# My CX-7 Install thread



## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Purchased the car about 2 months ago and just started putting things together.
Pics of custom leather seats, carbon fiber trim, momo shift knob, turbo badge, and of course, Zoom-Zoom. 





































Pics of my amp rack without carpet yet and fiberglass enclosure. Amp rack will be attached behind the rear seats and the sub enclosure will be corner loaded in the trunk.





































Thanks for looking. More to come.


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

A man after my own heart. I have silver carbon fiber trim in my car, and am looking into getting brown/reddish leather seating in my car as well.

Nice car


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## bobditts (Jul 19, 2006)

looking good. how come your seats dont match the interior though? they look a little out of place.


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

bobditts said:


> looking good. how come your seats dont match the interior though? they look a little out of place.


Yeah, maybe add some brown accents on the doors/dash?


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

I do get mixed up opinion about the seats. I guess it is somewhat of a love it or hate it styling. Some people just love it and others just hate it. But black/brown combo do match pretty well in person. Lots of newer models come with the same scheme and that is why I went with it. I could paint door trims, but it will be extremely hard to match the colors(tonality). It probably would have been better if there was stock door inserts on so I can just wrap it in the same leather.


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

hibuhibu said:


> I do get mixed up opinion about the seats. I guess it is somewhat of a love it or hate it styling. Some people just love it and others just hate it. But black/brown combo do match pretty well in person. Lots of newer models come with the same scheme and that is why I went with it. I could paint door trims, but it will be extremely hard to match the colors(tonality). It probably would have been better if there was stock door inserts on so I can just wrap it in the same leather.


Yeah, thats what i was suggesting. I'm going to get my door inserts wrapped in the same suede my trunk will be wrapped in.

I love unique color seats. BMW has an option for kiwi


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Looking good so far.
I also have a CX-7 and will post pics of my install once I finish it.
Are you going to keep the stock radio?
What speakers are you going to use and what locations?
What sub?
That's a great location for the sub. You save all your cargo space. Right now I have an almost 4 cubit feet box ported with 2 ten inch subs.
I'll be checking the post frequently to see your progress.
It's great to see another CX-7 owner with the audio bug.
Congrats.


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## Turborusty (Aug 7, 2007)

Pardon me for being in the "hate it" category. I've never seen any factory car with an all black interior that has brown seats only........they've all had accent colors throughout the interior. It looks like someone tossed in some old, fat, leather-wrapped chairs from a 1970's living room.

The car itself looks cool.



Turborusty


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So I made some progress tonight.

I covered the entire floor with luxury liners from Second skin audio and covered the trunk with Spectrum(liquid Deadener).

Also, I installed a set of MB quart coax for rear doors and covered the door panels with two layers on ensolite. I never listen to rear fills but it is for passengers when I am on a long trip. 
Sorry I could not take any pics because it was so dark outside and my ****ty camera phone could not show anything. But here is a comparison between the stock bose speaker and a new coax. How does it sound? Well, it just sounds like any other coax. 

Doitor, 

I am keeping the stock head unit since it gives out flat 2volts. However, I will be using 3sixty.2 for some processing purposes. My equipment list is as follows; 3sixty.2, MB Quart QSD 216, Infinity 4 channel amp bridged to power up the front components, Alpine M850 for DIYMA reference 12, and deadening, wiring etcetcetc. 
It will be a passive set up. The goal of the system is to keep the functionality of the car(folding seats, spare tire, etcetc) and sacrifice as least space as possible. Of course, it needs to sound good. Glad to see another cx-7 owner here as well. 


Turbo Rusty,

It is entirely okay for you to not like the interior. Like I said before, it is definitely not for everyone. Yes, there are many cars with black interior with different seat colors such as ivory/orange/red etc etc. Maybe you have not seen 350z with orange leather seats. I usually find that the reason why it throws some people off is not because it is in black interior but it is mostly because it is a rather unique color. But I am sure more people will like it as time comes since more and more newer cars are coming with the same/similar color and since lots of people need to see it coming from factory cars first before they like it.

