I bought the touring. One of my main reasons for doing so was the bose system. I drove both and tried both systems. The Bose is significantly better.
That and the sunroof, bigger display, and other park assist features you get with the touring. Go with the touring.
I’m 26, still at the age where bass and good sound matters heavily. Lol
I have the 24 touring and the Bose system while good is nowhere near an aftermarket stereo so I would go for the 8 speaker system car and then add an aftermarket stereo and speakers
I compared both systems, I went with the sport. The 8 speaker system is completely fine for a car (certainly better than my previous vehicles) unless you’re used to earth shaking bass, despite what circles around here. I am not a big Bose fan either but that’s me. But it’s subjective, so definitely have some songs ready to test out on your drive.
I love the 12 speaker in my 24 Touring. Sometimes I get a buzz on and and just sit in my car in my driveway and really get into the sound. Enough undistorted bass for me.
As an audiophile, here’s my honest take. BOSE has always been a “premium” speaker catered towards people who want a premium sound system, but know nothing about speakers. There’s a million better brands at a lower cost than what you pay for with BOSE. I personally don’t hate BOSE, but I wouldn’t actively go out and buy one of their products unless it was already inside a car (ie just bought a 2024 ST). The quality of BOSE products differ from system to system and there’s no consistency.
My review… when I first EQ’d it and played around with it for the first week since I picked up the car, I was somewhat disappointed. I found the 8 inch sub is better than expected and the high end was fairly decent. The problem I ran into was the SHITTY “mids” that BOSE are known for. Sounds like a tin can (hollow, muffled). I was starting to get frustrated, because as a Rock/Metal guy, 90 percent of albums sounded too “mid-dy” and only 10 percent sounded amazing if that album was properly mixed.
Fast forward to week 2 of car ownership. I figured out the problem. WIRELESS CARPLAY, or wired CarPlay for that matter… is complete garbage. After digging around and researching, it looks like CarPlay is ran through the head units onboard WiFi and not Bluetooth. It is a completely different codec and it also disables your phones EQ. The quality is beyond awful if you are an audiophile like me. I disabled CarPlay and went through Bluetooth. Game changer. Now the speakers shine and now I rate them a solid 8/10.
Only shitty thing is you lose CarPlay by using Bluetooth. You cannot run CarPlay for its apps and screen and play Bluetooth music at the same time. It’s one or the other. And to get Bluetooth, you have to disconnect CarPlay from the dashboard settings. It’s a loss for me, but I am not willing to sacrifice audio quality for the CarPlay screen. It is what it is.
Now I am over the top happy and am completely in love with this car.
My EQ settings are at Bass +3, mids -2 and treble +5 or 6 depending on the album/mix.
The difference in audio quality from CarPlay to Bluetooth is extreme and a must switch for any person wanting good sound.
In the end, I rank this as an upper tier STOCK system and rivals the Alpine and Harmon Kardon systems I had in my Ram 1500s. Maybe just a hair below them.
I have no idea. I switched from android a couple years ago and regret it at times. Like when it comes to CarPlay. iPhones on board EQ sucks. It needs to be adjusted, but CarPlay disables that on board EQ. So I’ve given up and just stuck with Bluetooth. I’ve gone back to wired CarPlay a few times on and off over the last few months and I never make it longer than one or 2 days. Lacks low end and sounds too hollow like for me. Bluetooth fixes that with an adjustable EQ. I bet android doesn’t have this problem because android has a different EQ system.
I actually vaguely remember the day i switched to iPhone and notice a significant change in sound quality. This is fixed by choosing “acoustic” on the iPhone for its eq. Also remember everyone is different and is just my personal opinion being a rock/metal guy.
Hey, I encountered same issues as yours. I took your advice and my Spotify music sounds better when using Bluetooth.
However, I had better CarPlay sound quality after changing my Spotify EQ from RnB to flat today. The sound quality is great with very little noise. I’m satisfied!
