# 2010 Mazda CX-9 Touring Install Log



## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

After the untimely demise of *my Honda Pilot*, I'm going to be reinstalling most of the gear I had in that car into my CX-9.

My CX-9 is a Touring model without Bose. At this point, my plan is to install the following over the next few weeks as I get time:

Head unit: *Kenwood KMM-BT318U* media player
Front speakers: *JBL GTO609c* components
Front tweeters: *Dayton ND25FN-4* 1-inch silk dome
Rear speakers: *Factory*, only turned on when the kids are riding back there and want to hear their music
Subwoofer: *Kicker 40CWS124 12" Comp S* in a prefab box (for now
Amplifier: *MTX Thunder 4244* 4-channel


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

This week's project is getting the front speakers installed and running off the OEM head unit.

I'll just be mounting the Dayton tweeters into the factory tweeter mounting plate in the dash, here:

20171004_183909 by ben.garner, on Flickr

The JBL crossover passes a full range signal to the woofer by design, so the OEM door speakers are still getting a full range signal. The tweeters are crossed at about 5 kHz with a 12 db/oct slope.

A little chopping and hacking with a Dremel was all that was needed to get the tweeter brackets ready for me to glue on the Daytons.

20171015_135208 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171015_135157 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171015_154012 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171015_154021 by ben.garner, on Flickr

This shot is looking up from under the dash towards the tweeter location. As you can see, it is wide open. I was able to reach my whole arm up in there. The driver's side is a little more crowded, but still has LOTS of room to work.

20171015_154028 by ben.garner, on Flickr

Crossover tapped into the factory wiring at the passenger kickpanel area. The driver's side was done similarly.

20171016_115322 by ben.garner, on Flickr

Tweeter connections.

20171016_123020 by ben.garner, on Flickr

Driver's side tweeter mounted.

20171016_123158 by ben.garner, on Flickr

The Daytons protrude just a few millimeters more than the OEM speakers, but the factory grills still snap right back on with no contact.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I mounted the JBL woofers to the *Scosche SA68* adapter plates for the front doors. I used foam gasket tape to isolate the speakers from the adapters. I used some of the self-tapping screws that came with the JBL set for fasteners.

I have read several reviews online saying that the Scosche adapters do not actually fit 6.5" speakers. Well, they definitely fit the JBL 6.5" woofers just fine.

20171015_173106 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171017_204014 by ben.garner, on Flickr

I mounted the speakers to the door with rope caulk isolating the adapter from the door panel.

20171019_123511 by ben.garner, on Flickr


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Added some foam to seal the gap between the speaker and the door panel:

20171020_130755 by ben.garner, on Flickr


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

_Finally_ got back at it this week.

I got the main power wire run & started working on the head unit wiring.

20171228_151334 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171228_152202 by ben.garner, on Flickr

20171228_152143 by ben.garner, on Flickr

I'm using the Metra 70-7903T vehicle wiring adapter and the 40-HD10 adapter for the powered antenna. 

20171229_102336 by ben.garner, on Flickr

(Using the Posi Twist connectors till I finalize things like whether or not rear speakers get head unit power and installing a steering wheel control integrator....hey at least they're not regular wire nuts...)


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Looks good man! It's surprising how similar the internals on your Mazda are to my CX3...


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

DavidRam said:


> Looks good man! It's surprising how similar the internals on your Mazda are to my CX3...


Thanks man. I'm trying to make sure I get everything done right and done neatly the first time around (for once).

There aren't a lot of CX-9 install threads around, so I've been digging up anything I can on any contemporary Mazda for tips and clues. The first gen CX-9 also shares a lot with the Ford Edge, so some useful info can be found there too.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I installed my trusty old MTX Thunder 4244 under the driver's seat this weekend. 

Man, I hate this black carpet. It doesn't show stains, but it shows EVERY speck of dirt, sand or whatever else is laying around. It seems impossible to keep clean.

First, clearing out some room to work:

20171231_132134 by ben.garner, on Flickr


Ground point under the B-pillar trim in a factory threaded hole (That OEM wiring harness retainer can just dangle  ):

20171231_134043 by ben.garner, on Flickr


I did slice a new hole in the carpet for running wires over to the door sill area:

20171231_140938 by ben.garner, on Flickr


Front speaker wires & the turn-on lead run forward with the main power wire. The subwoofer speaker wire runs to the rear under the rear door sill trim:

20171231_141535 by ben.garner, on Flickr


RCA cables come from the center console area, under the carpet:

20171231_145311 by ben.garner, on Flickr


All wired up with the amp velcro'd to the carpet (Front of the car is at the bottom of the photo):

20171231_145858 by ben.garner, on Flickr


With the seat back in:

20180101_091556 by ben.garner, on Flickr


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Please put a lock washer on that ground (not the split type, the star-looking crush type) to prevent it from ever coming loose. Great way to kill amplifiers when that happens. And ideally use a bolt that can be torqued more than a simple screw. Great that you found a threaded hole.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

sirbOOm said:


> Please put a lock washer on that ground (not the split type, the star-looking crush type) to prevent it from ever coming loose. Great way to kill amplifiers when that happens. And ideally use a bolt that can be torqued more than a simple screw. Great that you found a threaded hole.


