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Mazda fixes MX-5 Miata's worst fault for 2016

If you ever owned a Mazda Miata, you know what its worst drawback was.
2016 Mazda Miata Bose Audio

Let’s start with some perspective. I live near Bose. Friends and neighbors of mine, mostly the smart hard-working ones, work for Bose. When I was in college getting an ME degree, the EEs aspired to work for Bose. I’ve owned the Wave radio, compact and over-the–ears headphones from Bose that were so much better than the competition it was just silly. Yet, the Bose audio in the outgoing, third-generation Miata was absolute crap. It was the single worst defect in that car. I know, I owned one for four years. Today Mazda promised in a press release that it has fixed that abomination. We’ll see.

Anyone with a convertible knows some audio tricks. Enabling the automatic sound level adjustment they all have is only part of the process. For top-down driving, you need to push up the bass and treble. When you favorite song comes on, you roll up the glass to get more depth of sound. And you replace that weak, terrible, ridiculous Bose system in your 2006.5 through 2015 Mazda Miata if you have any sense at all. Today Mazda vowed you won’t have to do that for the new generation starting with the 2016 MX-5 Miata about to drop late summer in the U.S. market.

Marc Mansell, vice president, Bose Automotive Systems Division is a person I don’t know, but who may be my neighbor (I live that close to Bose). He said, “So, we wanted to make the sound system for the new MX-5 better than it’s ever been. We improved audio quality, and for open-air driving, the experience is thrilling. You’ll feel and hear the difference the first time you listen.” Mazda says that the new Miata will be the very first car with a pair of 2-inch (50mm) Bose UltraNearfield speakers. They will work with Bose TrueSpace sound technology. Hopefully, this means the audio will be loud, clear, and have “soopa’bass.” One could barely hear the old system, which was at max volume if I remember correctly at setting 18 in my 2007 Grand Touring Miata. Above that it was just noise. Below that it was inaudible.

Feel free to write in below and tell us all how “the sound of the engine is the only sound-track you need.” Maybe. But when you’re on a long road trip, if you don’t have a craving for good tunes I submit to you respectfully that you may have no soul. If you had a Mazda Miata and found the sound lacking let us know if you took action, and what you put in.

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Comments

Dr Leroy Poop (not verified)    March 25, 2016 - 4:49PM

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I would agree with all of that. Almost all Bose products are overpriced junk.
Their home speakers have mostly sucked except for the earlier 601s. The 901s were fun party speakers but not worth the price new.
Their car systems are strange designs that are very hard to replace with aftermarket ones and some sound really bad even compared to regular stock radios.

Roger T (not verified)    June 10, 2015 - 4:39AM

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I don't agree with those who don't like Bose car audio systems. I've had four Miatas and three of them had Bose systems. My 1990 Miata of course didn't have a Bose system, and the audio system was so so, although this didn't bother me, since I was so happy with the car itself. My 1998 Miata had a Bose system, and it sounded fantastic at the time. The only drawback is that it didn't have enough volume with the top down. My 2004 Mazdaspeed had the best Bose stereo. It had excellent sound, and it had enough volume that it sounded good at 90mph with the top down. It also got noticeably louder as your speed increased. The Bose system in my 2008 Miata is also good but I don't think as good as the one in the Mazdaspeed. The one drawback is that it doesn't get any louder as your speed increases even though it was supposed to do so. I listen to a lot of twentieth century classical music, and I think strings and brass sound great on the Bose audio car systems. Maybe very bass oriented music like rap doesn't, but I don't listen to that. It's almost as if putting down Bose is seen as a given if you are to be seen as having audio sophistication. But I don't agree with this viewpoint. I have worked as a professional musician and have a CD on iTunes, and I think I have a good musical ear. Maybe it really just comes down to personal taste. At any rate I was worried that the 2016 Miata which I plan to get as soon as it is available would not have the Bose stereo. That it is supposed to be an improved Bose stereo perhaps surpassing the one in my 2014 Mazdaspeed couldn't make me happier.

AZ Cowboy (not verified)    June 11, 2015 - 9:03PM

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I must admit that being over 60 highs don't matter too much anymore. Ya know, as you get older, your hearing goes. But lows matter. I listen to two things when I drive: classical and country. Classical I don't want a distorted, over-driven low. I want a natural sound and too me, the Bose delivers. For country, I prefer the older stuff, but when I put on some things, the bass, presence, and sound just rocks. Try Clay Walker's "Live, Laugh, Love" and the sound is amazing. Maybe my ears aren't what they used to be, but for me the Bose system is just great. So is my home Bose system. No complaints.

Soakee (not verified)    June 12, 2015 - 3:12PM

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I disagree - the worst fault with the new Miata is those terrible charcoal-colored wheels (which look like they're ALWAYS covered with brake dust). Come on Mazda, I'm planning to buy one - don't make me shell out another $800 to replace the wheels before leaving the dealer's lot.

HoKoJoJo (not verified)    June 16, 2015 - 12:34AM

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MX-5 biggest fix? How about how the new car looks? I could never warm up to that face. Last gen looks waaay better.

Steve (not verified)    July 2, 2015 - 11:37AM

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I know this wasn't a knock on Bose, but I want to say the Bose system in my 2011 Audi A6 is exceptional! Better than my friends B&O system in his SQ5.

