Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
I would have liked to have the navigation system in my Mazda3 but in order to get that I would have had to add the $1,500 Bose sound system which actually sounded worse to me than the stock system. The stock system uses real soft dome tweeters in the A-pillars. Bose = no tweeters.

I also couldn't find any with a stick shift so I just went without the navigation system.
 
ParadigmDawg

ParadigmDawg

Audioholic Overlord
Yep; I hate how they do the 'packages' in cars but like I said; I could care less what stereo it has in it. It also has a DVD player which we didnt need but we got a good price so who cares. Now that I think about it; why did she want a SUV that holds 8 people; there are two of us, we are not going to have kids...ummm...
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I used to care about car audio...then I heard a good HT and realize that the car audio sucks, there are just too many things to detract from the audio experience in cars. Bose is probably better than the stock speakers in a car anyways and if its cheaper then who cares.
My wife says that her Lexus LS400's Nakamichi stereo system sounds better than my HT system. That pisses me off. She must be joking, right?
 
A

abboudc

Audioholic Chief
It was funny my Wife was so against BOSE that she wanted them to remove it (the car is for her) and put something else in there. The dealer was scratching his head and checked into it but it was more costly then just keeping the BOSE.
Heh. That's exactly what i did when i got my Acura....rip out the sound system. I couldn't stand having it in my car.

What's funnier, i was at the Lexus dealer and he was describing the Mark Levinson system. The lady that was looking at the car said something to the effect of "Do you have a Bose upgrade?" I had to bite my tongue.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
It was funny my Wife was so against BOSE that she wanted them to remove it (the car is for her) and put something else in there. The dealer was scratching his head and checked into it but it was more costly then just keeping the BOSE. I was just laughing the whole time; I could care less what is in the cars.
Amazining isn't it? When I bought my 2002 Maxima the dealer forced me to get the Bose system so I could get the other options I wanted with the car. He didn't understand why I didn't want the Bose system and all I could think of was the Sting song that says "it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile".

Well I am done with Nissans b/c of poor reliability and paint chipping on 2 Maximas I've owned and I've moved on to Acura where I enjoy DVD-A on a pretty darn good Panasonic/ELS system. :D Oh and most importantly, I have 25k miles on my TL and have had no service issues at all and no paint chipping and no Bose! :D

BTW on the 2000-2002 Maximas the stock system is a Clarion (head unit and speakers). The Bose system upgrade is $1100 and all it does is give you the identical system with a 6 changer and a Bose powered sub and a Bose nameplate on the Clarion head unit. Isn't that nice?
 
ParadigmDawg

ParadigmDawg

Audioholic Overlord
But it has a subwoofer...lol...

I have had 8 Nissans and never a single problem with any of them but then again; I dont keep cars very long.

Amazining isn't it? When I bought my 2002 Maxima the dealer forced me to get the Bose system so I could get the other options I wanted with the car. He didn't understand why I didn't want the Bose system and all I could think of was the Sting song that says "it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile".

Well I am done with Nissans b/c of poor reliability and paint chipping on 2 Maximas I've owned and I've moved on to Acura where I enjoy DVD-A on a pretty darn good Panasonic/ELS system. :D Oh and most importantly, I have 25k miles on my TL and have had no service issues at all and no paint chipping and no Bose! :D

BTW on the 2000-2002 Maximas the stock system is a Clarion (head unit and speakers). The Bose system upgrade is $1100 and all it does is give you the identical system with a 6 changer and a Bose powered sub and a Bose nameplate on the Clarion head unit. Isn't that nice?
 
gmichael

gmichael

Audioholic Spartan
I've moved on to Acura where I enjoy DVD-A on a pretty darn good Panasonic/ELS system. :D Oh and most importantly, I have 25k miles on my TL and have had no service issues at all and no paint chipping and no Bose! :D
Just don't move up to the RL. They come with Bose.
Life can be so ironic sometimes.

Edit: Oh, and my Acura CL has 170k miles with no issues.
Except the Bose sound system, that isn't too bad.
 
pzaur

pzaur

Audioholic Samurai
A friend of mine just purchased a MazdaSpeed3 with the Bose system...needless to say he went to partsexpress and ordered new Seas / Vifa gear and also is looking to build a subwoofer platform in the trunk of the car. He's putoff that he can't get rid of the "Bose" logo that comes up on the head unit.

We also found it funny that the "Bose" logos on the speaker grills are snap-on. No tweeters either...

The car definitely hauls...it's been a while since a car pinned me to the passenger seat as he hit 65 in second. I want one! :(

-pat
 
M

MDS

Audioholic Spartan
A Mazda 3 that hit 65 mph in second gear? Was it pulling 9000 RPM?

Sorry, just couldn't resist. That motor isn't a lot different than the one in my 1994 Probe GT and the only way that thing could hit 65 in second gear is if you vastly exceeded the red line.
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
A Mazda 3 that hit 65 mph in second gear? Was it pulling 9000 RPM?

Sorry, just couldn't resist. That motor isn't a lot different than the one in my 1994 Probe GT and the only way that thing could hit 65 in second gear is if you vastly exceeded the red line.
The MazdaSpeed 3 is a little more powerful than your Probe. ;) It's turbocharged and I'm sure it has different gear ratios.

I don't know about the standard 3 engine being only a "little" different than a 94 Probe. As far as I know, it's a Mazda MZR engine designed and built in Japan. Even my lowly 2.0L 3 can haul pretty good. It's completely computer controlled with variable valve timing. I don't have numbers but it's a hell of a lot faster than my old car. :D Better sound system too.

Speaking of Bose. I was on a service call today. This guy's Yamaha RX-V497 kept shutting down on him. I got there and discovered he had a lovely little Acoustimass 2.1 system (passive "bass module"), the really great Bose center, and a couple other Bose speakers in the back. Those little cubes just kept shutting down the receiver even though the wiring was fine. I couldn't really do anything to help him other than tell him to get a more powerful receiver, different speakers, or even try a powered sub. The sad part is that the speakers sounded like tweeters (with no low end) even while sucking up all of that power. The receiver had to be turned up to -3db in order to achieve what I would consider a normal listening level.
 
Rock&Roll Ninja

Rock&Roll Ninja

Audioholic Field Marshall
My wife says that her Lexus LS400's Nakamichi stereo system sounds better than my HT system. That pisses me off. She must be joking, right?
Lexus use mark Levinson systems now. Its pretty good, but its still just a car stereo.
 
pzaur

pzaur

Audioholic Samurai
A Mazda 3 that hit 65 mph in second gear? Was it pulling 9000 RPM?

Sorry, just couldn't resist. That motor isn't a lot different than the one in my 1994 Probe GT and the only way that thing could hit 65 in second gear is if you vastly exceeded the red line.
I've got an '02 and I can hit 65 without redlining it in second!:D Keep in mind this is the standard Protege. The Speed3 does indeed have a turbocharged engine and it isn't the same engine that Ford dropped in the Probes. (Quick cars btw....). The engine in a Speed3 is a "2.3L Direct Injection Spark Ignition Turbocharged Inline 4", 263 hp at peak. It puts out over 100hp more than the Mazda3.


Bose upgrade from a Levinson? Gotta love ignorance!

-pat
 
pzaur

pzaur

Audioholic Samurai
Whatever for; it could be the best sounding Bose system ever!
He actually would like to add the "L" to change it to "Blose". And it would be false advertising for Bose because he's changed out all the speakers now and is in the process of deadening all the doors/panels he can. Half the car is done and he can A/B the differences between the two! :D

-pat
 
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