Installing 8" Speakers in Mazda CX-5

It's a huge difference in bass as well as midrange. To get really good treble you have to add the dash speakers.

I tested these speakers with and without a subwoofer and the subwoofer added very little beyond what these 8 inch speakers provide.

I do highly recommend you sound deaden the doors though because they will rattle like crazy if you don't.
 
I only upgraded the front speakers as I can't hear the ones in the rear. I figure they're only for passengers in the back seat.
 
I only upgraded the front speakers as I can't hear the ones in the rear. I figure they're only for passengers in the back seat.

My thought are that four 8" woofers (2 pair of Lanzers) would definitively negate the need for a subwoofer. Do any of you think I will have clearance/fitment issues in the rear doors?
 
Anyone who has done this, any idea how much more depth is available? I'd like to put ZR800-CW's in the doors, but they are a bit deeper than what the OP says is available with a 3/4" MDF adapter. How much more room is available to use a thicker adapter before hitting the door panel?

(or, better yet, any reports of successfully fitting a ZR800-CW or speaker of greater/equivalent depth in the doors?)
 
Anyone who has done this, any idea how much more depth is available? I'd like to put ZR800-CW's in the doors, but they are a bit deeper than what the OP says is available with a 3/4" MDF adapter. How much more room is available to use a thicker adapter before hitting the door panel?

(or, better yet, any reports of successfully fitting a ZR800-CW or speaker of greater/equivalent depth in the doors?)

Those answering the question, please comment on whether you waterproofed the MDF or are concerned about that. There are many comments about the doors getting wet inside and I though I should ask what was done, if anything, regarding moisture contact with the MDF (swelling/warping/rotting).
 
Nobody does what I have done, but this requires an amp as well.
MDF over the spare wheel, put a 10" shallow sub in it and strap it to the spare tire.
Install the amp where it fits. I have amps under the front seats.
 
Okay it looks like I'm going to install aftermarket 8 inch speakers in the front doors myself. Just curious, when unplugging the clip connected to the stock speaker do you retain that clip or cut it off? How many wires are there within that clip to connect to the new speakers? Thanks.
 
I have just cut it off and soldered the two wires. Get a schematic, to find out which wire is the positive and negative.
I'm actually, planning to upgrade again my speakers.
I have just ordered from Poland via Ebay, some Focal PS 165FX speakers.
I'm thinking about, sound deadening the doors this time around. I know that the whole interior of the door has that black plastic cover. That area has to be covered as well, or only the outer skin?
First time I would do this.
Which speakers did you get? If you don't want a sub, that would be a very good choice, to use 8" speakers.
 
I have just cut it off and soldered the two wires. Get a schematic, to find out which wire is the positive and negative.
I'm actually, planning to upgrade again my speakers.
I have just ordered from Poland via Ebay, some Focal PS 165FX speakers.
I'm thinking about, sound deadening the doors this time around. I know that the whole interior of the door has that black plastic cover. That area has to be covered as well, or only the outer skin?
First time I would do this.
Which speakers did you get? If you don't want a sub, that would be a very good choice, to use 8" speakers.



Okay thanks. I'm really close to buying these.

Found these on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

8-inch subs
2 ohm
2 1/2 inch top mount depth
1- pair is about $85

Only thing is they don't come with mounting brackets. I may just drill extra holes if needed. I'll sound deaden both the door and the plastic cover. I know people have done so in other cars.
 
I have never heard about that brand, it is good?
I like to go with known brands. I have learned to go, with the big brands.
The cheap brands, usually claim 1000s of watts, but they may supply a quarter of that.
My JL Audio shallow 10", shows a safe power of 250W and it is $300 speaker.
 
Rockville W8T4-S2 8" CEA-2006 Compliant 2-Ohm Shallow Mount Car Subwoofers Totaling 2

Okay thanks. I'm really close to buying these.
Found these on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
8-inch subs
2 ohm
2 1/2 inch top mount depth
1- pair is about $85
Only thing is they don't come with mounting brackets. I may just drill extra holes if needed. I'll sound deaden both the door and the plastic cover. I know people have done so in other cars.
I don't know if you're going to add extra amp for this Rockville W8T4-S2 8" subwoofers or not. But I can tell if you don't, chances are you may not be getting stronger bass as you expected. For good bass, you need more amp power in addition to bigger or better woofer. I'd go for a small self-contained, self-powered subwoofer like several people had already done to get stronger bass. Bose amp itself is not powerful enough for this 1,000W subwoofer. And you may still have a hard time to find a speaker mounting adapter as the OEM Bose speaker is 9". Putting the 8" speakers in the doors to be woofers is a flawed idea IMHO as the bass sound is non-directional. Those speakers in front doors should be served as full-range speaker for mid-range notes. Even Bose itself has to settle for weird fader control by not shutting down entirely on front door 9" speakers.
 
