Cheapest way to upgrade Mazda3 audio?

[thegreatsatan]

Hey, I'm wondering what you all would consider the cheapest way to get a decent sound system going? Without doing the work yourself... Is buying used and then getting it installed cheaper than going in and just getting the whole shebang done yourself? What would I need to know to buy used equipment off kijiji and then, a cheaper place that does good work around kitchener/waterloo?
I know essentially nothing about the whole process lol so don't assume any knowledge at all on my part....
I would also realllly like to be able to have a subwoofer without having a big box in the back of my car but I don't know if that is even possible

[Bosshammy]

Do it your self , get to know your car

[thegreatsatan]

Thanks for taking the time to provide a completely useless reply that says to do exactly what I stated I did not want to do.

[CoolColombian]

Look in kijiji for a LOC(line output converter), a 2ch amp and a 10"sub with box then you'll have to call around and find the cheapest place to get this installed or an acquaintance with some knowledge of car audio.

[krimsalt]

Well essentially the statement is contradicting itself. The only "cheap way" to do something is buy the aftermarket speakers/subwoofer and install it yourself. There is no "tweek" button in the radio console. I adjusted the trebble down 3 points and that gave my sound a deeper feel, but I don't care much for pristine amazing sound.

But then again, buying cheap aftermarket sound parts will cost you as they will probably not last as long or work as well as the OEM parts. You'd have to spend a couple grand to have the work professionally done, or about a grand for yourself to do it. If you want to check out the sponsors, I hear good things about Audio-Haven?

"Don't fix what ain't broken and don't upgrade what you can't afford."

[Ozil]

Thanks for taking the time to provide a completely useless reply that says to do exactly what I stated I did not want to do.

It was just a suggestion.... plus if you have problems with your new audio system or whatever later on, you could fix it yourself........................................

[Default User]

Shops use the same rates as everyone else. Everybody is trying to stay competitive yet be able to feed their families at the end of the day.

Depending on what you're getting done, it's very simple to install most systems yourself.

kijiji is a good place to find used parts. I would be more concerned with making sure they actually work. I mean, they are selling it for a reason.

[07carbon3]

i had my installion done audio heaven for $80, i feel that when your doing a job like that you want to go to a professional shop with a good rep like audio heaven

[07carbon3]

Thanks for taking the time to provide a completely useless reply that says to do exactly what I stated I did not want to do.

chill bro:)

[peterm15]

i feel that when your doing a job like that you want to go to a professional shop with a good rep like audio heaven

+1

I'll install decks and components but when it comes to amps and caps I leave it to the pros.

[krimsalt]

Problem is, he's in Kitchener/Waterloo... so Audio Haven is out of his way... I forgot that myself when I replied first time

[Bosshammy]

Thanks for taking the time to provide a completely useless reply that says to do exactly what I stated I did not want to do.

Chill buddy , just gave you a sugestion. It is the cheapest sulotion,just check around kijiji and for the issue of you not. Wanting a sub box in your trunk you could get one custom fited to your trunk , I did that with my old car worked great.

[Kingshead8]

Kijiji is really good, but you have to look for a good deal and make sure you have them test everything before you buy. You could probably get a small 10inch sub in the back and not have it take up to much room. Once you have everything call around to audio places seeing who gives you the best quote.

[Reddie1337]

If you are around Kitchener-Waterloo, Natural Sound is a good place to go. I got quoted 900 to install some good component speakers in the front doors with an amp and the speakers included in the price. Now, I could do it all myself, I just wanted a price when I went in. As for size of box, it all depends on sub, you can get shallow mount subs, (kind they use in trucks) and have a smaller box if you wanted.

If you needed any help with buying/installing options, you can shoot me a PM, I am from Cambridge and I have had a bunch of different cars with different sound systems in them. And I have dealt with a couple different shops between Cambridge and KW.

[narcolepticus]

+1 for Natural Sound

[pwdunmore]

The cheapest way is to go to bestbuy and get a battery powered mp3 dock. Just have to get a car charger for it :chuckle

[trulankan]

Well essentially the statement is contradicting itself. The only "cheap way" to do something is buy the aftermarket speakers/subwoofer and install it yourself. There is no "tweek" button in the radio console. I adjusted the trebble down 3 points and that gave my sound a deeper feel, but I don't care much for pristine amazing sound.

But then again, buying cheap aftermarket sound parts will cost you as they will probably not last as long or work as well as the OEM parts. You'd have to spend a couple grand to have the work professionally done, or about a grand for yourself to do it. If you want to check out the sponsors, I hear good things about Audio-Haven?

"Don't fix what ain't broken and don't upgrade what you can't afford."

a decent audio system should not cost you a grand. I paid $500 total (sub + amp + install) from Audio Heaven when they had a spring/summer sale on. The stock system is decent, all I needed was the sub for the added bass. The sub is a 10-inch JBL and gives more than enough bass for me and is a lot more powerful than I expected it to be. I asked around at the time at the price were all in the same range or higher. Unfortunately, u just missed the sale that Audio Heaven had about 2 weeks ago where everything was 50% off.

[Jackal]

Double post.

[Jackal]

Hey, I'm wondering what you all would consider the cheapest way to get a decent sound system going? Without doing the work yourself... Is buying used and then getting it installed cheaper than going in and just getting the whole shebang done yourself? What would I need to know to buy used equipment off kijiji and then, a cheaper place that does good work around kitchener/waterloo?
I know essentially nothing about the whole process lol so don't assume any knowledge at all on my part....
I would also realllly like to be able to have a subwoofer without having a big box in the back of my car but I don't know if that is even possible
I recommend doing it piecemeal if you can't afford an expensive system. You have to break it down into what you want:
Head Unit
Subwoofer
Amp for subwoofer
Subwoofer box
Front speaker components
Rear speakers
Speaker brackets (may be necessary)
Amp for front and rear (recommended if you don't have an aftermarket head unit)
Installation from a shop or other

Prices depends on what you want to do.

