Replacing the stock speakers of Mazda 6 with a new audio system with a three-way front
This was the final work in 2020, completed just before the New Year. This system was very interesting for us, because we had been designing processor systems all year, but here, in the Mazda 6, the owner flatly refused to go for a slightly larger budget for the sake of processor sound. Therefore, the audio system was built as a classic “Front + rear + subwoofer + amplifier”. Of course, with mandatory audio preparation of the doors.
The new audio system for Mazda 6 consists of the following:
- We decided to install a three-component Focal PS 165 F3E acoustics set at the front. Excellent speakers, we love them very much for their richness, dynamism and sincere accuracy inherent in the senior Focal lines.
- For the sound system we decided to use Audison APX 6.5 coaxials, which are universal in terms of musical genres.
- The subwoofer in this car was also chosen from the most sensible ones – an active cabinet Audison APBX 10 AS2 with a 25 cm speaker.
- The Hertz HCP 4D amplifier is a digital fighter, powerful and precise.
- The source, as usual, is the regular head office.
It felt like such a system should have fully satisfied us and the car owner, looking ahead I will say that we were very pleased with the result! But with a small reservation, which was clear from the very beginning – read about it at the end of the article)
So, of course, we installed all the speakers in their regular places, without any alterations, without cutting the car, without cutting into the metal, drilling and other torments. We made high-quality audio preparation for four doors:
The tweeters and midrange speakers from the Focal PS 165 F3E kit were installed in the standard places of the Mazda 6, which are located in the dashboard under the windshield, which is very good for the final music scene.
The basic factory audio system in the Mazda 6 does not have middle parts, instead there is a plug:
Well, how could we not use the opportunity to add a third component to the front, when there is even a place for it and not bad. The middle of Focal is ready:
The tweeter was factory-made, as always a cheap Chinese product. We traditionally compared the stock tweeters and Focal, the comparison was expectedly not in favor of the stock speakers:
Easy installation of tweeters to the protective mesh of Mazda 6 in standard places
One step before final installation
The midbass speakers from the Focal PS 165 F3E kit were installed using CARAV spacer rings. The factory Mazda 6 speaker in the front doors was 20 cm in size. Unfortunately, there is practically no choice in this size when it comes to high-quality speakers for real music. Therefore, we often switch from the twentieth size to the sixteenth, the choice of which is much wider. Moreover, this is quite acceptable when the audio system is supposed to have a full-fledged subwoofer, and this is exactly our case.
We try on the ring in the front door:
With midbass it’s like this:
The amplifier was placed under the passenger seat:
There is, of course, a fuse too:
The subwoofer is a cabinet-type, active one. It takes up little space, it can always be quickly disconnected and temporarily removed from the trunk. But even when the subwoofer is in the trunk, it is as if it is not there. Judge for yourself:
Can you see the sub? It’s there!)))
As a result, after turning on and listening to the new audio system in the Mazda 6, the drivers were satisfied. The three-band front and the successful placement of the middle and tweeters gave us a beautiful high stage.
But. Remember, at the beginning I said that despite the fact that we were satisfied with the sound, there was one “but”. And we knew about this “but”, of course. And this “but” concerns the impossibility of final adjustment. A regular amplifier, no matter how cool it is, will not give us those wide opportunities for adjusting each speaker for a complete picture, harmonious for the human ear.
In general, if this system had a processor, it would be just great in this budget! You can fit it into $2500 and believe me, the sound will be such that you will enjoy every day. This will not be a sound for competitions, where masters prove something to someone for your money. And this is not the sound that you can scare street punks with. This is a sound for the sake of music and for your ears and mood!