Eric (not verified)    July 10, 2015 - 11:41PM

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The BOSE audio system in the 3rd gen / NC MX-5 Miata is that TERRIBLE huh?
Odd seeing as I have the BOSE audio in my 2012' MX-5 Miata and it sounds quite good and FAR FAR from the worst audio system found in a car period let a lone in a car that starts at like $25K. Perhaps you're not adjusting the setting correctly or something...

I would agree that Mazda didn't need to change much on the 3rd generation MX-5 Miata as its obviously a fantastic driver's car. However, to suggest like you have that the optional BOSE audio system is so so terrible just doesn't make sense. Sure there are better audio systems out there but for a factory audio system that wasn't outrageously expensive the BOSE audio in the NC MX-5 is more accurately described as "quite good" and not "beyond terrible, etc.."

With that said, the weak point in my opinion of the 3rd generation MX-5 isn't that it's somehow too heavy and or the BOSE audio is "terrible" it's that it rolls excessively (body roll) Mazda could've just basically installed some decent anti-sway bars on the car and it would have been a quite significant upgrade. Regardless, anti-sway bars aren't expensive and owners can do this them selves.

Mike (not verified)    May 7, 2020 - 2:38AM

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Had a 90 Corvette with a Bose system in it. Total piece of crap. Upgraded the sound system in the garage so I enjoyed working on the car. Just bought a 2010 Miata PRHT, might need to update the garage sound system again.

Habanero (not verified)    July 13, 2015 - 11:49AM

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I had a 1997 Infiniti QX-4 with a Bose system that sounded so crappy that I thought maybe the speakers were defective. The dealer replaced every speaker, and the speakers also sounded like crap -- utterly lifeless and dull. I have since avoided Bose automotive speakers (not that I'm a fan of Bose speakers for the home).

Jack Haase (not verified)    July 25, 2015 - 3:59PM

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If you are a man driving a Miata, you are required to turn in your man card. If you have not yet turned in your man card, there are operations to be had.

If you are a woman driving a Miata, you are required to turn in your woman card. If you have not yet turned in your man card, there are operations to be had.

If you are a genderless alien thinking yourself cool whilst driving a Miata, you are required to be tested for a soul. Do not fret, the test is always negative and you may continue to drive your Miata free of scorn. And passion, thrill, energy, and any other adjective alluding to fun.

Pumpkinhead65 (not verified)    July 27, 2016 - 12:52PM

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I have a 2006 MX-5 Sport and absolutely LOVE my car. Driving it alone is about as much fun as one can have with their clothes on! That said, the stock stereo was useless with the top down, and as long as the sky is dry and temp is 40F+, my top is down. It didn't take me long to feel compelled to replace the stock system. I'm quite happy with what I put in, although I confess it has room for improvement. I know what I want to do but don't have the time or $ to do it.

What I put in:
- Head unit - single DIN Pioneer DEH-X9600BHS
- Amp - Rockford Fosgate Prime 600 Watt Class D 4 channel Amplifier
- Door Speakers - Pioneer TS-D1720C 6.75" Components
- Subwoofer - JL Audio CP108LG-W3v3
- Other - Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface (highly recommended)
- Dynamat Sound deadener (covered the inside of the door skins AND door panels)
- Metra 99-7506 Installation kit

The steering wheel control gadget is awesome as it works flawlessly and gives me the ability to use the <mute>, volume up/down and skip track functionality that works even on CD, MP3, and Pandora.

The sub is an 8" driver in a shallow ported box standing behind the passenger seat. This is something I would change given the time & money as the passenger loses about 6" of legroom. Sub drivers can be installed in panel behind each seat but I'm just not up to the custom work at this point, as a single dad of 3. This is OK for anyone shorter than about 5' 5", and anyone above 5' 11" will pretty much just not fit. The passenger is treated to incredible bass in their lower back, which most folks seem to enjoy. The driver just enjoys "normal", ambient, thumping bass. No complaints at all. I just don't get the hard-hitting experience the passenger gets. I run the 4-channel amp as such: Front channel runs the door speakers (100w x 2 @ 4ohms) and the rear channel is bridged (300w x 1 @ 4ohms). This thing ROCKS!

The head unit is very nice. It has configurable colors for the dot-matrix display that allow me to match it to the factory red color of the rest of the dash and instrumentation. I was leaning toward a nice touch-screen display head unit but that would have begged to have my top slit and the unit stolen. This unit has nice features and sound customization. It also integrates beautifully with Pandora over bluetooth. I was not impressed with the hands-free calling quality but that's probably to be the case with any installed type in a convertible roadster. Just too much wind and ambient noise. I use my Plantronics Voyager Pro HD in-ear BT and it works very well for me, even with the top down.

So there it is. That's what *I* did and I'm quite happy with it. Best of luck in your Audio Endeavors in your Miata!

Gopal (not verified)    August 23, 2016 - 6:30PM

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What is your impression of the current generation Bose audio systems (mid 2016)?

I have a 2016 Mazda 3, and I am happy with the system.

It isn't super loud, and it doesn't have big thudding bass, but the speaker placement and overall tuning of the system make for a very good stereo image that sometimes seems like the band is sitting on the dashboard in front of me.

It's a huge step up from what I had previously, which was the factory speaker setup in my 2002 Hyundai Elantra, with an aftermarket Pioneer bluetooth head unit. That stereo got pretty loud.

As an aside, the best big thumping bass I have ever experienced came on my 1990's era Sony discman portable CD player, using the factory headphones.