richie

i have the bose system and the auto pilot doesn't change the volume at all at any speed under any noise conditions. i bring it to the dealer and the tech tells me it doesn't work and that is standard practice. he even photocopies the manual and underlines a part about dificult driving conditions? obviously he is wrong. anyone else have the bose and uae the auto pilot feature and does it work at all?

TrackAddict

I can't hear any difference with it on or off.

thew

works in my 8 just fine..
but its kind of subtle .. if you already have it cranked up it cant go any higher..

try leaving the dial in the middle around 15.. and the drive with all the windows up..

While driving roll them down and listen.. it should get louder .. Also make sure its not turned off.. I am sure you did .. but ..

richie

it is on (in fact i tried on and off in case i was cross eyed). it should work in both directions though right? if i have it cranked at like 22-24 with windows up or down it should lower it as i come to a stop shouldn't it? i have tried it like at 10-15 got on the freeway with the windows down and you cant hear anything at all?

RevTo9K

I notice mine gets a little quieter when I come to a stop with windows down, and I typically run it around 12 or 13.

HFGuy

I was wondering about this too... Very subtle and hard to notice. All I knew is that I generally liked the sound better with it off. So I searched Google...

Check out http://www.bose.com/flash/automotive...lot_nologo.swf
It appears that AudioPilot is basically a dynamic compression algorithm. The loud parts don't get louder - instead the low level signals get boosted above the noise floor. Now I know what that subtle difference was to my ears... loss of dynamic range!!! ...which can be hard to hear in a Bose system anyway :D

robertdot

Really you should HEAR it get louder. The stock system boosts based on speed. So I get a few more dB at 15, 35, 35, 55, etc.

Bose is supposed to detect the ambient noise and adjust for it. It shouldn't appear to get louder, but stay the same volume despite the amount of road noise. Or, at least that is what I understood to be true.

thew

i was driving 165 mph.. my ear drums are bleading now jk,


yes.. I only notice it get quieter.. never louder.. ...

but i keep it off for the Dynamics

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

sounds like hell....boosts the low end...sounds distorted....

thew

with it off or on?

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

ON....sucks

aruffell

I have noticed minor changes by putting some soft music on, not moving but car was on, and knocking on the side panel on the right of the driver's legs where the microphone is located. The volume did go up a little.

I never found BOSE to be anything special... and the BOSE system I have in the car does not excite me at all... actually it pisses me off I don't have the MIDS control like the standard head unit... just my 2 cents....

NomisR

It doesn't get "louder" however, it does make it so when you're cruising at higher speed, the road noise and such doesn't start drowning out the music. For some cars, I have to turn up the volume when on the freeway and turn it backdown when I exit but I don't get that problem with the AudioPilot, that's the only redeeming value of the Bose system, otherwise, it sucks. No highs, no lows, Its BOSE!

richie

that last point about having to lower and raise the volume manually upon exiting/entering freeway is exactly my problem. maybe my microphone is obstructed or something?

Doomcue

While I was having my A/C service and M flash done, the dealership loaned me a Mazda 6. Its autopilot had varying levels (my XK8 also had this functionality) which allowed you to specify the "sweep," for lack of a better word. That means you could adjust how quiet it gets when ambient noise disappears. I also noticed the MIDS function on it. Strange how Mazda's new fancy rotary sports car doesn't have the same functionality. I haven't really taken a look around at the sound system, but does our Bose (or BOISE, like Idaho, as my salesman called it) system have that convoluted bass "amplification" system that was in the 7?

-djb

rsinden

If you read the link that HFGuy provided it quite clearly states that this is a dynamic compression system. It does NOT depend directly on whatever speed you are doing but is indirectly affected by it. Whether or not you hear any difference will depend on several parameters as follow: (I use classical music as an example)

The system measures the amount of ambient noise and compares that with the quieter sections of the music. If the system thinks that the quieter passages will be drowned out by the ambient noise then it increases the volume ONLY while the quiet passages are playing. It won't affect the loud pieces of the music at all.

It's not the same as noise-cancelling headphones.

It's not linked to your speedo.

Of course, if you have cranked up the volume so high that it thinks that the quiet passages are high enough in volume then it won't increase the volume

Ditto if you're listening to The Boss or virtually any other pop music since the dynamic range is compressed to begin with

Classical CDs have a huge dynamic range...I think you'd be hard pressed to hear the full glory in a Rolls Royce...I was forever fiddling with the volume control in my previous car. Not had the RX8 long enough to see whether it really helps or not.

My wife has better hearing then me and I seemed to spend all my time driving with one hand on the volume control..up, down, up, up, down.

Nice attempt by Mazda at putting the volume control on the steering wheel...only it's of use only when you're going straight! Honda, on the S2000, made a more sensible decision and mounted it on the dashboard a finger tips length away so that you can adjust it ...no matter what position the steering wheel is in.

I do notice that the bass does get very muddy when AudioPilot is on. Which leads me onto another factor and which I don;t know the answer to yet. Namely, is AudioPilot split into several different frequency bands?