P5 Stereo Upgrade Questions

[Timmay]

Hello All,

As an anniversary gift, I'm interested in upgrading the stereo and/or speakers in my wife's 2002 Protege5. I've been doing some research on how to proceed, but I'm not finding much helpfull information.

She currently has the stock CD changer and the stock speakers. I think her biggest beef with the existing stereo is its lack of volume and that it sort of sounds empty and dull. My goal is to improve the overall volume and tone of the stereo without going overboard. I think perhaps replacing the stock speakers and adding a powered sub might help? If possible, I'd like to keep the stock head unit and spend under $250 and do all the installs myself. So, here are my questions:

What are the stats on the stock head unit (f149-79-eg0)? How much wattage/channel does it put out?

Does the stock head unit have passive outs or some sort of port to add a sub?

Has anybody upgraded only the speakers? Was it worthwhile?

Has anybody added a small powered subwoofer? Was it hard to do? Is there an OEM subwoofer available from Mazda?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Tim

 

[Natey]

Sup Timmay. Welcome to the club...

--I'm not sure about the power output of the stock stereo, but I do know that it's made by Nakamichi(!). It doesn't have any pre-outs, so you'll need a line-level converter.

--The first mod that I did to my P5 was change out those paper-cone speakers for some Focals, and it made a huge difference in SQ. Definately recommended

--The MSP comes with a built in Kenwood sub(in the spare-tire stow area), but I've heard nothing but bad things about it, cutting out and just plain dying. I personally got an Infinity Basslink and I love it. It won't bump the neighborhood, but it does add plenty of bass and again, the sound quality is great.

 

[Timmay]

eggynatey,

Good information. Thanks! Your setup sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. Did you add any extra power to the door speakers?

Pardon my ignorance, but what does "MSP" mean? Also, are "Focals" a brand or a type of speaker. Lastly, if you did the work yourself, how hard was it to install the infinity bass-link sub?

On another note... I run Rota SubZero 17"s on my WRX with Kuhmos Ecstas. How have they worked for you on your P5? I also have a Kartboy shift nob. Sounds like we have similar tastes.

Tim

 

[Natey]

Yeah, Timmay!(drinks) Gotta love them Sub-Zeros!(gotta love that WRX, too)

Yeah, I have an Alpine amp under the passenger seat. It's a four channel amp, but a two channel amp would work great. In fact, I have my amp bridged to two channels which run the front Focal(brand) speakers(the best IMO), and my head unit is bridged to run the rears. The Basslink is self-powered.
MSP= MazdaSpeed Protege
I paid for stereo installation. I was afraid I'd butcher my brand new baby, plus I got a pretty good deal on the install.
All in all, I'm pretty stoked with the way my stereo is turning out.

 

[Timmay]

If I buy a powered sub and replace the stock speakers, do you think an amp is necesary to power the remaining speakers? My wife normally listens to pretty mellow music and would probably never turn up the volume too loud. I mostly want to improve the overall quality and volume of sound and give it a little life with the sub.

I enjoy my WRX. I also like driving my wife's P5. The FWD is always an interesting transition from AWD. I love throwing the P5 around corners and feeling the front wheels snap the back end in line... With both cars in stock wheels and tires, I think the P5 handles better. The WRX ships with super crappy tires.

Tim

 

[Natey]

Heh, I plagiarized this from an earlier post by hihoslva.

If you are leaving your stock deck, go for the highest sensitivity rating you can find - in the 90s is pretty good. Higher sensitivity ratings mean more volume from less power.

Most high-sensitivity aftermarket speakers will work well with stock deck power. They'll make a big difference, and you can keep them if you decide to get an aftermarket deck, most of which have more than adequate power for pushing good speakers.

My opinion is that the average listener should save the amp for the subwoofer. There is just no need to get a separate amp for the door speakers, unless you buy speakers that need that kind of power. Go for the high sensitivity rating, and only amplify a sub. It's also less strain on your car's electrical system to only run one amp.

I've personally got an amp , but it's really not necessary.
(rockon)

 

[porkcrackers]

Ya, go with the Basslink..it won't disappoint. You are not going to be able to stay within your budget if you want to make a worthwhile sound improvement. Your budget may get you into some sort of sub w/ amplification.
Prolly about it. If thats all you can do, I would upgrade speakers first, work on the sub later. Reason being, if you get a sub bumpin back there with stock speakers running off stock deck....u will hear sub. You will try to crank the stock speakers up to compete with the sub and they are going to distort out, hurt your ears and sound like s***. Speaking from experience early on (I have done it right on my last two cars) if you go half way, it will always sound half way..regardless!

 

[Timmay]

Thanks again for the info...

I ended up buying a pair of Pioneer 6x8s and 6.5s. I installed last night and the difference is incredible. The stock speakers are in the trash where they belong.

I'm going to let my wife drive the car for a while and decide if she wants a sub. Last night she seemed to think the speaker upgrade alone was going to be enough. Fine by me, I'll buy something for myself!

Tim

 

[hihoslva]

Eggnatey - no worries about the plagiarism, but....

Did I really write that? ME? The guy who now has 125 watts hitting each of the doors??



Actually, I'm really glad that Timmay was able to get the sound quality he was after with just new speakers.

Seems to me, if you want lots more clarity and maybe a little more volume, speakers are a good place to start. For lots more volume with a little more clarity, push the stock speakers to the limits with about 25 watts each from an amp. For the best of both worlds, rip them paper cones outta there, and get new speakers, then amp 'em up! (thumb)

It's an addiction, pure and simple. Got some, want more. Got more, now it's not enough. Just like cocaine.......

And FYI - the sub in the MazdaSpeed Protege is NOT in the spare tire well. It is attached to the underside of the rear deck. Interestingly, the MSpeed is the only sedan that DOES have speakers in the rear doors, too! There are grilles on the rear deck, but no speakers, as the sub/amp combo takes up a large part of the underside of the deck. I got a chance to hear the MSpeed Kenwood sytem at the Kent CT meet, and for a "factory" system, it cranks! The sub hits pretty good too! I was impressed.

Hehe - Mazda loves to have grilles with no speakers. Rear deck in the MSpeed, rear doors in all the other sedans.....WTF?

The Protege5 has a spare tire sub as an option. Not sure if it's available for the sedans - but I KNOW the MSP doesn't have the sub in the spare tire well.

~HH

 

[chuyler1]

Once you hear a set of 6.5" components powered by 250watts per channel (talking rms here), you will never go back to the 15-20 watts the stock unit puts out.

But I guess you could say I'm not the average listener.

Anyway, I was going to say that your options are limited with $250, but it seems you made a wise decision upgrading the speakers with those pioneers.