# 2016 Mazda CX5. Scanspeak, Satori, Helix, JL Audio, Zapco



## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Hello everyone, just finished up an install for a 2016 Mazda CX5 that was fresh off the lot. The goals for this car was first and foremost to have a high level of sound quality while still maintaining a good amount of output, retain the factory radio, and to retain trunk space. With that in mind and looking at the car and the set budget, we decided on..

. Helix DSP
. (2) Zapco ST-4X SQ. One for tweeters and rear fill, and one bridged to the mids
. Zapco ST-1350XM II for subs
. Scanspeak R2004 tweeters
. Satori MW19P-4 7.5" mid-woofer
. Sony XS-GS1621 Coaxials for rear fill
. (2) JL 12TW3-D4

Just a side note.. this pictures are out of chronological order, but are organized in a way to show the steps of each area of the car. That said, i let my girlfriend take my camera with her to Europe so the last couple days i didnt have a good camera and im low on photos since i was discouraged from cell phone pics. My buddy came over to shoot a few but i havent received them yet, and the customer will be getting some more for me at a later time.
















First thing i did with this car was just get right to deadening. Liberal amounts were used as you can see. This car had a somewhat thick, removable plastic access panel which made deadening the outer door skin a breeze (aside from that horrible window regulator that you see in the below photo that mazda uses. if you ever plan on removing these access panels, be very careful when removing the window regulator thats "clicked and turned" into the access panel. If that falls apart on you, i assure you that you will have a bad time. Dont ask how i know)















Said access panel. front and rear got plenty of CLD coverage. All 4 got the same treatment. The door panel also got plenty of coverage to combat resonance from the larger than normal mids.
























Not the prettiest since i dont have a capable router setup on hand for this, so jig saw it was. But two layers of 3/4" HDPE decoupled from the door with CCF and sealed to each other with CLD and butyl rope. Factory mounts were retained.















Heres the passenger side front door once it was completed. 2 layers of 1/2" Dynaliner was used to seal the woofer to the door panel. Some people like to use the open cell foam based pre-made ones. I cant help but think theyre not very useful considering theyre open cell foam and the point of this step is to completely seal the driver to the panel. On top of that, im not a fan of the idea of putting open cell foam in a door where it can get wet and hold moisture. All speakers in this car got XT60 quick connectors for quick and easy service while maintaining reliability. The tweeters also got a 100v, 50uF cap in line to protect in case of any equipment failure or user mishaps.
























Wiring of the mids.. got a little carried away with the photos. Deal with it lol.

































Power wire and main fuse holder. 1/0 gauge from the front goes to a fused T-Spec distribution block in the back next to the enclosure.















The car came with a 6 speaker option and "twiddlers" were in the dash. The customer wasnt interested in that and wanted something custom that looked somewhat OEM. We settled on sail panels because i wasnt positive on how well i could match the factory fabric that was on the pillars. The sail panels presented their own challenge though.. They were relatively thin. They needed to be built out but i think i was able to make them look pretty good.















Cut out..















Rings test fitted in the car to see if the tweeter will have clearance















Taped up and mold glassed to the sail panel..
























Molds pulled, trimmed, and fabric secured.















Heres where photos take a hit.. no photos of glassing the sail or laying up body filler. But here they are sanded and almost ready for primer.















Texture coated to match the factory look. Still waiting for photos from my friend of them installed in the car















Goodies for the trunk.















Spare tire ditched, triple a purchased, trunk floor deadened, and tire well glassed.















Baffle made and attached, and holes cut. If you look closely there are strips of CCF around the perimeter of the mold, as well as a few on the floor so its completely decoupled from the floor. All of the wood used in this car was 1/2" and 3/4" birch.















Beginnings of the amp rack.















Test fit and layout. The helix and wiring are hidden on the underside of the panel.















Beginnings of the beauty panel.















The cutout that reveals the amps is a shape that is mimicked from the HVAC vents under the radio. unfortunately i do not have a picture of that. but, fits like a glove.















All wire terminations were head shrunk and tips soldered to prevent fraying. Wire lugs were crimped with a hydraulic crimper and heat shrunk over.
























"Can i take your camera to Europe?..."















"...he said yes"















Once the main beauty panel was made, i made filler panels for the side. They all unfortunately couldn't be one piece. This was before duraglass was used to make them sit perfectly flush against the panels. a strip of 1/8" CCF is around the outside perimeter of the main beauty panel so it sit snug against the panels, and the filler panels have some pressure to hold them in place.















Quick shot of the LED wiring before hot glue was used to insulate the connections. Unfortunately edge lit plexi was not an option as i threw these in as a last minute "yeah why not".















Enclosure (as well as the amp rack) wrapped in black suede.















