New owner with questions

[jcr0407]

So, I just bought a 2007 6i with the in-dash 6 disc player. I then bought the ipod integration kit seperately and installed it (this has less to do with my question but boy was that a fun install). My question seems to be a bit redundant due to most of the posts I've seen here but I will still ask.

1. What is better to replace the factory speakers with? coaxial or component? any brand reccomedations?

2. On the note of component speakers. I know that they perform better with an add-on amplifier but if possible I would like to avoid this (my 4 channel alpine is in my silverado and I don't want to tear that apart if not completely necessary). So question, What is the power rating of the stock 6-disc player in the 6i?? Will it support a component set-up?

3. With having installed the ipod adapter, I got to see the back of the OEM radio and can clearly see no line level outputs. What reccomendation would anyone make for a decent line level converter, should that be the route I go.

Thank you all in advance for at least reading and for the replies I do get!!!

 

[chuyler1]

Do you have a Bose system or not? The answer is very important. Read the following thread to find out more:
6/MS6 Factory Radio Upgrade Options (plus MP3 options!!!)

 

[jcr0407]

It is not the Bose system. I would have mentioned that and asked if anyone has cut the rear deck opening to accept a 12" driver instead. ha!! Thanks for the assistance!!!!

 

[jcr0407]

After reading this thread, I have come to a conclusion. If I use 2 ohm speakers with the factory radio, I will have more success. Who agrees?!?

 

[chuyler1]

It is not the Bose system. I would have mentioned that and asked if anyone has cut the rear deck opening to accept a 12" driver instead. ha!! Thanks for the assistance!!!!

Been there, done that!

After reading this thread, I have come to a conclusion. If I use 2 ohm speakers with the factory radio, I will have more success. Who agrees?!?

No! Well, it depends on what you are doing.

If you are connecting 2ohm speakers to the factory non-bose radio you will kill it in a matter of hours.

If you are connecting 2ohm speakers to an aftermarket stereo you will cause the amplifier chip to overheat and it will also eventually fail (I'll give it more than a few hours but less than a month).

If you are connecting 2ohm speakers to an aftermarket external amplifier you should be fine but there are very few 2ohm speakers on the market and you really limit your selection by excluding 4ohm speakers in your search. Most aftermarket speakers only need 50-100 watts to sound fine. They won't produce much more bass if you were to double that power but you will risk overheating the voice coils and introducing lots of distortion. If bass is what you are after, only a subwoofer with a dedicated amp can meet your needs.

 

[jcr0407]

NAh, I'm just looking for more clarity without doing much work. It is tough being lazy but this mazda doesn't come apart as easily as my silverado so I am left with few options. I see that Boston Acoustics makes a decent 6x8 (5x7). The model number is s85 and it has rms rating of up to 35 watts. This should fit my needs.

 

[chuyler1]

If you just replace the speakers, go with 4ohm speakers and find ones that have a high sensitivity rating (which may also mean a low power handling rating). If you pick a speaker with a low sensitivity you won't get nearly as much bass out of them as you did the stock speakers...but they will sound better in the midrange and highs.

JL Audio also makes great 5x7/6x8 speakers (if you don't mind paying a little more for them).

 

[CX-7owner]

I have no audio background but I know running 2Ohm speakers is okay, I had them on my CX-7's stock radio for a few months.

 

[chuyler1]

I do have an audio background and I say it is not OK...sure it will work for a while but if you go on a long trip and listen at loud levels for a while the amplifier chip will overheat and become damaged. Solder points may melt or the chip may just fry itself. If you have a Bose system, you can get by with 2ohm speakers because the Bose speakers are 2ohm instead of 4ohm and the Bose amp is designed to handle a 2ohm load.

 

[Mazda6smtx]

if you want clarity without doing much, sound deaden the car, trust me this is well worth the time and you will get better results then sending money on speakers.

I fully sound deadened a 6 and it made such an improvement the owner didn't want to change out the stereo after.

(Roof, floor, inner and outer door panels, trunk, and rear deck.)

 

[chuyler1]

Mazda6smtx has a point. You can raise the sound level by replacing speakers and sending them more power...or you can lower the noise floor by installing sound deadening. I have done my rear deck, trunk, and all 4 doors. It makes a big difference.

 

[baseballd2]

Hey im curious how many sq feet you used for the sound deadening for the whole car. My panels vibrate with the stock system and I plan on putting in a 12.

 

[steefnap]

I ordered some sound deadening from RAAM Audio today (www.raamaudio.com). 1 roll of RAAMmatBXT, 3 yards of ensolite closed-cell foam, and 1 can of adhesive spray. Rick at RAAM told me that those quantities should cover all 4 doors and trunk. Total cost was under $200 incl. shipping to Canada. You can blow a lot more than that on speakers. Plus I did it for more than speaker sound quality, I wanted the interior quieter as well.

