Installing a JL 250W RMS amp with 10" Kicker Box, and All Weather Mats

[dieseldriver]

I ordered a JL mono amp along with a Kicker 10" subwoofer which will be finished installed next week. M5GT has decent mids and highs but lacks low punch that I had on my VW Beetle. So the amp and speaker will get mounted on the driver's side in the trunk. It will have Anderson Quick Disconnects for easy removal if I need that puny trunk space. I will be installing the 8 gauge amp wire directly from the battery today which I may ask my technician to do because I just can't seem to be able to find a place on the firewall that I can fish the wire through.

Also ordered the All Weather Mats from Med Center in Alabama for the 5, and a nose bra for my wife's CX9 -- as we will be taking a trip down to Baltimore MD on it so did not want to get any stone chips on the frontal area on the CX9.

EDIT: I was able to run the power wire through the white plastic grommet which is basically behind the battery. I drilled the grommet and fished through an 8 gauge and 10 gauge zip cord wires through. Zip cord wire to my ham radio, and the other positive only to the back of the trunk where it's going to hook up to an amp. Now I just need to get the rear panels removed so I can access the speakers to tap into then wire it to the HIGH INPUT on the amp. Can't wait to get the subwoofer hooked up to the radio!

EDIT2: Pre ran all the wires for the amp and sub. It was super easy to remove the rear panel just enough so that I have access the speaker terminal posts for the secondary speaker wire connection - basically, I soldered them on to the posts and ran the LEFT speaker wire underneath the plastic panel that covers the striker. Ran the ground wire on the same grounding post using a ring connector. Now just waiting for the replacement power cable and the sub/amp. I will leave the old fake 10 gauge wire in place to run it to the headrest mounted DVD/LCD panels for the middle row seats in a few weeks. After that, tinting the rear windows limo black. Then pretty much done for the Mazda5 and will be putting on lots of miles heh heh.

EDIT3 (Installed): Did not want to wait on the new 8 gauge ("real") power wire from Crutchfield, bought the Scosche 650W rated cable from WalMart for around $25. I was very surprised by the quality of this wire set. Not too long, not to short, perfect length from the battery to the trunk at 16.5ft. When I fished the wire through, which is already quite crowed with other wires that I ran for my Yaesu HF radio and the original one for the amp, I applied some engine oil on the tip and wiped it down then fished it... needless to say, it came right through the hole, amazing.

Everything was wired up and the new 10" Kicker Subwoofer is just the right size in the trunk. JL 250W amp installed under the tray, but might move it to the side panel somehow maybe using a custom bracket and rivets to make it totally concealed. Only thing sticking out would be the speaker wire pair which is a 10 gauge zip cord.

Tested the amp and sub and all I have to say was .... WOW!! My stock radio sounds like a top of the line Bose upgrade. Not too little, not too much bass and all around, lows are on the music, I am just amazed. Like I am in concert!

I will post up some photos hopefully by this weekend.

Finally, that original wire has been tucked away nicely near the middle row seats. It will be used as the power the headrest dvd player which I am going to get in a few weeks. I am looking to somehow tap into from behind the AUX jack so that the audio is hardwired instead of going through the FM 88.1MHz.

EDIT 4: I forgot to mention about the Mazda OEM All Weather Mat for the M5GT. I got it two days ago from Med Center (I highly recommend them for free shipping with $100 or more purchase) and installed it the next day. They only had one color which was gray but still better than not having it. I just now 3 more mods to go on the M5GT that are outstanding then after that, no more mods for this baby:
1-Remote for my Valentine1
2-Limo Black Tint for rear windows
3-Either an overhead or headrest mounted DVD/LCD, preferably the Alpine unit.

I also need to install the front OEM bra for my wife's CX9 -- it replaces the factory wheel well plastic bolts for screw on type that's serves as buttons so the bra just snaps in place, pretty cool. I am used to the Colgan bra with hooks which are kind of a pain.

 

[Orangutan]

I'm interested to see how it goes. I've been waiting on Crutchfield to get one and test it out so I can upgrade the speakers.

 

[dieseldriver]

Here are some photos, by no means complete, that I have taken this morning. It gives you an idea as to how the amp and the subwoofer unit was mounted. Power comes from the battery using 8 gauge Scosche amp wiring wire bought from Walmart, and ground is tapped into the existing grounding position behind the rear panel. Speaker wires are high quality ham radio rated zip cord 10 AWG. Currently fine tuning the crossover and boost level but I think I am happy with the setting now (see picture). Subwoofer is holding onto the carpet via Industrial Strength Velcro -- the rough side only as it sticks to the carpet. Sticky/adhesive side is facing the subwoofer. Three silver brackets are from Lowe's -- about $4 for the set of 4 with self tapping screws. All wires are hidden, and the speaker wires are soldered onto the posts of each speaker. Marine grade heat shrinks on connectors just about every connection joints. As per the subwoofer unit, when you flip over the cover, the sub just lays flat on the rearmost seats. Kind of neat how it does this. Once flipped, you can access the emergency jack.

