flatlander937
Member
- :
- '11 Mazda2 Sport
I've been doing a bit of searching and a lot of reading, and have a very basic grasp on what needs to be done, but wanting to have it clarified by people who understand car audio. First off... I am not an audiophile or anything, until I got this Mazda 3, in other vehicles I actually preferred high highs and didn't care much about bass... but in this MZ3 it almost seems too "tinny" and I am getting a headache listening to some music... and I do NOT listen to anything super loud. I don't know if it's because everything in the car is very thin sheetmetal or what... but that is what happens. I can mess around with the bass/treble levels and it still sounds overly high pitched to me. I'd liken it to the noise that a non-flat screen TV makes when it's just on... with no volume.
For comparison I have an 03 Jeep Wrangler and it just had factory speakers up front, Pioneer replacement speakers in the sound bar, and a Pioneer DEH-P4000UB(until some asshole stole the faceplate)... and I was perfectly happy with it.
For starters: I do NOT want to replace the factory head unit... I prefer the look, it's less likely to be stolen and have the car broken into to grab, and the ONLY reason I went aftermarket in my Jeep was because I killed 2 factory radios from off roading, and they skipped on CDs when bouncing around on rocks/trails/etc.. so I got something that could play off a USB drive.
From what I've gathered... I need an amplifier to mimic the power output of an aftermarket head unit. I may or may not add a sub in the future... I'll wait until the amp is installed and maybe after the speakers are replaced(one I think is going bad... plus it appears depending on the amp wattage you're supposed to match the speakers' ratings?) to see how it sounds. So I just want the capability to power a decent single sub which will be removable and mounted in the trunk area(I will be wanting to remove it to race auto-x).
And to run an amp off the stock head unit... I need a line output converter correct? Unless there are speaker level inputs on whatever amp is decided upon.
I did some searching and it appears you may lose the balance and/or fade functions through the radio when doing this... is there any way to keep those functions? Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but would this require a 5 channel amp?(Remember I want room to grow by adding a sub possibly)
I really have relatively low expectations compared to most of you I'm sure... I'm just trying to not spend money on stuff that I really don't need... so any and all suggestions are welcome.
One other question I have is what will become of the tweeters in the front doors? I recall reading that in some cases you should disconnect them entirely, but it depends on what speakers are used? I take it you do not amplify them at all.
I listen to mostly 80s to modern rock, bit of metal, etc if it matters. No gangsta rap stuff or old lady violin music. Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, etc etc.
For comparison I have an 03 Jeep Wrangler and it just had factory speakers up front, Pioneer replacement speakers in the sound bar, and a Pioneer DEH-P4000UB(until some asshole stole the faceplate)... and I was perfectly happy with it.
For starters: I do NOT want to replace the factory head unit... I prefer the look, it's less likely to be stolen and have the car broken into to grab, and the ONLY reason I went aftermarket in my Jeep was because I killed 2 factory radios from off roading, and they skipped on CDs when bouncing around on rocks/trails/etc.. so I got something that could play off a USB drive.
From what I've gathered... I need an amplifier to mimic the power output of an aftermarket head unit. I may or may not add a sub in the future... I'll wait until the amp is installed and maybe after the speakers are replaced(one I think is going bad... plus it appears depending on the amp wattage you're supposed to match the speakers' ratings?) to see how it sounds. So I just want the capability to power a decent single sub which will be removable and mounted in the trunk area(I will be wanting to remove it to race auto-x).
And to run an amp off the stock head unit... I need a line output converter correct? Unless there are speaker level inputs on whatever amp is decided upon.
I did some searching and it appears you may lose the balance and/or fade functions through the radio when doing this... is there any way to keep those functions? Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but would this require a 5 channel amp?(Remember I want room to grow by adding a sub possibly)
I really have relatively low expectations compared to most of you I'm sure... I'm just trying to not spend money on stuff that I really don't need... so any and all suggestions are welcome.
One other question I have is what will become of the tweeters in the front doors? I recall reading that in some cases you should disconnect them entirely, but it depends on what speakers are used? I take it you do not amplify them at all.
I listen to mostly 80s to modern rock, bit of metal, etc if it matters. No gangsta rap stuff or old lady violin music. Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, etc etc.