2016 CX-5 Audio upgrade thread

Polk db351 size versus stock Bose speakers

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).

The stock Bose speaker sizes for the CX-5 dash location are 3.25" for center, and 2.35" for left and right. the Polk db351 is 3.5". Is there any issue with mounting the Polk db351 because it is larger than both stock Bose speakers, especially the 2.35" ones?
 
I have a 2016 CX-5. I've replaced all three of the Bose dash speakers with the Polk db351s. I recommend de-soldering the speaker connectors of the factory speakers to reuse on the DB351s.
 
If I remember correctly, the passenger side is a bit tight to install, but it is doable.
I also needed, one of those right angle philips screwdrivers.
 
To those that have installed and replaced the 3 dash speakers with the Polk DB351's, what are you doing with your extra speaker? I assume you had to buy them in pairs, for 4 total speakers and only used 3. There has to be a hand full of people with extra DB351's sitting around. Any interest in selling those extra speakers to me? I'd rather not have to buy 4 and have 1 left over if I can avoid it. PM with details of what you have please
 
Two questions: (1) anyone have spare Inifity 3022cfx to sell, and (2) anyone have experience with the new 8" Infitiy Flex subs for the front doors?

About the first question (Have a spare Infinity 3022cfx?)

To those that have installed and replaced the 3 dash speakers with the Polk DB351's, what are you doing with your extra speaker? I assume you had to buy them in pairs, for 4 total speakers and only used 3. There has to be a hand full of people with extra DB351's sitting around. Any interest in selling those extra speakers to me? I'd rather not have to buy 4 and have 1 left over if I can avoid it. PM with details of what you have please

I have the same question about the Inifity 3022cfx speakers (link below). Note that they are not the older 3002cfx speakers, which have a different tweeter. The newer 3022cfx model has a textile tweeter, which has better reviews. If you click the Amazon link below, note that the image on the 3.5 in model is wrong. It shows the older 3002cfx model, which is all grey. The newer model 3022cfx is black and orange (shown below).

g108R3022CX-F.jpg


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

About the second question (re: Infinity 8" Flex Sub in Front Doors)

Below is a link, image, and video for the new 8" Inifinity Flex subwoofer. It designs the entire driver as an 8" threaded bolt, and the mounting plate screws on it like a big nut. This takes care of the mounting depth issue, eliminating the need to mess around with making a custom mounting ring.

I am curious about the impedance issue. The speaker's voice coils are 2 ohms, but there is a choice in models between single or dual voice coil. That means you can either run the sub at 1 ohm or 2 ohms, depending on whether you get the dual or single voice coil, respectively. I see in the wiring diagram that the impedance to the front door subs is actually 1.25 ohms. I know it's safer to go with 2 ohms, but will running 0.25 ohms below spec fry the amp?

https://www.infinityspeakers.com/In...eference Flex Woofer 8s_color=Black#s tart=1

Infinity-Flex-8S-three-Quater-Clasp-Side-1605x1605px.jpg


 
To those that have installed and replaced the 3 dash speakers with the Polk DB351's, what are you doing with your extra speaker? I assume you had to buy them in pairs, for 4 total speakers and only used 3. There has to be a hand full of people with extra DB351's sitting around. Any interest in selling those extra speakers to me? I'd rather not have to buy 4 and have 1 left over if I can avoid it. PM with details of what you have please

Good question. I'd take one of these as well if someone has an extra lying around...
 
Two questions: (1) anyone have spare Inifity 3022cfx to sell, and (2) anyone have experience with the new 8" Infitiy Flex subs for the front doors?

About the first question (Have a spare Infinity 3022cfx?)