I have never heard about that brand, it is good?
I like to go with known brands. I have learned to go, with the big brands.
The cheap brands, usually claim 1000s of watts, but they may supply a quarter of that.
My JL Audio shallow 10", shows a safe power of 250W and it is $300 speaker.
Have to agree with you on this, and learned the lessons too. Although I heard "Rockville" before, but based on the price with only one review on Amazon, I wouldn't get it. A self-powered subwoofer like you did in the spare tire area is a better way to enhance the base than putting two speakers/subwoofers in the front doors IMHO.
 
I'm surprised that nobody else does, what I have done. It is a cheap and easy solution, to get serious base. I have lost 2" in height, that is all.
I have picked up a broken Polk Audio PA880 from Ebay, for $40 and I have repaired it for a few bucks. MDF was $12, some 4 gage wires and course the subwoofer.
Amp is under the driver's seat, the other one is under the passenger seat.
 
I don't know if you're going to add extra amp for this Rockville W8T4-S2 8" subwoofers or not. But I can tell if you don't, chances are you may not be getting stronger bass as you expected. For good bass, you need more amp power in addition to bigger or better woofer. I'd go for a small self-contained, self-powered subwoofer like several people had already done to get stronger bass. Bose amp itself is not powerful enough for this 1,000W subwoofer. And you may still have a hard time to find a speaker mounting adapter as the OEM Bose speaker is 9". Putting the 8" speakers in the doors to be woofers is a flawed idea IMHO as the bass sound is non-directional. Those speakers in front doors should be served as full-range speaker for mid-range notes. Even Bose itself has to settle for weird fader control by not shutting down entirely on front door 9" speakers.

Thanks for the tips. Finally completed my amp/sub install for my Mazda6 but could be applied to the CX-5 too. I had a $130 Amazon gift card so I put it to use.

Goals:

Sound- Use existing Bose system but add more bass. Not overwhelming heart pounding bass but bass to compliment the music. Musical bass that can thump but no need to overpower the music. Goal met.

Budget- After Amazon gift card, under $120 out of my pocket. Goal not met. Spent about $200 out of pocket.

Install- DIY. Goal not met. :(

Install Shop- Have Amp, amp remote dial, and LOC installed at local reputable car shop for around $150. Mono Amp installed under driver seat. LOC installed atop the stock Bose amp cover plate located under front passenger seat. They charged $95. Goal met. :)

Sub- Wanted a lightweight easy to move sub and not take up much trunk space. Currently on rear right passenger foot well and fits like a glove. Blends in with carpet and hard to tell its there from looking through the window. Will experiment with trunk placement. Goal met.

Amp- Small class D mono amp with 250-300RMS and remote control dial under $100. Goal met.

LOC- Just work and for $10. Goal met.

Wiring- True 8 gauge from reputable vendor under $40. Goal met.

This is how the sub sounds (in someone else's car). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0QqU6MnQSE

This is the sub in the trunk of a Mazda3. http://i.imgur.com/9sL4ZB2l.jpg

Amp purchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Sub Purchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

LOC puchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Wiring: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
 
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The Bose amplifier will handle higher impedance speakers without problems. The higher "load" means the amplifier will deliver less electrical current, rather than more. It's only when a speaker with an impedance lower than what the amplifier is designed for is paired with that amp that problems can arise. The drawback is that the higher impedance speaker will draw less power from the amp. If the replacement speaker is 3dB more efficient than the Bose speaker it replaces, then the sound level will be the same.

In the case of the CX5 Bose system, the 3.5" speakers (dash and D-pillar) and the 5.25" (rear door) are effectively 4-ohm, which is the same as standard aftermarket speakers. One could replace them and use the Bose amplifier without any worries from an electrical standpoint. They may be mismatched from a level (sound output) standpoint and either be louder or quieter than the 8" door woofers. Since they door woofer and dash speakers are designed to work together, this could be a concern.

The front door 8" mid-woofer speakers are 2-ohm. What I mentioned above applies. But the Bose amplifier has filtering that limits the frequency "window" the speaker plays (up to around 400Hz), so replacing them with, for example, coaxial speakers will mean the replacement speaker will play that same "window". To have the replacement door speaker play full range, the Bose amp would need to be replaced with an aftermarket model.
The is an old thread and many people posted earlier seem no longer here...

Adding 3-way 8" speakers to front doors on non-Bose audio system in CX-5 like OP did is an excellent idea to improve the bass sound.

