under seat sub for a s...just like the SP

[mmathias]

hey all,

I was surfing through MazdaUsa's owner's site and happened to find a very comprehensive list of the differences between the i,s,and sp....worth checking out...

One thing I noticed is the the Bose audio system that comes with the SP includes a woofer located under the passenger seat...does anyone know if this is something that those with S's or I's can add aftermarket?

Here's a link to where I found the description:

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsSpecsInterior&vehicleCode=MZ3

Scroll down to the section about Audio, I think its the 3rd group...

Any thoughts on putting a sub under the seat, peeps? This is a good choice for me, since I don't want to give up trunk space...

-MM

 

[Getting2knowMaz]

You probably can add everything that the SP23 has because its the same radio head unit. I only see the SP23 compared to the S, having a few more toys.

 

[goldwing2000]

I don't know if all the wiring would be in place but it's something to think about.

 

[ZoomVT]

hmmm thats pretty interesting. Wonder if i could fit it under the seat of a 4 door. my 12" sub takes almost half of my trunk space.

 

[mmathias]

UPDATE--

I found this woofer on Cruthfield that looks like a good option for the under-seat bass:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-G7zXcx3a0jP/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=51000&I=113KSCSW1

Lying down, I think the unit is only 3.5" high off the ground...which should fit under the seat fine.

Now does anyone know how to hook something like this up?

-MM

 

[RHAGEL]

Infinity also makes one called a Basslink and I think there is one more (besides the Kenwood).

 

[tsunami]

Warning...

i have been under the front seats... christ i have had them out of my car, for those of you who want to do this i would imagine you are going to have to pull out the hvac vent under there to fit this. it probably isn't a big deal but you need to pull the carpet back from whatever side you are working on and find where it connects to the main hvac duct and disconnect and pull it out, otherwise there really isn't a whole lot of room under there. i have an amp under my passenger seat now, and anyone who gets in the back always asks to sit on the other side b/c they don't want to hurt it with their feet... (i didn't remove the vent so it sticks out a bit) just wanted to forwarn anyone before the go tearing into this without realizing what needs to be done...good luck though and keep me posted as to how you like it...

 

[RHAGEL]

If you just cut the HVAC duct instead of removing it, it would actually help the amp stay cool.

 

[goldwing2000]

If you just cut the HVAC duct instead of removing it, it would actually help the amp stay cool.

Only in the summer. It would actually heat it up in the winter.

 

[jersey_emt]

Yup the 'H' in HVAC stands for 'Heating'

 

[El Ropo]

You can just mount the amp or whatever over the top of the vent (push it all the way to the front till it is touching, or very close to the hump at front of seat). You'll want to look for amps that aren't huge in the heatsink dept. This type of setup allows plenty of footroom in the backseat.

Any type of subwoofer, even a 6.5" one, will have a fairly large magnet if it's going to do any good. What I'm getting at is most quality subwoofers will not fit underneath the seats in a properly designed box. FYI, I wouldn't recommend seeking out a bose sub because they are extremely weak, and hardly worth the time and effort to install.

There may be some specialty subs out there designed for shallow mounting depth, but I'm still skeptical one can build a large enough box that fits underneath the seat to make the sub happy.

My suggestion would be to check out doing a small ported box for one or two 8", or 6.5" woofers, make it easy to take in and out of the car, so you can have your trunk/hatch space when needed. If the box is made to the woofer's specs, dramatic results can be achieved with a single 8" and a decent small sub amp such as a Hifonics Merlin, which puts out around 200 watts rms to a 4 ohm load. I used that amp as an example because the chassis is so small, it's easy to fit them under the seat

 

[Kooner]

Has anyone with a hatch (maybe you tsunami) custom molded a couple of woofers in the rear sides of the trunk?
I think i saw someone with this the other, but i just wanted to know how much room it took up..

 

[MortMan]

I got the SP, and yes there is a woofer under the passenger seat. This was great at first, but then I had a minor problem with it.

Change seems to make it under car seats no matter what, and in my case about $2+ worth of it. As I was driving along with the music on one day I started hearing a clicking noise. It scared the shiz out of me because the car is so new and I thought it might be something bad. After turning the music off to listen for the sound, it stopped. (uhm) Music on, clicking starts. Music off, clicking stops. After a few more on and offs I confirmed it was the sound system making the noise, but didn't know why.

I then remembered that the change that slipped under my ebrake hadn't rattled in awhile and came to the conclusion that the change made it on the woofer. After doing a few hard turns and braking, the change worked its way loose and I spent the $2.12 on fast food. (drive)

Simple problem, simple fix. The lowered sound quality and clicking was kind of annoying.

I just thought this was important to know for people who might, at some future time, have the same experience.

 

[RHAGEL]

Yup the 'H' in HVAC stands for 'Heating'

(hand) wasn't thinkin'

 

[tsunami]

Has anyone with a hatch (maybe you tsunami) custom molded a couple of woofers in the rear sides of the trunk?
I think i saw someone with this the other, but i just wanted to know how much room it took up..

that is in the works, kinda... i have gotton sick of spending money on my stereo and not on performance mods, so tomorrow and thursday i am going to finish installing the stereo and going to use my old boston pro until i get a new sub, and since i am probably going with the new boston G5 and the x-tra woofer (just a woofer no magnet) that is mated with it to add 3 more db i won't be glassing in the sides of my trunk its going to be a trapazoidal lookin thing right in the center of the trunk, but sine it only needs like 1.5cuft or something it isn't that much space... i will be takin picks shortly to show off all my hard work and all that damn money....

you can check www.sounddomain.com for some guys who have glassed in the rear jack hole and passenger corner for a sub to see how it looks...