stereo upgrades order of importance

[Craighjr]

I have a Speed 3 sport, non-Bose, non-nav. I think the stock stereo is pretty weak. I may upgrade to the Eclipse unit with a Tom-Tom One GPS built into it. Will upgrading the radio help or hurt the current sound. I want to one day do components and small subs but as "weight is the enemy" I want to keep the system as light and basic as posible. So what are the minimum audio mods to make the car not sound like crap?

[Powerslave]

you want to get that boom-boom to go with your zoom-zoom g, yo!

[WRCprotege]

small, bazooka tube, 10".. with a good sub.. nothing crazy.. 200-300w amp of that one sub.. then just upgrade the door speakers, to something a little better.. this sounds great and you didnt spend a shit ton of money as well.. plus the tube basicly weighs nothing.. mine with sub, mabey10-15 lbs, plus its plastic, so throw shit on it all the time, cant bet it, also i fount the tube on ebay for $45 shipped and got a cheap MTX sub for $50..its all you need, that ill tell you..

[Craighjr]

I was under the impression that the speakers weren't all that bad. I did some research on the Eclipse head unit and it has received marginal stereo performance at best according to most. I do want nav but don't want to make the radio sound worse in doing so. I love the look of the new Pioneer units with bluetooth which is another great feature I want. As for bass tubes that is more down the road sort of. I don't want a boom boom system. I want one that just sounds full.

[WRCprotege]

yes.. then head unit first.. if the doors arnt the crisp high and full sound then upgrand.. mine where ok..i got POLKs off of ebay.. cheap.. sounds better, im also running the stock head unit, which only has like 20watts, max...but at loud volumes the bass isnt big enough.. i dont listen to rap very much.. the sub adds punch and it sounds great with everything else.. every one here in the local clubs cant belive i spent so little and it sounds like a 500-$700 system.. full-warm rich sound.. the head unit will be the next thing if decide to upgrade more, as more power is need a upper volumes to countiue the great sound.. but its really more than i need now, so i havent upgraded the head unit, and wont till it dies and i have to replace it

[Abaddon]

Did you even bother to read the sticky post at the top of this forum?

"General How-To Install Thread for 3/MS3"

[Craighjr]

Honestly I did not read that because I was not looking for a how-to on installing. I have browsed a few sentences and it seems like Fourth has dropped some good info so I will sit and read it tonight at work.

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

..i got POLKs off of ebay.. cheap.. sounds better, im also running the stock head unit, which only has like 20watts, max...but at loud volumes the bass isnt big enough..

I'm a big fan of Polk products and have been for a while. They respond very well to a little extra power. If you think your system sounds nice now, invest in a small (even an honest 40watts/channel will do), clean amplifier and you will be amazed at how much those babies open up.

[Craighjr]

That sticky didn't answer much of anything for me. I am not going overboard on a radio like that. Took a damn hour to read on my cell phone. I saw Polks at Crutchfield and pretty much decided on them because they are on sale. Do you think I'm better off with 6x8 all around, or 5.25 front components and 6x8 rears. The head unit is the killer. Eclipse 530ish or Pioneer 800ish. For nav, ipod, bluetooth. Pioneer has the advantage with big screen and dvd but cost way more.

[Abaddon]

That sticky didn't answer much of anything for me. I am not going overboard on a radio like that. Took a damn hour to read on my cell phone. I saw Polks at Crutchfield and pretty much decided on them because they are on sale. Do you think I'm better off with 6x8 all around, or 5.25 front components and 6x8 rears. The head unit is the killer. Eclipse 530ish or Pioneer 800ish. For nav, ipod, bluetooth. Pioneer has the advantage with big screen and dvd but cost way more.

I would go with 6x8 instead of 5-1/4

You will get a lot more mid-bass from the larger surface area of the 6x8...

But keep in mind that you can get 6-3/4" speakers in the doors...

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

I would go with 6x8 instead of 5-1/4

You will get a lot more mid-bass from the larger surface area of the 6x8...

But keep in mind that you can get 6-3/4" speakers in the doors...

I personally prefer round speakers to the odd oval shapes. If you do decide to go with an other than stock shape, do not use the POS plastic adapters Crutchfield will send with them. Use it as a template and cut your own out of some heavy sheetmetal or MDF. I'm fairly sure 1/2 inch mdf will still clear, but measure first.

[oskinosmee]

Off topic but is it true that if you upgrade your stock system that you will loose the display above the radio? I mean the clock,AMB, and set temp.

Thanks Steve

[Craighjr]

It looks like you do. If any one can chime in with pics of their dash kits installed. I see crutchfield sells 2 different kits for single or double din stereos but both appear to have a solid plastic filler plate for where the display would sit.

[ecniemann]

Here is a thread I started. Sounds like you are looking to do something similar to what I wanted. Just ask if you have any other questions. You do not lose climate control info, but will lose clock, MPG, radio info.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123684643

[fourthmeal]

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[fourthmeal]

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[Craighjr]

LOL hey that's my thread!

Craig, seriously if you want advice on this, I can help.

I have 2 questions I'd like you to answer for me.

1. Are you willing to give up about 30 lbs tops for good, clear, crisp sound?

2. Are you willing to give up your spare tire (at least the location of it...you can still put the spare in the trunk when traveling out of town or something.)

