2016 CX-5 Touring trying to do a complete audio upgrade

Hey! First time posting here and loving the forums!

Now I know there are a few various posts/topics on a few areas individually and scattered about to includeand disclude Bose ect. Though not many are able to define a complete remake of the sound system.

And from my research, ideas, and conclusions -- please do correct me if I am wrong or mislead in my thinking.

Firstly, there is the biggest road block the headunit. To be honest, thisis the first car I've ever had that the headunit wasn't change out within a day or two, but with everything being so integrated -.- this is arguably going to remain unchanged to allow me to keep all functionality.

-- possible solutions-- hopeful, dreams, and pie in the skys!

Section 1 - Headunit

1. Adding "applications" to be able to control frequencies/hpf/lpf/ actual equalizer ect. I know this is probably a huge nope / never /and/or your crazy, but hey I can be hopeful with all the advances I've seen changing up the infotainment system. ( then the next step would be hooking the signal to speakers/tweeters/amp ect.

2. Line out converters... - ick.... As an audiophile and very particular about sound this route seems.... Just ick.... Unless I'm wrong -.- which by all means do tell, cus #3 coming is quite more pricey from my research.

3. Signal processor - seem to be the light at the end of the tunnel in my headunit fiasco. But from initial research, 500+$$$ :/. I know you get what you pay for, but jeeze. Would love some alternatives that keep quality but lower cost if this avenue is best. ( looking to group front 3 speakers, 2 front tweeters added later on ( not sure if these can be aligned with other fronts, 2 rears, and subwoofers of course.

4. ( last one in this section most hopeful and probably impossible ) I have my single din Kenwood exceleon still, New and great unit. Pretty much use this as a "processor" of sorts and hook the output to this, redefine the the signal, and throw it to the speakers/sub. --- Mazda even left a bit of room that I could probably modify to fit it in.

( also if I remove the head unit, what do I lose besides lighting settings ect? I want and need to keep my rear backup camera tho. I do not have navigation or tech packages, seemed useless to be honest and the issues on the navigation -.- I'll stick to my Garmin / Google maps. )

Section 2 - Speakers

Yea these stock speakers are ok if your a normal person I guess....well sadly for my wallet I'm not, and this isn't just a daily commuter i drive sometimes all day ( I work the entire south east USA. )

I see people carving out speakers and using the existing mounts to place new speakers and such. Mazda can't really be putting such outrageous mounts that this is the only way to effectively put in New speakers. But of course I'd love some input on some awesome speakers and sizes for this ride. ( always had best results for 6x9 speakers, but looking at posts these will be a little big if I have to destroy stock for "housing". )

But to simplify best speakers to retrofit the exisiting 6 and their sizes, is sound damping recommended with the cx 5 ( yes I know it helps, but some vehicles are worse than others ), and would a good redo of speakers be enough or would some tweeters be a welcomed addition?

Section 3 - Subwoofers

Well I'm rolling with 2 12in JL AUDIO W3's with an alpine 1000watt continuous amp in a bulky hideous stock JL AUDIO sealed box. -.-. It's not feasible to waste the ammount of room these take up and am looking for custom enclosure(s). I've seen a few ideas ( spare tire / custom sides / ect. ) well driving as i do ( yes I have AAA / USAA roadside / Mazda roadside / ect ) I am not fond of ditching the spare. And the other ideads on top of the spare doesn't mesh with 2 12in subs. Furthermore the corner ideas seem to be the best solution but I'd most likely need one on each side, which is fine by me, but am looking if anyone has found someone creating these type specific boxes for the cx5 are REASONABLE rates. And again that whole "you get what you pay for" bites oneself again here but not looking to get another loan just to get the sound up to par!

I believe this sums up all the audio related questions one could possibly ask involving the cx 5 touring without Bose.

If your looking for some sub's for your Mazda you might want to check out the ones I'm going to try. They should fit under the rear seat but you will need to pull up the rear seat to mount them. They will be out of sight so no one will know their there.

Pioneer TS-SWX2502 compact subs

Which amp are you going to use with the Pioneer TS-SWX2502? Will it be on one side of the seats while the sub is on the other side? How do you plan on running wires? I have the non-Bose 6-speaker, while the front seat got some bass, the rear seats basically have none, having a sub back there would be great if it can be out of sight. If you are going to try, please take pics and document the process, very appreciate it. Thanks.