I had the exact same thought. If I had been able to find a matching nut, bolt & washer in my garage at the time, I would have used them. I also need to find my dielectric grease to cover the bare metal, it will definitely start to rust down here in FL.

Securing that ground better is staying on the to-do list...


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

New toy came in yesterday  The Dayton IMM-6 calibrated microphone.

Maybe now my "tuning" can be just a little more rigorous than, "Hmm, I _think_ this sounds better now..."

20180102_175400 by ben.garner, on Flickr


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

mzmtg said:


> I had the exact same thought. If I had been able to find a matching nut, bolt & washer in my garage at the time, I would have used them. I also need to find my dielectric grease to cover the bare metal, it will definitely start to rust down here in FL.
> 
> Securing that ground better is staying on the to-do list...


Just give it a toot of spray paint... hot pink for all you care, not going to see it.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

sirbOOm said:


> Just give it a toot of spray paint... hot pink for all you care, not going to see it.


I can never seem to keep spray paint in stock...


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Head unit is in and running. It turns out I did not need the power antenna adapter that came with the kit.

I am happy with how easily and securely the Mazda interior pieces come out and go back together. Nicely done.

20171231_144227 by ben.garner, on Flickr


The Metra wiring adapter includes a side connector so that the OEM head unit can be plugged back into the car with the aftermarket unit still in place. Why? Because the only way to adjust the clock in dash is with the buttons on the OEM unit. I located the side connector behind the fuse & filter access panel in the back of the glove box.

20171231_144533 by ben.garner, on Flickr


Here's the Kenwood in the Metra dash kit. The Metra piece matches the finish on the OEM dash really well. Unfortunately, the little pieces and trim rings that actually mount the head unit to the adapter don't match. Still pretty decent overall.

20180101_091524 by ben.garner, on Flickr


The bluetooth mic sneaks out here by the steering column.

20180102_123708 by ben.garner, on Flickr


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

New goodies in the mail yesterday 



:inquisitive::inquisitive:



:idea3:



epper:epper:

Wiring from KnuConceptz is on the way too...


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

And there she sits, mounted under the passenger seat:



I did end up running a turn-on lead from the head unit because it turns out that JBL's auto turn-on function sucks. I had to turn the sound way up for the amp to recognize the signal and kick on. Then if I turned it down to a normal listening volume, the amp would shut off. PITA

I am using the 4_channel MTX amp to biamp the front components for now. So the front channels power the tweeters through the JBL passive crossovers. The rear amp channels power the midrange speakers with no low pass crossover. The JBL passive put a full range signal to the midranges already, so they are meant to run this way. (See here and here)

So now the whole tuning rigmarole begins anew...


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Well, I can put away the microphone and the analysis software.

I have another toy from JBL on the way 



I'm also going to try using this JL Audio Bluetooth receiver as my only input to the new processor. Then I can just do away with the head unit entirely since I don't really need it for anything at that point.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

So the MS-8 is in the car and running.

Right now it's just sitting in my passenger footwell while I get used to using it. So far, after a few days use, I like it A LOT.

This is the (obviously) temporary setup, also including the JL Audio bluetooth receiver as the source.



[/QUOTE]

Its ultimate location is going to be in the rear storage compartment below the floor. Also, the Kenwood head unit is coming out since I don’t need it for anything anymore. All audio is over BT from my phone. I plugged the BT receiver into channels 1 & 2 on the MS-8 and ran the input calibration. So, it’s as good as it can get.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Got the MS-8 installed a bit more cleanly this week. I also took some measurements of what it's doing to the sound, see here.

I put the factory head unit back in since Bluetooth is my only source now. I still have the MS-8 remote mounted next to the shift lever as I use it for my main volume control. The MS-8 display is mounted in the glove box. I rewired the main unit and slid it up under the front seat from the front. I still need to make some brackets to reposition it slightly so the wiring connections will be less vulnerable to kicks.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

It turns out that my hot-glued tweeters can't handle the Florida heat. After re-gluing them a few times, I've replaced them. P-E had the same tweeter with a built-in wave guide on sale last week, so I picked up a pair. These drop right in and won't fall apart....hopefully.







