I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __stereo upgrade
Hi all, I’m new to the club and have spent some time reading through the forums looking for information on areas of interest to me. I have learnt a lot already so thank you all.
What I’m currently looking at is updating my stereo. I’ve read quite a lot of the info on here but there’s so much of it, I have either missed the relevant bits or they’re not quite what I’m looking for. Oh and I’ve never had a clue when it comes to car stereos. So, my questions are as follows (please offer advice on either or both if you can:
My car is apparently fitted with the Apline head unit which I’m not that impressed with, it seems many of you feel the same. What is the maximum screen size I can fit and what would be a good quality replacement (I’m happy to spend the money if needed) that has android car play, allows use of steering wheel controls and will run a reversing camera?
What recommendations can anyone give on speakers/amps? I think there are 7 speakers in all (1 in the dash, 2 in each door and 2 between the seats), but I don’t know what they all are or what to replace them with. The sound is generally poor and distorts badly if you go past 1/2 volume. This is assuming a head unit will not give me high quality on it’s own.
Thank you for reading this far, I look forward to some replies
The speakers on my 25th are pretty decent with a new head unit, wouldn’t rush to replace them. The original unit is outdated go for a modern carplay / andriod unit.
Go for something like the one linked below, wireless carplay/android auto. They are a decent unit I’ve found, mine was a JVC/Kenwood. Probably set you back another £125 for the fitting kit with Steering wheel control.
Pioneer are another good make, they seem around the same price point.
I find that the sound on my 25AE is great. Listening to FM radio I normally keep the volume at 4-5 and rarely go passed 7; MP3 music seems to play a bit louder.
The firmware on my Alpine unit has been upgraded to the 1.300 version, which gives you access to an equalizer. Which version is yours at? Maybe it hasn’t been upgraded yet.
Of course this is all a moot point, if you really do want Android in your car.
As mentioned by MickAP, there are many good brands to choose from.
P.s. I don’t think there is a speaker in the dash…?
Thank you all for your information. In response to your questionMX5-0912, I’m not sure what software version mine has, but I will look into it thanks. Rwlegarding the dashboard speaker, I’ve looked it up again and apparently only the bose unit has one there so again I’llcheck.
I may take Cheltenham _Venture’s advice and replace the head unit first and see if the improvement is sufficient. I think I’ve already seen the Kenwood unit that you posted MickAP, it looks very good so will bear that one in mind thank you.
I’ll do some more research on fitting kits etc, as well as some learning on car stereos as it’s not something I’ve done before. Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted on how I get on…..or not!
I have a 2014 sport tech nav which is essentially the same spec as yours, apart from colour scheme and badges. It too has the alpine satnav head unit, and I have to say that i find the audio excellent, contrary to what many others feel.Despite that, i too am looking at installing a new carplay headunit rather than updating the alpine unit firmware. Although there is no specific reference in the spec, i suspect the amp and speakers are Bose, which is uniquely designed around very low impedance speakers, providing greater volume from the speakers for lower input voltages compared with the usual accepted norm. Works well in my opinion, but it does mean that the amp and speakers work as one unit, and is not practical to change any individual component of it. Since i am happy with the amp and speaker set up i shall probably just change the head unit, for which model i have not yet decided. As a minimum, i shall want a head unit with pre amp output to feed to the amp ( i suspect most decent units will have that).
I would be surprised if your audio is not the same, so not sure why you find it distorts - perhaps our musical tastes differ! One possibility is that a previous owner has unwittingly replaced the low impedence bose speakers with standard 4ohm ones under the impression of upgrading - just a thought.
My search results also suggested that the dash speaker is not actually present in our models, and even if it is, it was primarily there as a phone speaker, rather than as part of the audio system.
If you have an AVN2 (which is a modified Alpine INE-W920R) fitted - which I suspect you do, as it was standard in the 2014 Sport Tech Nav and in the 25AE - then there is no separate amp. It is built in to the head unit.
