The best and easiest way to improve the sound is to upgrade the speakers. The factory units are 6x8 paper cones with whizzer cones. 25 watt max, and probably not very efficient (sensitivity)
I'm going to improve the sound by replacing the 4 door speakers with poly cone coaxial speakers. The speakers will be a lot better, and by being more efficient will make better use of the factory amplifier. FYI, increasing speaker efficiency (sensitivity) 3db is like doubling your amp power.
I'm looking at the Kicker DS680 or the Pyle Blue Label PL683BL. Both very well rated speakers and a huge improvement over factory for little money and hassle.
Parts Express even has the wiring adapters cheap, or you can put your own on.
http://www.parts-express.com/wizard...=CAT&srchCat=13&CFID=9027482&CFTOKEN=39996474
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The best and easiest way to improve the sound is to upgrade the speakers. The factory units are 6x8 paper cones with whizzer cones. 25 watt max, and probably not very efficient (sensitivity)
I'm going to improve the sound by replacing the 4 door speakers with poly cone coaxial speakers. The speakers will be a lot better, and by being more efficient will make better use of the factory amplifier. FYI, increasing speaker efficiency (sensitivity) 3db is like doubling your amp power.
I'm looking at the Kicker DS680 or the Pyle Blue Label PL683BL. Both very well rated speakers and a huge improvement over factory for little money and hassle.
Parts Express even has the wiring adapters cheap, or you can put your own on.
http://www.parts-express.com/wizard...=CAT&srchCat=13&CFID=9027482&CFTOKEN=39996474
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I' was a professional car audio installer for about 12 years and a high end custom shop in Baltimore.
This was in the 90s and I know things have changed, but some of the old logic rules still apply...
I just purchased a 2015 CX-5 touring without the tech package...
In looking at the vehicle I see 2 dash, 2 front door, and 2 rear door speaker locations as well as a center channel location which I presume is not used without the Bose system.
My logic tells me that the dash 3 1/2 inch speakers are being used for tweeters albeit slightly muffled tweeters due to materials and composition.
In the past we simply located a silk dome tweeter in that location very often attached to "perf strap" so that the 1" tweeter could attach to the factory mounting points. (Remember dome tweeters do not require any back pressure as they are self-contained. We did however close off the cavity surrounding the tweeter with either dynamat, or black duct tape depending on the application and customer request as either will work well...
In the front door We would have used a deep 6.5 inch mid range driver on a 6x8 adapter made of MDF and sealed with urethane paint.
Generally if you purchase the mid tweeter combo in pairs, the crossover will come with the pair and most of the crossovers provide switchable attenuation for the tweeter in the crossover...
These sets are usually far less efficient and would prefer a 30 to 40 watt discrete amplifier.
For the rear doors a decent 6.5 " coaxial speaker would have better sound qualty but would lose some of the lower frequency that the 5x8" speakers can produce.
This is a moot point if you are using a subwoofer in the system, then the 6.5s are definitely recommended.
Just some ramblings from an old fart