One last test fit before wrapping.















Everything wrapped in a matching vinyl. Looks different against the side panels due to lighting, but you can see the match against the trim at the bottom corners of the picture. All power/ground/speaker/remote wires had the ends tinned with solder to prevent fraying, white techflex for looks, and color appropriate head shrink.
























One last set of panels were made to cover up the entire setup. There is a cutout with expanded metal grill under the carpet that is flushed into the 3/4" birch for the subs to have room to play at full volume while still having the strength to hold up whatever may go in the trunk. 















That wraps up this build log as of now. Still waiting for photos of the LED's when its dark, and the sail panels installed. Thank you for looking!


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

Sweet work as always Nick!!


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

did you say your running two subs amps for two subs? or is that a misprint..seems like one would be more than enough for those subs.

I really like the tw3, was shocked at how much output they had and how low they go for a shallow sub.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Lycancatt said:


> did you say your running two subs amps for two subs? or is that a misprint..seems like one would be more than enough for those subs.
> 
> I really like the tw3, was shocked at how much output they had and how low they go for a shallow sub.


no no. 2 amps for front and rear speakers, and one amp for subs. and yes, theyre extremely impressive


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

You do great work


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gumbeelee said:


> Sweet work as always Nick!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk





dcfis said:


> You do great work


Thanks guys!


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

Very nice!! My next car is goign to be a CX5 when they release the TDI version this winter.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

miniSQ said:


> Very nice!! My next car is goign to be a CX5 when they release the TDI version this winter.


its definitely a nice car. make it easy on yourself and dont get the bose system.


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Nice Build! I agree with you about foam the rings. 

No pics with the led's lighted?


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Skizer install is top notch. He does great work and I would trust him with my car hands down! BTW beautiful install simple and looks awesome

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Niebur3 said:


> Nice Build! I agree with you about foam the rings.
> 
> No pics with the led's lighted?


they were installed the day of pickup, and the car was picked up at 5pm. to bright to get photos. waiting for it to get dark now for the customer to send me some


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

quickaudi07 said:


> Skizer install is top notch. He does great work and I would trust him with my car hands down! BTW beautiful install simple and looks awesome
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


Thank you mario


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Did this one have the little "tablet" looking thing on top of the dash for the HU screen?

Turned out great!

Out of curiosity, I've missed a bunch of you Nissan build thread, but it looks like your skills have come a long way since the start of that build...did you go to Mobile Solutions or something? 

Your work is turning out really nice.

Jay


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

JayinMI said:


> Did this one have the little "tablet" looking thing on top of the dash for the HU screen?
> 
> Turned out great!
> 
> ...


this one did not. i know my friends mazda does though (forget what model he has). my nissan is a **** show. i started it when i knew enough to start a fire with zero plan. then i eventually fixed most of it then ripped it all out. now i havent touched it in a year. and no, i never went to any training. just started working on and off in a particular shop doing grunt work and moving up. i know i can do better to once i actually get the tools i need. Thank you for the compliments though


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Clean. 

Nice, man you really know how to widdle out a tweeter pod. 
Looks nice


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

oabeieo said:


> Clean.
> 
> Nice, man you really know how to widdle out a tweeter pod.
> Looks nice


Thanks


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

Good job, another homer.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

GEM592 said:


> Good job, another homer.


thanks!


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Pro tip, that girl looks like trouble!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

dcfis said:


> Pro tip, that girl looks like trouble!


haha nah shes good. ive known her for a very long time. she was just in a not so great mood for those photos because she was stuck watching me while i do duraglass lines on beauty panels lol


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

The factory radio in my car was awful (2015 Mazda 6). The voice function couldn't understand anything I said, the ipod always started over on the first song every time I started the car, etc. Did his work any better?


Jay


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Solid work there, Nick! Looks great and should sound great with that choice of drivers. :thumbsup:

And WOW! Your GF is nearly the splitting image of a French-Canadian model that I went out with in my younger/wilder days! Your GF _could_ be her daughter, LOL!?!? Maude Gabrielle Vincent from Quebec.


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## thereddestdog (Feb 21, 2017)

Great photos and nice work, really like the way you used shrink wrap and solder to clean up the wire ends. Super pro


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

JayinMI said:


> The factory radio in my car was awful (2015 Mazda 6). The voice function couldn't understand anything I said, the ipod always started over on the first song every time I started the car, etc. Did his work any better?
> 
> 
> Jay


Everything seemed to work fine nothing out of the ordinary that I Or the customer noticed

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

bbfoto said:


> Solid work there, Nick! Looks great and should sound great with that choice of drivers. :thumbsup:
> 
> And WOW! Your GF is nearly the splitting image of a French-Canadian model that I went out with in my younger/wilder days! Your GF _could_ be her daughter, LOL!?!? Maude Gabrielle Vincent from Quebec.


thank you. and wow, that should boost her confidence a bit lol



thereddestdog said:


> Great photos and nice work, really like the way you used shrink wrap and solder to clean up the wire ends. Super pro


Thank you


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

bbfoto said:


> And WOW! Your GF is nearly the splitting image of a French-Canadian model that I went out with in my younger/wilder days! Your GF _could_ be her daughter, LOL!?!? Maude Gabrielle Vincent from Quebec.