As for your comment about seats looking like 1970's living room couch, which I am rather little offended by your phrase/tonality of it, Cx-7 seats are far from fat and ugly looking. It is rather sportier looking. Also, the quality of leather is far from 1970 couch. It is a Katzkin Tuscany series leather, and I can say that the quality is definitely a top notch. I am sure that you probably never even sat in a car with a same quality leather. Why? because the leather quality is far superb compared to any factory leather seats including bimmers, benz, jags, etc etc. For my last two cars, I never got factory leather options because they are overly stretched cheap leathers. It felt soft? well it is because they are overly stretched which is also the reason why they do not last. Like I said, you do not need to like it and it is not for everyone but maybe you could be careful on how you phrase things on forum. Why? because I am sure that you probably would not talk to someone like that in person. Maybe next time, you can simply say "I don't like it"? 

p.s it is not allowing me to put attachment for some reason right now. But will do later. Thanks for looking.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

hypnotiq said:


> Yeah, thats what i was suggesting. I'm going to get my door inserts wrapped in the same suede my trunk will be wrapped in.
> 
> I love unique color seats. BMW has an option for kiwi


I love that kiwi seats as well. Very unique and nice. 
New audi TT comes with goldish/white color and it just looks beautiful.


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

Check out this interior http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=503353


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## bobditts (Jul 19, 2006)

hypnotiq said:


> Check out this interior http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=503353


that is pimp!


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Very very nice. series money and professionalism involved with that car.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Here is the comparison between stock Bose rear speaker and a new coax.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

hibuhibu.
Great equipment. Let me give you some advise. If you already have the 3sixty, and have a 4 channel amp, try running the front stage active and the rear fill speakers of the factory radio. I had a polk component set running passive up front. Bought the Pioneer Premiere PRS-880. Changed the polk's 5 1/4 inch for some RS180 7 inch speakers in the lower door and put the tweeter in the kick panels. Let me tell you there is a huge diference in SQ. I also have rear fill running of the internal amp of the radio, but they are turned off 99% of the time. With that processor you can tailor your sound the way you want.
It's a bit more work than passive, but it's worth every drop of extra sweat an time.


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## SQ4ME2 (Jul 22, 2007)

rear speakers? isn't that in back for the kids? 
he is right. just run from the deck


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

I usually do not run the rear speakers unless I have passengers on the back.
I always run them off the deck anyway. 

Doitor, 
I will definitely look into going active. I do not have the 3sixty in my hand yet, and I am not entirely familiar with it yet.
I briefly read a manual online and it definitely seems doable. I am not sure why I never thought of it.
Now, in terms of the wiring, Should I simply splice the output of Front L/R and separate them into 4 inputs of 3sixty.2?
Thanks in advance.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

I've used the 3Sixty on a friends install. The manual says several times that the unit can generat3 the 6 channel output with just 2 channel input. But it also says that for the best sound stage it's strongly recommended to connect into all of the main inputs.
In my friend's install we just used the front radio outputs to go active and the rear 2 directly from the deck to the rear speakers. 
If you want to have the option to return to stock in the future, I recommend you buy 2 harnesses, the normal and the reverse one. By doing that you could tap into any wire and leave the rest alone.
And it's as simple as unplugging the harness and back to stock.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Just wanted to comment on your CX-7. Beautiful car and I'm really digging the interior. Nice job on that. Plus, most any Mazda driver is cool with me.


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

oh man. I see some optimal placement spots for some mids or large format tweets. With the things my mazdaspeed6 has to go into the dealer for, I might be looking to dump it next year and might consider the CX7. Looking forward to see what you come up with. I'll have to really check one of these out in person.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Just wanted to comment on your CX-7. Beautiful car and I'm really digging the interior. Nice job on that. Plus, most any Mazda driver is cool with me.


