2016 CX-5 Audio upgrade thread

Bumping my own bump...

The D pillar speakers were extremely easy to replace with a pair of Infinity Ref 3022CFX, and the rear doors with a pair of Infinity Ref 6522EX. I used a pair of PAC NSB710 adapters for the rear doors along with the Metra 72-5602 harness.

I also installed a Kenwood KSC-SW11 sub under the driver's seat using the PAC AOEM-MAZ2 interface. That made a BIG difference! I'm able to turn the bass down a little on the Bose system, and instead drive it through the more capable (clearer, less muddy) Kenwood sub. A little futzing around with the gain and low pass filter and I'm really liking this change.

I left the front doors alone as much as it pains me. They only get bass frequencies, and installing the Infinity Ref 6522EX would have been a waste. Possible future upgrade with the Earthquake Sound i82SWS or Infinity REF-FLEX8, but I feel like I'm at the point of diminishing returns.

Total investment was $440 plus a few tools, and it was worth every cent.
 
+1 - this is a great thread.

I'm about to take delivery on a 2016.5 GT Bose and am fully prepared for all of the audio upgrades
 
Speedie95 said:
Bumping my own bump...

The D pillar speakers were extremely easy to replace with a pair of Infinity Ref 3022CFX, and the rear doors with a pair of Infinity Ref 6522EX. I used a pair of PAC NSB710 adapters for the rear doors along with the Metra 72-5602 harness.

I also installed a Kenwood KSC-SW11 sub under the driver's seat using the PAC AOEM-MAZ2 interface. That made a BIG difference! I'm able to turn the bass down a little on the Bose system, and instead drive it through the more capable (clearer, less muddy) Kenwood sub. A little futzing around with the gain and low pass filter and I'm really liking this change.

I left the front doors alone as much as it pains me. They only get bass frequencies, and installing the Infinity Ref 6522EX would have been a waste. Possible future upgrade with the Earthquake Sound i82SWS or Infinity REF-FLEX8, but I feel like I'm at the point of diminishing returns.

Total investment was $440 plus a few tools, and it was worth every cent.
Click to expand...
I'll think I'll be more or less replicating your setup. I think the subwoofer manages the under-powered problem of the stock head unit and amp - most of the amp power goes towards driving the heavier bass frequencies anyway.
 
CX-5um said:
Can anyone confirm if the Infinity 3.5's (or other brands) offer upgrades in sound quality reproduction.

I noticed when compared to my Sennheiser Momentum and Audio Technica ATH-m50x headphones I hear musical details barely or inaudible in the Mazda Bose system. This when listening inside the car in a garage with engine off. Not a fair comparison I know..........:)

Whats up with those Infinity speakers?
Click to expand...

I put in some Kicker DSC3504 (3.5" 2-way 4ohm) with 600Hz inline bass blockers (6dB octave) and I think the vocals and instruments near vocal ranges have improved. It could be a placebo affect, but I think the music sounds more clear; at least the singing parts.

Sure, the speakers are still firing up to the windshield, but I believe I've gained expanded sonic/audio performance. To go from a tweeter only to a 3.5" woofer + .5" tweeter, it would be tough to reduce sonic performance.

One year+ on, things are kickin' (pun intended) just fine. Now Kicker as the CSC series and I'm guess they are a bit better than the DSC line. Not 100% positive, but that is how they seem to be marketed.
 
speedie95,
I replaced my front woofers with Polk DB652. I now have almost NO bass... A disappointment. Do you think if I just put in the Kenwood sub, that will provide the missing bass? How did you get the bass signal from the Bose amp?

Speedie95 said:
I also installed a Kenwood KSC-SW11 sub under the driver's seat using the PAC AOEM-MAZ2 interface. That made a BIG difference! I'm able to turn the bass down a little on the Bose system, and instead drive it through the more capable (clearer, less muddy) Kenwood sub. A little futzing around with the gain and low pass filter and I'm really liking this change.
Click to expand...
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Note this is for a BOSE system upgrade, not the six speaker (a lot of confusion is caused when people post in the wrong thread).

I installed Polk DB652s in the front doors, replacing the 2ohm speakers. Now, my bass is almost gone. I was hoping the Polks could provide. Nada.

