Sound systems - Stock Decks and Speakers

Hey everyone!

My car has the base model factory speakers and deck in it...
I find it sounds pretty rough... Static and such... and very quiet. (I use my iphone with blue tooth... My iPod and cord sounds even worse!)

Would getting new speakers make a difference at all? Would getting new ones at least make the sounds a bit more crisp?

I really don't feel like getting a new deck. I like the look of the stock deck :D

I went to an audio store the other day... he mentioned new deck, new mount, new amp ... all this stuff (i'm not even really sure what it is..) and it would cost around $600 and thats without new speakers. :(

To be completely honest, i'm really new into the car scene. This is my first new car and i'm trying really hard to learn everything about it. I love my Mazda3!!

lol

thank you!

Sam

Hey Sam,

New speakers will improve the quality of your music, however without a better headunit or amplifier to power them to their potential, you won't notice as much of a difference as you think you should.

If you were to get a small subwoofer with an amp and mount it in your trunk it would also help because it would send the bass from the speakers to the sub instead, providing you with clearer vocals, mids and treble from your door speakers.

Did you get the BOSE system in your car or no?


EDIT - To answer your question in the other thread - no you DO NOT need a new deck to run a sub/amp combo...but you will need a LOC (Line Output Converter). They retail for about $20-30 or so...I'm running 2 with my setup currently.

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Originally Posted by Impressive

Hey Sam,

New speakers will improve the quality of your music, however without a better headunit or amplifier to power them to their potential, you won't notice as much of a difference as you think you should.

If you were to get a small subwoofer with an amp and mount it in your trunk it would also help because it would send the bass from the speakers to the sub instead, providing you with clearer vocals, mids and treble from your door speakers.

Did you get the BOSE system in your car or no?


EDIT - To answer your question in the other thread - no you DO NOT need a new deck to run a sub/amp combo...but you will need a LOC (Line Output Converter). They retail for about $20-30 or so...I'm running 2 with my setup currently.

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Amazing! Thank you!

I didn't get the BOSE system.. and i'm reallllyy regretting it now. I didn't realize it would be this bad.

I have an amp and sub from my old car but the sub is so big it would take up half my trunk LOL. I asked the guy at the store and he said I'd have to get a new deck for it... Maybe its just the amp/sub that I have that requires a whole new set up?

Do you know any good places for a cheap amp/small sub around the area? I'd like to look up some prices :)

Thanks again!! :D

Lockdown is the authority when it comes to audio equipment and installation for cars as far as I'm concerned. They did my setup for me and I plan on visiting them again in the near future to put some more work into it.

I'm sure your current system could be run on a LOC to the stock deck with no problems...that place might have just been after your money. I had a huge system in my old car too that I was reluctant to transfer into my 3, but if I were you I'd at least keep the amp and look for maybe a smaller subwoofer (or just one if you had 2 like I did) to mount in your vehicle.

P.S - BOSE system isn't all it's made out to be. I like it personally but wiring aftermarket audio equipment in with it is apparently a PITA.

Is this the right store?:
http://www.lockdownsecuritycanada.ca/category-s/461.htm

I see some cheap ones for around $100-$150... I wonder if those would work and work with my current amp... I'm not even sure what amp it is I have.. i'll have to check when I get home.

So you think just getting a sub for my amp would make a big enough difference eh? $200 for the set up sounds alot better than $600 :P

Of course BIG sound would be great.. but maybe in a couple years when i'm not afraid of getting a scratch on my car i'll do the whole set up hahaha :P

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Originally Posted by samanthastyle

Is this the right store?:
http://www.lockdownsecuritycanada.ca/category-s/461.htm

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yes, you can also find them here:
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/fo...kdown-Security

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Originally Posted by samanthastyle

Is this the right store?:
http://www.lockdownsecuritycanada.ca/category-s/461.htm

I see some cheap ones for around $100-$150... I wonder if those would work and work with my current amp... I'm not even sure what amp it is I have.. i'll have to check when I get home.

So you think just getting a sub for my amp would make a big enough difference eh? $200 for the set up sounds alot better than $600 :P

Of course BIG sound would be great.. but maybe in a couple years when i'm not afraid of getting a scratch on my car i'll do the whole set up hahaha :P

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just getting a sub/amp wont help your quality in your speakers,

slowly but surly change it all!

i noticed a huge difference when i changed my deck in quality of doors and the power to my sub, vs stock deck with LOC

They're fairly close to where you work (no stalker). For the amount you saved on getting the Bose system you can put it towards getting audio equipment that's better suited to your tastes.

I think i'll start little - but new speakers, than a new sub and then the deck LOL! I just miss big sound. It's sad to think my 2001 sunfire had a better sound system LOL! thank you everyone! i'm going to look into that store forsure! I think you're right.. the other store was just trying to get money from me! :flaming

ps: @ genericmoniker... THATS THE CREEPIEST! LMFAO! I didn't know it was you at first hahaha. omg! i'm dying. I thought you were a creeper from your PM!! hahaha what are the chances?! lol! :chuckle

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Originally Posted by genericmoniker

They're fairly close to where you work (no stalker). For the amount you saved on getting the Bose system you can put it towards getting audio equipment that's better suited to your tastes.

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I'm going to go to it some time soon. Even just to check out prices and such! :)
ps: replying to the last thread: I dont think my car is cool enough for a ride :( I haven't done anything but put tints on my windows! lol

Do HU first. If you plan on doing it in the future anyways. It just makes other upgrades so much simpler.

