[hoodlum]

Mazda shared some details of the new speaker layout.

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news...ual-favorite-feature-of-this-all-new-car.html

 

[LiX]

Hmm that's an interesting approach, however did not said anything about the presence of subwoofer. Bose in 1st gen Mazda 6 with subwoofer mounter in the spare tire was far better sound system than my current 2016 Mazda 3 GT without a subwoofer.

 

[CerealKiller]

At least they are addressing it..

The sound system in the Gen 3 models are pathetic...bass output in the front doors with a weak AF 250 watt amp for all 9 speakers. No high end at all and the low end is extremely muddy with little detail or punch. The speakers were also badly designed and would rust and corrode, which caused rattling and vibration sounds...A water guard was added, but that also causes some rattling issues due to loose screws... Total mess...

I went to a audio shop and replaced the whole system.
CK

That article gave almost no details on the audio setup though. It just clarified that they were moving the bass speakers from the front doors to a recessed area behind the dash and in behind the front wheels. That they were moving the front tweeters in closer to the driver (passenger side too?).

What about being all mono in the back or total number of speakers? Bose CenterPoint still or something new for surround sound? Weak...

 

[cjbigcog]

When I watched this video:

I thought I was seeing a sub woofer at about 1:38.

 

[LiX]

That's definitely a large speaker with Bose sticker, surrounded by 3 small speakers, but why 3... they are not symmetric.. weird hmm..
Speakers are not boxed, that seems amateur... volume is not fixed as it can change depending on trunk load...

 

[hoodlum]

That's definitely a large speaker with Bose sticker, surrounded by 3 small speakers, but why 3... they are not symmetric.. weird hmm..
Speakers are not boxed, that seems amateur... volume is not fixed as it can change depending on trunk load...

I am not sure what that is to the right of the subwoofer, but I did find some additional details on the speaker setup. It looks like all mazda3 trims have the 3-way speaker setup at the front, along with midranges in the upper rear doors. The Bose setup adds a center speaker, subwoofer and a pair of additional rear satellite speakers on the rear deck.

https://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/pr...2018-los-angeles-auto-show-press-information/

Mazda conducted a series of new studies into how sounds are transmitted through a car’s cabin. This led to more efficiently improving sound quality by placing the bass speakers in the corners where the sound is amplified. To avoid the tonal quality of mid- to high-frequencysounds from being affected by reflected sounds, the other speakers were positioned on the left and right sail garnish and upper sections of the door trim where the sound is transmitted directly toward the occupant’s ears. This creates a more natural sensation to distinguishing the sound’s point of origin and enhances the depth and clarity of that sound.

The 8-speaker standard audio system uses a 3-way layout, with 3L woofers positioned on the sides of the front cowl, a pair of 2.5cm squawkers on the sail garnish and 8cm squawkers on the upper section of the front and rear door trim. The 12-speaker Bose®sound system adds an 8cm center speaker, a pair of rear satellite speakers, and a subwoofer. It also features custom tuning to provide more powerful bass and higher audio quality.

 

[CerealKiller]

12 speaker with a sub. That should be similar to the 12 speaker Bose setup in the Cadillac CTS I rented a few months back.

It sounded a lot better than the Bose system in our cars. It had more detail and a 350 watt amp pushing more power. The low end was vastly improved too.. added clarity and punch. Sirius sounded crisper in comparison too. This is all subjective of course..but I discussed it with my wife and 12 year old daughter and they said they noticed the same things too.

The staging was so so.. about the same as ours with CenterStage equipped.
CK

 

[warachito]

I recorded that video. I know the sales person in that dealership. I was able to test the car except for driving it.
It sounds better that the actual bose system in current models but i also wonder why is the array assimetric ?

 

[hoodlum]

It looks like all the reviews are praising the new audio systems.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/01/2019-mazda-3-first-drive-a-cohesive-compact/

"On the topic of sound, the Bose stereo provided nice clarity — and bass. In a new stereo methodology for Mazda, the subwoofers are now located inside the fender instead of inside the cabin. Bose gives you four additional speakers over the standard setup, for a total of 12. There’s also an option to make the stereo driver-oriented, or good for all passengers. In testing, that setting made a distinct difference."

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/dri...-the-small-stuff-to-refine-the-excellent-new/

"The sound system in the new car is one of the best I’ve experienced for the money. Sound engineers repositioned the speakers to avoid clashing with the doors or bouncing off the glass; the result is sound quality that would rival any premium experience from a decade ago. Afterwards, I was astonished that this was the standard audio system with just eight speakers – there’s a higher-end Bose system in the top-of-the-line GT trim."

 

[rolanie3]

I've got a feeling the sedan will have an up-firing sub integrated under the parcel shelf (like the video above)and the hatchback will have the spare tire integrated sub we've commonly seen from Bose (like in the 1st gen Mazda6 GT).

 

[hoodlum]

It looks like even the base system has some basic DSP functionality built-in.

https://www.wheels.ca/car-reviews/first-drive-2020-mazda3/

Even this entry-level system offers a number of advanced features, including the ability to focus the sound on the driver if (s)he is alone, or to spread it around to other riders.

 

[hoodlum]

This Mazda Canada video describes the placement of the speakers and more specifically the placement of the 3 Liter enclosed woofer boxes up front.

[ame]https://youtu.be/WKIdyCkGRrk [/ame]

 

[hoodlum]

The video also shows that the DSP/Amp is located under the passenger seat.

 

[hoodlum]

A review posted today mentioned that the system can now support CD quality FLAC files.


"Infotainment system now supports free lossless audio codec files (flac)—the highest level of audio playback. For comparison, Spotify streams music at 320kbps while flac files deliver 9216kbps."

 

[cjbigcog]

Do you have a link to that review?

 

[hoodlum]

Do you have a link to that review?

https://www.technobuffalo.com/2019-mazda3-first-drive

 

[paulff3]

Can't wait to hear the 12 speaker system.

 

[Nitsuj]

Can't wait to hear the 12 speaker system.

It's the best stock Mazda audio system I've heard by far. The changes they made absolutely improve the listening experience, especially when coupled with the quieter interior/reduced road noise/etc.

 

[hoodlum]

Around the 1 minute mark this video describes each component of the Bose system.

[ame]https://youtu.be/EY157_0aRGo?t=60[/ame]

 

[hoodlum]

I found this frequency comparison from a Mazda3 video. It looks like total output and especially base has improved significantly.

[ame]https://youtu.be/taQDqwecojc?t=514[/ame]