Update-

Signal processor - Well I got a Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.2 coming soon.

Door speaker amp - ALPINE MRP-F300 600w 4 channel class ab amp

Door speakers - ordering soon still looking for what will be best ( tis the season and got kids to get for )

Then of course I have my 1000 watt alpine mono class D amp and 2 12W3 JL AUDIO subs for my heavy bass.

If by all means anyone has some suggestions for some awesome mid-high speakers for doors leave your recommendation. Gonna first wire up the subs and 3sixty.2 then come back and wire in the door speakers / front speakers when I pick and get them in.

The hard part at the moment seems to be the sound processor. Never hooked one up so I'm gonna research it heavily. ( tho I do have a but of work --- I cover south east USA for my job and I'll be damned if I'm gonna risk being forced to drive 2-3-4-5-6-7 + hours with no sound/music haha haha. )

Anyone hook one of these up or similars? Any tips?

One thing I've seen to neglect the alternator.... Does the stock alternator put out some good juice or am I bottlenecking myself?

I'm going to run a hifonics zeus zxr1216.1d mono block amp. I'm going to try and put one sub on each side under the seat with the amp in the middle. I'm going to run the amp at 2 ohms pushing 600w rms. My plan is to mount the Zeus 4 Chanel under the front passenger seat for my door speakers. I was thinking of running all the wiring through the center console.

A stiffening cap is a must!!!! I have a boss audio 1farad cap that will support up to 1000w rms. I did see a sticker on the altenator that said 100A. I'm going to assume it's a 100 amp altinator but don't quote me on that.
With a cap you should be fine tho.

Ugh I hate caps.... :/ anyone pulling 2 decent sized amps and if so hows the 2016 cx5 hold up to it ? I'm figuring I'll be doing HID's later due to light dimming.


Side note! After much internal depate I think I'm done looking and getting quotes on subwoofer enclosures, I think I'm just gonna build a fiberglass one. *when* I do, I'll be sure to document and throw forward what all I did ( though every sub of every manufacturer has different specs so probably wouldn't be much use to anyone. But sadly, first things first and doing some home renovation, then holidays, and work -.- so sadly I'm not sure exactly when. ( also might wait till summer, the cure time in the cold is atrocious :/.....) But hey if any of y'all want to know tips on hardwood flooring an entire upstairs, painting and fixing walls, building some clothing setups let me know lol....my kids are the definition of destruction.

I replied in another thread as well and searched for a bit. Anyone have a 2016 cx-5 6 speaker pin out ? Also does the 6 speaker setup have a stock amp as well? Or was that a Bose one I read. -.- so many versions of speaker sets ugh.

twiztedlemon said:

Ugh I hate caps.... :/ anyone pulling 2 decent sized amps and if so hows the 2016 cx5 hold up to it ? I'm figuring I'll be doing HID's later due to light dimming.


Side note! After much internal depate I think I'm done looking and getting quotes on subwoofer enclosures, I think I'm just gonna build a fiberglass one. *when* I do, I'll be sure to document and throw forward what all I did ( though every sub of every manufacturer has different specs so probably wouldn't be much use to anyone. But sadly, first things first and doing some home renovation, then holidays, and work -.- so sadly I'm not sure exactly when. ( also might wait till summer, the cure time in the cold is atrocious :/.....) But hey if any of y'all want to know tips on hardwood flooring an entire upstairs, painting and fixing walls, building some clothing setups let me know lol....my kids are the definition of destruction.

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Yeah don't do a cap. Caps are the biggest farce in the car audio community. Better off throwing your money down the toilet.

The factory alt. is listed at 100 amps which is pretty decent. I would do the big 3 upgrade and call it a day. Honestly I recommend doing the big 3 upgrade on all newer cars even if you aren't doing an audio system. With so much adhesive and spot welds holding cars together today it's always a help.

Big 3? Clarification please. And debating on hooking the 3sixty.2 that came in today... Tho debating on wire schematics and waiting for sure. Rather only cut and splice what I need rather than guessing.

twiztedlemon said:

Big 3? Clarification please. And debating on hooking the 3sixty.2 that came in today... Tho debating on wire schematics and waiting for sure. Rather only cut and splice what I need rather than guessing.

