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My MAZDASPEED3's Stealth Install

128K views 190 replies 53 participants last post by  Jersey Strong 
#1 ·
[3rd post]

Hi all, I'm working on designing a clean, stealth install in my new car. I'm going to document the process to gain insight and opinions from you, the knowledgeable group of people I have learned to listen to. The system is a work-in-progress, and as such, it will change drastically as I go. Your ideas, solutions, and knowledge are more then welcome in this post! Criticism, notes, and complaints are all welcome, provided they are constructive. I have thick skin, so don't worry 'bout my feelings, and just say whats on your mind, OK?

That said, let me lay down the foundation of this project:
The car is a fairly rare one! The MAZDASPEED version of the Mazda 3 hatchback is unique in that it is a factory high-boost turbocharged car. 5000 total are slated for production. It is not a race car, but it can be raced, road course style, with little to no mods in the suspension. Much like the STi's and Evo's of this world. The car, like the STi Limited Edition, is a wolf in sheep's clothing, with 263HP and 280 lbs/ft of TQ. It has a unique interior, suspension, wheels, and body panels. With this in mind, I have chosen a stealth install, to keep the car under the radar, so to speak. This is my daily driver, so maintaining the utility of a hatchback car is one of the most important parts of this install, which means no amps mounted on the backseat, and no sub box taking up the whole trunk.

The system goals are simple - produce fantastic SQ performance with a nice SPL potential, all the while maintaining a stock-like look wherever prying eyes would dare to. This means that the stock HU will remain, so long as it doesn't affect the audio performance negatively. Time will tell if the stock HU has the ability to play cleanly to a set of LOC's, but I hope so! The dash is very integrated, and the steering wheel has audio controls. Notably, this car has one of those LCD panels located in the middle of the dash that provides readouts on the audio, A/C, and ambient temp. This means that removal of the stock HU would disable some of the display.

The other important part of this install is that I must utilize the factory locations of the speakers, which means no kickpods. The sail panels are where I plan to install the tweeters of a good set of comps (or active-fed separates), simply because buying a plastic sail panel replacement is easy. However, doors panels are not, so they will stay as stock as possible. That in mind, I'm open to any and all ideas, as I mentioned above.

The equipment that I've picked out thus far (and this list evolves constantly)

Audio Control Crossover (haven't picked a model yet), mounted in the glove box's cavernous storage space, making the factory HU's line outputs RCA's. Mounted in the G.B. to accomplish a close wiring connection from the HU's output wires, and to make minute adjustments in the crossovers and/or gains from the passenger seat.

Pioneer Premier components, Eclipse SC8264 comps, or DIY it w/ a nice, clean off-axis capable tweeter and 6.5" midrange.

Rears installed just for the hell of it, and to appease my passengers who will cram in the car, occasionally. (Please don't tell me to ditch the rears, this will be the first car I've owned that is a 4 door, and thus the first one that I've installed performance audio in the rear on, so while I do agree it does nothing for SQ performance, I just want to keep the passengers comfortable, k? K. I promise to leave them off when there are no passengers behind me. Pinky swear. :p )

Subwoofer will be either the almighty linear motor SW8000 or its lil bro, the SW7000. Runners up were Diamond's D6, Polk's SR, and the Adire Brahma. According to WinISD, the SW8000 trumps them all, and reviews seem to show that the LMT woofers do put up amazing performance in both SQ and SPL. Since I have room for only one sub, and a 10" at that, might as well be one of the most cutting edge subs out there, eh?

Amps...ah yes, its been an internal battle to pick the perfect set. After much deliberation, I decided (so far) that the Eclipse XA4000 and XA1000 would be a nice combo. Why? Because their ICEpower technology (from the B&O boys) would leave my alternator happier, and the size and power of these guys, along with their ability to stay cool, all meet my needs. Runners up were Audison, Diamond, JBL, and Polk.

Wiring will be KnuKonceptz, because everyone I know who's used them likes them, and the prices are great.

Sound deadener will be B-Quiet, or Raammat, can't decide which.

Anyway, on with the show!

Here are a few pics of the beginning, and as time goes on, and my budget increases for this project, you'll see equipment starting to make its way in the car. Reply away!












 
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#3 ·
Ya, I just heard about those cars the other day. I want one for that engine alone. haha The car looks awesome. I wonder if it is a lot quicker than the Mazdaspeed6? I saw the times it ran for what it was and it didn't seem that impressive. I guess it was too heavy.
 
#4 ·
If you haven't already bought your sailpanels, I would seriously look into doing kickpanels. Replacement stock kick panels are fairly cheap. I bought replacements for my car for about $30 each. Then you can hack up the ones how have however you want and then when you're ready to go back to stock just install the new ones you bought. It would be a considerable upgrade as far as SQ goes.
 
