2016 CX-5 Audio upgrade thread

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2016 Mazda CX-5 GT w/ Tech
Ive read through this thread on the older model CX5s (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123815167-Radio-Speakers-on-CX-5-SPORT-model) but there have been changes to the audio wiring and speaker setup for 2016, so I want to make a thread of audio info specific to the 2016 model.

I have the 2016 with Bose system and I had purchased 2 sets of 6.5" coaxial speakers to replace the door speakers only to find that the front door speakers on my car are 9" and don't have any nice hole pattern to mount 6.5" speakers to. Misinformation like this is confusing and time consuming.


I have successfully installed the Polk db351 3.5" coaxial speakers in the 3 dash locations, no problems.


Who has installed a subwoofer in their 2016 with the stock head unit? I am trying to install a Kicker Hideaway 8" compact powered sub under the front passenger seat and found a Bose amplifier with 3 harnesses plugged into it, but no info on what the wires are. I have had a had time finding any wiring diagrams for the audio (especially for the Bose system).
 
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I also have a 2016 with Bose. I didn't think of the center speaker in the dash. I just purchase a pair of the 351s from Amazon. Where did you find a retailer that only sells one? I assume it's a drop-in replacement just the other two?

I'm also interested in adding some bass. The stock Base is really under-powered and very light on deep bass for my taste, and I'm no audiophile!

ps I really don't want to mess with the door speakers. A lot of people have issues re-installing the door panels. In your specific case could you just replace the stock 9" speakers with something that have more deep bass and eschew the Kicker sub?
 
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RLCarrington, can you post up as much wiring info as possible perhaps in more than one post?

I purchased two sets of the Polk db351 speakers since I couldn't purchase one speaker individually. I now have one spare. I took off the passenger front door panel and had no plastic tabs break but did have some trickyness with getting the window sill weather strip to mount back, but now that I know what to do its not a problem. I did not replace the front door 9" speakers (yet)...looking for an aftermarket speaker with similar dimensions.

Still haven't installed the kicker hideaway sub, was hoping people who have installed something similar could post up some tips on how they wired it (what signals they tapped, where they routed power to, etc.). Wondering if I will ever get this info or if I should just have Best Buy install it.
 
I have the 2016 with Bose system and I had purchased 2 sets of 6.5" coaxial speakers to replace the door speakers only to find that the front door speakers on my car are 9" and don't have any nice hole pattern to mount 6.5" speakers to. Misinformation like this is confusing and time consuming.
I have successfully installed the Polk db351 3.5" coaxial speakers in the 3 dash locations, no problems.
Can you post some pictures of these factory speakers? Are they all cheap paper-cone speakers? Do 9" front door speakers have small center tweeter cone? Or are these coaxial? Thanks for providing these information if you can.
 
Can't provide a picture now but the 9" front door speakers were more like woofers. They had foam surrounds and a fiberglass-reinforced paper cone and a small magnet which was front mounted... Pretty weird. Not sure if replacing those with coaxial would even matter because the audio signals going to them might be pre-processed for lows only.
 
Can't provide a picture now but the 9" front door speakers were more like woofers. They had foam surrounds and a fiberglass-reinforced paper cone and a small magnet which was front mounted... Pretty weird. Not sure if replacing those with coaxial would even matter because the audio signals going to them might be pre-processed for lows only.
Next time when you have a chance, please take some pictures of those factory Bose speakers. So the 9" front door speakers seem to be the same as those on Mazda6 - a pair of 9-inch (23cm) Nd woofers. With front mounted magnet, it may just try to save some space at rear. I guess like Mazda6, 3.25-inch (8cm) mid-range Twiddlers are installed in the 3 dash locations. Wide-range sound is produced by 5.25-inch (13.5cm) speakers placed in each rear door. A pair of 2.5-inch (6cm) Twiddlers positioned on the top rear wall panels. The only thing missing on 2016 CX-5 from 2016 Mazda6 Bose system is a pair of 1-inch (2.5cm) tweeters located in the instrument panel for high notes! I believe this is the major flaw for Bose system on 2016 CX-5!

Like you said, it's possible Bose system on 2016 CX-5 has filtered out high frequencies for 9" front door speakers, hence your coaxial speaker won't do any good to help high notes. You may have to try it out to find out. Please keep us posted.
 
Do you think that it is safe to tap the rear door speakers for a subwoofer output? Hopefully those speakers have a full sound range sent to them.

