headrest LCD (pictures)

:
2016 CX-5
bought some LCD headrest for the kids on long road trips, $89 shipped for the pair

link: https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

pretty good quality for the price, no issues so far except the headrest post adapters that came with them were a bit loose, the CX-5 has 14 mm diameter posts and the adapters that came with them were a bit loose so I had to add some heatshrink wrap for a tighter snug fit,

11c45lv.jpg


13yzo1.jpg


rlkjzp.jpg


9jiooo.jpg


I tapped the fuse box to provide power to LCD and media player

thanks to Seminole's how-to post: https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123829094-Hardwiring-a-Valentine-1&highlight=hardwire

25f2d5s.jpg


the video source is a media player with a 128GB USB drive velcro to the bottom of the driver's seat

33bikyh.jpg


to hook into the CX-5 OEM Aux sound system, I didn't want any unsightly cheap looking dangling AUX cable by the gear shifter nor did I want to take apart the dash or drill holes so I passed my Aux cable thru a small pass thru between the cubby and HVAC control panel, there's a very slight gap between the HVAC module and the cubby space plastic, just enough to feed a flat AUX cable thru into the dash so it's sort of hidden and not dangling out off the side of the gear shifter, I then fed the cable behind the dash to my media player under the driver's seat....

hvxyr8.jpg


to feed the headrest wire thru the headrest post, I needed to unzip the seat back, there's a hidden hook and clip towards the seat back bottom, once you unclip that, you have to reach in to uncover a hidden zipper, just unzip and it gives you full access into the seat to feed the LCD wire thru the post

5me060.jpg


2hp69fl.jpg


sgk186.jpg


14ij338.jpg


finally, I installed a hidden inconspicuous "kill" switch by driver's right ankle ( I didn't want to drill any holes in to the dash so I just jammed the toggle switch between the plastic panel and used small velcro against the switch and carpet) in case the kids fall asleep during along night drive, I can shut off the LCD's from the front

ngu5v4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Nice.
I was thinking about doing this myself, but 99% of the time, I'm alone in my car, so I don't see the point.
I could control the rear screens, through my Kenwood, using Dual zone.
 
Nice.
I was thinking about doing this myself, but 99% of the time, I'm alone in my car, so I don't see the point.
I could control the rear screens, through my Kenwood, using Dual zone.

thx, yeah, agreed, if I didn't have kids, no point either, but so far the kids love it, and keeps them quite LOL. we've been using iPads and iPad headrest holders, but sometimes they forget and it;s a hassle for short trips or don;t want to leave the iPads in the car on hot summer days....
 
Pretty slick, though I don't know how I'd feel about this speakers blasting away at the base of them right under my ears. Are the headrests angled any less severely than the OE ones?
 
Pretty slick, though I don't know how I'd feel about this speakers blasting away at the base of them right under my ears. Are the headrests angled any less severely than the OE ones?

oh sorry, I forgot to mention, I did not hook up the LCD speakers, there's no sound coming from the headrest speakers.

I have the movie audio hooked up to the CX-5 Bose system via the Aux cable connected to my USB media player.

Then I set the CX-5 music source to Aux and the sound is excellent, like we're in a movie theater.

The LCD cheap speakers are tiny and basically crap so I didn't even bother hooking them up.
 
Last edited:
How about the angle of the headrests?

yes they are angled less than the OEM, I find the OEM headrest angled way too much forward that it's uncomfortable

http://www.chicagonow.com/drive-she-said/2012/07/todays-rant-headrests-in-the-mazda-cx-5/

you can see in picture below, the LCD headrest is not angled as severe as OEM

cache.php


the LCD ones can tilt forward/backwards to individual preference, see video.....

but again, the plastic adapters that came with the LCD headrests were a bit loose for me,

so I had to add heat shrink wrap to make it a snugger fit.....just letting people know upfront.... it's not a perfect fit.

