Mazdaspeed rear speakers

jdawg190

Member
Hey im a newbie and have searched around a bit but i am getting a little lost so i thought i would post a thread. I have been looking into getting rear speakers put in for my mazdaspeed. I had noticed their was a spot for them behind the rear passengers head. The audio places i have gone to have told me that it would be worthless to put speakers back there because they would not have enough power. I was wondering if i could get an amplifier to powerr the speakers and give them more power? I would appreciate anyone with any tips about this or any tips on good systems to get.
 
Yeah you could amp the speakers of course but I dno't know if there is really room for them to be installed there. I think the reason why the speakers are in the reare doors is because of the way the subwoofer is mounted underneath the rear deck. You may have to take out the sub to put in the speakers.
 
I'm almost too tired too respond, not because of the question...just becuase the answer isn't simple, and I'm...well...tired.

Here's the long and short of it:
Yes the speakers are in the rear doors becuase the rear deck can not accomodate speakers due to the placement of the sub enclosure/rack.

Here are your options:
1a. You can drop the rack and put a better sub/amp combo in its place
1b. Then you can place speakers in the rear deck.
1c. However...since they are so high up, you don't want to overpower them and the best thing to do is to power them off the head unit, otherwise you will throw off the front soundstaging.

2. You can replace the whole system and start from scratch to get Dolby 5.1 (or better) if you want the sound to be good for the people in the back.

3. Power your fronts with a better/more powerful amp and the people in the back will get the dispersion.

4. keep it stock. :)

There's a ton more options, but my head hurts...hope that helped at least a little bit.
 
Thanks, that helps a lot.
I have a couple more questions.
If i were to power my speakers with an amp would it increase the sound quality a lot? and The audio store that i went to the guy said, what they did on a past mazdaspeed they worked on, was keep the enclosure in the trunk but disconnect it and add a 12 inch Kicker CompVR, with a 5-Channel Kenwood 600W max amp. Do you know how good this sub and amp would be? I like listening to fast rap music but dont want it to be too loud cuz i like to hear the rest of the song beside the bass. I would be looking for a tight, solid hitting bass sound. Thanks
 
jdawg190 said:
Hey im a newbie and have searched around a bit but i am getting a little lost so i thought i would post a thread. I have been looking into getting rear speakers put in for my mazdaspeed. I had noticed their was a spot for them behind the rear passengers head. The audio places i have gone to have told me that it would be worthless to put speakers back there because they would not have enough power. I was wondering if i could get an amplifier to powerr the speakers and give them more power? I would appreciate anyone with any tips about this or any tips on good systems to get.

Honestly, don't go back to this stereo shop. They either aren't that knowledgable or see you as a mark to make money off of.

The sign of a good audio shop is that they have more questions for you then you have for them!!!!

Since I work for a car audio retailer I'll get you through this :D

1. Why do you want rear speakers?
2. What speakers have you listened to so far?
3. Have you heard any setups or have a fried with a system you really like?
4.What did you like about those speakers or systems?
5. Do you have any goals for this system?


Answer these and i'll let you know why that shop is full of crap :D
 
jdawg190 said:
Thanks, that helps a lot.
I have a couple more questions.
If i were to power my speakers with an amp would it increase the sound quality a lot? and The audio store that i went to the guy said, what they did on a past mazdaspeed they worked on, was keep the enclosure in the trunk but disconnect it and add a 12 inch Kicker CompVR, with a 5-Channel Kenwood 600W max amp. Do you know how good this sub and amp would be? I like listening to fast rap music but dont want it to be too loud cuz i like to hear the rest of the song beside the bass. I would be looking for a tight, solid hitting bass sound. Thanks

What brands does this store carry?
What is your budget?

Given you have the MSP I would reuse you factory amp for a nice pair of front speakers you choose with your ears and nothing else. Then remove the rear subwoofer and enclosure. Get a new sub amp and sub. My first choce would be a Alpine MRP-M350 and a Jl 10W3v2 in a sealed box.

Your rear speakers are in the doors and using rear deck speakers will drowned out the fronts totaly. If you must then replace the rear speaker but I would not use the rear deck. Especialy becuase not having speakers back there will allow bass to enter the car more freely form the trunk.
 
1st MP3 in NH said:
What brands does this store carry?
What is your budget?

Given you have the MSP I would reuse you factory amp for a nice pair of front speakers you choose with your ears and nothing else. Then remove the rear subwoofer and enclosure. Get a new sub amp and sub. My first choce would be a Alpine MRP-M350 and a Jl 10W3v2 in a sealed box.

