Replacing the original stereo - Advice please

Shane Anderson · Post by **Shane Anderson** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 9:26 am

I am about to replace the original car stereo in my '89.

How does this work with the head rest speakers? What do I need to know/look out for?

Shane

Janet & Jeff Curtin · Post by **Janet & Jeff Curtin** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 11:27 am

Shane no problems at all , we have a Sony single cd sytem now wired
straight in, but I would almost gaurantee your head rest speakers will
be shot, our's were I replaced them with a single 4" speaker in each
headrest just cut out foam for them to fit, sound is 1000% better.

Cheers Jeff.

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 6:36 pm

What were the speakers you replaced the originals with?

Regards
Bill

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 7:38 pm

I replaced my original double DIN system with a JVC single DIN single disk
unit. I chose the JVC because I had trade access to them at the time. It
plays MP3's as well. This means one disk can provide around 10 hours of
music! A blank panel can be made to fit the gap left, or you might be able
to locate a factory panel for it. I fitted my ham radio transceiver in the
gap.
Even if the original headrest speakers are ok, replace them with some 100mm
units. The ones the Warehouse sells for around $30.00 a pair can be made to
fit without even having to carve some of the seat foam to make room. A vast
improvement in the sound. While you are at it, check the phasing of the
headrest speakers. Many are wired incorrectly causing very poor quality.

Grant in sunny Blenheim.

GrubbyMX · Post by **GrubbyMX** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:09 pm

Grant

Whats your opinion of the JVC wrt the MP3 aspect. Any problems/comments
etc?

Ralph

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 10:46 pm

I sent a reply earlier but it hasn't appeared yet, so will try again.
I replaced my original double DIN factory system with a JVC single DIN
single disk
unit. I chose the JVC because I had trade access to them at the time. It
plays MP3's as well. This means one disk can provide around 10 hours of
music! A blank panel can be made to fit the gap left, or you might be able
to locate a factory panel for it. I fitted my ham radio transceiver in the
gap.
Even if the original headrest speakers are ok, replace them with some 100mm
units. The ones the Warehouse sells for around $30.00 a pair can be made to
fit without even having to carve some of the seat foam to make room. A vast
improvement in the sound. While you are at it, check the phasing of the
headrest speakers. Many are wired incorrectly causing very poor quality.

Grant in sunny Blenheim.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 11:04 pm

The only problem with using the MP3 playback is getting around to producing
the disk. Takes a bit of time. The playback quality is not as good as the
original non compressed music, but who can tell when you are in a car such
as the MX5? I was going to add a 10 disk stacker to the Sony I already had
in another vehicle, but where do you put a stacker in an MX5 without taking
up valuable space? The stacker would have cost more than the JVC did. The
text display works well, but there are no text labels (on my model) for the
receiver stations. I like this feature on the Sony. The audio control is a
rotary one as well. I hate push button volume controls, especially when they
beep with each push!
If I had the money, I would replace the Sony units in my other two vehicles
with something that could play back MP3's.
The original reason for replacing the factory unit was that it couldn't
handle CDR disks plus I didn't want to use a band expander for the FM radio
as it wouldn't cover the whole 88MHz to 108MHz range. The Japanes original
radio only has a 14MHz tuning range, not the 20MHz required.

Grant.

Kjellberg, Adrian · Post by **Kjellberg, Adrian** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:33 am

I also have a JVC MP3 CD. Awesome sound, no problems, and I get 5 or 6
albums per CD. Don't have to worry if they get scratched as for 0.50c I can
create another.

Adrian

Mazda MX5 Club of NZ E... · Post by **Mazda MX5 Club of NZ E...** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:10 am

Message-ID: <002601c396f0$889e50a0$7fb6fea9@oemcomputer>
From: "Fletcher Blades" <fletch@mx5club.org.nz>
To: "MX5List" <mx5list@mx5club.org.nz>
Subject: Re: Replacing the original stereo - Advice please
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:55:39 +1300

You just wire the headrest speakers as if they are the rear-speakers... this
presumes you've bought yourself a 4-channel stereo.

You then adjust the front/rear fader to set relative volume levels. (Hint:
you'll want the balance way forward, as the rear speakers are only inches
from your ears)

Almost any stereo better than a Warehouse one (and maybe even them too?)
will be able to cope.

Fletch.

GrubbyMX · Post by **GrubbyMX** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 9:22 pm

or a klingon...

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 9:55 pm

I wonder where this message has been. It was sent on the 20th at 7.38pm!!

Grant.

Gram · Post by **Gram** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:55 pm

and it arrived the first time too... perhaps its a poltergeist?

G

Shane Anderson · Post by **Shane Anderson** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:18 am

I have posted 2 messages to the list more than 48 hours ago, they are yet to
arrive. I get messages that are replies to messages I get sometimes days
later.

I think the listserv has a few problems.

Shane

[...]

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:48 am

No it didn't!
Check the dates and also you will see that I added a line to it then copied
the original message and re-sent it on the 20th. Strange.

Grant.

MX5 Club E-Administrator · Post by **MX5 Club E-Administrator** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:53 pm

sunspots.

...or email list management.

MX5 Club E-Administrator · Post by **MX5 Club E-Administrator** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 11:17 am

The list server has no problems. It could be better & easier to manage -
and may be some day when I get time, but I manually approve some email sent
from particular addresses etc, and hotmail is one of them. If you have a
hotmail address, expect delays - or get a different address. Most of the
problems I have had with email posted to this list in the past have been
with free webmail accounts such as hotmail. Sorry.

zorruno
e-admin

PS - thanks for your offer of list server help offlist shane, when I get
time, I'll look into it.

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 1:17 pm

I endorse zorruno's conclusion. I occasionally do some recruitment work for
clients and candidates that use hotmail and other free addresses cause me
all sorts of time consuming problems --- hey you get what you pay for...
Except in the case of zorruno our e-administrator --- we are definately
getting a service that exceeds the term "bargain"!!!

Regards
Bill

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 11:05 pm

Having a look at the message details and headers, it looks like the problem
was within Xtra's systems. They have had a few strange problems over the
last few weeks with their e-mail systems and it appears my message was one
that decided to go walk about.

Grant.

Simon Lord · Post by **Simon Lord** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 8:12 am

It's not only Hotmail - according to my engineer, the Xtra network currently
has some big problems which they are not talking about (to put it
charitably). I am regularly receiving the first email from people some hours
after the second, which can be quite confusing!

Anyone else going down to Pukekohe today?

Simon

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