E. Tinker's Black Mica 2010 MazdaSpeed3
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Perhaps you've seen my wife's Mazda3 GT...well here's my own 2010 MazdaSpeed3 in Black Mica.
I've already taken the liberty of painting the brake calipers red and have tinted the windows as well. I've also added an aftermarket security system and upgraded the audio system to something more suited to a vehicle with the Speed's performance capabilities.
I decide I wanted a nice combination of semi-stock looks and high fidelity aftermarket audio performance, so I opted to keep the stock CD/MP3 Player. This also allowed me to retain steering wheel controls and all BlueTooth capabilities. Signals from the stock head unit flow to a JL Audio Cleansweep OEM interface. The Cleansweep equalizes out any artificial "boost" applied by the stock head unit and leaves a nice flattened frequency response curve afterward.
The CleanSweep was mounted under the passenger seat and Audison Connection signal cables are routed to the Arc Audio KEQ7 7-Band Graphic Equalizer with Subwoofer level control located in the glove compartment. The auxiliary volume knob for the CleanSweep was mounted to the left of the stock radio's volume knob near the ignition switch to keep it immediately accessible.
The Hertz ML28 Tweeters from a Hertz Mille MLK165 component set are mounted in the factory location in the sail panels. The factory location was modified to accommodate the tweeter's size yet the installation maintains a stock appearance.
The Hertz ML165 Woofers from the aforementioned component set are mounted in the factory location in the doors. The woofer was mounted on custom spacers due to the depth necessitated by the woofer's magnet structure. Custom adapter plates were also used to ensure proper fitment of the 6 1/2" woofer into the factory 5"x7" location. Crossovers for the component set will reside next to the Audison LRx3.1k on a custom amp rack.
The amp rack for the Audison LRx3.1k amplifier and passive crossovers from the Hertz Mille MLK165 component speaker set is mounted on the opposite side of the subwoofer enclosure and remains hidden unless the rear seats are folded down. All power and signal wiring was hidden for a clean, attractive appearance.
The completed custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure houses a 12" Hertz HX300 High-Energy Subwoofer and is covered with charcoal gray automotive carpet to match the trunk interior. The custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure will not impede access to the spare tire. The factory trunk floor was modified slightly to accommodate lifting.
The stock hatch cover was modified to accommodate a custom grille that allows output from the subwoofer to vent into the vehicle's cabin. The grille is a perforated metal framed by an MDF trim ring carpeted to match the hatch cover and secured to the hatch cover with machine screws.
The installation of the security system and audio gear was all performed by Car Audio Innovations, Roseville, CA.
I could not be more happy with how everything turned out...the guys at Car Audio Innovations are the best...passionate about what they do and very willing to work within a budget to give the customer exactly what they need. Top notch shop.
As far as me and my Speed3, I love this car!!! It really is a logical refinement of last generation's Speed3. It's got "zip" and it handles very nicely...never feels "out of control" or "unmanageable". I've read the various reviews by Edmunds, Car & Dive and MotorTrend and all of them seem to have it spot on from my perspective.
In any case, hope you enjoy the pics.
I've already taken the liberty of painting the brake calipers red and have tinted the windows as well. I've also added an aftermarket security system and upgraded the audio system to something more suited to a vehicle with the Speed's performance capabilities.
I decide I wanted a nice combination of semi-stock looks and high fidelity aftermarket audio performance, so I opted to keep the stock CD/MP3 Player. This also allowed me to retain steering wheel controls and all BlueTooth capabilities. Signals from the stock head unit flow to a JL Audio Cleansweep OEM interface. The Cleansweep equalizes out any artificial "boost" applied by the stock head unit and leaves a nice flattened frequency response curve afterward.
The CleanSweep was mounted under the passenger seat and Audison Connection signal cables are routed to the Arc Audio KEQ7 7-Band Graphic Equalizer with Subwoofer level control located in the glove compartment. The auxiliary volume knob for the CleanSweep was mounted to the left of the stock radio's volume knob near the ignition switch to keep it immediately accessible.
The Hertz ML28 Tweeters from a Hertz Mille MLK165 component set are mounted in the factory location in the sail panels. The factory location was modified to accommodate the tweeter's size yet the installation maintains a stock appearance.
The Hertz ML165 Woofers from the aforementioned component set are mounted in the factory location in the doors. The woofer was mounted on custom spacers due to the depth necessitated by the woofer's magnet structure. Custom adapter plates were also used to ensure proper fitment of the 6 1/2" woofer into the factory 5"x7" location. Crossovers for the component set will reside next to the Audison LRx3.1k on a custom amp rack.
The amp rack for the Audison LRx3.1k amplifier and passive crossovers from the Hertz Mille MLK165 component speaker set is mounted on the opposite side of the subwoofer enclosure and remains hidden unless the rear seats are folded down. All power and signal wiring was hidden for a clean, attractive appearance.
The completed custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure houses a 12" Hertz HX300 High-Energy Subwoofer and is covered with charcoal gray automotive carpet to match the trunk interior. The custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure will not impede access to the spare tire. The factory trunk floor was modified slightly to accommodate lifting.
