Mazda 3 2012 Audio Project
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03-22-2012 | 05:40 PM
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Mazda 3 2012 Audio Project
Hello all, I recently bought a new Mazda 3. One of the first things I'm improving is the audio. So far here are my intentions.
- Back door speakers
JL Audio TR525-CXi Evolution™ TR Series 5-1/4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield.com
The JL Audio TR525 CX-i speaker set enjoys a good reputation, but unfortunately only fit in the back door, or I'd buy two sets. I spoke to a rep from Crutchfield and he stated that they are more than 3/8" too deep with the bracket they provide and the magnet diameter is more than 1/16" of an inch too large. There's an obstruction that limits the size of the magnet (possibly the window mechanism). Still I'd go with these for the back door for the relative ease of installation.
- Front door speakers
Rockford Fosgate Prime R152-S 5-1/4" component speaker system at Crutchfield.com
The Rockford Fosgate Prime R152-S set come with a component set of two woofers and two tweeters. It appears the woofers are a factory fit, so I'm not too worried about that, but the tweeters are a different story. Since I had to downgrade to the i Sport, I don't have tweeters in my car, so there are no tweeter mounts. I'm going to be purchasing those separately. I may be pursuing this from a professional shop though if extensive work is required to install them.
- Tweeter pods/harnesses
GARNISH LEFT (L), SAIL - IN. for 2011 Mazda Mazda 3 (BBM36917YC)
GARNISH RIGHT (R), SAIL - IN. for 2011 Mazda Mazda 3 (BBM36911YC)
OEM tweeter harnesses. I want to preserve the OEM look as much as possible while I'm pursing mods and improvements, so these HAVE to do. I have it on good authority that these are compatible with 2012 models.
- Head Unit
Either
Mazda 3 2010-2011 DVD Player w/ GPS Navigation System Radio :
with the wireless rear view camera option and the digital TV tuner option. Or this:
Rosen MZ1010-H11 Navigation Receiver Custom-fit replacement for your 20010-up Mazda 3 factory radio at Crutchfield.com
Of course, I wouldn't buy that directly from Crutchfield, but that particular model s what I'm interested in. Remember, I want to preserve the OEM appearance.
The head unit offered on SmartAuto24 is listed for the 2010-2011 models, but will work with the 2012 since it's the same wiring harness. TBH, I'm liking the SmartAuto24 unit way more than the Rosen unit. They both sport "hi-res" LCDs, they both have 4x45 miniamps, playback media files and DVDs, have steering wheel controls, have SD card/aux/USB/multiple A/V inputs, have in-dash GPS, and have Bluetooth. However, the SmartAuto24 unit offers a TV tuner (with digital tuner for extra), has a 6 band EQ according to the photos, the UI looks a lot sleeker (again, according to the photos), supports dualzone, has PIP (for whatever reason) and is a helluva lot cheaper (the cheapest I could find the Rosen was for ~$860 on a HIGHLY questionable site). The only reason I'm apprehensive about buying the unit from SmartAuto24 is because they don't list a manufacturer for the unit, so I have no idea if the device manufacturer has a good reputation or if the device itself does. Looking at the "Engrish" manual, it seems they are the sole support for the unit. It's a big gamble, but one that could really pay off if it doesn't suck. I've found some videos of the unit in action it looks on the up and up, but you can never be sure when it comes to these things.
- Amp
As of right now, since the replacement head unit will be 4x45 either way I go, that should be enough to cover all four of my speakers. However, if I find I need a bit more power, I may consider a 4 channel amp. Right now, it doesn't look like I'll need it.
Anyway my questions are:
- Is it simple to wire a tweeter into the car system? I know you can do this a number of ways, using soldering techniques or a barrel connector (I'd probably go barrel since my soldering skills are weak).
- Should I invest in an amp anyway? I care more about sound quality than loudness as I listen to a wide range of music (rock, hard rock, metal, alternative, grunge, punk, hip-hop/rap, jazz, R&B, techno, electronica, dance, and the list goes on). I just don't want to have distorted sound and I want hear whats going on the sound.
- Has anyone dealt with SmartAuto24 before? If no one has, I'll take one for the team.