 
Last edited:
wow, nice job! I might do this just for the more comfortable adjustable headrests and the LCD's will just be an extra bonus for the wife to watch her favorite movies on long trips. thanks for all the good tips...... especially the hidden zipper and the pass thru for the AUX cable, I had mine dangling off to the passenger side and it looked so cheap with the cable dangling like that, passing thru that little slit will make it much more a cleaner look....
 
nice job tomcat! how did you power up the media player ? isn't that 110V AC ? did you use a 12V DC to 110V AC power inverter like this one ? https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

nice catch, yes, you are correct, the media player is meant for home use so it is set to 110V with an AC adpater, it uses very low power so I got the cheapest power inverter available so I can use it in the car, this is the one I bought, $16......

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
 
⋯ I have the movie audio hooked up to the CX-5 Bose system via the Aux cable connected to my USB media player.
Then I set the CX-5 music source to Aux and the sound is excellent, like we're in a movie theater.
And it should be as Bose Centerpoint is a surround sound system and surround sound system originally is designed for movie watching, not for music listening. (boom08)

After almost 2 years of having a CX-5, my wife and I still don't like the angle of the headrest which is too much forward comparing to other vehicles we have. Does the LCD headrest tilt back and forth like the older headrest? How is the color and material match up on headrest cover between LCD leather/vinyl headrest and OE "leather" headrest?

Thanks for another excellent write-up!
 
I'm the other way around, I want my headrest tilting more forward. I drive in sleep mode. :)
Once my boss asked me, who sleeps here. (lol2)
 
....After almost 2 years of having a CX-5, my wife and I still don't like the angle of the headrest which is too much forward comparing to other vehicles we have. Does the LCD headrest tilt back and forth like the older headrest? How is the color and material match up on headrest cover between LCD leather/vinyl headrest and OE "leather" headrest?

Thanks for another excellent write-up!

thanks yrwei52,

for me, IMHO the adjustable LCD headrest matches my preferred driving position and follows the contour of my head, it may be different for others, I prefer to drive without resting my head on the headrest about 75% of the time, the other 25% I like to rest my head on long stretches of highway but without giving me head cramps and still give me a good line of sight and natural sitting position...

surprisingly, the color and leather "skin" texture matches pretty well ! when my wife first saw them, she was pissed mad and asked why the hell did I cut into the OEM headrests that came with the car, LOL she had no idea the headrests were completely aftermarket, I took some up close pictures to give you an idea, hopes this helps.

please note, I have black leather so that's really easy to match, if you have the ivory/white leather, I think that will be a challenge to match exactly. I love the dark blue CX-5 color but that ONLY comes with the ivory/white leather and with two kids that's a no-no LOL, so I had to settle for black on black...

again, just be forewarned, I want to stress it was not perfect at first, the plastic headrest stalk post adapters that came with them were loose and I had to add heat shrink to them for a snugger fit, but for $89/pair shipped, it's a good deal.

2l8krut.jpg


2cpdoit.jpg


118q7wx.jpg


2r3uvfb.jpg


33tnsc0.jpg
 
Last edited:
You got a good deal for 89$. I did a similar install. Love them. Daughter still likes to just use them over the iPad. Didn't tie it into the car audio no way I want to hear the movie. Mine has a fm modulator which it does pickup if I wanted th check in what she's watching
 
If you would have a Kenwood unit, then you could set the rear speakers for rear audio video and the front ones for the front source. Dual zone setup.
 
Edit: That's funny, when I replied to the thread there were only three posts and almost no photos.

Thanks for the excellent photography; I'll go back and study...


Never Mind:
Some of the Headrest/DVD assemblies seem to not have any forward tilt so I have shied away from all headrest versions of DVD player/screen (as my head would be 6" or more in front of these headrests after installation).

Yours has the perfect amount of forward tilt for the CX-5s, but then does the screen in the back of the headrest not point upwards? Or, is this the case but it is not too big a deal?
 
Last edited:
Keep in mind that the headrest should be as close to your head as possible while sitting in the normal driving position, without actually touching your head. This is to support your head in case of a rear end crash. The farther away from your head the headrest is, the more likely you are to suffer neck injuries. There are plenty of crash test videos on YT that show what happens during a rear end crash.
 
Back