I did retune the MS-8 afterwords. Everything sounds pretty much the same, as I would expect. If anything, these tweeters have a theoretical advantage in the upper dash location as they direct all the sound energy at the glass. This way I'm not hearing both reflected sound _and_ direct sound.

But like I said, they sound the same to me.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I propped the tweeters up on the dash for the hell of it. Of course, with the MS-8, it's a cinch to re-tune for the new configuration.



This definitely sounds better than having the tweets behind grilles firing up at the windshield. But, I'm not sure if I'm committed to building some pods that actually look decent. 

If I do, it won't be for these tweeters either. I've got a new amp on the way that will give my front stage about double the power it's getting now, so I'm looking at tweeters with higher power handling like the RST28 or the 27TBFC/G that handle more power and can be crossed down around 2kHz.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I rearranged my amps under the seats to get everything to fit. My new Arc KS300.4 would not fit under the driver's seat where my MTX 4-channel had been.

So, I moved the JBL GTX500 over under the driver's seat and put the KS300.4 where it had been under the passenger seat.

I also cleaned up all the wiring and made everything neater and more secure.

Making room to work:


Listen up kids, friction tape is NOT THE SAME as Tesa Tape:


Finishing up:




How they fit with the seats installed. Now all my logos are right way up when viewed from the back seat...which is what's really important:


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I used some 1/4" expanded PVC board to make a mount for my MS-8. The front still sits against the floor mat hooks under the front of the passenger seat. The rear of the board is secured to the seat frame.

Before:


Under construction:


Installed:


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

None of your pictures are showing up 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Redliner99 said:


> None of your pictures are showing up
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Should be working now...


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Holy smokes, you've done all kinds of cool stuff! How is the JL bluetooth receiver working for you??


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

DavidRam said:


> Holy smokes, you've done all kinds of cool stuff! How is the JL bluetooth receiver working for you??


Thanks!

The JL BT receiver works great. The only issue I have is that if I am listening with the engine off, then go to start the car, the receiver won't reconnect to my phone when the ACC power cuts off for that split second when I turn the key.

When that happens, I have to turn the car all the way off, count to three, then start it. Then the BT receiver connects fine.

This only happens every once in a while, maybe a couple times a month.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

mzmtg said:


> Thanks!
> 
> The JL BT receiver works great. The only issue I have is that if I am listening with the engine off, then go to start the car, the receiver won't reconnect to my phone when the ACC power cuts off for that split second when I turn the key.
> 
> ...


That doesn't sound to bad... I'm thinking of adding it to my set-up. Where is yours mounted in proximity to the driver seat?


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

DavidRam said:


> That doesn't sound to bad... I'm thinking of adding it to my set-up. Where is yours mounted in proximity to the driver seat?


It's in the center console, between the seats, below the shifter.

When I set it up, I played the MS-8 setup tones through the phone BT and ran the input calibration on the MS-8. That way if there are any anomalies in the signal from going through all the equipment, it's corrected.

With the volume all the way up on the phone, the MS-8 picks it up (OK,OK,OK) really quick.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

mzmtg said:


> It's in the center console, between the seats, below the shifter.
> 
> When I set it up, I played the MS-8 setup tones through the phone BT and ran the input calibration on the MS-8. That way if there are any anomalies in the signal from going through all the equipment, it's corrected.
> 
> With the volume all the way up on the phone, the MS-8 picks it up (OK,OK,OK) really quick.


Sounds great, thanks for the info! I'm gonna add one of those for sure...


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## byoung (Mar 17, 2019)

Hi, new member here.


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## byoung (Mar 17, 2019)

bump


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

So, will this fit in there?


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Well, technically, yes.

It "fits"



Now to get it a signal...


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## Jumpa (Mar 14, 2021)

I also have a Cx-9 2010 I installed a double dinn head unit .
I used Crutchfield harness for my Mazda specifications also no nav no bose however I have a crackle in my front channel that I didn't have with the stock unit I would have kept the stock single CD unit but kids decided the CD slot was better used as a piggy bank and dropped a few quarters and dimes into the unit "I hope no one ever has to hear that high pitched sound I heard that fateful day when I turned on the radio." My God man!!!! Was it loud.
This cheap unit is a Bose double dinn 20 watt.per channel Nav, DVD, CD player ect.
I bought it primarily for the nav & the back up camera. Im nowhere near the profesional grade you guys are at , just wondering what might cause the crackle when I go over 14 on the volume I cant figure out what or where it is coming from. I believe I have isolated it down to the front channel. Its a terrible crackle too. Any help would be greatly appreciated also I can only imagine.how great.your CX-9 sounds with all that great audio equipment

Sincerely
Rich M.
Plymourh Massachusetts


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Bit of an update:
The Dayton tweeters have been replaced with JL Audio C2-350X 3.5" coaxials in the dash and the old Kicker sub has been replaced with a Dayton 12" HO DVC.

