Kuro CX-30

WHEELS AND TIRES

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❄Winter❄

Ray's Team Daytona M8 17x7 +40 • 23.5 lb (10.64 kg)
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 215/70 • 28.5 lb (12.9 kg)

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🍂Fall/Spring☔

Enkei RPF1 17x7 +45 • 14.9 lb (6.76 kg)
Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail 225/65 • 30 lb (13.61 kg)

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🌞Summer - Mid May to Late September🌞

Enkei RPF1 17x8 +45 • 16.1 lb (7.3 kg)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV 225/65 • 27 lb (12.3 kg)

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EXTERIOR

XPEL Stealth PPF, XRPlus Tint, Exhaust

Updated Oct 26, 2022

I had 2 primary hopes moving forward with the paint protection film:

1) Match (or create less contrast between) the cladding and the body.
2) Protect the thin, chip happy paint.

My only fear was that the Kodo effect would be flattened out. I was pleasantly surprised that, imo, it enhanced that effect to a certain degree. The silky, forward moving body waves seem more organic and natural without the glossy reflections. With the larger diameter, higher sidewall tires and now stealth ppf, the cladding and wheel gap is no longer a focal point.

Some glossy black vinyl was added at the window seams to keep a continuous reflective flow across the side windows. Xpel Ceramic coating was also applied on top of the PPF, wheels, windows, etc.

For window tint, XPEL's ceramic XRPlus was used to block out the most infrared heat possible, while also reflecting UV rays. The side window tint was matched from the driver side front side window around to the passenger side window. The sunroof was tinted and the front windshield was also lightly tinted at 70% to help with infrared heat rejection.

INTERIOR

Color Match, XPEL PPF, Seat/Boot Covers

Updated Oct 26, 2022

From the window line down, the CX-30 interior feels a class ahead of the competition. So what could solidify that feeling from the window line up? Matching the colors throughout. Lighter colors contrasting against darker colors tend to attract our attention, thus distracting eyes from not only the road but the rest of a beautiful interior. Lighter colors also tend to make spaces feel larger, but the contrast seems to affect the interior’s aesthetic flow. The CX-30 interior is leading it’s class as is, but matching the color really makes the interior feel like it took that final step into the luxury category.

The headliner, pillars and lights and handles were all a light beige. The headliner and all parts were removed and prepped. The headliner and sunroof visor were wrapped in a black headliner with a texture that matches the factory headliner. The pillars and all other plastic trim were dyed in satin black.

AUDIO

Source: FiiO M11 Plus LTD

Let's start at the source. The CX-30 has a relatively flat signal from the OEM system. However, I wanted a separate source to simplify the signal and integration. I had already chosen the FiiO M11 Plus LTD digital audo player (DAP) as my source for my music. FiiO is a Chinese electronics company founded in 2007 that primarily manufactures audio equipment. The M11 features advanced digital analog converters and multiple outs for a variety of applications. Android 10 runs smooth and can utilize the music streaming apps of your choice. It can play just about any type of music file, including hi-res, if the rest of your system is capable of supporting those files. It can also run Android Auto and do just about anything your smart phone can do. A variety of Bluetooth codecs are available to use, but I am using the S/PDIF 3.5mm output port that sends the signal via digital coax directly to the amplifier. A 1 TB microSD card (not included) to store music files on the player is also a plus. The player is housed in an exclusive to Australia, OEM Mazda motorized Android mobile phone holder.

One Button Controller: Audiotech Fischer Conductor

Audiotech Fischer is a German audio company founded in 1990 that has evolved from a niche supplier to a world leader in innovative audio products, which enjoys a high level of international recognition. The Conductor is their one-touch remote control for their Advanced 32 Bit CoProcessor platform (ACO) digital signal processors (DSPs).

“… Ease of access and use of this was essential since the main source unit will be the clients Fiio M11, or bluetooth directly to the Helix processor via the BT HEC Card. This controller controls master volume, subwoofer volume, and preset (tune) selection. Matt fabricated a small pod to house the Conductor in a pocket that is underneath the OEM radio.” – Vanguard Automotive Design

Colored Light Codes:
White = Master Volume
Red = Subwoofer Volume
Green = Preset Tunes (up to 10)
Blue = Bluetooth

It is by far the most simplistic, clean looking and easy to use controller I have worked with. The placement was perfect and blends with the interior as if it was part of the OEM electronics.

DSP/Amplifiers: Audiotec Fischer’s Helix V Eight MK2 and Helix M ONE X

For the install at Vanguard Automotive Design, I preferred the amps be kept neat, serviceable with minimal fabrication. Serviceability is sometimes over looked in favor of cosmetics, when it should be a priority.

Helix V Eight MK2

If the FiiO M11 is the heart of the system, the V Eight DSP MK2 is the soul. An 8-channel amp with 10 DSP channels. If there is one acronym you hear over and over in today’s car audio community, it’s DSP, or digital signal processor. Their DSPs are praised as having superb capabilities and top tier, user-friendly tuning software.

March of '20 Car & HiFi, “With the V Eight DSP MK2, Helix sets a benchmark for multi-channel amps. With squeaky-clean technology and the most comprehensive integration and sound features on the market, this is top class. Whether to upgrade premium factory systems or to use simply as a compact, powerful DSP amp, V Eight is the beat right now.”

Car & HiFi Bench Test:
77 x 8 @ 4 ohms
134 x 8 @ 2 ohms

Helix M ONE X

The M ONE X is a highly compact monoblock amp for sub applications. June of '20 Car & HiFi, “Even the control over heavy sub membranes is no problem for it. I‘m down to 1 ohm, the control is perfectly retained, no blurring. Lastly, it processes ultra-deep sound just as well, so that its playback is limited by the sub - not by the M ONE X.”

