Trying to improve the stock Sport sound

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hectik1

Member
Contributor
After doing a lot of reading here and other forums, trying to decide whether to replace the HU or switch out the OEM front speakers I ending up deciding to replace the speakers. Now I ended up getting a set of Pioneer 6 1/2 2 ways from Best Buy for $2 (I had gift cards from Christmas(2thumbs)). After playing with the speakers in the store (I originally wanted the Alpine Type-S but they sounded like crap...no depth in sound).

Install was a breeze as the door panels are really easy to remove (2 screws and pull the rest off). I was kind of pissed to see that the stock speakers are 5X7 vs. the 5 1/4 I saw in many threads here. I made my 6 1/2s fit.(lol2) So anybody that is thinking about doing this remember, the stock speakers are 5X7!

I am impressed with the improvement. It cleaned up the "muddiness" of the sound. Mids are greatly improved, bass is cleaner without the distortion of the stockers. Also the harshness with the highs is not there anymore. This upgrade really works well with the stock rears too as it creates a little more depth overall.

I would definitely recommend this first in trying to improve the stock sound on the cheap.
 
Upgrading the audio system was the 1st thing I did to my car. New speakers is a no-brainer but you should also consider something like an MTX REQ. It'll greatly clean up the sound while giving you preouts for amps and a sub. I have th REQ5 and love it. Since I have Sirius, my aux jack is useless. The REQ5 provides an extra aux jack. When paired with the griffin autopilot, it's really one hell of a solution.
 
6x8...That is what I thought...I just bought a bad Kenwood deck to tide me over until I get my Pioneer DVD/NAV unit...I actually just bought the dash kit and wiring harness today from Future Shop. So that is my project tomorrow. If anybody knows of any tricks I might need to know to remove the stock deck, that would be greatly appreciated
 
hectik1 said:
5x7 and 6x8 are the same.
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True.

I installed a pair of Polk MM571's in my best friend's Protege and he loves them to death! The improvement over the stock speakers is drastic, and he doesn't even mind keeping his HU now. I'm jealous though because his car doesn't have that wretched hard plastic inner panel like mine. His speakers mount directly to metal.

For the non-bose cars, dropping new speakers into the door is an ideal first step. For a lot of people that might be enough in itself. Us blose sufferers have to go a much more painful route.
 
kvndoom said:
True.

I installed a pair of Polk MM571's in my best friend's Protege and he loves them to death! The improvement over the stock speakers is drastic, and he doesn't even mind keeping his HU now. I'm jealous though because his car doesn't have that wretched hard plastic inner panel like mine. His speakers mount directly to metal.

For the non-bose cars, dropping new speakers into the door is an ideal first step. For a lot of people that might be enough in itself. Us blose sufferers have to go a much more painful route.
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I agree. I know I will get even better sound and adjustability with an aftermarket HU but I can't justify spending the money, making the car more enticing to thieves, etc. Just trying to improve the sound quality without breaking the bank or making it obvious. Changing out the speakers did more than I thought it would and made a big difference. Hell, even my wife noticed.
 
The more I see about people bagging on the Bose, the more I am glad I didn't try harder to get a hatch with that set-up.
 
Dragwn said:
The more I see about people bagging on the Bose, the more I am glad I didn't try harder to get a hatch with that set-up.
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Its main advantage is it's easier to add an aftermarket amp to it, because you can tap into the plug under the driver's seat and get everything you need (even power and ground, if you're going to use a very low-wattage amp). It has clean flat signals on front and rear channels.

Plus, it was standard on the GT, so in order to get the nice seats and HID's and other cool features, you were forced to get bose too.
 
I must be one of the few that really likes the sound from the standard Sport speakers. Many of my friends and family have commented on how nice it sounds although all will admit that it needs some bass.

The system does sound bad when listening to the radio but CD's and my IPOD are crystal clear.

I've judged IASCA SQ events and I've spent rediculous amounts of money on car systems in the past but I just can't justify changing too much with this car. I'm thinking of adding a bazooka tube and crossovers for the stock speakers so they don't have to work so hard and I think it should be perfect.
 
You're F'ing with us right? So you've judged SQ events and yet you think the stock sport 'system' sounds close to perfect? Granted, it's only 7am but... that's the funniest s*** I've heard all day.
 
pfff...i was really impressed with the sound system which came with the car stock. The radio here is clean sounding and that is the same for cd's as well. It's was a major step up from the Bose system in the Maxima I had previous.

Then I added 2-12" subs and 1000W kenwood amp :p

Sounds better now
 
CHICO2003 said:
You're F'ing with us right? So you've judged SQ events and yet you think the stock sport 'system' sounds close to perfect? Granted, it's only 7am but... that's the funniest s*** I've heard all day.
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Not joking. There are certainly better sounding systems out there but you have to spend some serious $$$ to achieve that level of sound. The downside of the S System is that it does distort when really loud but I don't listen to my music at really high volumes and I've found that its plenty loud and clear for my liking.

I listened to the Bose system available with the GT and didn't like it at all. It sounded very muddy and over engineered.

SQ has so many aspects including sound stage, sound that is capable of moving across the sound stage without losing or gaining volume, playing equally well and balanced at low and high volumes and an overall balanced sound. With exception to Deep Bass and maintaining equal SQ at really low and high volumes I think Mazda did a great job with almost everything. By adding crossovers and some type of Sub for Bass I think it will sound excellent with minimal cost or modifications to the car.

For reference I usually fade my sound towards the front (60 - 70%) so the rears are used as fill and I increase Bass and Treble according to my taste.

I used to actually tune other peoples cars after they installed new equipment to help equalize the sound. This was after adding new speakers, amps etc.
 
Metro Gray said:
For reference I usually fade my sound towards the front (60 - 70%) so the rears are used as fill and I increase Bass and Treble according to my taste.
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I do the exact same thing. lol. Mostly because i have an LOC Converter and if the fade is set on center there is to much bass, so i adjust it to the front and i'm good to go
 
Metro Gray said:
Not joking. There are certainly better sounding systems out there but you have to spend some serious $$$ to achieve that level of sound.
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To each their own I guess... For me, it was literally the first thing I changed. The sound was so hollow and downright weak, I knew I'd lose it if I had to listen to it on a regular basis. Maybe I've been spoiled with previous systems... or maybe my tastes are just different. All I know is, imo, it was pathetic. The not so serious amount of money I put into it (maybe $750ish when it was all said and done) was more than worth it for me. If you can do the install yourself and shop around online for what you want, you can easily save yourself a few hundred bucks right there.
 
The best 100% stock system I ever heard in a vehicle I had was in a 2002 Saturn SL, of all things. I mean that car was so bottom-of-the-line that it didn't exist*, but it had a decent enough sounding system that I never considered upgrading it in the almost 2 years I had it.

2004 VW had the best sounding stock speakers I've heard, but I didn't know how good they sounded until I put a new HU in. I really love the HU's that come with these Mazda bose systems, but it takes a good bit of work (and money) to bring out their potential.



*when I tried to get insurance and order accessories, people could only find an SL1 or SL2, not a vanilla SL. This car was the living embodiment of "basic transportation."
 
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