Thanks for your comment. Really appreciate it.


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## Bsams (Feb 8, 2007)

hey nice looking ride! and as far as the interior, I love it! it is definately different. dont sweat anyone elses opinions, if u like it , thats all that matters.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

durwood said:


> oh man. I see some optimal placement spots for some mids or large format tweets. With the things my mazdaspeed6 has to go into the dealer for, I might be looking to dump it next year and might consider the CX7. Looking forward to see what you come up with. I'll have to really check one of these out in person.


Believe it or not, one of the biggest reasons why I got the CX-7 is because of so much potential for audio system.
Door speaker has more than 3 inch depth and could fit 8 inch drivers no problem. It also has a huge kick panels and plenty of space in A-pillars as well. Obviously, it is a great to build a 3 way system around it in future.
I am possible going to work on my rear quarter panels today if possible. I am going to raammat it with some elsolite. Will take pics as soon as I get a chance. 

Also, does anybody know wire color codes for the bose unit for Mazdas?
I need to figure out where I need to tap in for my 3sixty.2.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

durwood said:


> oh man. I see some optimal placement spots for some mids or large format tweets. With the things my mazdaspeed6 has to go into the dealer for, I might be looking to dump it next year and might consider the CX7. Looking forward to see what you come up with. I'll have to really check one of these out in person.


Sorry to be off topic, but what's been going wrong with your 'Speed6??


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

By the way, this is the mdf baffle that I made for the rear speakers that I already installed. Right next to it is the 6inch bose speaker. 
I painted the baffle in black to protect it from moisture.


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> Sorry to be off topic, but what's been going wrong with your 'Speed6??


I have to take it in for a simple ECU reflash to fix an emissions recall regarding knocking and loss of power.

Upon looking up my info again, I ran across a TSB on the clutch (I never liked the clutch in gears 1&2) and a more serious Turbo replacement going on (lots of smoke billowing out if the car idles for too long). Add on top of that a possible rear differential bolt shear/axle break could also be in the near future since I am having signs of that problem as well.  And here I though my speed6 was holding up well after 32,000 miles adn I drive like a grandpa.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

For what i've been reading the bose head unit is basically the same as the sport one. Both have the full range outputs. The difference begins at the amp, that also has the DSP and crossover.
The way I see it you have 2 options.
1.- Tap right behind the radio: Using scosche MA03B and MA03RB so you don't have to cut any wires. By doing this you could still use the bose amp to power any speakers you want for fill.
2.- Tap right before the amp: Maybe this would be the easy way to do it, because you can also mount the 3Sixty just beside the amp, also leaving the dash alone. The problem with this option is the wire cutting. I've been looking but didn't found any harness for the bose version or the wire color code for that matter.
I have the sport model with out the bose, so I just replaced every thing and rewired everything, but still have the option to return to stock mode in a couple of hours if needed.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

doitor said:


> For what i've been reading the bose head unit is basically the same as the sport one. Both have the full range outputs. The difference begins at the amp, that also has the DSP and crossover.
> The way I see it you have 2 options.
> 1.- Tap right behind the radio: Using scosche MA03B and MA03RB so you don't have to cut any wires. By doing this you could still use the bose amp to power any speakers you want for fill.
> 2.- Tap right before the amp: Maybe this would be the easy way to do it, because you can also mount the 3Sixty just beside the amp, also leaving the dash alone. The problem with this option is the wire cutting. I've been looking but didn't found any harness for the bose version or the wire color code for that matter.
> I have the sport model with out the bose, so I just replaced every thing and rewired everything, but still have the option to return to stock mode in a couple of hours if needed.



I knew that the bose unit puts out flat 2volt full range output. I confirmed with my eyes today when I was working on my car today. The problem is.... I still have not figured out the wire color codes. Maybe the color codes for regular unit and bose unit might be the same. No?


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So I made some good progress today. 
As you can see in the pictures, I pulled out the rear quarter panel and started deadening it with Raammat. Thanks for great product Rick. 

