Hello all, I am looking at a Kenwood KSC-SW1 Hide away powered sub to put under the back seat of my 5door. Can anyone tell me if the back seat comes up AND how much room is under there? I plan on also going with an Alpine reference 4x40 amp with 5x7 in the doors and alpine tweeters in the A pillars. I do not intend to replace the head unit as I like the asthetics. I just want to improve the sound overall. I think the stock speakers suck and there is just no power in the head unit. Any comments? Any suggestions?
Back Seat Sub
- Thread starter OUCHABABY
- Start date
The back seat bottom is molded foam that fits the contours of the car. There is little or no room to speak of. The seat is not even thick enough to provide space to mount a sub anyway. There is just enough room for excess wiring, but definitely not a whole sub!
The seat is really easy to remove. Just grab the front corner on each side and pull up. Then slide the seat forward off the seat belts.
The seat is really easy to remove. Just grab the front corner on each side and pull up. Then slide the seat forward off the seat belts.
Here we go again...Autumn seems to be the time that everyone wants to upgrade their stereos.
Those hide-away subwoofers are a waste of money. They don't sound much better than your average stock subwoofer setup. They should fit under the front passenger seat but again, I don't recommend them.
First off...
1) Figure out your total budget you want to spend and let us know so we can help you pick out equipment
2) Decide what you want to get out of your system...more bass, better sq, mp3 playback, dvd player, xbox, etc...
Since I've already got an idea of what you are looking for I'll suggest the following setup...
* A 4-channel amplifier 50-75w x 4
* A set of component speakers (5x7", 6x8", or 6.5" will fit in The Mazda3)
* A single 8" or 10" subwoofer in a sealed enclosure
* A LOC (line-out converter) and 8ga wiring kit.
You can power the speakers with the front two channels of the amp and power the subwoofer with the rear two channels. You can mount the amplifier under the front seat and use quick disconnects for the subwoofer box which will go in the trunk. A box for a single 8" woofer will be about the size of two shoe boxes...but if you need the extra space, you can always remove it (hence the quick disconnects). Don't bother with the rear speakers, you won't need them...but for good measure you can continue to power them off the factory head unit.
We can help you pick out the amp and subwoofer but for the speakers, you should make a trip to a few of local retail stores and listen to speakers. This will help you decide what type of speaker your ear likes. Price will be a factor but if you can't tell the difference between a cheap pair and an expensive pair...there is no need to spend the extra money.
Those hide-away subwoofers are a waste of money. They don't sound much better than your average stock subwoofer setup. They should fit under the front passenger seat but again, I don't recommend them.
First off...
1) Figure out your total budget you want to spend and let us know so we can help you pick out equipment
2) Decide what you want to get out of your system...more bass, better sq, mp3 playback, dvd player, xbox, etc...
Since I've already got an idea of what you are looking for I'll suggest the following setup...
* A 4-channel amplifier 50-75w x 4
* A set of component speakers (5x7", 6x8", or 6.5" will fit in The Mazda3)
* A single 8" or 10" subwoofer in a sealed enclosure
* A LOC (line-out converter) and 8ga wiring kit.
You can power the speakers with the front two channels of the amp and power the subwoofer with the rear two channels. You can mount the amplifier under the front seat and use quick disconnects for the subwoofer box which will go in the trunk. A box for a single 8" woofer will be about the size of two shoe boxes...but if you need the extra space, you can always remove it (hence the quick disconnects). Don't bother with the rear speakers, you won't need them...but for good measure you can continue to power them off the factory head unit.
We can help you pick out the amp and subwoofer but for the speakers, you should make a trip to a few of local retail stores and listen to speakers. This will help you decide what type of speaker your ear likes. Price will be a factor but if you can't tell the difference between a cheap pair and an expensive pair...there is no need to spend the extra money.
Have you thought of a Custom stealthbox? mounted in the left side where the car jack resides??
Add your own 8in sub and you have nice bass...Not going to rattle the neighbors windows but definately alot better than stock speakers...This one was made for me by a member of www.mazda3forums.com named Crzyone01. I also retain full use of my trunk with no compromise in regards to storage space/utility. The jack is relocated under the spare tire and will not rattle around....
Add your own 8in sub and you have nice bass...Not going to rattle the neighbors windows but definately alot better than stock speakers...This one was made for me by a member of www.mazda3forums.com named Crzyone01. I also retain full use of my trunk with no compromise in regards to storage space/utility. The jack is relocated under the spare tire and will not rattle around....
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You could prolly get it to fit but I highly doubt there is enough air space. An 8" woofer can get by with .35-.4 cuft. A 10" needs .6-.85 cuft.
Combining woofer sizes with the intention to play them across the same frequency range is just silly. If you were going to play the 10" from 20Hz-40Hz and the 8" from 40Hz-90Hz that might work. But the difference between the two is so small that you are better off just adding another 8" and running them across the same frequency range.
Combining woofer sizes with the intention to play them across the same frequency range is just silly. If you were going to play the 10" from 20Hz-40Hz and the 8" from 40Hz-90Hz that might work. But the difference between the two is so small that you are better off just adding another 8" and running them across the same frequency range.
First of all, there is nothing stealth about a pair of 12"s or a pair of 10"s. They take up too much space to be considered a stealth install.
Regardless, no manufacturer offers a stealth box for any size woofer in the Mazda3. There is a guy on the mazda3forums who is making a box for a single 8" and selling them (see the first page of this thread) but other than that you'll have to look into custom fiberglass boxes.
If you really want to use your 2 12"s just go with a standard MDF box. They will take up most of your trunk no matter how you install them.
Regardless, no manufacturer offers a stealth box for any size woofer in the Mazda3. There is a guy on the mazda3forums who is making a box for a single 8" and selling them (see the first page of this thread) but other than that you'll have to look into custom fiberglass boxes.
If you really want to use your 2 12"s just go with a standard MDF box. They will take up most of your trunk no matter how you install them.
dang
Thats what I thought. I might just buy a decent 8" and deal with the lack of bass. I just want some bass in the car and the factory mids suck! Has anyone angle mounted a screen where the ashtray is yet? Think I am gonna get a resin guy to make me a case to put a screen there.
Thats what I thought. I might just buy a decent 8" and deal with the lack of bass. I just want some bass in the car and the factory mids suck! Has anyone angle mounted a screen where the ashtray is yet? Think I am gonna get a resin guy to make me a case to put a screen there.
