Audio Pics

[ecniemann]

Thought I'd post some audio pics of the install I did this past May. Components consist of:
HU: Alpine CDA-9885 with dash kit
Speakers: Infinity Kappa 6x8 components front and rear
Amps: Nakamichi 4-channel powering fronts and rears with HP crossover at 100 Hz and Alpine M-300 monoblock powering Bazooka RS-8 dvc sub, crossover set at 100Hz LP.
Sub: Bazooka dvc RS-8
Wiring: 4 gauge power wire split into two 8 gauge with power and distribution blocks hidden and screwed into plastic "cove" under trunk floor cover.

Pics consist of:
HU illumination showing both blue and red posibilities, as well as with camera flash, but night pics do not do it justice in real life.
Front and rear tweeters mounted to sail panels. Woofers are in stock locations with crossovers hidden in doors with double sided industrial tape and covered loosely to protect wire, etc. from water/dirt.
Amps and sub in trunk. What a PITA that was to mount that 4-channel!
Stewie just for fun!

 

[ecniemann]

Rest of pics

Here are the rest.

 

[tsunami]

to bad about the left side amp covering the jack hole... would have almost thought on the back of the seat would have been better??? why you go with 6x8 and not a 6.5?? over all nicely done!! any sound deadening?

 

[ecniemann]

to bad about the left side amp covering the jack hole... would have almost thought on the back of the seat would have been better??? why you go with 6x8 and not a 6.5?? over all nicely done!! any sound deadening?

I needed a flat surface for cargo to transport anything with the back seats folded flat, so mounting the amps to the back of the seat would have defeated this. I can easily remove/move the sub, so that is no problem if ever needed. Yeah, that was a major pain figuring out a way to mount the amp over that jack opening. Had to put some wood in there, mounted to the frame and then mount the amp to that with some very long screws. I always carry a small tool kit, so if needed I can remove the two screws and easily flip the amp forward to get to the jack.

I went with 6x8's due to more surface area than 6.5's, plus eliminated having to use adapter plates. I'm not sure I believe a round speaker is any more accurate than an oval one, but who knows. At home...maybe, but in a car there are so many other obstacles that can degrade sound, it does not matter much. No sound deadening. I love audio, but am not willing to go that far with cost and time. I know fourthmeal is a big proponent of this, but it seems like overkill, unless you have a tin can of a car. Only rattle I get is occasionally from the R rear door with the mid-range if just the right resonance is hit. Otherwise no rattle/resonances with the sub.

Thanks for the comment, I would rate myself as an amateur at best, more of a hobby than anything. I've never worked with fiberglass or any other fabrication, so it was the best I could do within my price/time range. Thanks again.

 

[Abaddon]

Are you not afraid those rear tweeters will destroy the hearing of anyone sitting back there?

 

[ecniemann]

Are you not afraid those rear tweeters will destroy the hearing of anyone sitting back there?

LOL! Yeah, they're pretty close to ear level. I'll just have to turn it down if I have passengers. I've sat back there just to see how it sounds. It's not so bad with the nice clean power I have, even turned up quite loud. With a crappy stock system or with any distortion, I'm sure it would be very harsh. I actually have the treble at -2 on the HU which blends nicely.

 

[justhavnfun]

what the hell happen to the sub?! it looks like you rolled it around in the gravel before you instaled it? over all, not a bad install.

 

[clos561]

lol stewie sticker

 

[Pondo]

The Mazda 3 looks awful without the stock Stereo. There's a kit that goes on top of the navigation system that lets you use a 1din head unit without removing the stock stereo.

In your pics the color doesn't even match the car's stock.

 

[Abaddon]

The Mazda 3 looks awful without the stock Stereo. There's a kit that goes on top of the navigation system that lets you use a 1din head unit without removing the stock stereo.

That looks 10x worse IMHO.

I'm keeping my stock unit for now, puts out a very clean signal anyways.. no real reason to change the HU unless you want to watch movies while you drive...

 

[numbnuts22715]

I think the in dash kit looks alright. Definitely not as good as stock though.
Does anybody know if they make an indash kit where the bottom portion has a closing lid, kinda like the mazdaspeed protege had?
I've always been jealous of my friend because of that.. its just so convenient to put your wallet or whatever in there

 

[funkyman]

That photo above is ugly dude,well ugly,i guess they are triying to prevent rear passangers to see where they are going and you`ve just destroyed the stock functionality and the interior of your car,on the MS3 GT`s there are various function buttons that need to be compromized if you want to put an aftermarket.That is the info button etc and i wouldn`t want to wreck what Bose did triying perfect the system anyway
Doesn`t look like yours is a GT and you don`t have NAV

 

[ecniemann]

what the hell happen to the sub?! it looks like you rolled it around in the gravel before you instaled it? over all, not a bad install.