The stock hatch cover was modified to accommodate a custom grille that allows output from the subwoofer to vent into the vehicle's cabin. The grille is a perforated metal framed by an MDF trim ring carpeted to match the hatch cover and secured to the hatch cover with machine screws.
The installation of the security system and audio gear was all performed by Car Audio Innovations, Roseville, CA.
I could not be more happy with how everything turned out...the guys at Car Audio Innovations are the best...passionate about what they do and very willing to work within a budget to give the customer exactly what they need. Top notch shop.
As far as me and my Speed3, I love this car!!! It really is a logical refinement of last generation's Speed3. It's got "zip" and it handles very nicely...never feels "out of control" or "unmanageable". I've read the various reviews by Edmunds, Car & Dive and MotorTrend and all of them seem to have it spot on from my perspective.
In any case, hope you enjoy the pics.
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Very nice Speed 3! Just wondering about how much is a system like that costs? yea the bose speakers and subwoofer are just not working it for me and may consider in saving up for an aftermarket system:yes:
Both your wifes' and your vehicle has a very clean looking install
Both your wifes' and your vehicle has a very clean looking install
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PM sent! :yes:
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Very nice setup! So, the 3.1k is driving the front components and subwoofer, with the head unit taking care of fill in the back? Not a bad setup. I bet the imaging is fantastically better than stock. My favorite part of the install is the parcel shelf grille. That's pretty slick. About how much does that sub enclosure weigh?
Btw, I looked up a few prices for the equipment alone and it seems like if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. lol. You could buy a set of wheels and tires for what the amplifier cost. These are high-end products, for sure. However, can you really put a price on music?
Btw, I looked up a few prices for the equipment alone and it seems like if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. lol. You could buy a set of wheels and tires for what the amplifier cost. These are high-end products, for sure. However, can you really put a price on music?
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Thanks!
Actually, I don't have an rear fill going on...I was going to slip some Hertz coaxes back there but decided to spend the money on the font stage entirely. The stock speakers were completely disconnected but left in their stock locations and the rear doors lined with dampening material. I had rear speakers in the back doors of my Protege5 and ended up fading the signal forward because the rears were pulling back the soundstage too much. I figured for this car I'd just reallocate the funds and focus on the front stage.
The imaging is really phenomenal...the Milles give off a very wide and fairly deep soundstage...awesome speakers. The parcel shelf grille was totally my installer's idea...he's a freaking mad genius at car audio he takes a very "out of the box" approach to tackling installation issues. In my wife's sub enclosure he used an aperiodic vent (I had to Google it it up) in order to get the optimum air space for the sub (as opposed to just making the enclosure bigger and reducing trunk space). His name is Rod Birch and he runs Car Audio Innovations in Roseville, CA (a suburb of Sacramento) <=== gratuitous plug
. (EDIT: I forgot to mention that Charlie from Rod's shop did the actual install on my vehicle...the conceptual stuff was Rod, but Charlie put in all the sweat to make the system what it is).It's actually not that heavy for being so well built...maybe 40 lbs. The fiberglass front baffle helped keep the weight down.
Yeah...it wasn't what I'd call cheap...but everytime I get in the car and pop a CD in I'm grinning from ear to ear...well worth it :yes:.
Stereo Question
I'm a car stereo novice, but as I understand it the Bose amp stays, correct? The Clean Sweep goes after the Bose amp and uses the Bose high level output as its input?
Any thought to using the Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty processor, its the one my installer recommends?
I'm a car stereo novice, but as I understand it the Bose amp stays, correct? The Clean Sweep goes after the Bose amp and uses the Bose high level output as its input?
Any thought to using the Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty processor, its the one my installer recommends?
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That is correct...at least that's how my installer handled it. I think that the reason he didn't intercept the signal before it hit the Bose amp is that it was some proprietary databus cable of sorts.
The Rockford 3Sixty functions in much the same way as the CleanSweep but the 3Sixty is A LOT more customizable...you can program custom EQ curves, set crossover points and fine tune the signal far more intricately. The CleanSweep is not capable of doing any of that on its own it merely takes the factory signal and uses DSP to flatten out any pre-programmed curves.
The only two drawbacks I can see with using the 3Sixty is that it requires a Windows Mobile handheld to program (SmartPhone or PDA) and it is a bit pricier than the CleanSweep, but you do get more flexibility. If your installer will program it for you or if you already have a Windows Mobile device, the 3Sixty should work really well and give you a plethora of tuning options.
Good Luck!
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how do you turn up the volume? with the HU or with the little knob
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whoa whoa, you don't have that button in the reverse light? (name slips my mind...) and here i thought all speed3s were the same in the us... the ones shipped here have it. and i think it looks incredibly tacky. anyway, nothing makes me smile more than a modded car with paper plates. VERY nice!
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You are 100% correct.
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Wow...nice set up. I'm regretting selling my XTANT 1001 and 604
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