 

[manualist]

I thought you were installing a Sound Ordinance 8" sub? Thanks for the detailed tips on where to buy wires and stuff. I'll probably get a sub too, as California's highways are ridiculously bad and the 5 isn't that isolated.

 

[dieseldriver]

I was originally thinking that but decided to separate the two (sub and amp) for swapping out the sub to JL later on if I decide that the Kicker don't work for me. Also, by separating them, I would get a smaller enclosure. I do like the setup now, but I might get a JL 10" next year and try that as well.

EDIT: Okay, I think now I have the perfect setting for the crossover and boost level on the amp for the Kicker. It just complements it so well now; all music types. From this, I learned that the factory system is definitely adequate on the high and mid range speaker output. It's just missing the lows. Now my system sounds super punchy without sounding buzzy. Built in low pass filter setting is set to around 80Hz i.e. attenuates frequencies above 80Hz.

I still haven't been able to take more pictures though, today was sort of busy. But I've been listening to the system in my garage and my son kept coming over and saying "why are you keep listening to that thing..." I kept telling him "daddy's lab testing the system..."

I thought you were installing a Sound Ordinance 8" sub? Thanks for the detailed tips on where to buy wires and stuff. I'll probably get a sub too, as California's highways are ridiculously bad and the 5 isn't that isolated.

 

[dieseldriver]

BTW, I'd definitely go with a separate amp and sub. In the future, if either the amp or sub breaks, you can replace either of them without having to replace the entire unit. Much more flexible than the built in one. Hardest part of the install I think was getting to the rear speakers to tap into the high inputs, as well as initially fishing the power wire through the firewall's plastic grommet. But I found out a little trick; apply some oil (veggie oil?) at the tip of the wire where it's taped onto the fish before you start pulling the cable. Also, if you're getting a separate amp, make sure you get the one that has the high and low input for signal.

Also, here's a short video clip I put together this weekend.

I have decided to mount an Alpine overhead DVD player for the Mazda 5. Also maybe the Wii console from the house. Replacing it most likely with the Sony PS3 on Black Friday sale at Walmart today.

For the CX9, I will be installing 4x 9" ESS headrest LCD's from Crutchfield. Probably will have a Blueray player. I will need a video distribution unit for quad video output to the 4 panels. Audio will be hard fed from the source to the AUX port in the car.

Lot's a projects waiting in the wing as the 2011 comes to a close!

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7CzXTDGHEGI" allowfullscreen="" width="420" frameborder="0" height="315"></iframe>

I thought you were installing a Sound Ordinance 8" sub? Thanks for the detailed tips on where to buy wires and stuff. I'll probably get a sub too, as California's highways are ridiculously bad and the 5 isn't that isolated.

 

[Hi5_0]

Here are some photos, by no means complete, that I have taken this morning. It gives you an idea as to how the amp and the subwoofer unit was mounted. Power comes from the battery using 8 gauge Scosche amp wiring wire bought from Walmart, and ground is tapped into the existing grounding position behind the rear panel. Speaker wires are high quality ham radio rated zip cord 10 AWG. Currently fine tuning the crossover and boost level but I think I am happy with the setting now (see picture). Subwoofer is holding onto the carpet via Industrial Strength Velcro -- the rough side only as it sticks to the carpet. Sticky/adhesive side is facing the subwoofer. Three silver brackets are from Lowe's -- about $4 for the set of 4 with self tapping screws. All wires are hidden, and the speaker wires are soldered onto the posts of each speaker. Marine grade heat shrinks on connectors just about every connection joints. As per the subwoofer unit, when you flip over the cover, the sub just lays flat on the rearmost seats. Kind of neat how it does this. Once flipped, you can access the emergency jack.

Looks great. My wife have been hinting to "upgrade" our stereo sytem. Thanks for the pics and sharing what you have used to upgrade yours. Very informative...

 

[dieseldriver]

Thanks. Just want to give you more info. Initially, I've had tough time getting the bass level just right. I thought there was something wrong with the sub. After I replaced the factory speakers, that problem immediately went away. Something about the factory two way speakers were causing harmonics and creating a condition where the sub wasn't performing optimally.

Looks great. My wife have been hinting to "upgrade" our stereo sytem. Thanks for the pics and sharing what you have used to upgrade yours. Very informative...