I'll create a total solution for you with just a bit of info, and this will help.

Honestly the answers are no and no. I know that makes it so much harder to deal with upgrading. That Pioneer unit for 800 with Nav dvd and bluetooth built it looks great but I can not spend that much on a radio because I barely turn it up.

[fourthmeal]

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[Craighjr]

Oh I didnt see your post inbetween mine let me go back and read that.



So, here's what I was going to suggest:

Keep the stock head unit. It isn't that bad, as long as you process the signal coming from it before sending it to an amp.
Use either a signal processor like my RF 3sixty.2, or the Alpine 650, or similar. OR, you can cheapen up a bit and run something like the MTX Re-Q 2, to straighten out the signal.
I didn't want to run amps but ok I'm listening, cheaper sig processor would be better then also
INSTALL SOUND DEADENING. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. SPEND A LITTLE TIME, AND A LITTLE WEIGHT ON THE DEADENING. If you are willing to put a little weight in the doors, go with Raammat and you can save a bundle. Use Ensolite over the mat, and you'll stay light enough.
huh and what?!?! never heard of either of these. I am assuming its like dynamat and what else?
Purchase quality 6.5" components. Most are pretty light and good.
I was thinking infinaty referance or polks db due to the reasonable cost.
a. do you like more crisp sound, or more smooth sound?
b. do you prefer it to be more loud, or more clear (or both at the increase in cost?)
c. what do you listen to?punk rock
d. if you were at a concert, are you at the front row, or more in the back?the back near the sound guy so it sounds the best
e. do you prefer things in your face, or more reserved and laid back?
This will all help greatly.

Purchase one single quality 10" subwoofer. I'm going to suggest the new slim subs now available from JL audio for this one. A single 10 in a properly designed fiberglass box will weigh very little, and importantly the weight would be low in the car.can i use better speakers to save the cost of a sub amp and woofer?

I can explain this further if it is in your interest.

[fourthmeal]

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[Craighjr]

Ok cool, few last questions so I can price and build this in my head first. For signal processers the RF 360's seems over kill if I am only technically powering 3 channels. Is the cheaper MTX ok for this case? I still have to tap the rear speaker outputs to drive the signal lines for the sub I assume? Would a 40x4 amp work, but more importantly would 80w be enought to drive a 10" sub? And my most pressing issue; Should I just buy the damn 800 dollar head unit with all the nav and blue tooth I want with a set of good front speakers some sound deadening and call it a day. Seems like the signal processor, amp and sub could really add up to over kill for what I want. It seems stupid to me to put 700 into the electronics end and still not have the great headunit features of the aftermarket.

[fourthmeal]

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[fourthmeal]

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[Craighjr]

Just wanted to bump this to see if some of these ideas will work for you, or if we need to work another solution.

So what I was looking at was 200 in sound deadening, 200 signal processor, 100 speakers, 250 dollar amp, 100 sub + a custom box (I have never worked with fiberglass so this could be a train wreck) I figure in the 1000 range for everything which is just too rich for my blood. I will drop that on a fmic, fuel pump, standback, turbo, or exhaust system but sadly not my stock based radio.

[tubebrner]

subbin for future reference

[fourthmeal]

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[Craighjr]

I aimed high on the prices because I didn't calculate shipping and stuff. I am really hung up on the headunit. Would a new unit and some front speakers with sound deadening still sound good with out a sub for now. Most cars I add the sub first but I am just not feeling that in my "race car". I 100% appreciate the time you have taken to go over this and explain what you think is best I just worry that it is overkill for me.

[rjs_speed3]

all you really need is an 8" subwoofer and a ported box

[fourthmeal]

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[fourthmeal]

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[rjs_speed3]

I Do NOT agree. There is a lot more to be done. A processor to recalculate a flat output to the amp, sound deadening since this car is a tin can when it comes to sound, and you still need an amp to go with that sub. Also, a ported box takes more room, so now you've got to build a box that is larger then a sealed box by roughly x2, and end up with a boomier sound potentially.

People dont' realize it, but you can't fit just any sub into any box. Each sub has its own parameters that suit it best, and a ported box requires a precision build. Combine the level of difficulty with the amount of space required, then add on the very nature of a hatchback being a car made to amplify certain bass frequencies, and a simple sealed 10" box becomes the best solution for this car.

Other cars fare differently, but ported boxes belong at home, IMO (unless you are prepared to invest a lot of time and patience in building one made right. If you are, then you are in for a treat.)

Im not that stupid... i had a system in my last car:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/rjs_speed3/RJsPix032306005.jpg

No crap you'll need an amp and the dimensions of a box as opposed to a specific subwoofer is only common sense, and i dont think an 8" subwoofer would really rock his car sooo much that he needs to spend a couple hundred dollars on dynomat... im just simply stating that if he wants a little more of a bump, (IMO) all he really needs is and 8" sub (not all that powerful) and a ported box (which makes it sound pretty powerful).. a ported box does make a difference in loudnes and in decibles.. an 8" sub isn't going to be too expensive at all, and with the right ported box, it would sound almost like a 12" sub... (and of course with the right amplifier also)

[fourthmeal]

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[RelliMS3]

fourthmeal, did you line your trunk with another material? it looks nice. Any threads with any more pics of your system?

[fourthmeal]

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