Do I put them in the back doors and reinstall the old woofers to the front? Add a sub woofer instead? Do all three, replace, back door and add subwoofer? There's no 2ohm woofers that will fit in those doors that I know of.
 
jelfrank said:
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Note this is for a BOSE system upgrade, not the six speaker (a lot of confusion is caused when people post in the wrong thread).

I installed Polk DB652s in the front doors, replacing the 2ohm speakers. Now, my bass is almost gone. I was hoping the Polks could provide. Nada.

Do I put them in the back doors and reinstall the old woofers to the front? Add a sub woofer instead? Do all three, replace, back door and add subwoofer? There's no 2ohm woofers that will fit in those doors that I know of.
Click to expand...
The Polk DB652s have a 4-ohm impedance and the factory ones are like 2 ohms, so that might impact your bass response. Have you tried messing around with the EQ settings to drive more bass to them?
 
jelfrank said:
speedie95,
I replaced my front woofers with Polk DB652. I now have almost NO bass... A disappointment. Do you think if I just put in the Kenwood sub, that will provide the missing bass? How did you get the bass signal from the Bose amp?
Click to expand...
Update: Going to move the Polks to rear doors and put in Infiniti RefFlex 8 woofers in the front doors. Should be a big improvement. Fingers Crossed.
BTW, it's really important people are clear if they are talking about upgrade a Bose vs. Non-Bose CX5. That gets muddled and can create confusion. Whomever started the thread, thank you. BUT, it should have been specific to Bose system CX5's in the title.
 
jelfrank said:
Update: Going to move the Polks to rear doors and put in Infiniti RefFlex 8 woofers in the front doors. Should be a big improvement. Fingers Crossed.
BTW, it's really important people are clear if they are talking about upgrade a Bose vs. Non-Bose CX5. That gets muddled and can create confusion. Whomever started the thread, thank you. BUT, it should have been specific to Bose system CX5's in the title.
Click to expand...
Let us know how the Infiniti RefFlex8s sound - that front door speaker seems to be the bugaboo of this system. Good luck.
 
jmhpsu93 said:
The Polk DB652s have a 4-ohm impedance and the factory ones are like 2 ohms, so that might impact your bass response. Have you tried messing around with the EQ settings to drive more bass to them?
Click to expand...
If you mean the bass and treble, yes. I put them in the back doors and that has helped significantly because that’s a three-way system from the amp. I just ordered the Infiniti ref flex 8”s to replace the woofers on the front doors. These are two ohms which should be perfect. Now I just got a find an installer to do my three Dash speakers. I have Polk DB351s. The wiring looks tricky I think there’s got to be soldering involved and under such cramped conditions under the windshield I’m gonna leave it to someone who does it all the time. But I am pleasantly surprised to see that replacing the back door speakers has a significant impact in the sound quality. And yes, those Bose stock speakers are a paper/cardboard material in the cone with smaller magnets. Unless you’re willing to replace the amp, which I am not, I’ve learned you have to be very careful about how you upgrade.
 
jelfrank said:
If you mean the bass and treble, yes. I put them in the back doors and that has helped significantly because that’s a three-way system from the amp. I just ordered the Infiniti ref flex 8”s to replace the woofers on the front doors. These are two ohms which should be perfect. Now I just got a find an installer to do my three Dash speakers. I have Polk DB351s. The wiring looks tricky I think there’s got to be soldering involved and under such cramped conditions under the windshield I’m gonna leave it to someone who does it all the time. But I am pleasantly surprised to see that replacing the back door speakers has a significant impact in the sound quality. And yes, those Bose stock speakers are a paper/cardboard material in the cone with smaller magnets. Unless you’re willing to replace the amp, which I am not, I’ve learned you have to be very careful about how you upgrade.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on the installation choice - an extra couple of hundred bucks to have it done right (and not have me waste an entire day) is worth it for me. Some like the exercise of the whole thing, but not me. :)
 
jmhpsu93 said:
Let us know how the Infiniti RefFlex8s sound - that front door speaker seems to be the bugaboo of this system. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Infinity REF-FLEX8 was a bust. It won't fit in the enclosure hole. You could fasten it but would need to cut out the grill on your door. Who wants to do that? Just sent it back today. Too bad. I had hope for these speakers. I am actually not disappointed in the 9" Bose that came with the car. i know the bass could be crisper, but might have to try a separate powered sub woofer.
 
jelfrank said:
Infinity REF-FLEX8 was a bust. It won't fit in the enclosure hole.
Click to expand...