SkizeR said:


> thank you. and wow, that should boost her confidence a bit lol


Seriously, I should try and dig up some of my old photos of her and post them...your GF might actually be freaked out by the resemblance, LOL...nose ring and all! It's kind of freakin' me out a bit right now, haha.

Anyway, killer work on that Mazda CX5!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

bbfoto said:


> Seriously, I should try and dig up some of my old photos of her and post them...your GF might actually be freaked out by the resemblance, LOL...nose ring and all! It's kind of freakin' me out a bit right now, haha.
> 
> Anyway, killer work on that Mazda CX5!


I'm kinda curious too. I googled and couldnt find any. But thank you

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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

SkizeR said:


> I'm kinda curious too. I googled and couldnt find any. But thank you


Quite a few models at that time chose to work under an alias.  And no, she wasn't a pr0n model/actress!  ...Strickly a haute couture fashion model. But she _was_ *T*rouble, with a capital "T" (in a good way, of course)!   

Sorry to divert your thread WAY OT!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Udate: finally got some photos of the sail panels installed, and the amp rack lit up at night


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

Looks awesome man!! Great job ! That amp rack is sick!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

looks nice, how many hours do you have in it?


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## BBOYSTEVIE (May 2, 2005)

Real clean install as always, and I appreciate the in progress pics with descriptions of what you did and why....


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

optimaprime said:


> Looks awesome man!! Great job ! That amp rack is sick!


Thanks



Porsche said:


> looks nice, how many hours do you have in it?


Thank you, and tbh, i dont remember 



BBOYSTEVIE said:


> Real clean install as always, and I appreciate the in progress pics with descriptions of what you did and why....



Thanks. And of course.


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## Swaglife81 (Oct 15, 2016)

Great job on the build. I have a question though, so much went into detail, sound deadening, black suede, top notch wiring but no use of MLV in the doors at all?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Swaglife81 said:


> Great job on the build. I have a question though, so much went into detail, sound deadening, black suede, top notch wiring but no use of MLV in the doors at all?


why would i need to when they were already fully sealed from the factory? using MLV in doors is only a way to seal up holes and separate the front and rear wave from the speaker. that little amount of MLV wont have an effect on blocking road noise if thats what your getting at.


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## oilman (Feb 21, 2012)

Sails look awesome 


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

oilman said:


> Sails look awesome
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Thanks

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## Garcbomber (May 26, 2017)

Impressive install.

How do you like those TW3's rear upfiring from an SQL perspective? They are 10's right? how much musical power do they handle before over travel?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Garcbomber said:


> Impressive install.
> 
> How do you like those TW3's rear upfiring from an SQL perspective? They are 10's right? how much musical power do they handle before over travel?


Actually this car had one of the best sub set ups I've heard in terms of "sql". It really impressed me. For your second question, I'm not sure. You can model them in winisd and find out

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## Garcbomber (May 26, 2017)

SkizeR said:


> Actually this car had one of the best sub set ups I've heard in terms of "sql". It really impressed me. For your second question, I'm not sure. You can model them in winisd and find out
> 
> Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


Thanks for the response. I figured as installer you would push the limits of equipment during tuning but your secret is safe with me! 

I watched the video on the design of these from JL and they are second to none as far as R&D along with state of the art materials. Most companies hide their designs/R&D for some odd reason, JL just puts it right out in front of you that they have the best resources available which is why they continue to be elite.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Great job dude, clean, neat with excellent attention to details! I would totally trust you to work on my car - something I don't say often these days.


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## Ziggyrama (Jan 17, 2016)

How do you like Zapco St 4x SQ amps? Thinking of ditching my 1st Gen pdx amp for this one as an upgrade to improve my SQ.

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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Very nice work Nick! very nice work on Sails and amprack, cool design!


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## Bridgehl4 (May 13, 2013)

Thanks your your detailed pictures. I learned a lot from them.
By the way, did you use the OEM head unit or replace another better one?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Bridgehl4 said:


> Thanks your your detailed pictures. I learned a lot from them.
> By the way, did you use the OEM head unit or replace another better one?


Thanks. OEM head unit


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