I could only take pics for left panels because it got dark by the time I got to the right panel, and my camera phone was not good enough to take any decent pics.

As you can see, first pic is the quarter panel without the deadening. The second and third pics are after the deadening. Fourth pic is the interior panel with some rammat, stock foams, and ensolite.
Fifth pic is the trunk floor with some Liquid deadener called the spectrum from Secondskin audio. Liquid deadener seems to be as good as long as you give it a really thick coats. I also covered the floor with the ensolite but I could not take any pic since it was so dark outside.

The road noise has noticeably reduced. 
Up next is front components, running wires, deadening the doors, etc etc etc
So much work left to do. 
Things are turning out pretty smoothly so far.
Thanks for all your comments.


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## kimokalihi (May 27, 2007)

I think rear fill for the passengers is over-rated. I had a 2 way setup in my subaru legacy wagon and my friends said it sounds great from the back seat. I sat back there and it sounds good.


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

hibuhibu said:


> I knew that the bose unit puts out flat 2volt full range output. I confirmed with my eyes today when I was working on my car today. The problem is.... I still have not figured out the wire color codes. Maybe the color codes for regular unit and bose unit might be the same. No?


I don't know if mazda uses the same color coding in all their vehicles, but MAYBE they are the same as the 6. Test using your multimeter in AC voltage mode with something playing.

http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=21828


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So I made some very good progress over the weekend.
I covered the front doors with raammat and ensolite inside and out, ran 12 gauge wires through grommet(which was Pain in the ass since it was a molex connector), then I installed the front speakers, tweeters in pillars, and ran new 0 gauge power wires.Oh yeah, I also debadged the BOSE logo and put an MB Quart logo on the doors.
Took me a day to do all the work I 've done so far. 
Also, I do not know what I did but I am experiencing a weird problem. the window modules that come with the mazda needs to be programmed every time you disconnect the battery so I tried to reprogram it but I still can't control the passenger side window using the driver door switches. Everything else works fine. Does anyone know what could be the potential problem? It works with passenger side switches though.... I must have pulled something in between the driver door switch and passenger side switch. Anyone have this problem before?

p.s having problems uploading pics. will post more soon.


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

You have to go to every door in the car, roll each window down with each switch, then roll it back up and hold the switch. You should hear the relay click and that window is now programmed. Repeat for each window.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

durwood said:


> You have to go to every door in the car, roll each window down with each switch, then roll it back up and hold the switch. You should hear the relay click and that window is now programmed. Repeat for each window.


Hey, Durwood.

Thanks for input.

I already tried it but it seems that the right side window for some reason would not program itself even after I hear the relay click.
Could I have pulled the wire for window programming module possibly?
If so, do you have any idea where it is located at?
Thanks


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So I finally got the windows working. Thanks Durwood. It was a connection that was lose. 

Anyway, here are some of more pics.

Attached are pics of speaker installed with ensolite.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Now, here are pics of new power wire and ground wire. 0 Gauge rulez.
Here you can see that I made a bracket above the battery to tie down the battery and to mount the fuse holder.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Here you can see that I debadged the BOSE Logo and put on a MB Quart Logo.
I also installed a QSD Tweeter on A-pillar.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

I think I will be finishing up the install by this weekend. Where do you guys suggest me to set a crossover point at for mid and tweeters?
Does anyone have hands on experience with these drivers going active?
Thanks


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Hi hibuhibu.
Great work. Can you explain to me how did you took the inner door pannel to deaden the inner door? 
How does it sound with the tweeters in the pillar? That was my first choice but when I started to remove the pilar I noticed the airbag, so I stopped. Latter I went to a Mazda dealer and got the diagram printed. That's whe I found that the airbag only goes half way into the a pillar. So i'm hoping to try that this weekend. 
Hope to see the finished install.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

doitor said:


> Hi hibuhibu.
> Great work. Can you explain to me how did you took the inner door pannel to deaden the inner door?
> How does it sound with the tweeters in the pillar? That was my first choice but when I started to remove the pillar I noticed the airbag, so I stopped. Latter I went to a Mazda dealer and got the diagram printed. That's whe I found that the airbag only goes half way into the a pillar. So i'm hoping to try that this weekend.
> Hope to see the finished install.