The compartment behind the passenger seat in my sport tech nav has a large amp installed, which appears to be oem. I purchased the car last year from the original owner, which included a folder of all invoicing for which there is no evidence of a retrofit amp and speakers. The sport tech nav was essentially the final high spec model run through 2014, of which only 450 are registered. I suspect that at the end of the model run, the stock cupboard shelves were emptied, presumably including leftover Bose amps and speakers.
Perhaps the Bose units were randomly distributed during the final production run of the higher spec versions, accounting for why some of us find the audio excellent, whereas others do not.
Interesting, as I have never heard of an AVN2 headunit being paired with a Bose amplifier, especially as the AVN2 was tuned specifically by Alpine to work with the NC’s cabin (and hence why access to the equalisation was removed).
Do you have a PRHT or a soft top? Are you certain that you have an AVN2, and not a Bose head unit?
Also, the Sport Tech Nav actually ran through to 2015 (my previous car was a Sport Tech Nav which was first registered in March 2015).
Thank you all again for this input, although the more I read, the more I’m baffled by it all. Give me pneumatics, hydraulics, chains and sprockets, belts and pulleys, 3 phase motors etc etc and I’m all good. Pre amps, low impedance speakers, I have nooooo clue. I think the best thing would be for me to spend some time when the weather is better, figuring out what’s actually in my car and then take it from there.
I have the phrt model, and the head unit is definitely the avn2, having downloaded the manual, and seen photos of the unit. As yet i do not have proof that the amp and speakers are Bose, and am just speculating that it is, as i can’t see why Mazda would have gone to the trouble of using any other brand at the end of the model run. Was the Bose an optional extra perhaps! If so, it has not been itemised on the purchase documentation, albeit other extras have been itemised. In spring i will be considering changing the head unit, at which point i might be able to get a better look at which brand of amp lies behind the passenger seat compartment. The car was a garage queen and only had 7k on the clock when i purchased it last year, so its not as if the owner had much use out of it to go to the effort of fitting after market amps. The original owner might have fitted an after market amp, but my first impression is that it looks factory fitted.
No cd changer. A mystery it would appear. Will be interesting to see what amp and speakers have been installed, when i take more interest in spring. It is very good whatever it is, and an added bonus by all accounts then.
I’m guessing here, but I think you are seeing the Control Module for the PRHT.
It is quite substantial, lives about where you are describing, and has a chunky connector with lots of wires.
My 25AE (see the Precious and Precious Part 2) does not have Bose, but it does have the PRHT. Part 2 describes my attempts to make the audio more hifi.
Ah, i think you have solved the mystery. Internet search indicates that the amps are installed in compartment behind the passenger seat. I have assumed that the multiwired large unit that is located there was an amp. What i hadn’t appreciated was that the reference to being located behind the passenger was referring to left hand drive cars!
If i do indeed have just a head unit powering the speakers, it does open a simpler upgrade choice. Still sounds very good to my ears, contrary to what many others think. I’m easily pleased!
In spring i shall take it to a car audio installer and take their lead on a suitable upgrade throughout.
The centre and rears are going to be a lot of faff and with the size of them, not a lot to gain. I’d leave them alone and just be sure not to throw too many watts at them
I’m struggling to find the exact patch lead you’ll need to replace the stereo and retain stalk controls, however it may not even need it. If you’re going to have this done by a company anyway, they’ll be able to suss it.
If adding a sub I suggest always first check what its actual frequency response is!
Then work out where the troughs and peaks are in the existing system’s response.
Will the sub fill in the bass trough or merely add to an unwanted mid-bass peak?
Suitable cross-over points can help, but only if the head unit is co-operative (eg updated Alpine).
Often the technical info is very hard to find, short of measuring it oneself, and several of the “compact subs” I’ve looked at are not what I would call a sub, and barely even an average woofer.
Having measured it, I don’t recommend the one I bought!
Many seem no improvement on what the existing door speaker is already giving us with the help of a 50Hz resonance on the NC door skin.
All this is a shame because the audio in our 2016 Mazda3 is surprisingly good (and without a sub), so much so I never had any incentive to tinker with it.
One possibility is that a previous owner has unwittingly replaced the low impedence bose speakers with standard 4ohm ones under the impression of upgrading - just a thought.