#5 ·
If you put black grill cloth on the grills, kickpanel enclosures are pretty much invisible to the prying eye. Only someone who knew what to look for would find them...and the type of people who know what to look for aren't the type to be wandering around the mall parking lot. ...and if someone were to break into your car...it wouldn't be to steal the speakers...it would be to steal the car. So get an alarm system and do what you want with the stereo system.

But anyway, if the Mazda3 kicks are anything like the Protege kicks, there isn't much space down there to work with anyway. You would still be putting midbass drivers in the doors and maybe 3" or 4" drivers in the kicks with tweeters also in the kicks or up high in the sail panels.
 
#6 ·
Yup. Get an alarm and tint your windows so the casual passerby can't easily see what's in there. With tinted windows, someone would at least need to stand there and take a good look to know what's there. Like chuyler1 said, if you match the kick panel and grill color with the floor color, it will be really hard to notice that something is even there.
 
#8 ·
Phenomenal car, Congrats!
That's the first car that I've considered as a replacement for my MX6. Mine's 11 years old and runs like top, very little maintenence required. I'm sure yours will be equally reliable, and even more fun. Lotsa Mazda owners here...the Bang for your Buck suits the DIY mentality I think.
 
#10 ·
rekd0514 sez:
Ya, I just heard about those cars the other day. I want one for that engine alone. haha The car looks awesome. I wonder if it is a lot quicker than the Mazdaspeed6? I saw the times it ran for what it was and it didn't seem that impressive. I guess it was too heavy.
The car is using the same engine as the Speed6 of course, but being FWD only, it is different, to say the least. It is fast though, for stock. Runs mid to low 13's at over 100mph in the trap. The "times" it does best in though is roadcourse work.

HIS4 sez:
If you haven't already bought your sailpanels, I would seriously look into doing kickpanels. Replacement stock kick panels are fairly cheap. I bought replacements for my car for about $30 each. Then you can hack up the ones how have however you want and then when you're ready to go back to stock just install the new ones you bought. It would be a considerable upgrade as far as SQ goes.
No space for kicks to go! The stock footrest is staying put, and because I'm a lanky, tall guy, I need the room. The doors are the home of the mid-bass/midrange, and the sail panels are where the tweets will go. I haven't bought sailpanels, but I mentioned that they are cheap, because when I go to sell this car someday, I can buy the little replacement pieces cheaply. I agree, SQ might be improved by doing kicks, but I'll have to find another way to compensate.

Bodega Bay sez:
fourthmeal,

Great buy. If you don't mind me asking, were you able to negotiate on the price since it's such a high demand car, and does the factory torque control management software work in real world applications?
I traded my 06 Honda Interceptor motorcycle in on it, and I got a decent deal on the trade, and the car. I think it would average out to be about 1,000 under MSRP. And, they aren't as RARE here in Vegas as far as dealerships go, but for the record, I've not run into another one here in Vegas yet! The torque management combined with the equal-length driveshaft setup works well! I do get wicked wheelspin in first and second if I butcher the throttle, but otherwise its tame. 3rd and 4th gear are crazy fun on the highway though.

Thanks all for the compliments! Now, help a brother out with what to do with this car! I'm thinking I'm on the right track w/ the PRS 720's and their indoor performance combined w/ their off axis performance. The amps from Eclipse seem worthy, and the sub (as shown by its WinISD plot) looks CRAZY low capable before the -3dB point. whatcha think?
 
#11 ·
fourthmeal said:
rekd0514 sez:

No space for kicks to go! The stock footrest is staying put, and because I'm a lanky, tall guy, I need the room. The doors are the home of the mid-bass/midrange, and the sail panels are where the tweets will go. I haven't bought sailpanels, but I mentioned that they are cheap, because when I go to sell this car someday, I can buy the little replacement pieces cheaply. I agree, SQ might be improved by doing kicks, but I'll have to find another way to compensate.
Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm only putting the tweeters in the kick panels. My mids are staying in the doors too. That helps with your leg space problem which I have too. Not because I'm tall but because I would just hate to have something protruding out into the foot well area. By putting only the tweeter there, you don't have to make the panel protrude out into the leg space and it's much easier to blend a tweeter into the panel then trying to do a mid. The tweeter is still in close proximity to the mid in this configuration so you'll still benefit from reduced PLDs.

I haven't actually done it yet since I'm still trying to decide on a mid & tweeter combo. I have considered the Morel Supremo 5 set and Seas Excel W15LY mids with Hiquphon OW1-fs tweeters. The large format tweeter causes a problem because making a grill for it can be difficult while trying to blend it into the stock panel.

Good luck with your install.
 
