Stereo upgrade questions for 1995 Mazda Astina Hatch

[John Doe]

Just a few questions.

I understand that the speaker sizes in a 1995 Mazda Astina hatchback are as follows:

1) 5x7 inches in the front doors;

2) 6 inches in the rear foors; and

3) 4 inch in the dash.

How have you guys gone about upgrading these speakers? Specifically, my questions for owners of the same car are:

1) What are some of best 5x7 speakers/splits available in the market (Bostons?);

2) Is it easy to get 6.5 inch splits in the door? How much work is involved?;

3) Have any of you bothered using the centre dash speaker in your set ups? Is it more of a hassle? Does it make imaging easier/harder?;

4) I want to go with a single 12 inch sub. How have others affixed the sub in their boots?; and

5) Is there anything else in particular I should bear in mind when upgrading the whole stereo system (I plan on doing the whole hog - head unit, speakers, amps, sub, sound deadening etc).

[JynX]

>> 1) What are some of best 5x7 speakers/splits available in the market (Bostons?)
I personally would go a 6/6.5" combo. Others have had good results from 5x7s but Ill let them comment.

>>2) Is it easy to get 6.5 inch splits in the door? How much work is involved?;
Yes, just make an mdf baffle about 10mm thick for the mid range driver and mount the split in the A-pillar (Easiest option). For better SQ mount the split in the door next to the midrange driver Depends if you want to cut your door up or I believe its possible to even make a pod type setup in the door itself (Bigmal has somthing like this).

>>4) I want to go with a single 12 inch sub. How have others affixed the sub in >>their boots?; and
Boxed :) I have a 12" Alpine VR sub and it takes up the whole boot (Although my box is built for 2 drivers of the same spec). Consider using 1/2 10" subs instead if you want space. Depends if you going for punch or definition.

>>5) Is there anything else in particular I should bear in mind when upgrading the >>whole stereo system (I plan on doing the whole hog - head unit, speakers, >>amps, sub, sound deadening etc).

The doors are difficult to wire. Allow plenty of time. Dont run your power lead next to your speaker wire or RCAs. Choose good ground points and file back the paint if need be.

[John Doe]

Thank you for your assistance Jynx (as well as for your help on the 100k service question).

I am after pure sound quality. No "doof, doof, it's fooly sik bro" pounding for me. Hence why I'm going with a single 12 inch sub.

When mounting your subs, how did you guys set it up so that you could still access the spare?

Have any of you guys managed to fit the Boston Pro 6.5 or Dynaudio System 240GT into your doors without too much trouble? Does the magnet clear everything?

Do any of you bother using the centre speaker in your set ups?

[JynX]

You thought about a single 10".

You can make a rectangular box to fit the length of the rear seat and would not be too deep so you could put in a false hinged floor which would give you full access to the spare and plenty of space for storage as well.

You might be able to acheive the same thing with a 12" but it will be a deeper box and will probably need to be removed to access the spare.

I fitted an alpine 6.5" driver in the door and I was looking at getting some Boston Pros recently which I believe had the same magnet depth as the alpine. Shouldnt be any probs.

[Dogo]

the centre speaker is NOT 4" , its more like 2.5" maybe 2.25". also, it seems that not all of the BA models have the centre speaker, as some ppl in here have said in the past that they dont have one. if you do have the centre speaker, there is a centre speaker amp which is found in the centre console, behind the ashtray/lighter area. It hangs just above the ecu. if you do a search on these forums, theres a post which has more info about it.

[John Doe]

Dogo,

I had a look at your ride and it seems as though you've got a serious stereo set up there. Interestingly, I note that you have used a Boston centre speaker. What size is this speaker and did you find it hard to get the imaging right with the centre speaker?

[Dogo]

the centre speaker is a Boston FX3 which is a 3" coax speaker. Currently disconnected.

Controlling the speaker was always a problem. The main issue is that all my sound runs through the DSP thru to the amps, but it was hardly worth amping the centre channel. For a while, I had it running off 2 spare channels from my amps into the stock centre channel processor. i also tried running it just from the speaker outs from the head unit into the centre channel processor. Imaging was never a problem tho, having the volume down reeally low on that speaker was just enough fill for it to sound really good. there was very little reduction in sound quality from the sound reflecting off the windscreen too

fitting a speaker into the centre channel gap wasnt easy tho, as the hole is small and difficult to manoeuvre around due to the windscreen, and also the air ducts run directly below the hole. My final setup involved cutting the speaker hole larger, and adding a wooden baffle to raise the speaker up as it was too deep to fit - but i ensured it was shallow enough that the centre speaker grill would go back on perfectly

[Dogo]

by the way, if you're in melbourne, i've been wanting to sell the other FX3 speaker from the pair i bought.

http://www.astinagt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1364

oh it seems its 3.5" , not 3" as i mentionened in the prev post - my mistake :?

[JynX]

i rekon its more trouble then its worth.

[Dogo]

maybe.

cutting a hole and a wood baffle is no biggy. and if ur not using a dedicated DSP like i am, wiring off the stock speaker inputs is easy too.

an afternoon of messing around, and my ears were happier with the result.

nice sig picture, by the way :wink:

[323'd]

hey all

after posting a similar topic at the fordlaser.com forum, i was notified by Rupewrecht that you guys had had a simlar discussion.

i am curious if i could use the center speaker position, as a spot for a 5" subbie (i dont want anything too dramatic, just something to give the audio system a little more bite)

the size of the sub i am intending to use are as follows:

diameter : 5 inches
depth : 3 inches

i am aware that parts of the dash will have to be cut out, i need to know if too much reworking of the dash is needed

cheers

steve

[Dogo]

possible, but only coz anything is possible. the hole is much smaller than 5". the area under the hole is shallower than 3". you'd need to make a kind of pod to raise the speaker above the dash, cut the dash to fit the underside of the speaker, and *maybe* reshape the air piping in the dash.

in my opinion a better idea would be to fit larger speakers in the doors ( maybe 8" ), and add a small centre channel speaker in that position. another idea would be to have a small speaker in each A pillar near where it meets the dash

[pr1mo]

welcome 323'd another perth guy! they are gunna have enogh people for a decent cruise soon!!

cheers mike

[323'd]

cheers.

it looks like doing that might leave a huge bump on the dash.... which could have th potential of lookin good, but as im aiming to keep the car, and thus the dash to look as stock as possible i think there can be an better alternative

at the moment im toying with the idea of installing the sub into the uper glove box compartment, or into the center console armrest compartment.

hey mike, it would be good to see what other astina enthusiasts we have around in the woods. ill try to get the astina out some time (atm my main cars the tx5... d'oh)

laters

steve

[Dogo]

perhaps under the seats too could be an alternative. securing a sub to either the dash or the door trim will, in my guess, cause too much vibration/rattling of the flimsy plastic in those areas.

yet another idea would be to put it/them in the rear doors, as theres no need for a sub to be aimed directly at ur ears

[waz]

Hi all this is my first post here,

Just like our thread starter, I just wanted to double check the size of the factory speakers. I have an August 94 BA hatch, however when I measured the rear door speakers they were only 5'1/4" not 6'. Are we sure they are 6 inch in the rear???

Thanx

[Cosmo Dude]

The BA hatch is 5" x 7" front speakers and 6" rear.

[Cosmo Dude]

Oh yeah,
Welcome to Astina GT Was. Have a good look around and feel free to participate.