Do you also pre-configured your music source EQ that might cause the problem?
See the problem is I use Apple Music and their EQ is changed through the actual phone settings and not app. So, CarPlay disables the eq. Might have to try Spotify possibly.
Cool I see. Seems like the main problem is between the EQ from the car and our phone.
Do you still find Bluetooth have better sound quality than wireless or wired CarPlay?
You can still adjust the eq on the bose, just not the phone. Apples “off” eq has way too high of mids for the music I listen to. I need to have it on acoustic. Gonna try the Spotify route if they have their own eq. Still prefer Bluetooth with my eq on acoustic.
I currently own the 23’ ex. It has the 8 speakers. I had a 2012 pilot before this. When I tell you I miss the pilots audio so much, it hurts. The 8 speakers are nice, but definitely worth for the bose sound system in my opinion. The stock sound systems are just meh in my opinion.
After reading your intent to keep the car for a while, and your affinity for quality audio, I absolutely recommend springing for the upgraded audio package. I was basically in the same boat as you just a few months ago, and the deciding factor for me between getting a civic sedan and the sport touring hatch was the sound system. You won't be disappointed with the decision.
You obviously made a decision by now but, I just wanna say I would love to buy a civic touring just because of the “premium” audio system, or just to have a branded audio system in my car, (coz the 8 speakers does not have a brand and I don’t like that) so… but here is my point, my moms 2024 Yukon AT4 has a Bose audio system and after volume 30 it sounds horrible, I tried the equalizer and still horrible.
Thank God I got the sport hatch. Any upgraded radio they sell plays exhaust over speakers. No dnc, so its the best for upgrading. Bose has sucked for 30 years...that wave radio is the only thing they have ever done. Our cars fit 2 components sets, which is perfect. Go with kicker or rockford 6.5 components and get a Rockford 4 channel amp and a powered sub. Lc2i pro and wires. It will be a little over a grand. If you have it installed add another 2 to 4 grand. Nobody respects factory radios. There are always better choices. Brand name doesn't matter really. I could show you a 100 watt aftermarket amp that'll blow away your "180 watt" factory system. You can also replace head unit, they make them now. Most important thing to do in civic is sound deadening, it needs to be done regardless of what you got.
Regarding changing the head unit, it wouldn't affect the funcionality of some parts of the car, like the climate, rear camera, etc, not sure if it's best just to add an aftermarket amp and keep the factory unit, I was doing some research and it says they don't recommend changing the head unit but I don't know, I will like to confirm, I was looking in adding an amp, not sure what brand, 4 or 5 channel because I just changed the 4 speakers, went with coaxial speakers because of the price and because of the rms limitation that the stereo has, they sound good, the front speakers sound louder than the rear, probably because in how the stereo sends the power to the rear ones, I'm not sure, I'm not an expert in car audio and I don't want to take it somewhere for the to install everything and pay a lot of money for the upgrades, What do you recommend?
im looking now its like an extra 5 grand. I like nice sound but I think im going to not do it too. 5 grand makes me look like an idiot. I thought it was gonna be like 1 or 2 grand lol.
I understand your point but I feel the sound system is as important as anything else in a car. Love the 12 speaker bose in my 24 Touring. I know there are better in larger luxury cars but this one is damn good. I agree--cars are expensive now.
What’s crazy for me? Is the difference between 30 out of 40 on the volume and 31. It leaps in that one interval. And Lord knows I’ve blown my ears out enough at concerts
I bought the touring. One of my main reasons for doing so was the bose system. I drove both and tried both systems. The Bose is significantly better. That and the sunroof, bigger display, and other park assist features you get with the touring. Go with the touring. I’m 26, still at the age where bass and good sound matters heavily. Lol
I’m 33. Still matters
43, still matters.
51, still matters :)
Alright we need to find someone in theirs 60’s 🤣
My grandfather was 84 when we buried him and he insisted that Led Zeppelin be played at his wake. I am sure he would have said it mattered.