Thanks for your comment Doitor, 
As for accessing the inner door, you obviously need to remove the black panel that covers a large hole. It looks bit intimidating when you first do it but it is not too bad at all. 
I attached a pic with indication of what bolts you need to remove.
Here are the steps you should take,
1. Keep in mind that window rails are bolted to the black panel. YOU MUST TAPE THE WINDOWS PRIOR DOING THIS SO YOUR WINDOW DOES NOT FALL DOWN.
2. Now, remove the bolts where I indicated with Red.
3. The bolts that I indicated with green are the bolts that support window rails. Remove them.
4. Now you need to remove the 3 bolts that support the window motors. It is located at where I indicated with blue square and the 3 bolts are indicated with blue dots. After you remove the bolts, slowly pull the motor towards you and it will slide out. Leave it hanging there. 
5. Now slowly and firmly pop out the black panel.(Make sure that you removed all the screws that I indicated, and also make sure that there aren't any screws that I might have forgot to indicate as well)

As for the tweeter, I have not heard it yet since I have not hooked up the amps. Don't worry about installing the tweeters in pillars as long as you do not put them too high. Mine is located right below the airbags just in case.

Hope this helped.


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## kickerfx4 (Sep 10, 2007)

very nice and clean


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

kickerfx4 said:


> very nice and clean


Thank you


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Thanks for your quick and accurate reply.
I'll be trying it this weekend.
Hope I don't break a window.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

Very nice.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So..... I made some very good progress here tonight. So I organized all my wires on the back, zip tied them, put the amp rack behind the seats, installed amplifiers, installed subs etc etc.

I will post pics as soon as I get them. I have not taken any pics yet.

However, I have not even played it to listen yet because I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE HELL TO TAP INTO FOR MY 3SIXTY2. haha...

I got an wiring harness from metra which I thought will fit fine, but some of the wires do not match. I searched all over the net to find the answer but it seems that no one has analyzed the bose head unit of cx-7 yet.

I think I am going to take it to a shop that I know and ask them to see if they can figure out the wirings. This is bit irritating, but oh well. I guess I will have to be the pioneer.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

GlasSman said:


> Very nice.


Thanks alot. I really appreciate it.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So I made some very interesting findings today....

It actually turns out that the BOSE cd player on my car does not put out flat response and also that the volume is actually adjusted at the BOSE amplifier?
How did I find out?
Well, here is the story.
As some of you may know, I tapped into BOSE amplifier input side to integrate my 3sixty.2.
I come to discover that the signal is actually boosted at low and high!!!!
Also, I discover that volume would not increase or decrease either!!!!
It had a single volume!!! going into the amplifier!
Most of other Mazdas in fact do send out flat signals but I guess this was not the case for my car. I was really hoping to not to use external remote but it seems though I will be.

Damn...


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

It just want's to make your job easier. lol.
Did you tried tapping after the amp?


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

That is what I am going to try now.
Doitor, do you know if the stock regular unit puts out flat response?
Let me know.
Thanks


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Hibubu
I don't know about the stock head unit. I have it, but that was the first thing that came out of the car. The one that came with my sport model CX-7 was the basic one, only one cd, no mp3, no sat radio. The only plus side was the steering wheel controls.
Why don't you change the HU?
It would be much easier and with the Scosche kit now available the new HU looks cool. By the way I have the PRS 880 and let me tell you it's a great unit for the price. Been thinking of changing for the W205 H701 combo, but don't think is worth the extra cash ($1200 for the combo versus $250 for the 880). I also have XM and IPOD interfase.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Hey Doitor, How are you?

