Stereo Solutions
10-01-06, 08:37 AM
#1
RX-7 Heaven
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Stereo Solutions
Hey,
I have an 1980 RX-7, mint condition, only 25k miles on her. I live in upstate NY so we have to put em away for 6 months when the weather gets bad and they salt the roads.
I still use the original AM/FM radio that came with the car. It was horrible new and is really shitty now. I have honestly never upgraded because I have yet to find anything decent that would fit into the console without a major modification to the opening in the dash.
I know that you guys must have a wealth of knowledge around stereo solutions. I would like to use an existing Fosgate power amp that I own (60 watts/channel, very low/clean THD). I would also like a radio/tuner that has inputs for my iPod. I could very well do without a cassette/cd player, just radio and iPod.
I look forward to your suggestions.
Brett
I have an 1980 RX-7, mint condition, only 25k miles on her. I live in upstate NY so we have to put em away for 6 months when the weather gets bad and they salt the roads.
I still use the original AM/FM radio that came with the car. It was horrible new and is really shitty now. I have honestly never upgraded because I have yet to find anything decent that would fit into the console without a major modification to the opening in the dash.
I know that you guys must have a wealth of knowledge around stereo solutions. I would like to use an existing Fosgate power amp that I own (60 watts/channel, very low/clean THD). I would also like a radio/tuner that has inputs for my iPod. I could very well do without a cassette/cd player, just radio and iPod.
I look forward to your suggestions.
Brett
10-01-06, 12:50 PM
#4
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i have a 79 and i put my alpine deck in where the little compartment is supposed to be...very minor mods...really just had to make the opening slightly wider, thats all...i still have the opening for the original radio but i really dont care...i like functionality, not originality
10-01-06, 04:50 PM
#7
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I use a $70 Durabrand from Wal Mart. All I needed was the harness to put it in, and it has a remote and can read MP3. Puts out decent sound out of the two speakers it came out with.
For normal everyday use, that CD player is great. I don't need to break windows with my stereo. (technically, our car's have quadrophonic sound, not stereo, btw)
For normal everyday use, that CD player is great. I don't need to break windows with my stereo. (technically, our car's have quadrophonic sound, not stereo, btw)
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10-01-06, 05:26 PM
#8
ive seen alpine and kenwood with the ipod adapter box which is sold seperately. you plug your ipod into that and they run like 150$. anyways i see alpine has a new deck which your run your ipod directly to, faster speeds yadayada but a higher price tag.
10-01-06, 05:32 PM
#9
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ok ill help ya seeing i just did this.
my deck witch was exactly like what u are looking for but better is the Kenwood KDC-MP5032,
then buy a soche dash kit. the dash kit eliminates that UGLY huge space. then buy a wiring harness (by soche aswell). verry simple to install unless the wiring harness is cut into then just pay like $30 to get it installed by the pro's.
The deck itself is running 50W x 4 with a peak of 55W x 4
here is the deck.
soooooooo many options on this, like serious satalite radio and high def.
http://www.cardomain.com/item/KENKDCMP5032
my deck witch was exactly like what u are looking for but better is the Kenwood KDC-MP5032,
then buy a soche dash kit. the dash kit eliminates that UGLY huge space. then buy a wiring harness (by soche aswell). verry simple to install unless the wiring harness is cut into then just pay like $30 to get it installed by the pro's.
The deck itself is running 50W x 4 with a peak of 55W x 4
here is the deck.
soooooooo many options on this, like serious satalite radio and high def.
http://www.cardomain.com/item/KENKDCMP5032
Last edited by 1stGenerationGap; 10-01-06 at 05:36 PM.
10-01-06, 10:09 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by pjr
Original 84-85 with the full EQ and the joystick fade control is retro kitchy ultra cool. Can't be beat... and those dual amps still sound pretty damn good if you change the speakers.
10-01-06, 10:54 PM
#18
Lives on the Forum
If you install a new stereo in a 84 or 85 (sorry, not sure about your specific year lebeau) you will need to bypass the existing amps, or run all new speaker wire straight from the head unit to the speakers. The existing amps will mess things up if you leave them in play.
10-02-06, 06:34 AM
#21
Originally Posted by boyee
yay for stock stereos! joystick 360 sound = teh shizzle 9 band eq? cool!! electronic tuner? great scotts thats mighty fine latest technology breakthrough! yay for 80s!
You can say that about everything in a 1st Gen.... what do you expect for 25 year old technology? A stock Focus is a lot faster than a 12A. Handling? Look at the oversteer on a 7.
These cars are fun because they are dirrerent...yep, right down to the stereo.
10-02-06, 11:07 PM
#22
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I have the most base level car I have ever seen. Mine only came with 1 amp. This amp is located under the DS storage bin. It powers the rear speakers. The front speakers are powered by a internal amp in the headunit.
When installing a new headunit, you MUST bypass these amplifiers. The easiest way is to just run new wiring from the new headunit straight to the speakers. If you don't want to do that, you will need to splice into the old wiring under the bin.
When installing a new headunit, you MUST bypass these amplifiers. The easiest way is to just run new wiring from the new headunit straight to the speakers. If you don't want to do that, you will need to splice into the old wiring under the bin.
10-03-06, 12:10 AM
#23
I saw jonjon's system when he brought his car up 10 days ago. He has a hell of a start on a system that will blow most of them out of the water when it's finished. So nice to see someone doing installs the right way.
With the 20+ year old wiring, it's best to start from scratch. Remove all of the old components, wiring and start with a new power supply from the battery, wired through the ignition of course.
With the 20+ year old wiring, it's best to start from scratch. Remove all of the old components, wiring and start with a new power supply from the battery, wired through the ignition of course.
10-03-06, 12:12 AM
#24
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The '80 does not have amplifiers. It was all powered by the in-dash unit. Mine didn't even come with rear speakers, just had spots for them. I ran into the same problem you did. I wanted to keep the originality while still having the funcional ability of modern stereos. What I did was buy an extra one of the plastic pieces that the stereo resides in and cut that one. It doesn't look great, but if I ever want to go back I can just put back in the original one. I got a panasonic head unit but if I were to do it again I would have gotten an alpine with the green lighting to match the rest of the console lights. I also considered putting it in the glove box, but decided against it for convenience reasons. Good luck with your decision.]
-John
-John
10-03-06, 12:25 AM
#25
Originally Posted by pjr
Hmmm... I sense some sarcasm.
You can say that about everything in a 1st Gen.... what do you expect for 25 year old technology? A stock Focus is a lot faster than a 12A. Handling? Look at the oversteer on a 7.
These cars are fun because they are dirrerent...yep, right down to the stereo.
You can say that about everything in a 1st Gen.... what do you expect for 25 year old technology? A stock Focus is a lot faster than a 12A. Handling? Look at the oversteer on a 7.
These cars are fun because they are dirrerent...yep, right down to the stereo.
amen to that bro
although i thought the 80s supra had a similar setup