I don't have a CX-5 with Bose, but have you looked at other shallow mount 8" woofers?

A quick internet search popped up some of the following:

1. Kicker 8 Inch CompRT 2-Ohm
2. Pioneer TS-SW2002D2
3. Rockford Fosgate Punch P3SD2-8
4. Infinity REFERENCE 1000S
5. Polk Audio DB 842 DVC

Have you looked at any of these?

I tried looking for inverted/top magnet wooders, but there aren't many.
 
GoFrogs said:
I don't have a CX-5 with Bose, but have you looked at other shallow mount 8" woofers?

A quick internet search popped up some of the following:

1. Kicker 8 Inch CompRT 2-Ohm
2. Pioneer TS-SW2002D2
3. Rockford Fosgate Punch P3SD2-8
4. Infinity REFERENCE 1000S
5. Polk Audio DB 842 DVC

Have you looked at any of these?

I tried looking for inverted/top magnet wooders, but there aren't many.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestions. The Infinity looks too big to fit in the enclosure on the door. Polk is 4 ohm, need two ohm if keeping the same amp, Fosgate for me is a budget buster for now. Pioneer looks like I might get back to. Not sure which direction I want to go. Have to see how the money forecast is and if I can do the install myself. I expect super deals now.
 
jmhpsu93 said:
I'm with you on the installation choice - an extra couple of hundred bucks to have it done right (and not have me waste an entire day) is worth it for me. Some like the exercise of the whole thing, but not me. :)
Click to expand...
I ended up hiring a guy to do the Polk db351 dash installs cuz there was no wiring harness out there I could find to match like the door speakers (which had standard harnesses). He got the three speakers done in about 45 min. Sounds GREAT! I put the Polk 652s in my rear doors and fade about 2 clicks to the rear now. I turn off the center-point option as the middle channel just seems to crowd the soundscape. Mids and highs are cleaner and warmer with more separation. I'd say about a 15-20% improvement, which is significant.
 
Speedie95 said:
Bumping my own bump...

The D pillar speakers were extremely easy to replace with a pair of Infinity Ref 3022CFX, and the rear doors with a pair of Infinity Ref 6522EX. I used a pair of PAC NSB710 adapters for the rear doors along with the Metra 72-5602 harness.

I also installed a Kenwood KSC-SW11 sub under the driver's seat using the PAC AOEM-MAZ2 interface. That made a BIG difference! I'm able to turn the bass down a little on the Bose system, and instead drive it through the more capable (clearer, less muddy) Kenwood sub. A little futzing around with the gain and low pass filter and I'm really liking this change.

I left the front doors alone as much as it pains me. They only get bass frequencies, and installing the Infinity Ref 6522EX would have been a waste. Possible future upgrade with the Earthquake Sound i82SWS or Infinity REF-FLEX8, but I feel like I'm at the point of diminishing returns.

Total investment was $440 plus a few tools, and it was worth every cent.
Click to expand...
Don't go with the infinity REF-FLEX8. I tried, it's too fat to go all the way into the enclosure. Even if you adjust it, you'd have to cut out the Bose grill for it to work. Is the Kenwood good for mid-bass too?
 
GoFrogs said:
I don't have a CX-5 with Bose, but have you looked at other shallow mount 8" woofers?

A quick internet search popped up some of the following:

1. Kicker 8 Inch CompRT 2-Ohm
2. Pioneer TS-SW2002D2
3. Rockford Fosgate Punch P3SD2-8
4. Infinity REFERENCE 1000S
5. Polk Audio DB 842 DVC

Have you looked at any of these?

I tried looking for inverted/top magnet wooders, but there aren't many.
Click to expand...
gonna try the Kenwood KSC-SW11. Someone on this thread had good luck with it.
 
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