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The Big 3 is when you replace or run in conjunction with factory three major wires in the car's electrical system.

1. Negative battery to car chassis
2. Negative battery to engine block
3. Positive battery direct to alternator power out. (must be fused)

I will usually run 4 gauge wire (for serious systems you might want to run 0, or 1/0 gauge) I also will usually make a few extra ground connections to the chassis at different points. Usually utilizing factory bolts so there isn't any drilling.

Some companies sell Big 3 wiring kits, otherwise a standard amp kit with a few extra ring terminals usually will suffice.

It's amazing how much it smooths out the electrical system and even how the engine idles in some cars.

Ah new to my ears! I'll have some 4 gauge in plentiful supply to do this! ( though I think I will utilize an idea I debated for a while now, which Is buying the premade thick battery cables ( the big thick and sturdy as hell ) ( I can get them pretty damn cheap with a discount ability with a local auto parts store, and by all means are sturdier than the cheap connectors that kits come with. I usually change out all of the connectors anyway.

So what's your suggestion out of the two options you gave, adding to or replacing them? And I'm assuming by adding two, I'd be simply having 2 wires going to and from each location. Grounds I usually only add where amps are and usually to a seat bolt, ( and of course grinded or cleaned of any imperfections or obstruction ) what's more grounded than anything in the rear than seats bolted to the chassis.

Well finally had a moment to look and get into the CX-5 to see what I am dealing with:

Here are pics of the big 3 if im not mistaken :

Easy way to get to the stock amp! simply take the glove box out and bam. its right there, no tools - no awkward positions - just easy as can be!

twiztedlemon said:

So what's your suggestion out of the two options you gave, adding to or replacing them? And I'm assuming by adding two, I'd be simply having 2 wires going to and from each location. Grounds I usually only add where amps are and usually to a seat bolt, ( and of course grinded or cleaned of any imperfections or obstruction ) what's more grounded than anything in the rear than seats bolted to the chassis.

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I usually will just add to the factory wiring. Takes the complexity out of having to try and remove wiring that runs with other larger loomed harnesses. You got the alternator covered. As for the grounding locations you can be creative. I probably wouldn't re-use the factory spots but go to other locations. For instance the strut tower bolts or any other bracing brackets that are connected to solid pieces on the car. Same thing for the engine. Any solid metal points are good. I used to always use the intake manifold but they are almost always plastic now on cars.

Can also change out the factory battery terminals to a higher quality aftermarket one. Also leads to a cleaner install.

Yea I got some nice gold plated terminals.....if this battery were like my last car with screw in side mount . But I will. Already did the two grounds and will be throwing the aktenator part when I do the amps. Rather disengage battery once than multiple times. Btw, anything special in the cx 5 you have to do in the case of disconnect/reconnect battery?

Does that picture seriously have a remote wire hooked up to the battery -.- hahaha. Well besides doing 2 of the big 3, I have changed all Amber lights to LEDS, and hardwired a dual cig/usb charger and mounted it to unseeable area in the driver side footwell for hidden wiring of my GPS / ect and with the fuse insert it will also become my furture remote wire to the 3sixty.2.

With this said it's getting about time that I need to seriously debate how I'm going to wire these speakers to the 3sixty.2.

How I wire these speakers determines which speakers I buy.

Ways to wire the 3sixty.2
---- the 3sixty.2 has 4 speaker input/outputs, 1 center, 1 sub. Looking at wiring schematic and amp I see 4 speakers (8 wires +/-) this is the first confusion. Are the 3.5 dash and the front door speakers wired together??

Possible 3sixty.2 setups
1.) Hook dash/front doors together on the same output and put bass blockers on the dash to help preserve them from full range.

2.) Hook front dash alone and wire both front/rear speakers to the same output.

3.) Dash on their own / front door on their own, and rear on center ( no left right )

***of course sub will be for the sub on all setups.****
**also where is the dang dash speaker wires grrrr****

Can stock doors/dash handle the 600watt amplifier temporarily?


And per schematics. Dash and front doors are hooked together so hookup shouldn't be hard.