Yeah, I just decided to go with aftermerket head unit. 
I also sent 360.2 back to sound domain today because it decided to quit connecting to my palm for some reason. RF told me that it is bluetooth chip that went bad and I am going to get full refund for it. I guess I have to wait another week for it.

I am going to keep the 360.2 and get myself a after market somewhat entry level head unit. Basically something that does essential function really well.
Will post you guys with new pics as soon as I am done.

Thanks for your support.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Hi Hibuhibu.
If you already decided to go the aftermarket HU way, I would recomend that you change the 3Sixty.2 for a better HU and save yourself some trouble.
If you are into SQ and DIY, the best bang for the buck is the Pioneer Premiere PRS-880. It has a lot of the functions of the 3Sixty.2, it costs half as much, and it would be a lot easier to install.
I was a kenwood excelon fan for more than 10 years until I got into SQ and began reading a lot of forums. After deciding to go active I will never go back to passive. And for the price it's the best HU you will find.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Hey Doitor

I have used pioneer 8600mp before and that was a great head unit.
I still have it but mechanism went bad and it would not open up. 

I am going to keep the 3sixty.2 because I might go with double din navigation system in the future and I would like to use 3sixty.2 with it. I actually thought about getting it this time, but being the fact that I live in apartment kinda scares me a lil. I don't want to get my equipment stolen. so for now, im gonna pass.

As for now, I am going to stick with something that is very basic. Something that plays cd/mp3 well, durable, and can play ipod, and use 3sixty.2 for processing. Not the most, cost effective way by any means, but I can still have processing when I go with nav system.

I am excited about going active this time. Will see waht happens.

Thanks alot


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So.....
I finally finished up all the work in my car!!!! Finally!!!!
The first attached pics are how I installed the head unit and I pod adapter. As you can see, I ran the Ipod adapter to center console. I personally do not own ipod, but its for my friends when we go to mammoth for snowboaring.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

Now is how I ran the wiring for the set up.
I am using FL output of 360.2 to left tweeter, RL to the left mid and vice versa for the right side.
To increase the channel separation(according to Mr.Marv's suggetion) I am using ch1 and ch2 for the left side and ch3 and ch4 for the right side out of my amplifier.
360.2 is hidden under the trunk floor cover.


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So here is what the trunk looks like right now.
Don't mind the graphite carpet. That is the only carpet I had. i will probably recarpet in black when it worns out later after a snowboard season. I am sure my equipments will ruin them.
what's the passive crossovers for? Well, it's for the look. 
You can also see that I attached MB Quart badge behind the center console.
Wish I could attach it lil higher, but the space was curved and that was the only way I could attach it.
Overall, i am very satisfied with the results.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Hi hibuhibu.
Looks preteey good. I liked the ipod cable on the center console. The amp rack is also great. Can you still fold the seats?
Also can you put some pictures of the tweeter location?
And finally, how does it sound?


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

The initial goal was functionality over looks.
Needed to save space, and keep all the functions such as folding seats.
Yes, seats do fold just fine. The tweeters are located in A-pillars. 
How does it sound? As of right now, it is ok, but it does not sound bad either.
I could definitely see alot of potential in this set up. I am sure that after some tuning, it will be pretty darn good. Also, the mids need to break in as well. Overall, I am very satisfied with the results.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

I think your goal is almost complete.
Maybe the sub box gets in the way a bit, but you basically kept a lot of your cargo area and the folding seats are also great.
Right now i'm in the middle of a total system overhaul. I'm going all the way with 3 way active up front + sub. Will be posting pics once I begin. Just waiting for the equipment.
I want to put the tweeters on the a pilar also, that's why I 'm asking about the sound, but will wait for the speaker break in period to hear your opinion.
Can you put a pic of the tweeter please.
Thanks


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

So here are some new pics of my tweeters in a pillars.
As you can see I took the pic from where my head is. They are WAY(especially left tweeter) off Axis and quite far away.
How do they sound?
They actually do sound quite damn good. I have a lil bit of siblance as of yet, but I think it has more to do with crossover point.
In terms of detail, they are superb tweeters. They do what they are supposed to do the best, that is creating an airy and accurate cymbals etc.
I actually do hope that the mids could play higher so I can cross them over lil higher. I don't think they sound the best at where they are crossed over from the manufacture. 

