thinking bout getting 06 manual, def gonna get the sport package for dsc hid and fogs. question is is it worth going up to the touring package just for a dimming mirror and bose system? what do you guys think? also i think im gonna go with cloth this time around for seats. i have an 04 rsx right now and the leather in rear seats is rough as **** now.
how is the maitainance on this car? obviously fun to drive, u see it all over the place in jap circuit racing lol. im in north east, so im gonna be hitting winters as well.

if i dont go with the bose sound system, im gonna have to start from scratch with a new setup because my speakers are 6.5's and will sure as hell not fit those doors because they are oversized ;-( im gonna need new front and rears, sub i might keep. basically id only be able to keep my kenwood excelon 889. gonna be a big investment + deadening for bass.

is the bose system really worth the added money? looks like great imaging with 4 tweets, appears to be a freakin 5.1 lol

 

If you are coming from an aftermarket system, save your money on the Bose. You will be dissapointed. Your 6.5" should fit as long as they are under about 8.5" and around 3" deep.

 

I have an 05 with the Bose system, and I don't think it's worth it. It's just not a very good sound system. You can do far better after-market.

Maintenance is fine. A quart of oil maybe every 2500-3000 miles, since the rotary uses extra oil to lube the rotors.

 

The Bose system isn't meant to be a window rattling hip-hop ear blowing system. No Bose systems are that.

They are meant for a more "mature" audience and are more about clarity than power.

I'm 42 and it's the perfect system for me. The teenager statement of "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose" is Ok for someone in their 40's as I've already damaged my hearing from loud music and can only hear to about 15 KHZ nowadays anyways!

Chris...

 

it is not as bad as people here carry on. it is very clear - maybe even surpassing some after market - it just does not have the super hella lows/highs - but it does have them and they are still good - I like it - but...if u r going aftermarket, of course save money - u can always make an after market system sound better than stock - if not u bought **** or installed it like...**** - the bose system does not suck though......

 

if your really looking for better sound forget the bose and just go aftermarket. i have the bose and im happy but then again im not too picky about sound.

as for maitainance its not bad, just check you oil and add some if you need it no big deal.

also if youre gonna be driving it in some winters with snow than definetly look in some snow tires too many people say you need them. the stock tires suck for that

 

I am pretty sure that the GT package is leather only

 

Mine has the Bose and I can't complain too much. Sound quality is good enough, it has excellent mids, but is indeed lacking in highs and lows. Added a Kicker Comp VR 10 fixed the bass and I'll live with the highs, as they are good enough for me, clarity-wise. I'm not out for super-loudness, I just want clarity.

If you want great sound though get a full aftermarket system. I had an 8 speaker Infinity setup in my Silverado and it sounded excellent (Kappa 6.5 components front and rear custom mounted). It becomes pricey after amps and whatnot, but it can be worth it if sound means a lot to you.

 

Clarity? HAH! The Bose 300 is mediocre (how's that for a mature description) and mine is being replaced as I type. If you really want to enjoy hi fidelity, plan on swapping it out.

Phredd

 

Whatever you say, dude. It's your money.

Chris...

 

I find the equalization on the Bose way off: too much mid-range, muddy lows, and the high end isn't very good. I haven't been able to get a more natural sound by tweaking the bass, treble, or fader controls. The system isn't terrible. It's just not very good.

 

Agreed that the equalization is mediocre. The low end isn't clear at all, and the highs are pretty shrill. The OEM system in my old Celica had better sound.

 

You could do better on your own w/o the Bose. Any company putting in speakers that isn't using a true dome tweeter isn't really interested in providing the best quality sound. The cones are paper too which tend to degrade with time especially in a car environment.

 

The bose system isn't that good. In the pro audio market very few people take bose seriously. What you'll find with the bose system is that there is no low end at all, you wont feel the kick from a kick drum at all for example. Clarity is ok but not particularly great. I find it makes listening to most material very fatiguing on the ears. I have to turn it off after a while.

Out of my three cars (RX-8, Sentra SPEC-v, eclipse GT) I'd say it's the worst factory system. It has a little bit better clarity than the rocksford system in the sentra but that's it.

 

I agree. And the fatigue comes in part from the over-emphasized mid-range. So, for example, voices tend to be especially loud and grating, especially if you turn the system up. You can compensate for this to some extent with the fader control, which takes advantage of the different characteristics of the front and back speakers, but only at the price of introducing other sound problems.

I actually prefer the system in the Mazda 3.

 

I think that really hits the nail on the head.

 

You really don't have to spend that much to out-do the Bose - of course everyone has their own budget. I just put in an Alpine that completely bypassed the Bose, so there was no concern over the AC. If you want to take a look:

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