EDIT: Found that the rear door speakers should be full range. Also found this file [click] which is for a mazda 3 but the headunit output wires look like they match up with the 2016 cx5 bose headunit output to external amp (amp is located under the front passenger seat) wiring docs that RLCarrington posted above. I cut the right rear speaker wires before the amp input (in between headunit and amp) to test and resulted in no sound from right rear speaker. After verifying that the wires are labeled correctly per the docs, I tapped the right and left rear speaker wires (input wires to amp, so no bose signal processing on them) and ran them to my sub. Turned on for a test and everything works, sub sounds great. Will route all the wires and get it pretty tomorrow, time for a break.
 
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With Polk Audio DB351 3.5" coaxial speakers installed at three dash locations, do you feel noticeable difference on sound quality comparing to OEM Bose mid-range Twiddlers, especially on high notes since now you added three tweeters?

Really wish you can post some pictures for your speaker replacement project... (pics)
 
I will plan on finishing the sub install and replacing rear door speakers today, should post pictures later tonight. I do notice a difference in the highs, they are nice and crisp and the system sounds less muddy midrange only sound. There was no discernable difference in volume which is good, the impedance match on the Polk dash speakers is really close.
 
I will plan on finishing the sub install and replacing rear door speakers today, should post pictures later tonight. I do notice a difference in the highs, they are nice and crisp and the system sounds less muddy midrange only sound. There was no discernable difference in volume which is good, the impedance match on the Polk dash speakers is really close.
Since our '16 CX-5 lacks tweeters at front and you really make me feel attempting at least putting a pair of Polk Audio DB351 3.5" coaxial speakers at front dash. It seems easy enough and the only problem would be my wife as she definitely will be against taking front speaker grills out on our new CX-5!

How did you handle short factory front speaker wires, and can we find an adapter to make the speaker wire connection plug and play?

Bose speakers on 2016 CX-5 are different from previous model years and they are similar to new Mazda6's. Bose document says rear door 5.25" speakers on new Mazda6 are full range. Did you find our CX-5's have 5.25" full range speakers instead of 6.5" found on the earlier CX-5's?

Looking forward to seeing your pictures to find out what the OEM Bose speakers look like.
 
yrwei52, I had already replaced everything but the front door speakers in my own 2016 with the Bose system, so you might find some of this thread helpful:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...ring-Diagram&p=6402468&highlight=#post6402468

Note that since then, I ordered the OEM speaker mount grommets for the rear door speakers, and drilled/installed those in place of the temporary mounting for the 3rd hole that did not line up.

I am also in the process of helping a friend/neighbor with the exact same upgrade to his own 2016 CX-5....
 
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RL thanks for the other wiring docs, will look them over in a little. In your post that you linked you mention a shortcut to get at the d-pillar speakers. What did you do?
 
For the D-pillar speakers, the Crutchfield instructions showed that you can just remove the seat recliner pull-handle screws under the little plastic cover and the screw located inside of the notch for the option cargo cover. At that point, you can pry the lower panel piece out a bit, and then start pulling out the upper trim piece in which the speaker is mounted and which wraps around the rear side window. It essentially just snaps out, and then you can disconnect the speaker harness connector that's close to the edge of that trim piece and then work from there on the speaker removal/new speaker installation. One hint--that trim piece will only sit flush when reinstalled if you ensure that the slot on the piece is slid properly into the notch on the upper trim piece that will remain in place--you'll see what I mean once you get it opened up. Also, be sure to use something flat to pull out the cargo door molding strip to properly sit on the outside of the trim pieces once those are reinstalled.
 
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Can't provide a picture now but the 9" front door speakers were more like woofers. They had foam surrounds and a fiberglass-reinforced paper cone and a small magnet which was front mounted... Pretty weird. Not sure if replacing those with coaxial would even matter because the audio signals going to them might be pre-processed for lows only.
After I had a chance to listen to front door speakers today on our CX-5, they are definitely woofers and the audio feeding them are only low tones. This means for 2016 CX-5 Boss system those coaxial speakers won't do any good to replace original Boss front door woofers.
 
I have successfully installed the Polk db351 3.5" coaxial speakers in the 3 dash locations, no problems.
Had you encountered the same tight space issue and had to use force to screw the Polk Audio DB351 down, especially at the driver dash side, on your 2016 CX-5? Had you found a good solution on wiring adapter for dash speakers or you just spliced the speaker wire?
 
yrwei, I agree with you on the front door speakers and have not replaced mine. Also the front door speakers are roughly 1.5 ohm so there isn't even a suitable replacement on the market (from what I've seen).

Regarding the tight space issue with the dash speakers, yes the drivers side had to be forced down the most but it wasn't unreasonable, same with the passenger side. Center dash speaker had plenty of clearance, no forcing anything.

I cut the stock wiring and spliced it. Don't know if an adapter harness exists yet.
 
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