Getting ready to order

Sometimes "pro-shops" aren't any better than what most people can do themselves.

I highly recommend buying the same brand speakers because the efficiency between brands can vary a lot.

I'm about to tackle a stereo install on my wife's 2009 5 this weekend. If it's anything like my 6, then it'll have a white plastic clutch delete plate to drill through.

I'm thinking that there's some good space for an amp under the 3rd row seats. The new compact amps are pretty tempting though.

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The amp I have waiting to go in is about the size of a carton of cigarattes! I have never attempted an amp install before, done speakers and HU changes many times though. I have the amp install kit that I got with the amp from Sonicelectronix (they are the best!) I'm just lazy enough that I'd rather pay someone else to do that part of it LOL
 
Is it one of those little NVX amps? Those are so tempting...

I'm just cheap and I'd rather save the money. Luckily for me, it'll be 80 here next week.

The only thing to remember with amp installs is to keep the power and signal wires on separate sides of the car or cross them perpindicularly.

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Okay, so I broke down and installed the rear Pioneers this evening at work (what better way than on the clock) and BOY
Do they sound better thatn the tired old stockers, even without the amp. Sooo, now I need a litle help with how to wire the Polks
In the front doors. They come with their own external crossover, I'm assuming that the Polk external crossover is better than whatever Mazda used to separate the frequencies on the stock stuff. So my question is: How do I wire the external crossover? Do I run the factory wire going to the stock driver into the crossover, then run new wire to the new tweeter in the stock location? I'm thinking that if I just pull out the
Stock stuff and install the new using the old wiring that the sound won't be as good as it could be. A little help, please and thank you...
 
I sure hope your external x-overs are smaller than my Infinity ones.. I ran into some fitment issues on the driver side (more windows switches, less space).

Unless you run new wire from the HU to the doors, disconnect the front speakers and unmount them, make sure you figure out whats pos. and neg., run new wire from the x-over to both speakers.
(I had no stock tweeters and drilled holes into the triangles that cover the mounting location of the mirrors.)
Given the road-noise and wobbly plastic you mount the woofer to, I'm sure the difference in cable won't be audible. You are not installing $$$ Morel, or Dynaudio...
If you plan to run a significantly higher wattage to the doors, upgrading the cables might be a good idea nonetheless.

Edit:
I found that the plastic fasteners for the door-cards broke easily on mine, even with the right tool. The cold temps I did it in probably contributed to that.
You can get a lot of them for a few bucks on Ebay / Amazon.
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Part# GJ6A-68-AB1 or G350-68-AB1
 
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Okay, that sort of answers my question then. So the factory wire going to the OE woofer now goes to the input on the crossover, the new wire goes to the new woofer and the new tweeter from the appropriate output terminals on the crossover, right? I am a little worried about mounting these crossovers, they are HUGE! Roughly the same footprint as an Iphone6, but about an inch and a half thick, monsters....
 
Yeap, those x-over measurements sound familiar.
I ended up sticking it under the armrest with the window switches. It took some wiggling. Don't apply pressure when you put the armrest back in place to avoid damage.

Mine: For the number of components, a ridiculous amount of plastic, probably thicker than yours.
x108609CS-o_crossover2.jpeg
 
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Maybe just get a sub instead. Since the rear speakers in our car is pretty decent. Doesn't carry bass very well but can't justify paying for the extra expense. Just my opinion.
 
Thanks, but we are waaaaayyyy past that point already. I have got the rear speakers replaced already and ws seeeking help with replacing the front components (I already have the speakers just needed help with the install) I'm going to let a shop install the amp I got, because I'd rather have someone who has done it before handle that part. Primergy, did you actually attach the crossovers to something inside the door, or did you just let them lay in there? I'm thinking two sided tape them to the inside of the armrest area.
 
On the passenger side I used some 3M double sided foam-tape, same location.
On the driver side, I barely managed to cram it in, angled, unable to affix it properly.
 
Oh, one more tidbit:
I removed the glued on plastic trim with "moisture shield" from the original speaker, trimmed it to fit the larger magnets on the new woofers and mounted it.
 
Good tip! Im assuming the shield is meant to protect the speaker from dribbling rain water. Ill have to see how much trimming these Polks will require, the magnets are substantial to say the least.
 
Is there a trick to installing rear speakers or do you have to completely disassemble the rear?

I installed some RF components up front powered by a basic JVC HU and so far it sounds fantastic.

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You really don't HAVE to remove the rear seat to get the speakers out, it is just easier if you do. The plastic panels come loose pretty easily once you remove all the screws/bolts holding them in. With the rear seat out you can maneuver the plastic out of the way to the point where your knuckles are no longer in danger. With the seat in place you are gonna scrape the crap out of you knuckles getting the old speakers out. I didn't remove the seat from the vehicle entirely (that sucker is HEAVY) I just unbolted it and pulled it forward about eight to ten inches. I had done the deed on my previous 5 so I was able to do the complete replacement in about an hour in the rear. I'm planning to tackle the front doors this week.
 
The fronts are easy. It's just two screws and then pop the window control panel up from the back. I did break a ton of clips pulling the door panels off but there were enough survivors to not cause a problem.

Do you have a sub in mind for your setup? I'm still trying to find something compact enough. Maybe an infinity basslink?



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The sub is one of those back burner things. Behind the Speed3 brake upgrade, real tinted windows, a new thermostat, and rear wheelwell rust repair. A basslink might be just the ticket, i will have to see just how strong the system i am working on ends up being. I may end up with an 8 inch tube instead
 
Well, the Sony stopped working so I traded that in for an Alpine 163bt and bought an Alpine 45 watt x 4 power pack to power the pioneer full range speakers. This is why I buy my major components from Crutchfield because if you have an issue they back you up with outstanding technical and warranty support. The Alpine unit has a lot more adjustability and the Alpine app works really well for tuning the speakers. I tamed the overly bright Pioneer tweeters and got the 10" sealed JL Audio Basewedge subwoofer sounding really nice. The crossover capabilities of this radio is just fantastic. The Sony built in amplifier has a better S/N ratio than the Alpine but everything else about the radio is better. I used the AudioControls/Studio 6 app to help me tune the speaker with the RTA and the speaker polarity checker on that app is a nice tool.

Secondtyme, I would get one of those PAC add an amp wiring harnesses for your factory radio and use that to wire your amplifier into your existing speaker wiring so you don't have to run new speaker wires to every speaker in the doors. I did this on my Ford F-150 and it worked awesome and best of all I didn't cut one factory wire so its all plug and play into the factory wiring. You do however have to cut and splice the PAC harness but those are cheap to replace. I didn't get a picture but that ground location is literally under the drivers side dash all the way to the left behind that kick panel. You will see it with all the grounds from the dash going to one bolt in plain sight. My wife just called me after taking a long drive to tell me that she is blown away by how good it sounds now. I really love that Alpine unit!

Be careful of the Metra speaker wire adapters for the speakers in your doors from Amazon. Many of the ones I bought from them were wired backwards so that the polarity of the speakers would be wrong, which will typically cause you to lose bass response. Get the ones from Crutchfield as they are better quality and wired correctly. If you buy your stuff from Crutchfield they will provide you with a free wiring diagram for your car so you can further check your connections before you button everything up.
 
Thanks for that^^ im only changing out the speakers myself because i literally couldnt stand to look at the new stuff sitting in the bedroom anymore. I cut the factory connectors off and replaced them with spade connectors. Im going to pay to have the amp installed so im not real worried about new wire. Lastly, my oe radio is loooong gone lol
 
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