ronarndt

Has anyone installed an aftermarket XM radio in an FD? I recently had three of my Bose speakers and amps re-built and the sound is excellent using the CD or tape. (Note that if you have never had your speakers checked, they probably are not working 100%. You can have them rebuilt for about $75-100 per speaker. Better than trying to get some after market setup to fit properly) . However....a couple years ago when I mounted the old PFS purple box I used to have, I drilled right into the coaxial cable going from the radio to the antenna. DUH!!! Needless to say, even after taking out the offending screw, the radio reception is not optimal, since the coax cable insulation is damaged. Local, strong stations are received, but that's it. Replacing the coax cable is not fun, since getting to it requires getting the carpet up. A lazy fix is to install satellite radio and just ignore the FM. Has anyone installed XM and found a good fit for the little receiver, power wire and antenna wire so you do not have a tangle of wires running thru the dash area?

ForcedFed

There are a few things you can do. If you want to put something in the pocket, or take the pocket out to have a little more room, you should be able to fit the commander, sportscaster and possibly the xpressez from XM. For Sirius you should be able to do the InV, InV2, or the starmate. Most places should have them on display so you can measure, but I have fit the originally xm commander and sirius starmate into DIN sized opening before and had it look awesome. I have my antenna on my dash. Its on the center little square that is between the defroster vents. That square piece pops out and I ran the wires easily. I am not a fan of having the antenna on the outside, but if you don't mind, and want the best reception (yes sometime for a second I lose reception with it on my dash), then on the back of the roof looks pretty good and run the antenna through the hatch. Hiding wires is not difficult either in the car, neither is running them. usually the FM modulator for the units will wire directly into your radio, so the fact that you drilled through your antenna wont be an issue, but if you go with one that does wireless transmission through the ration, you may have an issue. Hope this helps. If you have any questions about the products or the install let me know.

David Hayes

iTrader: (6)

I have XM installed and love it. No FM modulator for me. I have a Pioneer head unit and have the XM box located right behind the radio unit. The head unit controls the stations and it works great. My XM antenna sits in the middle (from right to left) of the roof just above the hatch.

Best Buy installed it in about 30 minutes and it's fantastic. I'll never go back to regular radio.

3rdGenBen

Where did you get the speakers rebuilt? I just lost the subwoofer completely, and am at a loss as to what to do. My antenna also crapped out and I was thinking of running an XM or Sirius antenna through the pre-made hole in the body. Has anyone done that already, or have any tips?

David Hayes

iTrader: (6)

^Aren't you better removing the Bose system and replacing it with something better? With the way technology has improved over the last 10 or so years, stereo equipment now is so much better than in the mid-90s. It's also pretty inexpensive.

I didn't have the Bose setup in my car, but I just replace all the speakers with better ones and added a subwoofer. The system sounds so much better than before. And ronarndt is correct about the speakers going bad. Out of the 5 in my car, three were blown.

ronarndt

3rd Gen Ben- I used Factory Car Stereo Repair, Inc in FL. carstereohelp.com They do Bose and others. Turn around time is quick- about 4-5 days and they guarantee their work.
David Hayes- most people base their decision on "up-grading" to another system besides Bose on how well their current system is working. Certainly there are a lot of good systems out there. But- a good working Bose system probably will work as well as them, and everything fits the FD without modifying anything. My system had both subwoofers bad (rain from opening the hatch falls directly on the outer plastic housing of the acoustic wave system. Both of mine were actually rusty). Also one door unit was bad. With them all fixed, the sound is exceptional. My experience at Circuit City and Best Buy had some young "expert" at each place selling me speakers that did not fit without taking major pieces of sheet metal off the doors. Both places had fitment charts for the FD with speakers that would not fit without cutting large pieces out of the doors.

David Hayes

iTrader: (6)

I guess keeping it stock has its advantages. To me the Bose system takes up a lot of valuable space I'd rather use for other things. I must have gotten the good Best Buy guys. My speakers went right in, including the amplified one in the center of the dash. Satellite radio was also a quick install. The only thing I want to do now is replace the head unit with something that looks stock. My Pioneer has too much silver on it and a lot of the new units are now available in black as it's back in vogue.

DarkLikePoe

You lucked out on the Best Buy guys. The ones around here are generally high school students, and while I'd be the first one to vouch for many of them, they ain't touching my car.

A properly working Bose system as about as good a system as anyone who's not a total audiophile could ask for. In fact, the Bose system in my 94 RX-7 sounds better than the Bose system in my dad's 04 Altima. So much for ten years of progress. I attribute it largely to the tiny cabin space of the FD, which requires very little audio to fill. Also a newer head unit, even a Mazda OEM piece, can be used to fill in the supposed flat spot in the midbass range. The drives can handle it.

Anyway, to contribute to the thread more directly, I got the OEM Sirius hardware for CHEAP used and plugged it into the 05 Miata unit. Complete integration; I like it.

ronarndt

[QUOTE=David Hayes;7758501]. To me the Bose system takes up a lot of valuable space I'd rather use for other things. QUOTE]

DAvid- you are right on regarding the space. I ocasionally would go grocery shopping with my FD instead of a larger, more practical vehicle. First- I had to remember to remove the cargo area cover and leave it in the garage. Then- all of the groceries had to be strategically placed between the acoustic wave tubes. This often required a lot of repacking. Not a real practical vehicle for transporting anything larger than a couple of six-packs.