I am right in the middle of replacing the rears on the stock system. Just to make sure I don't mess the polarity, positive wires are pink and black (L and R side) ?
Also, I am using Infinity 3-way speakers in the rear. The "tower" in the middle of the speaker is tilted (on that "tower" are mounted the tweeter and middle freq.). Should I mount them with the tilted part (30 deg.) facing the rear hatch or the front of the car (so I go for direct highs or reflect them in the rear hatch) ?
I did not take the doors apart just yet but what colors are the positive wires in there?

 

Hmmm, which 6x9 did you use? I used Infinity Reference 6x9 3-ways and the tower didn't touch the plastic cover when mounted from the top. Maybe the Kappas are taller? One of my References blew and I picked up a cheap Kappa 2-way...and it sounds a lot better actually Now I may have to replace them all with Kappas!

jds

 

Got the Reference ones all around. If the mask is almost fixed and the speaker is not bolted-in, I cannot lift it from the truck by pushing, so I ocncluded it touches the black mask. As I don't want to put stresses on them and it is actually easier to mount from the trunk side anyway (soldering, screws), I went that way. Costs $1 extra for the screws

How did yours blow? You use an amplifier? I plan to use the stock unit, I don't like loud music (volume scale 10-12). You had the polarity right?

About 2-way speakers, I've experience the same comparing 2-way vs. 3-way Sony Xplod. The former sounded much nicer. But well bellow the References.... So I got 6x8 References 2-way for the doors and those have swivel tweeters on them.

 

Mine actually was probably on the way out when I got it. I'm still using the stock HU amplification, although that will change soon. Like I mentioned previously, I went super cheap on this stuff, and paid for it a bit with some stuff that I then had to replace. Still, my total cost is pretty good and the stereo sounds amazing considering what I paid.

jds

 

i used the same speakers and bought them on SquealBay, I added the 6 channel infinity amp with a digital lightning audio 1 farad cap and 4 gauge power and gnd wiring and an infinity perfect 10 DVC sub and wired the amp sub channels to each voice coil as I have two sub channels on that amp and since the sub channels are MONO, no need to worry about output level matching, and I used an input line level conditioner also, whenever a decent and affordable setup comes out to replace the factory BLOSE or whatever they use then I will use the preouts on the new HU, it will sound so much better!!!! with a new HU and preouts.....

 

All the DIY I found gave the reverse polarity, as per the tech manual. Which thread claims reversed polarity for the rear speakers? That means that the tech manual scheme is also wrong....
Maybe someone who did the instal on the base system can advise?

 

Yes, replacing the stock speakers with good quality, sensitive ones will make a world of a difference with the base stereo.
The Infinity Reference series speakers would be a good choice - drop-in sizes are available, and they are not too expensive either. You will get much better sound. You probably want to go with a component setup in the front, to get the most gain.

 

I can't remember! Whatever I said in the post you quoted is correct. :D

jds

 

OK, I mounted them and linked them as per this thread. They do work, bass seems OK, how to figure out if the polarity is fine? Is there some special sound file (like you get for DolbyDigital 5.1 home theaters setting) to test the 6 speaker stereo system in the base audio RX-8? :|

 

Well, wire one of the rears backwards and watch your bass response vanish...its pretty obvious actually when you do it wrong.

jds

 

this car has soooo much trunk space...i will be making use of it very soon..

is there an alternator upgrade for the rx-8 yet?

 

the alternator on the mazda is very good, if you think you need to upgrade the alternator, then you REALLY must be obsessive compulsive, perhaps you would be better off with a prescription of ZOLOFT!

 

I've seen a thread on installing front door speakers, but I can't seem to find it at the moment. Can anybody point me in the right direction?

 

I am not sure how to get the cover off or how to get the rear seats out. I don't want to break anything. Can someone explain?

Thanks!

 

There's an excellent write-up (or two) somewhere on the forum, if you search for it you will find it. In a nutshell, just pull the bottom seat cushion up and out...it just pops out...and then unscrew two bolts holding the seat back in, and lift the seat back up and out. The speaker cover is snapped in, just be careful prying it up so you don't break any of the plastic clips.

jds

 

you have to remove the rear seats to get to the rear speakers,

there are many good speakers out there, the question is, how much do you want to spend??

whatever you choose to buy, will clearly be better than what comes in the car.....blose????

 

OK, I'm finally done installing all the 4 speakers for the base stereo unit. I mounted Infinity Reference's all around - sounds completely different, well worth the effort (cause I did it myself, with help from Kel RX8 (thanks, buddy !). Used 6x9 3-way in the rear, and 6x8 2-way in the doors (make sure to aim the tweeters on these towards you! - it rotates 135 deg.). Perfect fit, no extra brackets, even the stock speaker cover (look at them when out, there is some half-shield made from plastic glued on the back - pry with a flat scredriver those slowly, the glue is like chewing gum, it will come loose and will hold on the new speakers as well). The holes will all line up and everything will be tight and beautiful
The rear ones - get 1.25" long metal screws no.8 and mount them from the trunk side - the tweeters on them touch the grill if dropped in place from inside the car, like the stock ones.