So now I have the sub running 20 - 90Hz, 6.5" JBL mids 90 - 1kHz and the 3.5s from 1kHz - 20kHz.

I'm definitely liking the new sound, it's much smoother at high volumes now that I'm not asking a 1" to reach too low and a 6.5" to reach too high.

And this sub actually plays music. The old kicker just made grunting sounds in comparison.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

How are you liking the 3.5" in the dash? I considered doing that with a beefy 8" in the door, but went a different route.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

FlashJim said:


> How are you liking the 3.5" in the dash?


Overall, I'm very happy with them. The tonality is much better and there's a lot more clean output.

The only issue is the image isn't as focused and stable as it was with my previous setup. On some songs the vocals dont stay put in the middle like they used to. This may be something that can be improved with different crossover points.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

I measured my systems response by driver, the first time I've done this. This is with a bunch of EQ already applied through the MS8's graphic EQ. I've only ever measured total system response before. Looks like I have a bit of a hole around 200 (cabin response) and a peak around 4k I could try to tame.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

mzmtg said:


> Overall, I'm very happy with them. The tonality is much better and there's a lot more clean output.
> 
> The only issue is the image isn't as focused and stable as it was with my previous setup. On some songs the vocals dont stay put in the middle like they used to. This may be something that can be improved with different crossover points.


Did you run new speaker wire to the front door? If so, did you have any issues?


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

FlashJim said:


> Did you run new speaker wire to the front door? If so, did you have any issues?


I did not. I ran new wire to the door harness inside the car, but I didn't fish new wire all the way in to the new speakers.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

mzmtg said:


> I did not. I ran new wire to the door harness inside the car, but I didn't fish new wire all the way in to the new speakers.


Thanks! That was my project today.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

mzmtg said:


> I did not. I ran new wire to the door harness inside the car, but I didn't fish new wire all the way in to the new speakers.


I can't seem to find the driver side wires (blue\orange and violet) in the kick panel. Lots of plugs there due to the BCM. The passenger side was easy to find.

Any ideas? Thanks again for a great install log.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

FlashJim said:


> I can't seem to find the driver side wires (blue\orange and violet) in the kick panel. Lots of plugs there due to the BCM. The passenger side was easy to find.
> 
> Any ideas? Thanks again for a great install log.


If I remember correctly, I actually tapped into those wires near the headunit since I couldn't get to them over by the door.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

mzmtg said:


> If I remember correctly, I actually tapped into those wires near the headunit since I couldn't get to them over by the door.


Sounds good. I'll do some exploring. The driver's kick panel is a nightmare.


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## FlashJim (May 1, 2006)

mzmtg said:


> If I remember correctly, I actually tapped into those wires near the headunit since I couldn't get to them over by the door.


Thanks again for the wiring help. I tapped into the driver's door wiring in the passenger kick panel. It was in the big molex just under the white molex that had the passenger wiring. 

How did you run your amp power through the firewall? I haven't pulled the battery yet to explore. Is there room in the factory grommet for 1/0?


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Swapped out the JBL GTO609C woofers for some Volvo-spec Dynaudio MW160GT woofers. I also use a set NVX silicone baffles. 

No pics. But, I'm very happy after a quick re-tune and listen. I'm sure they'll get better as I get them dialed in.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Hey now....

Audible Physics Ram 3C is in stock!


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

Harnessed:









Fit just right:









One a quick MS8 retune, they sound amazing. Much, much more detail than the JLs I took out.


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## mzmtg (Dec 8, 2009)

My old, hand-me-down sub enclosure finally bit the dust.

So now I have a different pre-fab enclosure. I grabbed a Skar SK1X12V.

Now, it's too big and it's tuned too high...BUT I have a plan. The enclosure it self is nicely (enough) made and finished and came pre-wired. It's definitely better than I could have done for the $95 it cost. I suck at woodworking and joinery.

My plan is to add a couple of pieces of wood inside to both lengthen the port and lower the enclosure size, both of which will help. Skar says it's tuned for 36Hz, a YouTuber tested one and measured 32Hz. I have enough room inside to get down to 30Hz, which is the ultimate goal.

As of now, it sounds good enough. It's clearly much more efficient than the previous sealed alignment.










Green = Sealed 1.25cuft (past)
Red = Ported 1.9cuft @ 36Hz (present)
Blue = Ported 1.9cuft @ 30Hz (future)










On 700 watts, none of them exceed Xmax until below 20Hz


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