[SnowHatch25]

Thanks everyone for this great discussion. I feel a bit shameful having cranked some music to 35 volume for a little bit yesterday but the sound system is really nice for a Honda.

I’ve been floating between 20-30 typically while driving. I have Bass +1 and the surround sound on for now,

Maybe at some point I’ll look into a mod to get direct USB C to the sound system. Shame it doesn’t seem to work with my phone.

 

[guitrich]

with USB, you have to format/arrange the files in a certain to way to make it usable. I forget exactly what you need to do, but it's in the owner's manual, i think.

That's true and I do take that into account. The problem is that browsing the music is like navigating the file system on the USB stick. Other cars (Toyota) create a database from the files so you can browse your music in any way you like. Fortunately with tight integration with Android Auto, using a music player app isn't an issue. However, there is something to be said for being able to load up a thumb drive, plug it into the car, and not have to worry about having the files on your phone.

 

[azgman9]

Thanks everyone for this great discussion. I feel a bit shameful having cranked some music to 35 volume for a little bit yesterday but the sound system is really nice for a Honda.

I’ve been floating between 20-30 typically while driving. I have Bass +1 and the surround sound on for now,

Maybe at some point I’ll look into a mod to get direct USB C to the sound system. Shame it doesn’t seem to work with my phone.

USB C to the sound system works just fine. I use a 64GB thumb drive.

 

[cryptolime]

would a DAC be beneficial at all when using USB-C? i'm not very knowledgeable on audio setups

 

[azgman9]

would a DAC be beneficial at all when using USB-C? i'm not very knowledgeable on audio setups

A DAC, by definition, converts digital to analog, so you would need to have an analog input to your amp.

 

[TimC]

I have the Bose system in my '25 Si. I've had better and worse speakers in my cars. It's nice having a decent sounding system. Some people love Bose, some hate it. For me, it's fine, but a worse sounding system would have been a black mark against buying this car.

My settings:

• I have the balance and fader centered.
• Treble is turned up 2-3 notches.
• Midrange is turned up 1-2 notches.
• Bass is turned up 3-4 notches.

I generally use Apple CarPlay. If my phone is plugged in, I'm using the charger jack, not the wired connection jack. Maybe the wired one would improve the sound, but honestly, this is kind of a loud car due to road noise. I don't think I'd notice a very slight improvement in sound quality.

Also -- and this is going to sound odd -- I'm a musician and I care more about the content of the music rather than the quality of its sound. That probably doesn't make sense to most people, but it's who I am.

My speaker volume probably averages level 15-16. It's 12-15 on local roads and city streets, and 15-20 on the highway. I don't know how loud is considered unsafe for your speaker system, but I'd probably keep it under 30 most of the time, partially just to save your hearing.

 

[Hatch808]

,
New member here — first-time new car buyer, but lifelong Honda owner! I’ve had Hondas since I was 16 and just picked up a 2025 Civic Touring. Really loving it so far.

I’m reaching out because I’m curious about how people are setting up their Bose sound system.
• What EQ settings are you all using?
• Does using CarPlay (wired or wireless) vs. Bluetooth make a noticeable difference in sound quality?
• Does USB input (Type-C) sound even better than CarPlay/Bluetooth?
Right now, I’m running -1 Treble, +2 Bass. I’m used to more bass-heavy sound (came from an ’05 Camry XLE with JBL), and overall the Bose setup sounds great — but I want to dial it in for the best overall quality, not just loudness.

Also, for those who’ve had the Bose system longer:
• What volume level is considered safe to avoid long-term damage?
• I usually listen around 25–30 volume, sometimes up to 35 if the song slaps — am I being careful enough?

Appreciate any advice or settings recommendations you can share. Looking forward to being part of the community!
Thanks,Vincent

The Bose system sound ok to me but asking about sound settings isn't likely to help you much because different genres of music generally lend themselves to different sound profiles and even when the same/similar different people have their own individual preferences.

As for best sound quality - it's always going to be wired over a wireless solution as the bandwidth and potential interference is lower with a physical connection.

BUT it probably makes no discernable difference in an environment like a vehicle where you have so much noise intrusion.

Even at home with a good quality headphones or IEMs I generally have a hard time or cannot tell the difference between lossless and a good vbr encode at say 320kbs.

So to me- run what settings sound best to you and connect via whatever is most convenient.

 

[cryptolime]

I think the best quality is going to be via USB flash drive

 

[luv2rallye]

2024 Sport Touring 1.5L mt hatchback. I could never get a USB drive to work (50% of my songs were missing, playlists didn't work, no sorting by title, artist, album, genre). The Honda manual claims it works but it never did after many months of trying things. So I use an old iPod Touch 4th gen (https://www.civic11forum.com/posts/75782/) which the manual also says is supported. I don't need a phone, internet, cell service, or subscription to anything. And when I start the car, the music resumes exactly where it last left off (in a playlist or entire collection) without pressing any buttons (just like old CD players did). Love it! Of course I'm an old guy.

 

[1000FC]

bose CenterPoint should be off if you want it to sound how the producers and sound engineers intended it it to sound. with bose centerpoint ON, there is no difference between L R or front and back, they are all the same.



wireless vs connected audio, unless your using high quality source files it won't make any difference, and even if you are, the difference likely won't be noticeable, and lets not forgetthe car cabin is not an acoustically isolated environment. as a broader point, bluetooth audio quality can be very good, the worlds greatest producers and musicians use custom made bluetooth IEMs in the studio and on stage.

 

[azgman9]

bose CenterPoint should be off if you want it to sound how the producers and sound engineers intended it it to sound. with bose centerpoint ON, there is no difference between L R or front and back, they are all the same.



wireless vs connected audio, unless your using high quality source files it won't make any difference, and even if you are, the difference likely won't be noticeable, and lets not forgetthe car cabin is not an acoustically isolated environment. as a broader point, bluetooth audio quality can be very good, the worlds greatest producers and musicians use custom made bluetooth IEMs in the studio and on stage.

Bose centerpoint increases the difference between left and right in my car.

 

[1000FC]

Bose centerpoint increases the difference between left and right in my car.

thats interesting, in my experience across multiple cars with bose centerpoint is that it kills panning since it is creating the surround sound, its even one of the things bose mentions as a plus of centerpoint.

 

[SnowHatch25]

Semi disappointed with the ability to properly USB without a damn thumb drive… 2025?!
lol.

 

[SnowHatch25]

I settled at +2 bass -1 mid and -1 treble and I’m happy with the wired CarPlay. Less artifacts.

 

[iSimple]

Anyone just change out 2025 stock tweeter's to bose tweeter's on the A pillar?