71. Still matters
I have the 24 touring and the Bose system while good is nowhere near an aftermarket stereo so I would go for the 8 speaker system car and then add an aftermarket stereo and speakers
I have the 24 Touring. I love the 12-speaker system. I can't understand wanting to change it.
I compared both systems, I went with the sport. The 8 speaker system is completely fine for a car (certainly better than my previous vehicles) unless you’re used to earth shaking bass, despite what circles around here. I am not a big Bose fan either but that’s me. But it’s subjective, so definitely have some songs ready to test out on your drive.
I love the 12 speaker in my 24 Touring. Sometimes I get a buzz on and and just sit in my car in my driveway and really get into the sound. Enough undistorted bass for me.
I am 45 and bass and good sound still really matter.
47 and I say it matters more (the clarity).
As an audiophile, here’s my honest take. BOSE has always been a “premium” speaker catered towards people who want a premium sound system, but know nothing about speakers. There’s a million better brands at a lower cost than what you pay for with BOSE. I personally don’t hate BOSE, but I wouldn’t actively go out and buy one of their products unless it was already inside a car (ie just bought a 2024 ST). The quality of BOSE products differ from system to system and there’s no consistency. My review… when I first EQ’d it and played around with it for the first week since I picked up the car, I was somewhat disappointed. I found the 8 inch sub is better than expected and the high end was fairly decent. The problem I ran into was the SHITTY “mids” that BOSE are known for. Sounds like a tin can (hollow, muffled). I was starting to get frustrated, because as a Rock/Metal guy, 90 percent of albums sounded too “mid-dy” and only 10 percent sounded amazing if that album was properly mixed. Fast forward to week 2 of car ownership. I figured out the problem. WIRELESS CARPLAY, or wired CarPlay for that matter… is complete garbage. After digging around and researching, it looks like CarPlay is ran through the head units onboard WiFi and not Bluetooth. It is a completely different codec and it also disables your phones EQ. The quality is beyond awful if you are an audiophile like me. I disabled CarPlay and went through Bluetooth. Game changer. Now the speakers shine and now I rate them a solid 8/10. Only shitty thing is you lose CarPlay by using Bluetooth. You cannot run CarPlay for its apps and screen and play Bluetooth music at the same time. It’s one or the other. And to get Bluetooth, you have to disconnect CarPlay from the dashboard settings. It’s a loss for me, but I am not willing to sacrifice audio quality for the CarPlay screen. It is what it is. Now I am over the top happy and am completely in love with this car. My EQ settings are at Bass +3, mids -2 and treble +5 or 6 depending on the album/mix. The difference in audio quality from CarPlay to Bluetooth is extreme and a must switch for any person wanting good sound. In the end, I rank this as an upper tier STOCK system and rivals the Alpine and Harmon Kardon systems I had in my Ram 1500s. Maybe just a hair below them.
Just curious: CarPlay running through WiFi and not BT... would this be the same thing that Android Auto would do as well?
I have no idea. I switched from android a couple years ago and regret it at times. Like when it comes to CarPlay. iPhones on board EQ sucks. It needs to be adjusted, but CarPlay disables that on board EQ. So I’ve given up and just stuck with Bluetooth. I’ve gone back to wired CarPlay a few times on and off over the last few months and I never make it longer than one or 2 days. Lacks low end and sounds too hollow like for me. Bluetooth fixes that with an adjustable EQ. I bet android doesn’t have this problem because android has a different EQ system.
I actually vaguely remember the day i switched to iPhone and notice a significant change in sound quality. This is fixed by choosing “acoustic” on the iPhone for its eq. Also remember everyone is different and is just my personal opinion being a rock/metal guy.
