2019 CX-5 Touring Non-Bose Speaker Upgrade

Hey guys! I bought a ‘19 CX-5 Touring with non-Bose. Needless to say, the stock speakers are absolute trash. I had a 2012 Cadillac SRX with Bose before so it is a huge downgrade in the sound. I don’t know much about anything. So I guess I’m asking, what’s the easiest way to make this sound better? I want to upgrade speakers but I want pretty decent base without a sub and don’t know which ones to buy.
 
just curious did you read ANY of the previous threads?

"So I guess I’m asking, what’s the easiest way to make this sound better?"

Do you have a budget in mind? Are you DIY?

With no information and just a random person responding to another random person:
Upgrade the front door speaker to ANY speaker pair over $75 and report back.
What brands? Oh goodness this should be good thread.

In general stick with a top name brand (yeah yeah there are boutique brands out there that sound amazing). Most manufactures now have a entry mid and top tier to the product line.. so go middle of the road.

Focal
JL
Polk
Rockford Fosgate
Alpine
Pioneer


*edit for giggles some not so obvious selections
https://www.morelhifi.com/ (CHA - CHING!)
https://ddaudio.com/ (would recommend)

perhaps where to browse a bunch of options at once:

Just to set expectations though .. the problem is ~most~ of the decent sounding speakers need a bit more power than the approximately 12 watts RMS provided by the factory. Look for a speaker with high sensitivity rated in DB .. 89DB or higher. But hey you can upgrade the speakers and then add Mo Powa Babeh later!


oh and if you read this thread: https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/ind...lity-difference-between-bt-and-usb.123874639/

you will know if you start with a trash audio source.. your gonna have a bad time even if you upgrade the speakers.

down the rabbit hole..
 
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Any of the listed speakers are fairly good I favoured old JBL 6.5,s but don’t forget about sound deadening doors , boot , arches etc always a cost effective start - yep stock head unit isn’t brilliant but shove a decent sub , and 4 channel amp and if you want to spend a bit more on a decent DSP to trim the sound stage etc. ( Helix etc) and you will have a serious bit of kit on your hands - unfortunately the stock system is poor as supplied in the cx5 and Bose is not a lot better although it is slightly tuned by an inbuilt DSP but lacks bass - 45hz roll off at sub and at volume everything becomes a little muddy but SD definitely helps as first improvement whatever you decide to go with regarding upgrades and is money well spent….
 
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For simplicity I fitted a JBL active bass hub 11” Sub in my spare wheel - even if you do not have a spare you can attach in the boot recess - only trouble with some of the new models is that the repair kit and tool holder in boot gets in the way - mine is a 2.2 D - 2018 - but I don’t like repair kits anyway and managed to purchase a spare , jack and Mazda spare surround off a Bose model on eBay and therefore hub fitted straight in ( even in space saver size wheel) - slight lift on boot base board around 0.25” - but everything still sits ok - most importantly sound proof spare recess and rear wheel arches to get full benefit - I fitted a 70W RMS 4 channel amp and hub keeps up well.
PS when I changed speakers front and back for 6.5,s I sacrificed the stock paper speakers ( cut out cones and plastic supports) and used original 3 bolt rims to mount new speakers because the aftermarket 4 bolt hole speaker mounts supplied on Amazon / eBay etc do not fit post 17 cars - just check yours for compatibility - mine was a fairly simple method and I drilled through the old wiring block on surrounds to run cable to new speakers and then re- sealed with a little silicon seal. You can buy wiring converters from stock plug to normal wire connections cheaply around $10 - 12 a pair if you want to retain factory wiring 🙂
 
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Even though the standard system is very average I can’t bring myself to modify and replace speakers and add power. The idea of the infosystem only having speaker out limits ultimate results.

Has anyone gone as far as opening up the factory system and taken audio feeds before the amp stage for a cleaner signal into some aftermarket amps?
 
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I connected into the input side of the amp for my 4 channel amp - these are basically signal wires producing around 3.2v so any modern amp can take these direct - all you need to do is attach RCA sockets to end of speaker out put wires and fit RCA leads direct to amp inputs 👌 Stock speakers are pretty low quality and night and day against a decent 2 way speaker - JBL etc if you retain factory amp you would need to source some low ohm speakers 2 - 3 ohm max to achieve any decent sound - have a look at this post below as a method of connecting in before amp for the cost of a couple of plugs and avoiding cutting into original factory wiring - also allows you reuse original speaker looms and you can buy speaker converter plugs easily for aftermarket speakers - hope this helps Phil

 
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I've had 3 cars (2 brands) with Blose audio. It .... BLOWS. It is the most horrible, smiley-faced sounding audio equipment I have ever heard. I will NEVER buy another. Blose is keeping me from a shiny new ND.
 
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Mazda Signature should include the Bang and Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, Burmester or Mark Levison audio systems. Those are top notch quality systems. Bose is just a marketing gimmick name. It's an average system at best.

 
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Mazda Signature should include the Bang and Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, Burmester or Mark Levison audio systems. Those are top notch quality systems. Bose is just a marketing gimmick name. It's an average system at best.

All is just a marketing gimmick name, not comparable to home audio.
 
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I would personally choose not to pay for the Bose name as I have found that fitting an aftermarket system easier and cheaper for a much superior upgrade.If you just want radio updates and background sound fine but for enveloping sound , bass and power Bose is only a low end player for cost - my upgrade from non Bose to 4 channel (70w) rms + sub (300w) using existing head unit would leave Bose standing for power , quality and overall performance and self fitted for under £1100 sterling - JBL components , Bass Hub and JL Tweeters & Amp etc… No brainier…Phil 🔈🔈
 
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