 

[chuyler1]

That's about what I put in my car. A little goes a long way.

 

[jcr0407]

Thanks for all the support and help guys!! I think what I might look at doing is rolling in some dynamat in the doors. I do not plan at this time to add a subwoofer to my car. However I am interested if anyone has heard of or done an install of a free-air type sub to the rear deck (cutting out the circle in the rear deck from the Bose). I was thinking of this as an option to keep my truck as large as it is and fucntional. I imagine it shouldn't be too tough and that I would need to make a custom baffle to mount it. Nothing like playing with 1/2" plexiglass to make that work. Anywho, I am going to go with the Boston Acoustic S85 6x8 to replace the stock speakers. They are rated 93db sensitivity and are rated up to 35w RMS. So, I think that will do. Thanks again and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!!

 

[chuyler1]

I think all of your questions will be answered by reading through this thread:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123670853&highlight=DLS+Mazdaspeed6

 

[jcr0407]

Ok. Last ting I want to ask. I think I am going to go with an Infinity Basslink II with the 4SC add-on amp for my 6. I have purchased those Boston Acoustics (6x8 model S85). As I have installed systems in all of my previous vehicles (including my current Silverado which will be on plow duty through March), I am farmiliar with the install. My question is this, has anyone used the Basslink 2? Does anyone have reservations about this powered sub? Most reviews I've read say that the sub is great in most application (hatch, SUV, truck) but some have said that it is not as great in a trunk. Most of those that did rate it good in a trunk, were accord owners. So, I think that it is a good choice.. Suggestions or Help???

 

[jcr0407]

Ok. I went ahead and ordered the Basslink II 4SC and am going to make seamless factory (harness) integration. I have decided to go ahead and purchase a plug and play adapter for a Blaupunkt integration amplifier. This acts as a bridge between the amp and speakers in the factory locations. It routes the speaker level output of the factory HU to the amp, then the juiced up signal back through the factory harness to the speakers. I will be splicing one of these beauties to run to the basslink II and back so I can aviod splicing any factory wires!! Pics to follow!!

 

[CX-7owner]

Details on that set up, if it's simply a harness I would like to go that route!

 

[steefnap]

I ordered some sound deadening from RAAM Audio today (www.raamaudio.com). 1 roll of RAAMmatBXT, 3 yards of ensolite closed-cell foam, and 1 can of adhesive spray. Rick at RAAM told me that those quantities should cover all 4 doors and trunk. Total cost was under $200 incl. shipping to Canada. You can blow a lot more than that on speakers. Plus I did it for more than speaker sound quality, I wanted the interior quieter as well.

The RAAMmat project is (finally) complete! I did it over 2 Saturdays. First Saturday I did the entire trunk, and it definitely deadened the sheet metal there. Took me about 5 hours to do the whole thing. Prepare to get a little dirty, so don't wear clothes you don't expect to get 100% clean afterwards. I laid down inside my trunk so could get easier access to the roof of the trunk. Should've laid down some rags or something before I did that, but I didn't and I ended up with butyl compound on the back of my shirt and pants. Boooooo...

After deadening the trunk, I didn't notice a huge difference at all in the quality of sound from my subwoofer, and the exhaust still had its usual tone. I was sort of hoping it would quiet down a bit inside the cabin afterwards. If anything, it maybe was at 90% of its original tone, so not enough to make a big difference.

Yesterday I did all four doors. Took me 8 hours for the doors (I was learning as I went too, and getting faster with each door). The walkthrough posted here http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123674503 was very helpful, but I did encounter problems with removing the hinge assembly for the handle and lock. Two of them I broke the top off of, but they still functioned okay once I put them back in. Maybe I didn't read the directions properly, but I simply couldn't pull the pin up out of the hole. Ah well. I didn't end up with any extra screws, which was what I was fearing.

One thing to add to the walkthrough: on both rear doors, one of the 10 or so screws that is under the first panel connects to a slider guide for the window to roll down into. It is IMPOSSIBLE to line it back up when you are putting the panel back on as it is free-hanging, and will likely move a bit when you are deadening the inside. The best way to get it to line up again is for you to peel back a little of the foam adhesive that is covering up a large (access?) hole. I peeled some of this back, and was able to use one hand to pull the guide closer to the screw hole, get it lined up, and get it screwed back in.

Another important thing to note if you are going to do this yourself: Go easy on the spray glue! I thought I was being conservative, but I ended up running out on the last door. I had to find another adhesive alternative to get the few last corners glued down.

After I cleaned up and left, I drove for a while with no music to see if there was a noticeable decrease in road noise. It wasn't all that noticeable, but there was some added quietness there. When I turned on the tunes however, I did notice some better sound coming from the speakers. Certain things were crisper, and all over it sounded great. 13 hours well spent.

A couple extra little things that I liked were that the doors and trunk were slightly beefier, making them a little more satisfying to close. =)