Also, any suggestions, tips, or links to how-to guide I somehow wasn't able to find would be grateful. Thank you all for your time. Of course, I'll post pics and a vid when it's all said and done.
- Back door speakers
JL Audio TR525-CXi Evolution™ TR Series 5-1/4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield.com
The JL Audio TR525 CX-i speaker set enjoys a good reputation, but unfortunately only fit in the back door, or I'd buy two sets. I spoke to a rep from Crutchfield and he stated that they are more than 3/8" too deep with the bracket they provide and the magnet diameter is more than 1/16" of an inch too large. There's an obstruction that limits the size of the magnet (possibly the window mechanism). Still I'd go with these for the back door for the relative ease of installation.
- Front door speakers
Rockford Fosgate Prime R152-S 5-1/4" component speaker system at Crutchfield.com
The Rockford Fosgate Prime R152-S set come with a component set of two woofers and two tweeters. It appears the woofers are a factory fit, so I'm not too worried about that, but the tweeters are a different story. Since I had to downgrade to the i Sport, I don't have tweeters in my car, so there are no tweeter mounts. I'm going to be purchasing those separately. I may be pursuing this from a professional shop though if extensive work is required to install them.
- Tweeter pods/harnesses
GARNISH LEFT (L), SAIL - IN. for 2011 Mazda Mazda 3 (BBM36917YC)
GARNISH RIGHT (R), SAIL - IN. for 2011 Mazda Mazda 3 (BBM36911YC)
OEM tweeter harnesses. I want to preserve the OEM look as much as possible while I'm pursing mods and improvements, so these HAVE to do. I have it on good authority that these are compatible with 2012 models.
- Head Unit
Either
Mazda 3 2010-2011 DVD Player w/ GPS Navigation System Radio :
with the wireless rear view camera option and the digital TV tuner option. Or this:
Rosen MZ1010-H11 Navigation Receiver Custom-fit replacement for your 20010-up Mazda 3 factory radio at Crutchfield.com
Of course, I wouldn't buy that directly from Crutchfield, but that particular model s what I'm interested in. Remember, I want to preserve the OEM appearance.
The head unit offered on SmartAuto24 is listed for the 2010-2011 models, but will work with the 2012 since it's the same wiring harness. TBH, I'm liking the SmartAuto24 unit way more than the Rosen unit. They both sport "hi-res" LCDs, they both have 4x45 miniamps, playback media files and DVDs, have steering wheel controls, have SD card/aux/USB/multiple A/V inputs, have in-dash GPS, and have Bluetooth. However, the SmartAuto24 unit offers a TV tuner (with digital tuner for extra), has a 6 band EQ according to the photos, the UI looks a lot sleeker (again, according to the photos), supports dualzone, has PIP (for whatever reason) and is a helluva lot cheaper (the cheapest I could find the Rosen was for ~$860 on a HIGHLY questionable site). The only reason I'm apprehensive about buying the unit from SmartAuto24 is because they don't list a manufacturer for the unit, so I have no idea if the device manufacturer has a good reputation or if the device itself does. Looking at the "Engrish" manual, it seems they are the sole support for the unit. It's a big gamble, but one that could really pay off if it doesn't suck. I've found some videos of the unit in action it looks on the up and up, but you can never be sure when it comes to these things.
- Amp
As of right now, since the replacement head unit will be 4x45 either way I go, that should be enough to cover all four of my speakers. However, if I find I need a bit more power, I may consider a 4 channel amp. Right now, it doesn't look like I'll need it.
Anyway my questions are:
- Is it simple to wire a tweeter into the car system? I know you can do this a number of ways, using soldering techniques or a barrel connector (I'd probably go barrel since my soldering skills are weak).
- Should I invest in an amp anyway? I care more about sound quality than loudness as I listen to a wide range of music (rock, hard rock, metal, alternative, grunge, punk, hip-hop/rap, jazz, R&B, techno, electronica, dance, and the list goes on). I just don't want to have distorted sound and I want hear whats going on the sound.
- Has anyone dealt with SmartAuto24 before? If no one has, I'll take one for the team.
Also, any suggestions, tips, or links to how-to guide I somehow wasn't able to find would be grateful. Thank you all for your time. Of course, I'll post pics and a vid when it's all said and done.
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