My real problem is with the mids. For some reason, I cannot get these mids to image correctly. I checked the polarity already and they are fine, but for some reason I cannot get them to sound higher above the dash. Heck, even my old infinity mids played way above my dash. The infinity kappas had no midbass and by no means they were good sounding speakers, but they imaged quite well with marginal time alignment.
On the contrary, the MB quart mids do have quite a good detail but still tonality is lil bit off, but I don't think it is something EQ cannot fix. The real problem is that I cannot get it to image properly even after some time alignment. Does anybody else have this type of experience?
Is it the crossover posint?
I currently have crossed it over at 2500htz with 24db slope.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Hibuhibu.
Those tweeters look great. I just bought a set of Hybrid Audio Legatias L1 that i'm going to put also on the a pillar, son L3's that will be filling the cuby hole on the a pillar, and my RS180 that already have on the doors.
Also ordered a W205-H701 alpine combo.
Going to begin installing in a couple of weeks, and will be posting the process like you here in the forum.
Did you had any problems removing the a pilars? I've read that there are some type of clips that once removed, you need to change them.
Did you removed all the console to get the ipod cable there?
On a side note, I'm going to the MECA finals in Nashville next month, so I can get to hear a lot of SQ cars and get some ideas.
Thanks


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

In terms of removing the a-pillars, they are lil tricky but you do not need to break a clip to do so.
There are total about 3 clips that hold the A pillars 2 of the same ones are located in the center and the bottom. You first want to pop these out first. 
While holding the A-pillar, pull and bend the pillar towards the middle of the windshield with one hand. At the same time, pull it towards your head with the other hand.
This should remove your pillar. There are more detailed instructions somewhere. Try to find Mazda satelite, or ipod connector installation manual.


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## SoundM (Apr 15, 2008)

Hello all:

Nice work at your CX7  . Just one quick question! 

Do you have any trick to remove the bezel around the Bose Head unit? is it a difficult task?

Thanks  

LDM


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

Great build progress man! (i like the seats...)

but PLEASE tell me its an actual turbo and dosent just have the badge!!


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## Superstretch18 (Dec 10, 2007)

BassBaller5 said:


> Great build progress man! (i like the seats...)
> 
> but PLEASE tell me its an actual turbo and dosent just have the badge!!


Oh, it's a real turbo. Same engine as the mazdaspeed 3 & 6...


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## Superstretch18 (Dec 10, 2007)

SoundM said:


> Hello all:
> 
> Nice work at your CX7  . Just one quick question!
> 
> ...


Here are the instructions for removing the dash bezel. It shows a specific tool, but you can use an offset flat-head screwdriver to get it off as well. There's a ton of info on www.mcx7.com, if you need specific info on the CX-7. Audio advice is 100x better here though!  Good luck!


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## CRD (Apr 23, 2008)

Good to see more CX-7 here, I will add my setup soon too.


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## bcg8188 (Jul 14, 2008)

hey how did you install your subs? I just got dual 12" MTX subs and I am trying to hook them up to my BOSE system on my CX-7..... walkthroughs or instructions would be extremely appreciated


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## hibuhibu (Sep 11, 2006)

bcg8188 said:


> hey how did you install your subs? I just got dual 12" MTX subs and I am trying to hook them up to my BOSE system on my CX-7..... walkthroughs or instructions would be extremely appreciated


You will need to completely ditch the bose system to make them work properly. BOSE system lowers the volume of bass after a certain pt of volume.


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