For all speakers you can just cut and solder the original wires (small gauge but since no extra amplifier is added.... should work just fine). Cut next to the connectors, the right rear will be at the limit (or the other rear one, depending which way you want the rear speaker tweeters to face - I have them facing the hatch glass - as those are not adjustable like the fronts).

When you do the rear ones - if you have XM radio, sneak the little antenna under those grills when are out - put it on the metal "shelf"...... it works just fine, no need to have it hanging outside the car.... I lose reception only under overpasses or in tight mountain places (no direct sight to the satellite if a huge rocky wall happens to overlap). This insures a nice "stealth" XM install (those with factory units can do it too - I've seen the Shinka's have it on the trunk lid.... does not look safe there.

No extra amplifier and the bass is fine, no major need for a subwoofer. I left the original tweeters in place for now as the 5x7 in the door have tweeters too, so there are enough highs.... Now, don't get me wrong, after coming from the stock paper speakers (incredible how cheap/crappy they look ! I hope the Bose system uses nicer ones), it all sounds incredible right now but once I'll get used to it, I might add other tweeters and maybe a subwoofer.

Few comments to clarify the polarity of the speakers, as I did the testing myself (this thread, when it starts, gives the wrong polarity! Yes, the rear are in phase, so if you switch one, sounds gets ugly. But, the rears and the door ones are out of phase if you wire the rears as per this thread (sorry, bureau13 you were correct about both rear being in phase - but did you tested fronts versus rears? I did )

So the correct POSITIVE wires are:
1. Left Door is red,
2. Right Door is black/white,
3. Left Rear is violet (NOT pink) and
4. Right Rear is white/blue stripe (NOT black).

These colors are in line with what the service manual (see picture atached here) mentions as well - and the sound is great, as I said, because all 4 speakers work in phase now. Even visually you can see them moving all out when the bass kicks (before, as per this thread, the rears were moving in! )

Also, I took the panels down - and the cover behind (that supports the window rails), to put Dynamat on the door metal skin. Cutting the right pieces took a while, as there are two tilted cross bars reinforcing the structure and I had it put in between those bars.... Use gloves, lots of sharp endges in there and the Dynamat black tar is not easy to remove (I went through 3 pairs of gloves because of it - it is so sticky, it would rip the glove if I touched it).

As for how to remove the door panels, this site instructions worked just fine, no issues. I also took the time and use silicon sealant around all those foam inserts as none was fixed in place and surely rattles (you'll see them on the panel back side, pull on them, they move - hence would vibrate on the road or with the bass). Also, I sealed the tweeters in their supports - they moved way too much - another sure source of noise on bumpy roads....

Hope this helps people still wondering which is the right polarity or which speakers (and their sizes) to get. All 4 speakers came new from an online store for $150 - I also paid $45 for two Dynamat "wedges" rolls (1 is enough to insulate one door almost completely).
For the money, I have a great sounding stock system but also QUIET when I feel like listening to the engine's music

 

Hmmm, weird. I get a s***load of bass, but maybe that's coming from the sub :D

I'll have to take a look at this.

jds

 

So all i need is infinity speakers 6x9 3-way in the rear, and 6x8 2-way in the doors??
Can you guys please put some more details on the speakers? or list the parts# for me?
I'm thinking about upgrading my base stock sound system.

 

Yeah, that's right. You can find a whole lot more info faster by doing a searching than waiting around for an answer here. I went with the infinity reference 6x8 components in the front and polk db690 6x9 3-ways in the rear. The biggest difference is in the rear speakers, like night and day, the bass improved that much.

For the part numbers, I would just look up crutchfield.com, and they'll have all the specs on any of these speakers. That's how I decided which speakers to get.

 

Just pick some speakers that you like....chances are they'll come in a size that can be made to fit. The 6x8 for the doors is a bit odball...but you don't need to do it that way. I used 6.5 inch components, and pretty much everything comes in that size.

The stock rears are just so incredibly muddy when compared with even a fairly inexpensive aftermarket replacement.

jds

 

sure whis I had read the entire thead, cause I installed my pioneer premier's today (awsome speakers btw) and yes the wrong polaritary all the way around. nice huh. so went back and redid it after seeing this and it made a big differance. cheers!

 

I'm still confused as to why an amp will provide a great improvement to speakers even at the 10-12 volume level. I guess I'm stuck at thinking more power = more volume, not more power = better signal.

 

Think of it this way: If you have to turn the stock amp up most of the way to get the volume you want then a more powerful amp means you get the same volume at a lower setting. Since amps distort at high settings...especially cheap ones...it stands to reason that you will be getting cleaner sound at the same listening volume.

jds