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Originally Posted by schmat66

just getting a sub/amp wont help your quality in your speakers,

slowly but surly change it all!

i noticed a huge difference when i changed my deck in quality of doors and the power to my sub, vs stock deck with LOC

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It does make a difference in sound quality because the speakers no longer pump the bass that they otherwise would, but it's definitely not as noticeable as it would be if you upgraded your headunit or bought aftermarket speakers and hooked an amp up to them.

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Originally Posted by Impressive

It does make a difference in sound quality because the speakers no longer pump the bass that they otherwise would, but it's definitely not as noticeable as it would be if you upgraded your headunit or bought aftermarket speakers and hooked an amp up to them.

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LOL i'm just going to bring this thread with me and put it on the counter ... "I want this!!" hahaha

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Originally Posted by samanthastyle

LOL i'm just going to bring this thread with me and put it on the counter ... "I want this!!" hahaha

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If you go to Lockdown maybe you can use one of the iPads they have now to show them the thread :P

I'll be going back in December after my birthday to get a sub installed. The one I'm getting is the 10" shallow mount Pioneer that goes for around $170.

There was some pretty good advice in that other thread about going cheap and doing things twice.

Give us a call and come by and we can talk about what you would like to do, what kind of budget you are working with for each step and what kind of time line.
I have found that 75% of the Mazda 3s I have sat in, get poor radio reception when plugging something in to the power ports.

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Originally Posted by Lockdown

There was some pretty good advice in that other thread about going cheap and doing things twice.

Give us a call and come by and we can talk about what you would like to do, what kind of budget you are working with for each step and what kind of time line.
I have found that 75% of the Mazda 3s I have sat in, get poor radio reception when plugging something in to the power ports.

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I learned that the hard way lol...I think the Type S's I have in my rear doors are blown now...but then again I never intended to run as much power to them as I do with the amp that I'm using. Oh well, I've got the remedy for it and will be in touch regarding some more audio work soon :)

Sorry to hear about that but happy to hear you're going to be coming by again.

Should be slightly more entertaining here now

You cant have everything you want, you have to be able to give a little to get a little.
You want better audio than you have now but you want to keep stock look, this doesnt work, you cant get better audio with stock headunit no matter what anyone says.
So your going to have to make a choice. If you want stock look then dont bother wasting your money on speakers because it will be the same thing and using a LOC for a sub out is not the same as a headunit out IMO.
U might not like that the headunit wont be OEM but like i said your sacrifice will make a big difference when its all done.
I bought a double din first and it made a 150% difference right away, plus you get bluetooth connectivity, ipod and other options depending on the unit.

Give and take is correct. Also everyone who is wanting to get better sound but can only afford the cheapest components to the system, may be disappointed. Just about anything is an upgrade over paper speakers but expecting a significant change on a really tight budget may lead to disappointment.

We have had customers who have upgraded their system 3 and 4 times for the same parts. Upgrading door speakers is not for everyone but most who want serious quality or volume levels while maintaining sound quality either now that there is an investment to be made in quality products or learn the hard way after not being satisfied.

Truly I suggest saving for quality parts and upgrading as budget allows but keeping in mind that cheap is not the way to go.
The only time I would recommend cheap audio components is to replace blown stock equipment or when removing quality parts when selling a car. That's for customers with expensive components that would like to transfer them to their new vehicle because of the cost and condition they are in and that they don't want to have to purchase them again but can not sell their car without a working sound system.
OP mentioned $600 for a new head unit. That would be a good single din unit or a low end to avg Double Din with navigation. Without navigation, you may be able to find a decent DD head unit for that price.

Changing the head unit will require a dash kit, to make the square or rectangle deck fit into the hole from the removed OEM one. This piece may be cheap or expensive. it depends on the car. the Mazda 3 is pretty cheap, whereas the Mazda 6, is pretty expensive (has to do with the fact that it includes climate controls). You would also be well advised to use a wiring harness. This plugs into the factory head unit harness and then wires up to the new head unit. This is so that when you remove the head unit for sale, you just unplug it and plug the OEM one back in. Very simple since there was no cutting of wires. Additionally some cars require an antenna adapter so that the new head unit can receive radio stations. Sometimes the OEM cable is not long enough or has a different plug than what the new head unit requires. The last piece of the puzzle is an expensive one, the steering wheel control interface module. A lot of people canine without it because of the price and the fact that it may not control all the features exactly the same as OEM.
For the $600 quoted, it sounds like the head unit was on the cheap side, if it included all the parts needed and install. Sounds like a $3-400 deck. Decent for a single din but if it has an LCD touch screen, navigation and is the larger double din size, I would question the quality or if it was used or really old stock.

Here's how I went about it. I did it in stages over 1 year and a half.
-Head Unit with Nav (steering controls, ipod cable)
-12" sub with amp
-sound deadening 36 sq. ft.
-component speakers front and rear speakers

The only thing I am missing is an amp for the speakers but really the head unit does a pretty good job.

Hope that helps.

I find that when i use the AUX to connect my phone the sound quality is noticebly better than using the BT option, however the cable connection can be inconvinient at times.

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Originally Posted by dietsprite

I find that when i use the AUX to connect my phone the sound quality is noticebly better than using the BT option, however the cable connection can be inconvinient at times.

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Did you expect anything different from a cable connection vs. a wireless one really?

At least on BT you can change tracks without having to do it on the device but the loss in sound quality really is disappointing. Hence why I have a direct iPod USB plugin :)