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Stereo Installation in a 1990 "A"



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 8th 06, 04:53 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
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Default Stereo Installation in a 1990 "A"

I plan to rip out the stock AM/FM/Cassette and factory door speakers
and replace it all with an Alpine head unit (already have), new 6 1/2"
door speakers and new headrest speakers. While I have done a number of
car stereo installations over the years, I have a few questions before
I jump in.

1) Are 6 1/2" speakers "drop in" for the doors, or do the holes need to
be opened up? Any depth restrictions?

2) From what I've read, pretty much any 3 1/2" speaker will work in the
headrests. True?

3) I bought a Metra wiring harness to connect the head unit to the
factory harness. Do I need to be concerned about the phasing issues
I've read about? My car is NOT factory-equipped with headrest speaker
wiring, so I'll be pulling my own wires back to the head unit. Because
of this, I shouldn't need one of the pre-fabricated headrest wiring
harnesses, should I? I figured I'd just wire right into the wires
coming from the head unit's harness.

4) Should I go ahead and pull new wire to the doors, or is the factory
wiring okay (i.e. in phase)?

5) What's the common method for wiring the headset speakers if they
are being powered by an aftermarket head unit? Parallel or in series?

Anything else I should consider before diving in? I was considering
installing my 4-channel Kicker amp inthe trunk along with a Bazooka
sub, but think I might try the easy way out first and see if the sound
is good enough. Any comments on this? I'm a middle age jazz/rock fan,
and while I occassionally like it loud, I am not into heavy bass!

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  #2  
Old May 8th 06, 05:06 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
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Default Stereo Installation in a 1990 "A"

Tom wrote:

> 1) Are 6 1/2" speakers "drop in" for the doors, or do the holes need to
> be opened up? Any depth restrictions?


I just fitted a pair of Kenwood 6.5 inch speakers this last weekend and
they dropped straight in - even lined up with the original screw holes.

The replacements are not particularly deep, but there was loads of
clearance at the back. This is in a 1994 Mk1 - not sure about the later
models

> 4) Should I go ahead and pull new wire to the doors, or is the factory
> wiring okay (i.e. in phase)?


I just reused the original wiring - seems OK to me but YMMV.

HTH,

--
Dave MacLeod
http://www.bandfamilytree.com/ for music and musicians
http://www.davmac.demon.co.uk/ for jokes and other bumf
  #3  
Old May 8th 06, 05:25 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
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Default Stereo Installation in a 1990 "A"

Which Kenwood's did you buy (model #)? How do they sound? Adequate
bas without a sub?

  #4  
Old May 9th 06, 03:51 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
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Default Stereo Installation in a 1990 "A"

fwiw, when i looked about a year ago i could not find a quality speaker that
a dealer would confirm would fit that was a reasonable price
($100-$150/pair). even crutchfield lacked any. manufacturers said that
tweeter protrusion would interfere with the door panel. i was about to
install separates (woofer in door with tweeter mounted elsewhere) if i was
to spend over $150 for the pair. then i decided to just try putting an old
pair of jbl's that i had (model gt-650). they secured firmly through
existing hole in the speaker flange to the three nylon screw holes on the
door but they did not sit flush with the door panel. they were resting on
the metal 'basket' of the speaker. but again were rock solid which is the
most important time if you are to achieve good bass (using a adapter bracket
for the existing hole and a smaller speaker would not be as sold and a
smaller speaker would have a harder time of producing deep bass). i filled
the gap between the door panel and the speaker flange by placing a 1/4"
strip of two way tape that had a foam core. i placed this strip on the
speaker side in three separate pieces between each screw, then secured the
speaker with three screws. the sound is very good. bass is tremendous
considering there is not sub woofer. the amp is just a mid range pioneer
(deh-6800 cd/receiver) that came with the car. these are 6.5" speakers. i
suspect the modern day equivalent would be the 5.25" jbl power p552 for
about $140/pair that are supposed to be a perfect fit. the moral of this
story is that you can indeed fit a 6.5" speaker in there without cutting.
there is lots of depth, and the door panel is forgiving enough to allow for
tweeter protrusion. so experiment. i am glad that i did. also visit
crutchfield about the amp/receiver. the pioneer that came with mine site
slightly proud of the dash probably because there is a depth issue. i will
try to remount it myself one day or just replace it with something nicer. i
appreciate high fidelity but also understand that you can't go bonkers with
it in a car as noisy as this. but the speaker upgrade allows me to listen
to music or talk radio while driving on the highway even with the top down.

ps. if you want to try something inexpensive but decent i would try the
poineer ts-g1641r for $50 from crutchfield. they are not exactly audiophile
stuff but decent. they will likely have the same fit issues as my jbl's and
if that ends up frustrating you crutchfield will take them back no questions
asked.


"Tom" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I plan to rip out the stock AM/FM/Cassette and factory door speakers
> and replace it all with an Alpine head unit (already have), new 6 1/2"
> door speakers and new headrest speakers. While I have done a number of
> car stereo installations over the years, I have a few questions before
> I jump in.
>
> 1) Are 6 1/2" speakers "drop in" for the doors, or do the holes need to
> be opened up? Any depth restrictions?
>
> 2) From what I've read, pretty much any 3 1/2" speaker will work in the
> headrests. True?
>
> 3) I bought a Metra wiring harness to connect the head unit to the
> factory harness. Do I need to be concerned about the phasing issues
> I've read about? My car is NOT factory-equipped with headrest speaker
> wiring, so I'll be pulling my own wires back to the head unit. Because
> of this, I shouldn't need one of the pre-fabricated headrest wiring
> harnesses, should I? I figured I'd just wire right into the wires
> coming from the head unit's harness.
>
> 4) Should I go ahead and pull new wire to the doors, or is the factory
> wiring okay (i.e. in phase)?
>
> 5) What's the common method for wiring the headset speakers if they
> are being powered by an aftermarket head unit? Parallel or in series?
>
> Anything else I should consider before diving in? I was considering
> installing my 4-channel Kicker amp inthe trunk along with a Bazooka
> sub, but think I might try the easy way out first and see if the sound
> is good enough. Any comments on this? I'm a middle age jazz/rock fan,
> and while I occassionally like it loud, I am not into heavy bass!
>



 




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