Need help installing a Kicker 46HS10 compact subwoofer/amp combo

originalmarshmello

originalmarshmello

Greenie N00B Member
I recently got a set of kicker CSS68 and CSC68 speakers to replace my crappy Bose door speakers in my 09 Mazdaspeed3 GT, plus some Pioneer TS-G520s for under the front seats. Along with those, I picked up a Kicker 46HS10 Hideaway Subwoofer with a 180-watt amp built in for the trunk. It comes with "quick connect" wiring, which according to the Crutchfield rep who helped me was all I needed. I also plan to keep my stock radio as I don't need anything fancy and should do the job just fine IF I wire it the right way. From what I've heard, installing with the Bose system is different than if you had a non-GT model. This is where I need help.

I want to wire everything in correctly which I believe is through the Kicker Sub/Amp rather than the stock amp. There are some forum writeups out there for sub installs in these cars, but none so far covered a Sub with a built-in Amp, especially with the Bose system for gen 1s. If you know of writeups on this subject specifically, please send them my way.

Will I need to go through or around the stock amp? How do I install this all correctly?
Every tidbit of information/help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

EDIT: If I'm being silly by keeping my stock H/U and would be way better off with an aftermarket one, please let me know!
 
Honestly there aren't many guys here that are into stereo stuff. The radio hardware is all the same as any Mazda 3 with Bose, you could try one of their forums, your likely to get people with more experience over there
 
Easter Bunny said:
Honestly there aren't many guys here that are into stereo stuff. The radio hardware is all the same as any Mazda 3 with Bose, you could try one of their forums, your likely to get people with more experience over there
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Gotcha! I'll head over to one of those sites and see what I can find. Once I figure it out, do you guys want to hear how it gets installed?
 
This what I used in mazdaspeed 3 2012 to hook up 1000 watt Amp and 2 12s and does work w bose and factory head just plug and play type deal unit says it don't but does there yt vids too
 

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A little update for you all:

After some discussion with a crutchfield rep and a dude on another forum, I will be ditching the pioneer TS-G520s and trying to fit the subwoofer I have under the passenger seat, where the stock sub is. If I can get it out, I think it will fit.

Because I am ditching the stock speakers, I will need an aftermarket amp without the Bose EQ for my new speakers. Otherwise the speakers I bought would be a waste of technology.

I have a kicker 4 channel amp on the way along with wiring to make this all work.

Thanks Ac3s802vt for the PAC AOEM-MAZ22 Line out converter recommendation, I’ll have one of those on the way as well.

While I wait, I’m sound deadening doors and whatever else is rattling around. Wish me luck. Does anyone know if I can sound deaden some of the outer plastic shield on the inside of the doors? So far I just applied it to the actual metal door inside at the very back of the door. Images for reference:
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Easter Bunny said:
The sub is in the spare tire. The amp is under the passenger seat
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What you said is true for gen 2 speeds, but I have a gen 1. There’s no rear sub on those, rather it sits under the front passenger seat. As far as I know, the amp is under the driver seat. Amp could be under the passenger seat though, I’m not certain. All I see is a black box that says Bose woofer on it.
 
I installed a gen 2 sub in my gen 1. I just ran longer wires from the original sub under the seat to the rear hatch area.

I only did that cause my under seat sub was blown. It sounded awful. If I knew about the ones you posted I would have done that as the board covering the spare tire wasn't flush afterwards
 
If you want to have some fun, get a DSP in there too for some sound correction. I gutted the whole sound system in my MS6 and replaced it with a bunch of Focal gear and a Mosconi DSP. End result sounds fantastic.
Would love to see how your project progresses though!
 
Thanks for the suggestion SnackMasterX!
I would love to try that, but right now I’m at the outer limit of my budget for this project.

In the future though I will look into that. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t an aftermarket radio add some DSP to the speakers? Obviously it’s not a dedicated dsp but it’s still adjusting it more than the factory radio would, right?
 
You referring to the equalizer settings? I think it just gives more fine tuning options than what factory comes with so you can really dial in the sound better.

FWIW I used an Eonon head unit in my Gen 1 and had good results with it. For the cost of upgrading to that which had a factory style look but added features of an android head unit I couldn't complain. It added navigation which the car didn't have, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Though the Wifi doesn't work unless you setup the radio to have a subscription through your provider or unless you use a wireless hotspot feature from your phone (which is what I did). I had Netflix, Hulu, Chrome and a few other apps on there. When I'd be eating lunch in my car I could stream movies and shows without killing the battery on my phone.
 
The DSP is something which can be added at a later point. It's slightly more than just an equalizer. A higher end DSP will allow you to change equalizer settings per speaker, along with timing delays and phase changes.

The high level is you get a crazy sensitive microphone (there are usually some designed for this purpose) and then play a "pink noise" out of all speaker. Turn off all but one speaker, then measure how each individual speaker is doing, tweaking the individual speakers EQ as you go along. Goal being to adjust the EQ so that it's as flat as possible, and adjust phase as needed on the speakers based on acoustical anomalies in the vehicle. It makes a MASSIVE difference, but again can always be added down the road.

What gear did you end up going with?
 
Thanks for the advice! I got a Kicker CXA360.4 amp, 2 kicker csc68 for the rear doors, 2 kicker css68 for the front doors and tweeters, a kicker hs10 subwoofer, and noico sound deadening mat.
 
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