd
- I’m based near: __
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __
had the car a few weeks now not over impressed with the Bose stereo it’s ok but not the top end system I was led to believe. anyone else less than impressed with it used to have a lexus with a mark Levinson now that was top end
I find the Bose sub very good given the constraints of the cabin but otherwise I find the mid range and vocals to be muddy, even in comparison to the standard audio setup (previously owned an ND with that). I’ve tried fiddling with the EQ (bass down a tad, treble up a tad) but haven’t got a result I like, and also the EQ is shared between all sources despite FM and USB/BT needing very different settings. Having said all that I’ve mostly driven the car roof down in the week I’ve had owned it, so that messes up the sound massively. Note when the roof is down Bose brings in a different EQ/DSP that boosts the bass.
There’s an in-depth technical examination over on Miata.net by someone who seemed very knowledgeable with lots of professional tools and their conclusion was Bose has actually done pretty well so if you replace the main speakers you will probably lose something elsewhere unless you upgrade the amp too.
Others rekon they’ve done well just by replacing the 6.5" main the speakers. Do note that the Bose ones are 2 Ohm so if you fit 4 Ohm you may have to jack the volume up a lot to get decent volume levels. I’ve seen JBL Stadium GTO620 2.5 ohm recommended (they do need a wiring adapter though unless you want to splice, plus they need a mount I think), some people then disconnect the factory tweeters in the A pillars others just turn the treble down on the EQ. If you want to spend a bit less, JBL’s GTO629 have also been recommended highly. Whilst you’re in the doors you’ll probably want to throw some sound deadening material in.
If you want to remove the subwoofer things get more complicated because the Bose amp has a low pass cutoff active on what it feeds to the main drivers, so you’d need to get the signal before it hits the Bose amp and pass it through your own sub I think.
Comparing a soft top audio performance with a top of the range saloon is perhaps going to be a stressful one!! I would just relax and enjoy the open top driving experience and save your audiophile fix until you get home.
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