I’m right there with you. Hope someone can come up with an upgrade kit….speakers, amps, subs.

 

Since I haven't gotten any feedback yet I am going to be the guinea pig. Crutchfield says that to replace the speakers you cannot go larger than 4" speakers. I am going to work with my local shop Log into Facebook I always work with them. My previos car was a 2010 VW Jetta. I had Illusiion Audio 2-way components in the front and coaxials in the rear. I also had a Fi Car Audio sub in the trunk. This was powered by a JL Audio amp wich was 4 x50 watts plus 1 x 150. I had the shop pull the amp out of the old car and I hooked the speakers up directly to the head unit. So the amp and the sub will go in the Mazda. I plan on going with Focal Access 4" coaxials. I will follow up once it is done. I sure hope they can make the speakers fit.

 

It not always about the size of the speaker but placement and type. Also an often overlooked item is during upgrading to add sound deadening material. This can bring quality to a sound system that lacks.

I see you are a fan of Facal's as am I so it would be ashamed to add these without really considering spending the time to add sound dealing material in as many assemble places as possible.

I have as many Focal speakers (3 K2 Power kits) in my Mazda 3 as most spend on a complete system including amps.

Good luck with your project I will be following your thread! It nice to see a fellow audiophile upgrading their systems!

 

Welcome to the forum Steven

 

I just wanted to give an update. I used to build home loudspeakers back in the early 2,000's. My actions here have a lot to do with what I learned back then. The front doors of the Mazda 3 sedan will not accomodate any normal commercial speaker. I was able to put 4" coaxials in the rear. The front has been a process. I replaced the front tweeters with a 3/4 inch cloth dome tweeter. The door speaker is a challenge. The plastic enclosure in the door will handle at most a 3" speaker with a mounting depth of no more than 1.75" deep. I experimented with a couple of full range drivers from Parts Express. I designed my own crossover. It took about 3 tries to get that right. It all sounds good but not quite right. The upper midrange has what some speaker designers call a "shouting" sensation going on. Music like jazz and classical sound great! Some rock and music with strong female vocals come on too strong and make my ears hurt after a half an hour drive. One of the drivers I tried had an aluminum cone and the other a fiberglass cone that was filled with poly. The aluminum cone driver was pretty hard to listen to. The fiberglass driver much better. It just isn't good enough for me. None of the PE 3" drivers that will fit have a paper cone. I am thinking that paper might be just what it takes to mellow out my mids. Kicker makes a 2.75" midrange driver the KSC270 that sounds like it might work. I ordered it today. I will report back once I have it installed.

 

Hmm I didn't have a problem with my Mazda doors? It was on a 2018 Mazda 3 but the any door can accommodate multiple speakers with a little work. Yes experience helps.

You should see what's in my trunk..... (see last picture)

and this is also a Dailey driver that we often go on weekend trips up and down the California and Oregon coast all different season and times of the year.
I primarily listen to smooth jazz, so all my setting is based on one station. A true autophile will tell you can't get the best sound for all types of music, so it is best to set up your system on one type and just live with the sound from other music playbacks.

 

It appears the 2024 is a different animal.

 

You are not placing any sound deadener/reducing material in the door area while you are there?
I thought you are experienced in building some sound equipment? Quote= "I used to build home loudspeakers back in the early 2,000".
The sound will badly reflect off the door cavity making even the best speakers sound like cheap replacement speakers. And all you will do is go crazy with your EQ or Sound Processor (best) to compensate. Audio car systems while have some similar traits to home sound system but the everchanging environment and setting up a vehicles sound system is really IMHO based on doing both professionally vastly different.
I owned and operated an Auto Sound sales and service store in the 80's. Just saying before you rip on my response. I am only attempting to give suggestion and advise.

You also need to get the Tweeters high up and point towards the driver and front passenger generally in the pillars. In the door tends to cancel out some sound quality attempting to achieve. You can install tweeters in both area's which will complement the highs very nicely.

 

The tweeter is in the pillar. That is where Mazda located it. I didn't do the install. My installer did. They told me the door panel was too tight to put sound deadening in. Maybe they were being lazy. I wasn't there when they did it. I did choose the drivers and designed the crosssover though.

 

They did not know what they were doing or little experience level. Your own pictures show areas that it could have been applied. Even a little makes a difference.
The pillar area is the universal area for tweeter mounting but I am sure you know tweeter are directional sound, so position is the most important. Unfortunately, most including factory mount then for driver and passenger audio experience, so it becomes a challenge to reduce the output of the right speaker for bests audio experience for the driver.
Not sure what you mean by designed your crossovers'? You use materials and components already existing to adjust for the frequencies tailored to your system and sound environment also the speaker amplifiers. In other words, you put together existing components. But unless you play pink noise through your system you really have no idea the end results only what sounds good to you?
Funny side comment about people.... I could always tell and then know how to build or sell speakers and other sound related equipment to a customer by looking at how they set their existing tone adjustments. Most know the most common "V" pattern of the equalizer, or all the bass turned up. LOL I knew these customers were not looking to reproduce actual real-world reproduced recorded or live music.

 

Well you are more techie that I am. I am hoping that the new drivers will at least make things a little more mello. They arrive tomorrow.

 

Well thanks to the fires they will arive later.

 

Following! Newly minted 4th gen owner.

 

Just reading all your comments so I apologise as I’m not good with speakers but hopefully someone can answer this… top of the line Mazda 3 Astina has the premium audio Bose sound system… it also says separate amp… my question what is needed to upgrade to the premium sound like the Astina if you have a base model ?

 

Are you asking about HOW-TO get a BOSE system? If so several thousand $$$$ . Honestly for the cost of installing a BOSE system in your Mazda you can build a sound system tailored to your personaly preferences of sond reproduction.

 

Ok so you say several thousand for Bose what costs for a personal system would start ?

 

There is no way anyone would guess that if they are a true Audiophile. You need to first consider what exactly you want in a system Then you need to set your budget limit.

I removed my factory BOSE system from my Mazda 3 and build a complete custom sound system which included 70% addition of sound deadening material installed and brand new custom carpet, new head liner and several other reupholstered interior parts.. I did this what I the Mazda was less than 3 months new. I spent roughly 4000+ .
If I bult the same system for a customer, it would be close 6000-6500+ thousand dollars and that was in 2019