Your rear speakers are in the doors and using rear deck speakers will drowned out the fronts totaly. If you must then replace the rear speaker but I would not use the rear deck. Especialy becuase not having speakers back there will allow bass to enter the car more freely form the trunk.

He makes a good point here...the Kenwood amp could power some components in the doors, and save you some money/trouble. With the Sub/amp combo, though...I would look at Elemental Designs' K-series (not Kx) in place of the JL. To my ears it is the sonic equivalent if not better, and costs 125$ (about 140 or so shipped). It's one of those subs you would never notice was there until you turn off the non-fading output. Then you hear a huge hole in what you were just listening too. Yes...it's that nice. :D

The Alpine amp should provide you with a good amount of power...look in that 350 @ 2 ohms range for sub amps and you'll be all set.
 
OK. Im getting a little confused since im not really knowledgable about this so let me get this straight. You guys think i should use my stock amp thats powering my sub to power my front speakers and keep the head unit powering the rear speakers? Then i should replace the stock sub and get a new amp for the new sub? I was thinkig i would need to just disconnect the stock sub and leave it in there because if i plan to sell the car in the far future then i would not have to put it back in. and on the sub you guys recommend i get one that runs at 350W? Thanks for the help
 
jdawg190 said:
OK. Im getting a little confused since im not really knowledgable about this so let me get this straight. You guys think i should use my stock amp thats powering my sub to power my front speakers and keep the head unit powering the rear speakers? Then i should replace the stock sub and get a new amp for the new sub?
Yep, Thats what I would do. Your not me though. Spend some time learning and listening and decide what you like.

jdawg190 said:
I was thinkig i would need to just disconnect the stock sub and leave it in there because if i plan to sell the car in the far future then i would not have to put it back in. and on the sub you guys recommend i get one that runs at 350W? Thanks for the help

It can be easily reinstalled.
 
Alright thanks. And for the best sound quality you suggest i listen to the Alpine MRP-M350 and a Jl 10W3v2? The guy at the store said he could do a custom box in the corner to save trunk size for $60. How much do you think the amp and sub should cost? He also recommended somthing, i cant remember the name, that prevented rattling from the enclosures in the trunk? Is that worth it?
 
IF you mena dynomat then its better to use it where you have rattles then to just go throwing it everywhere.

$60 = prefab crappy box
 
For best sound quality, on a semi-budget...sure. If you have a smaller budget, believe me...the eD is just as good if not better than the JL. As for the amp...if you save on the sub you might be able to get the JL 250/1.

I have to apologize if it seems I'm pushing you towards eD a bit much...I just feel that JL is a little pricey on subs, especially the higher end. If you were looking at w0's there's no question in my mind that I'd tell you to snag one of those, because the price differential between those and the eD Kx series is almost negligible after shipping. But with the w3v2 and the K series it's still about a 40-60 dollar difference. Just thought that I'd explain my rational, here so that I don't seem like an eD vendor. :D
 
ok i will keep that all in mind when i go to the store this weekend. im really busy this week so i wont be able to go till saturday. thanks for your guys help. i will let you know how it goes and im sure will have some more questions for you after saturday.
 
Before i go to the store i have one more question. Im sure this has already been asked somewhere else but i will ask anyways. If i want the best sound quality with a good clean sounding sub, should i get a 10 or 12 inch? I dont like my bass really loud so i wouldnt want to be that over powering.
 
either...you'll be able to tell when you listen to them.

a ten can *usually* play upper bass a bit more accurately, but that's not always the case. It all depends on the sub and the installation.
 
depends on exactly what you want. A slightly oversized sealed box is the easiest, but properly designed vented boxes will provide more output over the whole freq. range that it's designed for. It'll hit harder and be louder and can still sound great. Those are the two most simple, but it all depends on the sub, too.
 
ALright i went to the store today and worked out some stuff with the guy. Heres what we thought would be good: PLanet Audio 5 channel amp, either 2 10s or a 12 inch sub(im leaning toward 12 because its cheaper and i dont think i want it that loud), the amp will be runnig the 4 speakers at 75-100 watts and the sub at 300. Then hes gonna make an enclosure for $150 that is on the side of the trunk, which points the sub toward the front of the trunk, bouncing the waves back to the passengers.
What do you guys think?
 
its definitly not 100 watts rms.

What speakers are you going to use?
$150 for a single 12" box is a bit much depeding on what it will include.
 
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