It was sitting in the closet for 6 months between vehicles. It was in mint condition before that, but I had it set vertically against the wall which had textured paint and unfortuantely it scraped along that a few times when I was moving stuff around. I'm pretty anal when it comes to that stuff, so I was not all that happy about it. At least it just sits in the trunk. Thanks for the comment!

The Mazda 3 looks awful without the stock Stereo. There's a kit that goes on top of the navigation system that lets you use a 1din head unit without removing the stock stereo.

In your pics the color doesn't even match the car's stock.

Like I said, the camera does not always depict what it looks like in person. The blue on the Alpine matches the blue/violet of the speedo/tach very closely, but is much brighter and shows up almost white on the pics. The red on the HU matches exactly with the stock lights. And I never claimed to be a professional, nor was I bragging. I was just showing some pics in case anyone wanted to see the results. I am happy with the sound and appearance based on my requirements. Others may have more or less requirements and can make those adjustments on their own cars.

That looks 10x worse IMHO.

I'm keeping my stock unit for now, puts out a very clean signal anyways.. no real reason to change the HU unless you want to watch movies while you drive...

A new HU just made it so much easier to do amps, sound adjustments, add other components, etc. A stock unit will never come close. Thanks for the comments though everybody!

 

[MS38449]

I like it, F___ the off color(CBF) ? though, I see you still have the thermometer but do you still have the clock, climate control and the fuel tack?(nailbyt)

The Mazda 3 looks awful without the stock Stereo. There's a kit that goes on top of the navigation system that lets you use a 1din head unit without removing the stock stereo.

In your pics the color doesn't even match the car's stock.

 

[ecniemann]

I like it, F___ the off color(CBF) ? though, I see you still have the thermometer but do you still have the clock, climate control and the fuel tack?(nailbyt)

Climate control and ambient temp. work like normal. If you remove the stock radio and disconnect the battery, you will lose the clock. The only way to get it back is to reconnect the stock radio, set the clock, then pull it out again without disconnecting the battery. You also lose the gas mileage, etc., but I have a MS3 Sport which does not have that anyway. I know there is a thread in the "How To" section here that shows how to enable this on the Sport version, but again, it will disappear if you disconnect the battery for any reason and have an aftermarket HU, and then have to reconnect as listed above for the clock to get it back, plus you will not be able to switch between functions as the control is on/in the radio.

 

[CHICO2003]

That looks 10x worse IMHO.

I'm keeping my stock unit for now, puts out a very clean signal anyways.. no real reason to change the HU unless you want to watch movies while you drive...

Gotta disagree with you there. While the stock bose doesn't sound terrible... if you've ever heard a high quality system, you'd know that there's no comparison. I listened to it and mine (pretty decent aftermarket setup in my msp) at the dealership the other day. wasn't even close!

but it goes beyond that. If you do a lot of driving (like me) having an indash nav system is huge. don't bring up those cheesy little portable units you suction cup to your windsheild either. indash is the way to go. the Pioneer AVIC D3 that I have also has bluetooth/xm/sirius & ipod connectivity.

While it may not have the same integrated look of the stock, it's not BAD...

the pros outweigh the cons

 

[ecniemann]

Gotta disagree with you there. While the stock bose doesn't sound terrible... if you've ever heard a high quality system, you'd know that there's no comparison. I listened to it and mine (pretty decent aftermarket setup in my msp) at the dealership the other day. wasn't even close!

but it goes beyond that. If you do a lot of driving (like me) having an indash nav system is huge. don't bring up those cheesy little portable units you suction cup to your windsheild either. indash is the way to go. the Pioneer AVIC D3 that I have also has bluetooth/xm/sirius & ipod connectivity.

While it may not have the same integrated look of the stock, it's not BAD...

the pros outweigh the cons

I agree with your audio statements, but gotta disagree with the nav. I am not a fan of integration; if one part breaks, you lose all that money and the components integrated into it. I have a Garmin Nuvi 350 and it is great. I can bring it into any vehicle and use it, it is not just stuck in the dash. But to each his own, right. BTW, your HU looks good in those pics!

 

[vlrussian]

hey everyone this wat i got in my trunk lol
i love bass i used to have kickers but i blew em out so i got duals and duals pretty good for the sedan trunk
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[vlrussian]

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[vlrussian]

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