Radio problems

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Christian Smith - 03 May 2006 00:24 GMT

So, just picked up a 1999 Miata. Run great and is in very nice shape,
except the radio sounds like total crap.

Radio stations which should be crystal clear (for example, NPR station
being broadcast 5 miles away) are garbled (though scanner picks them out
just fine, so I don't think it is a reception problem) and CDs tend to
skip/pause during acceleration.

It has the factory original Mazda radio and Bose speakers.

Any thoughts regarding whether this is a head unit problem or wiring?

How hard is it to get at the wiring for the radio?

If I need to replace the head unit, is there a good after market unit I
should look at that will fit nicely in the dash?

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Christian Smith

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lgadbois - 03 May 2006 01:16 GMT

The problem is most likely damaged speakers. The woofers in door won't
handle full volume without causing them to bottom out and start rattling.
Replacements from Mazda are about $180 each. You can replace the speakers
(contrary to what you will be told by others) with Clearwaters or JBLs, or
some other brand without having to change out the head.

The door panel removal is pretty straight forward. On some of the 99s, the
screw behind the door handle can be difficult to get out. The bottom of the
panel is held with plastic retainers that will come loose by carefully
prying with a screwdriver.

> So, just picked up a 1999 Miata. Run great and is in very nice shape,
> except the radio sounds like total crap.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> If I need to replace the head unit, is there a good after market unit I
> should look at that will fit nicely in the dash?

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Christian Smith - 04 May 2006 11:48 GMT

> The problem is most likely damaged speakers.

and in article <Xns97B7B0A303DB1xs11eyahoocom@70.169.32.36>,
XS11E <xs11eNO@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote:

> Apparently the Bose system sounds like crap. That's normal. Look here:

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I'll look at replacing the
speakers and if that doesn't solve the problem will look at the head
unit.

Chris

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XS11E - 03 May 2006 01:21 GMT

> So, just picked up a 1999 Miata. Run great and is in very nice
> shape, except the radio sounds like total crap.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> It has the factory original Mazda radio and Bose speakers.

Apparently the Bose system sounds like crap. That's normal. Look here:

From Miata.net <http://www.miata.net/garage/nbaudio/index.html>
=========================================================
Q) My Bose stereo sounds terrible!
A) Most people think the Bose system sounds pretty bad, and after 3
months with my car I tend to agree. With the bass and treble controls
set at the default positions, the radio has boomy, poorly-defined bass
and too much treble, but no midrange. I set the treble control down two
"blocks" and the bass almost all the way down to get halfway decent
sound. But it's still boomy sometimes!

Also, there is a known problem with the early ('99) Bose door speakers.
They tend to get wet, and when they do, they start to buzz like blown
Wal Mart specials. Your dealer will probably install a set of baffles
to keep them dry if you complain, or you could order some baffles from
a place like Crutchfield or a local car audio shop and put them in
yourself. This will help, but some folks like to install some dynamat-
like sound dampener in the door panels in addition to help keep the
buzzing down further.
=============================================================

As you can see, replacing the speakers might help.

> Any thoughts regarding whether this is a head unit problem or
> wiring?
>
> How hard is it to get at the wiring for the radio?

Very easy, the speaker covers in the doors pull off, the headrests
unzip if you have the headrest speakers, the center console pops off
easily and then the radio surround is easily removed. See Miata.net
for instructions.

> If I need to replace the head unit, is there a good after market
> unit I should look at that will fit nicely in the dash?

There are many, they work well and they all look like total crap to me
and I'd not have one in my car. I went to the Mazda Tribute AM/FM
Cassette 6CD changer in my Miata. The radios are available on Ebay,
they install easily, work very nicely and look like a factory install.

Follow this thread in the audio forum of Miata.net:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=157802

Scroll down and you'll see the how-to-do its and pictures of several
installations.

BTW, now that you're a Miata owner get VERY familiar with
http://www.miata.net

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