#12 ·
So here's what I'm dealing with if we're talking kickpanels. I'm all for trying it, but honestly, there isn't much space width-wise. I am going to draft up some possibilities though. I could always do a small 3" midrange and then a nice tweeter, then install a beefy midbass in the door. I know its not DIY, but I really like the Eclipse SC 3 way series, but I was all about the 2 ways because of fear of the kick (panel)

Material wise, those kicks are textured plastic, something a black vinyl or a clear coated texture paint might match. Also, I wouldn't be afraid to use low-pile carpet to match the floor. Its a nice BLACK.

I'll edit this later or post up a little sketch of some ideas, if I come up w/ any.



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#13 ·
I just picked up a RF 3sixty.2 processor. Highly recommend. If your hu is typical of those in new cars today, it has a good amount of built in processing that will need to be corrected before you can install an aftermarket stereo. Otherwise there could be serious frequency response issues that could limit the sound quality of your setup.

You also have very nice doors. I would take full advantage and try a good driver such as the Seas RNX series or Peerless exclusive. You may also want to check out this thread for an affordable, yet very high quality tweeter with superb top end dispersion http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7774&highlight=pacparts

Although I am quite impressed with the LMT drivers, I'm not completely sold. I honestly think that you can't really do better than a JL 10w7. It's solidly built, very low mechanical noise, and very good unit to unit consistency. Although I haven't had any experience with the TC LMT drivers, you can read my review on the LMT Eclipse sw8200 int he review forum.
 
#14 ·
man, that is plenty of space for a 6 and tweeter in the kicks. especially once u see how much space is probably behind the plastic trim panel. i'm sure a little bit of work getting them in there (or, a 3 way 4 and tweet or midrange and tweet in the kicks and bass in the doors) will give you soooo much more than any other mounting scheme.
 
#15 ·
Man I love those cars.

In any case, since you are keeping the stock head unit, and from all the information I have gathered, it has the same head units as the 6, I'll try and spread a little bit of information.

I don't know if there are bose and non-bose units in those cars. If it is bose, it will have preamp outputs that can easily be tapped into and are ruler flat for frequency response. If it is a non-bose system, and the deck is supplying power, there are volume dependant adjustments that the HU makes to the frequency response. I.e. it rolls the bass off at higher volumes. It's not too bad, but you'll only want to use the front channels if you are using a LOC. See this thread.

http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=36328

A thread has just surfaced on 6 club that explains how to bypass the internal amplifier that I believe eliminates this. Here's the link. http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=66591

Hope this is helpful!

Dave
 
#16 ·
I say stick with a DIY 2-way setup. Use a 6.5" driver in the doors with plenty of sound deadening. Use a compact tweeter in the sail panels (the largest you can fit). Run the speakers active so you can experiment with different crossover points and you'll have better control over tweeter volume.

I know you're all gung-ho about the rear speakers but I think if you leave them stock, powered off the head unit, that will be enough for the rear passengers. No one who has demo'd my Protege5 from the back seat has complained that there wasn't enough mid or highs. The bass from the trunk makes it to the front of the car without trouble...why wouldn't the treble make it to the back seat?

So if you don't power rears off the amp, that leaves you with all 4-channels to run active up front. This will result in a much cleaner and easier to configure sound.
 
#17 ·
chuyler1 said:
I say stick with a DIY 2-way setup. Use a 6.5" driver in the doors with plenty of sound deadening. Use a compact tweeter in the sail panels (the largest you can fit). Run the speakers active so you can experiment with different crossover points and you'll have better control over tweeter volume.

I know you're all gung-ho about the rear speakers but I think if you leave them stock, powered off the head unit, that will be enough for the rear passengers. No one who has demo'd my Protege5 from the back seat has complained that there wasn't enough mid or highs. The bass from the trunk makes it to the front of the car without trouble...why wouldn't the treble make it to the back seat?

So if you don't power rears off the amp, that leaves you with all 4-channels to run active up front. This will result in a much cleaner and easier to configure sound.
Totally agree here and also with npdang.
Using the stock head isn't a bad option, esp. since kits for all the new Mazdas aren't readily available (I'm not sure about the 3). If you go this route having the right interface is critical, and though I don't have personal experience with the RF or the JL (Cleansweep), they both seem to be good choices for this. I think if you are looking for simplicity, I agree you should really try the factory locations first, and experiment from there. The Pioneer PRS comps may be a good way to start off and ease into things, because you could use the passive at first, and save $ and installation difficulties by keeping it simple. You can then just add on over time, spreading out the expense and installation burden. For instance: get the interface, your main amp, comps, and a sub first. Deaden and get that all installed and you'll have a really nice, basic system. After that, get another amp, move to fully active, try other tweeter locations, get new front stage components to swap out (which is likely to happen if you continue hanging around here), etc...