Edit. Oh yeah there's more
Head Unit dask kit
Wiring
Steering wheel control harness
and more that I don't come to mind.

[S.F.W.]

a decent audio system should not cost you a grand. I paid $500 total (sub + amp + install) from Audio Heaven when they had a spring/summer sale on. The stock system is decent, all I needed was the sub for the added bass. The sub is a 10-inch JBL and gives more than enough bass for me and is a lot more powerful than I expected it to be. I asked around at the time at the price were all in the same range or higher. Unfortunately, u just missed the sale that Audio Heaven had about 2 weeks ago where everything was 50% off.
I disagree with you. The stock system is "decent", I suppose..so are $20 ear buds.
I actually would upgrade the door speakers and add a 4 channel or 5 channel(room to add a sub) first. Then a mono amp and sub. Then head unit. Jackal's posts are good.

[Impressive]

a decent audio system should not cost you a grand. I paid $500 total (sub + amp + install) from Audio Heaven when they had a spring/summer sale on. The stock system is decent, all I needed was the sub for the added bass. The sub is a 10-inch JBL and gives more than enough bass for me and is a lot more powerful than I expected it to be. I asked around at the time at the price were all in the same range or higher. Unfortunately, u just missed the sale that Audio Heaven had about 2 weeks ago where everything was 50% off.

The stock system is decent if you only listen to it at mid volume.

I've got an audio swap coming up soon that's going to cost well over $1,000 when it's all said and done...and that's without a subwoofer at the moment. A good deck could cost you (install and everything in) about $1,000 alone so I'd beg to differ about how much money you need to put in to get a decent system going.

Next MASIV meet I'll hopefully have everything ready so I'll be able to show you what I'm talking about.

[trulankan]

I disagree with you. The stock system is "decent", I suppose..so are $20 ear buds.
I actually would upgrade the door speakers and add a 4 channel or 5 channel(room to add a sub) first. Then a mono amp and sub. Then head unit. Jackal's posts are good.

well im no audiophile lol and yeah upgrading the entire system will definately cost u over $1,000...so the real question would be what is the OP's budget?

[Sonic31]

*Didn't notice the date of original post - Wonder if the OP ever bought anything...*

I think that saying upgrading the entire audio system will cost over $1000 is a bit misleading. It might eventually cost over $1000 but you can definitely get good sound by doing things in steps and it not costing a fortune out of the gate.

Just adding upgraded door speakers will make a huge difference, and that is something that even the most inexperienced car guy should be able to do in about an hour on our car (assuming components aren't involved). You can can find brand new ones that would be a big upgrade over stock for about $80-120 a set if you shop around.

Note: Normally I would suggest head unit before speakers, but seeing as the speakers can likely be installed by the OP himself if he does a few searches on how-to's, this is probably the cheapest step, so I put it first.

Next step is the head unit, which will not only make the new speakers sound that much better again, but should only be about an hours work, maybe 1.5hrs, for an experienced car installer to do ($60-$90, although I am not up to date on shop rates so that could be off). Used decks are everywhere on Kijiji, but if the OP isn't looking for anything special, a deck with a dedicated sub out for future use, that is miles better than the stock one, can be found brand new for $150-$200 also add $30ish for the wiring harness.

Just with those two things his audio experience will be miles better and it will cost less than $600.

As far as subwoofer goes, that can be saved up for later, but the suggestion to get one of the thin models to save space (as this is a consideration for the OP) is not a bad idea. For a decent sub, box, wiring, amp that can run anywhere from $300 - 500.

So in the end it will be $1K+ but it's not lke the guy has to drop that amount all in one shot. I think mine did eventually cost that, but it took me about 2 years to put it all together. Also I installed everything myself which saved me mucho mucho $$$.

Thegreatsatan: With just a little research, some patience, anyone can probably install their own car audio. I seriously recommend taking the time to research how to do everything yourself. That way rather than spending your money on having someone install the system, you can can spend that money on buying better stereo equipment.

[mikey32235]

cerwin vega speakers with built in tweeters 109 a pair and roxford fosgate 10' dual subs with a 1000w cerwin amp!

[goodcase]

I didn't do anything fancy. I just added in a 10" sub with a 600w amp. I don't have the gain on the amp set really high either. Essentially what I've done is routed the bass to the sub, turned down the bass on the factory speakers so they don't distort at louder volumes. I'm quite impressed with how it sounds, especially given that it only cost me about $400.

[js593]

If it makes any difference, my old system in my accord costed me nearly 3G's.

It depends how good you want it, how clean it should sound, and the quality of your stuff.

2 years later, i sold the shit for 300$ cause you cant get nothing for used car audio stuff....

This time around, screen + europeen speakers + kicker sub/amp combo sounds appealing, but not worth the headache.

[Jackal]

If it makes any difference, my old system in my accord costed me nearly 3G's.

It depends how good you want it, how clean it should sound, and the quality of your stuff.

2 years later, i sold the shit for 300$ cause you cant get nothing for used car audio stuff....

This time around, screen + europeen speakers + kicker sub/amp combo sounds appealing, but not worth the headache.

Buy some 2 year old sh*t for $300 and install that.

[Gods Son]

I paid $150 for my box/sub combo, $150 for a kenwood amp on sale and maybe another $100 for installation and the LOC. Audiophiles will probably nitpick at the sound but to me it sounds amazing and is a great upgrade from the stock sound. Someone earlier, I think SFW, compared it to $20 earbuds. The thing is alot of people are satisfied enough with $20 earbuds...