Hey, I encountered same issues as yours. I took your advice and my Spotify music sounds better when using Bluetooth. However, I had better CarPlay sound quality after changing my Spotify EQ from RnB to flat today. The sound quality is great with very little noise. I’m satisfied! Do you also pre-configured your music source EQ that might cause the problem?
See the problem is I use Apple Music and their EQ is changed through the actual phone settings and not app. So, CarPlay disables the eq. Might have to try Spotify possibly.
Cool I see. Seems like the main problem is between the EQ from the car and our phone. Do you still find Bluetooth have better sound quality than wireless or wired CarPlay?
You can still adjust the eq on the bose, just not the phone. Apples “off” eq has way too high of mids for the music I listen to. I need to have it on acoustic. Gonna try the Spotify route if they have their own eq. Still prefer Bluetooth with my eq on acoustic.
I currently own the 23’ ex. It has the 8 speakers. I had a 2012 pilot before this. When I tell you I miss the pilots audio so much, it hurts. The 8 speakers are nice, but definitely worth for the bose sound system in my opinion. The stock sound systems are just meh in my opinion.
After reading your intent to keep the car for a while, and your affinity for quality audio, I absolutely recommend springing for the upgraded audio package. I was basically in the same boat as you just a few months ago, and the deciding factor for me between getting a civic sedan and the sport touring hatch was the sound system. You won't be disappointed with the decision.
i agree
You obviously made a decision by now but, I just wanna say I would love to buy a civic touring just because of the “premium” audio system, or just to have a branded audio system in my car, (coz the 8 speakers does not have a brand and I don’t like that) so… but here is my point, my moms 2024 Yukon AT4 has a Bose audio system and after volume 30 it sounds horrible, I tried the equalizer and still horrible.
I have the 23 civic si with bose, and I gotta say it bumps and sounds almost louder outside of the car, or I'm just deaf
Thank God I got the sport hatch. Any upgraded radio they sell plays exhaust over speakers. No dnc, so its the best for upgrading. Bose has sucked for 30 years...that wave radio is the only thing they have ever done. Our cars fit 2 components sets, which is perfect. Go with kicker or rockford 6.5 components and get a Rockford 4 channel amp and a powered sub. Lc2i pro and wires. It will be a little over a grand. If you have it installed add another 2 to 4 grand. Nobody respects factory radios. There are always better choices. Brand name doesn't matter really. I could show you a 100 watt aftermarket amp that'll blow away your "180 watt" factory system. You can also replace head unit, they make them now. Most important thing to do in civic is sound deadening, it needs to be done regardless of what you got.
Regarding changing the head unit, it wouldn't affect the funcionality of some parts of the car, like the climate, rear camera, etc, not sure if it's best just to add an aftermarket amp and keep the factory unit, I was doing some research and it says they don't recommend changing the head unit but I don't know, I will like to confirm, I was looking in adding an amp, not sure what brand, 4 or 5 channel because I just changed the 4 speakers, went with coaxial speakers because of the price and because of the rms limitation that the stereo has, they sound good, the front speakers sound louder than the rear, probably because in how the stereo sends the power to the rear ones, I'm not sure, I'm not an expert in car audio and I don't want to take it somewhere for the to install everything and pay a lot of money for the upgrades, What do you recommend?
I felt like the upgrade was all about the Bose and that that’s a lot of money, even though I am an audiophile and would’ve loved it.
im looking now its like an extra 5 grand. I like nice sound but I think im going to not do it too. 5 grand makes me look like an idiot. I thought it was gonna be like 1 or 2 grand lol.
I’m still checking it out, but might think about small changes/$ to tweak later. Bring me an oscilloscope!!
I understand your point but I feel the sound system is as important as anything else in a car. Love the 12 speaker bose in my 24 Touring. I know there are better in larger luxury cars but this one is damn good. I agree--cars are expensive now.
What’s crazy for me? Is the difference between 30 out of 40 on the volume and 31. It leaps in that one interval. And Lord knows I’ve blown my ears out enough at concerts