Car & HiFi Bench Test:
407 x 1 @ 4 ohms
694 x 1 @ 2 ohms
1054 x 1 @ 1 ohm

Each M ONE X is powering each sub. In the future, an option to increase power would be to combine the two M ONE X amps via the TwinPower Link to create 1 powerhouse, producing 1400 x 1 @ 4 ohms or 2060 x 1 @ 2 ohms.

Front Stage: BLAM’s Signature Multix

MS3 Midrange and TSM 25 S 45 Tweeter

A pillar/dash install of the mids/tweets, which tends to produce better results, was beyond my budget. As luck would have it, the OEM locations ended up working. This also presents the advantage of maintaining an unchanged appearance. Sometimes visual aesthetic changes can distract your focus from the listening experience. However, if given the time, Vanguard would have fabricated grills that integrated seamlessly with the rest of the OEM interior as they have done countless times before.

Guy Boneville was a leader on the Focal tech team, designing top end loudspeakers for 25 years. In 2013, he created BLAM (Bonneville Laboratory and More) located in Le Chambon-Feugerolles, France. BLAM produces car audio speakers where the Multix is the flagship line. They feature neodymium magnets where driver pairs are hand-matched with a tolerance of ±1 dB.

MS 3 - 3” carbon fiber wideband midrange
25 watts
3 Ohms

TSM 25 S45 - 1” silk dome tweeter
15 watts
5 Ohms

“The midranges were installed in the OEM door location. Based on past experiences, I'm not generally a huge fan of this speaker location but it actually works pretty well in this car. It didn't have any of the noticeable negative side effects that are typically present with this location. We used the OEM mounting bracket and created an adapter to mount our new midrange to the door using all of the OEM hardware and mounting points. A foam ring was used to seal the driver against the grille opening to ensure optimal performance. The tweeters were installed into the OEM sail panel location. We used an acrylic adapter to secure everything in place.” – Vanguard Automotive Design

WS6 Midbass

Why infinite baffle? Without an enclosure to change the way a woofer naturally sounds, infinite baffle mounting usually has a smooth roll off of the low frequencies and a smooth frequency response. It also requires less power, so increased efficiency.

WS 6 – 6.5” carbon fiber woofer with neodymium magnet
125 watts
2 Ohms

“This was something unique for this car and something that is actually pretty awesome from an end result perspective. Mazda utilized enclosures for their 4" midbass drivers that are housed in the kick panels. Obviously we weren't going to settle with 4" midbass drivers, but removing the enclosures and working with the kick panel location, while time consuming, ended up sounding great. We fabricated a baffle that molds to the kick panel area and secures to OEM mounting points. This kick panel naturally vents into the rocker panel, but we took it a step further. We created a vent into the wheel wells to get a true infinite baffle configuration. None of the metal that was trimmed was structural, and it was all sanded down smooth and painted. A waterproof grille was also included, even though this part never sees water. The baffles needed to have a 3-d shape to properly mate to the kick panel surface. Matt created this and it worked perfectly. The opening properly mates to the opening in the kick panel and secures from inside of the baffle. Foam is used to seal the baffle to the kick panel. A vent was opened up in the wheel well. It was large enough to allow for enough airflow to allow the airspace to be truly infinite baffle. Waterproof grille not pictured.” – Vanguard Automotive Design

Front Subwoofer: Illlusion Audio Carbon C12

I'm 6' and I still have ample leg room in the passenger seat with the seat all the way back.

“Illusion Audio is a concept that was developed in the mid 1990s by a group of engineers in Phoenix, Arizona. The concept was to take the magnet structure that normally we see on the back of a speaker and bring it to the front.”– Nick Wingate, Orca Design

C12 Slim Subwoofer
Carbon Fiber Cone, Front Loaded Magnet Motor
400 watts
4 Ohm

“…one of the most musical shallow-mount subwoofers you can buy, it will handle a lot of power, provide you with accurate musical bass, and mount in spaces ordinary subwoofers can’t.” –Gary Springgay, PAS Mag

“…We opted for a front sub for 2 reasons. First, to make up for the lack of upper-bass extension of the W7 sub, and also to allow for a higher high-pass filter (95 hz) on the midbass to get more volume out of them and the system as a whole, since the midbass is usually the weak link in most systems. This ended up working excellently. Thankfully there was a lot of foam that was easily removed and we were able to build this enclosure with enough airspace without sacrificing much foot room. Once the fiberglass mold was removed, it was trimmed and the baffle was placed and secured, and the sides were filled with Baltic Birch wood, and then secured and sealed with Fiberglass Chop. Once the enclosure fiberglass was cured, it was upholstered in matching black carpet and installed with steel brackets to prevent it from moving out of place. The sub was loaded, and the grille fabrication process began. The grilles base is made out of baltic birch, and has a cutout that houses a 16-gauge steel mesh grille, which is more than enough to protect the sub from feet. It was then upholstered in matching black carpet.” – Vanguard Automotive Design

Rear Subwoofer: JL Audio 8W7AE (not pictured)

8W7AE
500 watts
3 Ohm

“The rear sub install was relatively straight forward. A frame was constructed around the base to keep it from moving around in the trunk. There is also a steel bracket that hooks under the child seat securing bar that prevents the enclosure from moving up and down. The enclosure can be removed by just folding the seat down and pulling the enclosure out of the frame. This was used because the client already had it, and it has a ton of output for its size. It was able to play down to 20hz and we crossed this to the front subwoofer at 45hz. This front/rear subwoofer system worked excellently.”

Oh snap.... Those Enkei’s look amazing. Very nice setup and congratulations on the car finally arriving! Enjoy it!

Glad it finally came in!! Wheels look great, all that research was worth it!

RPF1s are looking great! 🔥