I guess I'm just saying that your dream system doesn't have to be built in a day. Rome sure wasn't. Start with your system soon, because if you don't, you'll be caught in the endless trap of equipment decision paralysis, which I've seen alot here!!!:D :p Note this condition also leads to the inevitable "chronic equipment switch out" condition too, rendering your car only half useful with missing trim, seats, and other associated hardware. :eek:

GL.
 
#18 ·
haha..

"endless trap of equipment decision paralysis, which I've seen alot here!!! Note this condition also leads to the inevitable "chronic equipment switch out" condition too, rendering your car only half useful with missing trim, seats, and other associated hardware."

that is priceless as soo true
 
#19 ·
Heya fourthmeal. I just signed up here to post on this thread, and of course post more in the future. Anyway I am also a Mazdaspeed3 owner from Canada.

I will be following your progress in tune with what I am doing. I have not installed Car Audio systems in the past, although I am familar with Home stuff. I was planning on doing the system myself, but I want one sooner then later and with no access to garage in town (the city in which i live is very crowded) to do the work myself I may have to get it professionally done by a fairly well-regarded installer out of town. There are 3 shops in town but I am not too keen on using them.

Im going for a system with moderate to high SQ with a little room for SPL.

Just to bounce my ideas off you without trying to jack your thread Ill say that my preliminary choices are the Dynaudio MkII242 Comps. Zapco DC1100 and DC350.2 digital amplifiers. Perhaps the Polk SR's (2 10").

I was thinking of using a Alpine IVA-D310 for the head unit, but I am at a crossroads in regards to that decision. As you have decided to keep your Headunit for cosmetic purposes this may not be an issue.

In canada the MS3 comes standard with the Bose unit and Auto-Climate control, which makes use of the HU display. This seems like it may be a huge pain to keep the use of the display while removing the Bose headunit. Without the display the Autoclimate control is uselss btw.


Congrats on the new car.
 
#20 ·
vwtoby said:
haha..

"endless trap of equipment decision paralysis, which I've seen alot here!!! Note this condition also leads to the inevitable "chronic equipment switch out" condition too, rendering your car only half useful with missing trim, seats, and other associated hardware."

that is priceless as soo true
This is why I say skip the B.S. and go straight to an active setup.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the replies! I considered the 3-way options for quite a while last night, and I drew up some possible ways to pull it off. One way is to sacrifice the plastic kicks that are stock, by cutting a hole in the panel (say for a 3" DIY Dayton or SEAS, and a 1" for a proper VIFA or SEAS tweet), angling them and then using pvc to make a small sono-tube like structure behind the kick. It would be stealth as hell, and not steal any space for my feet. HOWEVER, I think its overkill. I'm convinced that Chuyler's idea of sticking w/ the stock placements, THEN going all out. I'd probably do it with fresh new kick plastics from Mazda, because then I could work on them whilst leaving my car alone.

Driver wise, then, I'm going with the biggest midbass-midrange I can put in the door, and according to my measurements that places the Dayton 7" RS180 on the top of my list. Upon simulating the differences in response between the Dayton, SEAS, and Pioneer Premier PRS woofers, I found the Pioneer and Dayton had similar curves, and the SEAS had a slightly weaker bottom end (anechoic, oversized sealed sealed/near infinite baffle enclosure size), which makes the Pioneer possibly at least comparable to the Dayton.

Tweeter wise, I'll get back to you on that...
 
#22 ·
The only downside to using a larger (greater than 6.5") driver is that you will be mating it to a relatively small tweeter. Many of the people using the RS180 on this board have large format tweeters (which probably won't fit in your sail panel) or 3-way setups. A quick search of this forum shows that the RS180 is good for about 2KHz and the RS150 is good for about 3.2KHz.
 
#23 ·


is anyone else wondering if the black part is an insert that is totally removable for purposes of deadeneing the outer skin and potentially replacing with a massive MDF or alternate material panel.... allowing for the construction of a stealth baffle with an excessively large diameter cutout?



:cool:
 
#24 ·
Whiterabbit said:


is anyone else wondering if the black part is an insert that is totally removable for purposes of deadeneing the outer skin and potentially replacing with a massive MDF or alternate material panel.... allowing for the construction of a stealth baffle with an excessively large diameter cutout?



:cool:
Ya he has the right idea. haha Huge potential here! :eek:
 
#25 ·
It is a very thick piece of composite plastic that houses things like the motor. However, I'm sure you could work something out!

I'm thinking the Premier comps run in active would be the best to start. That way i've got the size speaker I want (6.5"), and a matching tweeter. I've heard these drivers work well off axis, and thats exactly where I'll be. Now, to find out how to get decent wire in the door, without destroying or cutting anything metal...
 
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