I have the same question about the Inifity 3022cfx speakers (link below). Note that they are not the older 3002cfx speakers, which have a different tweeter. The newer 3022cfx model has a textile tweeter, which has better reviews. If you click the Amazon link below, note that the image on the 3.5 in model is wrong. It shows the older 3002cfx model, which is all grey. The newer model 3022cfx is black and orange (shown below).

g108R3022CX-F.jpg


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

About the second question (re: Infinity 8" Flex Sub in Front Doors)

Below is a link, image, and video for the new 8" Inifinity Flex subwoofer. It designs the entire driver as an 8" threaded bolt, and the mounting plate screws on it like a big nut. This takes care of the mounting depth issue, eliminating the need to mess around with making a custom mounting ring.

I am curious about the impedance issue. The speaker's voice coils are 2 ohms, but there is a choice in models between single or dual voice coil. That means you can either run the sub at 1 ohm or 2 ohms, depending on whether you get the dual or single voice coil, respectively. I see in the wiring diagram that the impedance to the front door subs is actually 1.25 ohms. I know it's safer to go with 2 ohms, but will running 0.25 ohms below spec fry the amp?

https://www.infinityspeakers.com/In...eference Flex Woofer 8s_color=Black#s tart=1

Infinity-Flex-8S-three-Quater-Clasp-Side-1605x1605px.jpg



That sub looks interesting, Does it install into the front doors instead of the 9" woofers that are there already? What's the pros and cons of doing something like that?
 
Now I'll admit I don't know a lot about this stuff, I was just perusing through the thread; curiosity and all...

but does this make a big difference over the Bose system? I had HK system in my last car and I remember it took a while for the speakers to loosen up and sound good.. or at least I thought it sounded good..

Is this just "one step better" or "oh my gosh this is incredible sound"....????
 
Now I'll admit I don't know a lot about this stuff, I was just perusing through the thread; curiosity and all...

but does this make a big difference over the Bose system? I had HK system in my last car and I remember it took a while for the speakers to loosen up and sound good.. or at least I thought it sounded good..

Is this just "one step better" or "oh my gosh this is incredible sound"....????

It's an incredible difference in my case, though how much you'll care about that will depend on how much you appreciate audio. If it's something you care about and can afford, then yes - it's worth it. So far, I've installed the Infinity 3022cfx speakers in the front dash (which I did first), and I've installed the Infinity Kappa 50.11CS in the rear doors. The front dash speakers opened up the sound so much that the poor quality from the rear door speakers became evident. So then I installed the 50.11CS speakers in the back (requires a simple spacer/adapter), and the sound quality now rivals a much more expensive 2.1 stereo I have in my living room - at least in the highs. Here is a picture and link to the Infinity Kapps 50.11CS speaker for anyone interested (click image for Amazon link).



In terms of what else to upgrade, I don't think anything else is critical. The stock Bose amplifier has enough power to drive the relatively high-end Infinity Kappa speakers I installed. And the stock Bose subwoofers in the front doors provide (just barely) enough bass to keep up with the louder highs with the new speakers.

As for what what would be nice to upgrade, that brings me to the subwoofer discussion below.


That sub looks interesting, Does it install into the front doors instead of the 9" woofers that are there already? What's the pros and cons of doing something like that?

Dude, I'm stoked about this sub! I actually had to dig around for a while to find it, and it just came out. To answer your question, though, yes it is one of the few subwoofers (maybe the only one) that will fit into the front doors to replace the 9" Bose subs with no significant alterations to the doors. That said, the stock Bose amp would underpower them, and that may result in less volume - but maybe not. You just gotta test it. Either way, installing the door might also require a simple spacer and some sound deadening material (e.g. Dynamite or Second Skin) to prevent the door from rattling.

The real question is the one I asked above. Since the Infinity subs can either run at 1 ohm or 2 ohms, and the stock Bose amp is rated for 1.25 ohms, there's an open issue. Running them at 1 ohm might overheat the Bose amp, but running them at 2 ohms would deliver lower power than the stock speakers push (i.e. quieter). The safest thing to do would be either running them at 2 ohms to avoid blowing the Bose amp, or else just getting a 250 w (or so) RMS amp to drive the subs properly.