But as 2:35toOne said, for Bose system that is a different story. The front door 9" Nd "woofers" are only getting low-pass signals for bass and mid-range sound and full-range 3-way speakers simply don't fit the purpose.

For Bose system, adding a stand-alone、shallow-mount、self-contained、or even self-powered subwoofer box is the best way to improve the bass. And you can easily remove subwoofer system when you're selling the CX-5 later.

BTW, 9-speaker Bose system in 2016 CX-5 has very similar speaker setup as Mazda6 11-speaker Bose system but less two 1" (2.5cm) dash tweeters hence the high notes suffer on CX-5.

2016 CX-5 has two 9" (23cm) Nd "woofers" in each front door, three 3" (8cm) mid-range Twiddler in dash, two 5" (13.5cm) full-range speakers in each rear door, and two 3" (8cm) mid-range Twiddler in both D-pillars. Mazda6 has A pair of 2" (6cm) Twiddlers positioned on the rear deck.
 
Thanks for the tips. Finally completed my amp/sub install for my Mazda6 but could be applied to the CX-5 too. I had a $130 Amazon gift card so I put it to use.
Goals:
Sound- Use existing Bose system but add more bass. Not overwhelming heart pounding bass but bass to compliment the music. Musical bass that can thump but no need to overpower the music. Goal met.
Budget- After Amazon gift card, under $120 out of my pocket. Goal not met. Spent about $200 out of pocket.
Install- DIY. Goal not met. :(
Install Shop- Have Amp, amp remote dial, and LOC installed at local reputable car shop for around $150. Mono Amp installed under driver seat. LOC installed atop the stock Bose amp cover plate located under front passenger seat. They charged $95. Goal met. :)
Sub- Wanted a lightweight easy to move sub and not take up much trunk space. Currently on rear right passenger foot well and fits like a glove. Blends in with carpet and hard to tell its there from looking through the window. Will experiment with trunk placement. Goal met.
Amp- Small class D mono amp with 250-300RMS and remote control dial under $100. Goal met.
LOC- Just work and for $10. Goal met.
Wiring- True 8 gauge from reputable vendor under $40. Goal met.
This is how the sub sounds (in someone else's car). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0QqU6MnQSE
This is the sub in the trunk of a Mazda3. http://i.imgur.com/9sL4ZB2l.jpg
Amp purchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
Sub Purchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
LOC puchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
Wiring: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
Glad you took adding a sub-woofer box route to improve your bass sound on Bose. How is the bass sound now? Is this for your Mazda6? Do you know what was the signal source your shop took connecting to LOC? Was it from front right door speaker? If that was the case, does the sub volume get affected by the Balance and Fader controls? Don't mind to see some pictures of yours! :)
 
Glad you took adding a sub-woofer box route to improve your bass sound on Bose. How is the bass sound now? Is this for your Mazda6? Do you know what was the signal source your shop took connecting to LOC? Was it from front right door speaker? If that was the case, does the sub volume get affected by the Balance and Fader controls? Don't mind to see some pictures of yours! :)

Yes for the Mazda6. The LOC is connected to the front right door speaker at the amp. They actually placed the LOC inside the stock amp's cover plate so its hidden. I have not tried balancing (right to left). If I fade towards the rear the aftermarket woofer does get affected but retains some bass as highs from stock speakers up front will get quieter. The bass overpowers the highs in that case. I only had about 2-3 hours of break-in time and I'm already noticing improvements in its lower end. Its not going to produce super low booming frequencies but that's not the sound I'm after. Plus the Bose amp's processing goes down to like 45hz which is fine by me. Rock songs sound really good since the bass response is fast. Rap songs are starting to sound good too as it continues to break-in. I need to adjust a few amp settings a little bit though in a few weeks as the woofer breaks in.

I've only had the Bose volume at 35-40 and the amp remote set to about 25% and gain to 0. The bass is really good but hurts my ears at that volume near 40 with some bassy songs. I just set the Bose volume back to around 30. Fade to rear 2 clicks. Bose bass to 5 clicks and Bose treble 2-3 clicks. I forgot to take a pick of the remote knob where its located above my right knee area. I preferred that spot.

Amp is small enough that it doesn't even obstruct the air vents. Actually gets cooling from it during the summer.
13103347_986821461403620_1203801774438704882_n.jpg


With seat in my driving position, the Amp is completely hidden. Rear passenger foot space shouldn't be an issue.
13096071_986821094736990_3519117392562383527_n.jpg


I took this pic with flash at night. During the daytime with my tint the woofer is invisible. Plus the baby seat hides it too.
13076650_986821591403607_6401443224748306945_n.jpg
 
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