I'm debating whether to do a custom installation in the 5th door (hatch/tailgate . . . whatever you call it) with one of these subs on an independent amp, and then using two 8" passive radiators like the home theater subwoofer pictured below. You can see there is one 8" driver and two 8" passive radiators. I'd have to bring it to a shop that can build fiberglass so that it looks stock and invisible. But that would be expensive, and the sound right now with the simple speaker replacements I've already done sound quite good. Still thinking about it.

supercube-4000-home-theater-installation.png
 
The stock Bose speaker sizes for the CX-5 dash location are 3.25" for center, and 2.35" for left and right. the Polk db351 is 3.5". Is there any issue with mounting the Polk db351 because it is larger than both stock Bose speakers, especially the 2.35" ones?
All 3 front Bose dash speakers are 3" (8cm) mid-range Twiddlers speaker but center one has bigger magnet. Many people had done it with Polk Audio db351 replacement without any issues. The driver side dash may have some depth issue but you can press down the Polk speaker with more force and it can be done with no harms.
 
I ran across what seems to be a perfect drop-in replacement for the stock Bose subwoofers in the front doors, at just 2.125 in mounting depth. They are the Earthquake sws-8xi. I put an image that you can click, which brings you to the Amazon page. They come in a variety of sizes and Ohm ratings, but the sws-8xi seems to be perfect. If you look at the spec sheet (link will download owner's manual), it shows that the true ohm rating is 1.76. That's actually a closer match to the Bose 1.25 ohm rating for the door than a 2 ohm sub, and it doesn't go below the rating like a 1 ohm load would - potentially frying the amp. They also have an 86.7 db sensitivity, so the are pretty efficient and would probably run just fine on the stock Bose amp.

If anyone springs for these, please post your impressions on how they are in the CX-5, and I'll do the same if I end up getting them. Everything available online about these shallow-mount subs is about BMWs because that's what prompted their design. But now that the Mazda Bose system will accommodate them, I'm interested to see how they do and if they perform better than the stock Bose subs.

 
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What do you guys know about the jbl club 3020 as dash replacement speakers. Would these be a good option?
 
What do you guys know about the jbl club 3020 as dash replacement speakers. Would these be a good option?

That's exactly the same size as the Infinity 3022cfx speakers but with a lower quality tweeter. Cruchfield says it won't fit, but it's the same size so it should fit. There thing isn't always accurate, though, so you might just have to test. But for only another $20, I'd just go with the Infinity's for the textile tweeter rather than the JBL's PEI tweeter. Anything better than those will probably require an amp upgrade, which is a whole other story.
 
The Polks are listed as a top mounting depth of 1-9/16" where the other two, The Kickes 44KSC3504 have a 1-5/8" top mount depth, JBL Club 3020 at 1-7/16" and the Infinity Reference REF-3022CX at 1-7/16" mounting depth.

The JBL Club 3020 are on amazon right now for $35.00 a pair which is a great price, they list at $69.99 on crutchfield so half price basically. The Polks can be had for about $50 the same price as the Kickers and the Infinity run about $70 from ebay.

I'm really torn on what speaker to get. Should I just spend the little bit more and go with the Polks that are tried on true on here or venture to something else?

And how big of an impact is it going to be to change the Center dash speaker as well. Doing so will double cost as I would need three total speakers and have to buy two pairs.
 
. . . I'm really torn on what speaker to get. Should I just spend the little bit more and go with the Polks that are tried on true on here or venture to something else?

And how big of an impact is it going to be to change the Center dash speaker as well. Doing so will double cost as I would need three total speakers and have to buy two pairs.

My vote is for the Infinity 3022cfx speakers. They sound great for how small they are, and the Polk db351 speakers discussed throughout this thread have been discontinued. Even if you can get the Polk db351 speakers, the impedance is 4 ohm so you'd get less volume out of them than the Infinity 3022cfx speakers. The Infinity also has a slightly better tweeter and a wider response range, though sound quality is likely relatively similar.

As for the center speaker, I just ordered an Infinity Kappa Perfect 300m (3.5 in) mid-range (link to Cruchfield page). I didn't get another set of the 3022cfx speakers because two tweeters in the front already provides plenty of highs (even too much with the treble up). Plus the 300m has great reviews. I'll follow up once I install and listen with one of a 300m mid-range speaker in the center dash.

Also, since I'll have an extra if I keep the 300m speakers, let me know if you want to buy it for your center. Our cars only need one. The 3.5 in speakers on the L and R dash sound great but can use a touch of mid-range, which is why I ordered these. The pair of 300m speakers was $150, so I'd sell my spare one for half to anyone who is interested. Just lemmy know, and we can work out details through PayPal or whatever is convenient. But, like I said, I'll follow up to say whether it sounds good as a center speaker replacement. :)
 
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How easy was it to fit the 3022s in the L/R dash locations? I've read a lot about the Polk installation, but not so much the Infinitys.
 
My vote is for the Infinity 3022cfx speakers. They sound great for how small they are, and the Polk db351 speakers discussed throughout this thread have been discontinued. Even if you can get the Polk db351 speakers, the impedance is 4 ohm so you'd get less volume out of them than the Infinity 3022cfx speakers. The Infinity also has a slightly better tweeter and a wider response range, though sound quality is likely relatively similar.

As for the center speaker, I just ordered an Infinity Kappa Perfect 300m (3.5 in) mid-range (link to Cruchfield page). I didn't get another set of the 3022cfx speakers because two tweeters in the front already provides plenty of highs (even too much with the treble up). Plus the 300m has great reviews. I'll follow up once I install and listen with one of a 300m mid-range speaker in the center dash.

Also, since I'll have an extra if I keep the 300m speakers, let me know if you want to buy it for your center. Our cars only need one. The 3.5 in speakers on the L and R dash sound great but can use a touch of mid-range, which is why I ordered these. The pair of 300m speakers was $150, so I'd sell my spare one for half to anyone who is interested. Just lemmy know, and we can work out details through PayPal or whatever is convenient. But, like I said, I'll follow up to say whether it sounds good as a center speaker replacement. :)
Ok I call dibs on your extra kappa perfect if you end up keeping them. Let me know and I can send you the money.
 
How easy was it to fit the 3022s in the L/R dash locations? I've read a lot about the Polk installation, but not so much the Infinitys.

Pretty easy. Just have a thin pry tool that won't scratch your dash, some crimp on speaker wire terminals, and a way to get at screws in a tight corner. It's basically the same as earlier in this thread. But you don't need an angle screw driver tool like it said in a previous post. I just put a philips bit in pliers to use as an angled screwdriver. It worked perfectly without buying a special tool.

Tip - The green wires are negative ( - )

Ok I call dibs on your extra kappa perfect if you end up keeping them. Let me know and I can send you the money.

Sweet, sold if I keep them ( . Y . )
 
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Ok I call dibs on your extra kappa perfect if you end up keeping them. Let me know and I can send you the money.

Just installed. They're legit! With the Infinity 3022cfx speakers already in the left and right dash spots, the difference is subtle but good. Things became more articulated. I noticed things like the guitar pick of a bass guitar's pluck and clearer project of voices. It added just what I was looking for.

I was initially concerned about running a mid-range component without a crossover, but whatever the Bose system does seems to do nicely. I had tested the speakers on a full range signal before installing, and it was a little tinny, but they sound much better once plugged into the center dash. Whatever the Bose amp has by default does a good job.

Just to note, my fade before the installation of this Infinity Kappa Perfect 300m was a couple clicks to the rear speakers, but it now sounds better with less back fade. I'm still deciding whether just one click back or even (i.e. no fade) sounds better. Definitely worth it to me - recommended.

Pro-Tip: The grey wire is positive (+) for the center speaker.
 
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