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These were installed in my 82 GSL. I assume my car did not have the premium sound amplifiers or wiring for them in the bins. Any thoughts on if these are original or not? I’ve never seen a tweeter design like that on something this old, but the markings are similar front and rear, and they appear to have factory plugs.
Marked EAS-16px129s and EAS-10p203sb. These don’t look like Mazda part numbers to me.
Looks like that logo on each speaker is what Panasonic used in the 50s/60s. The model numbers are consistent with Technics (Panasonic) drivers from that time. Panasonic appears to have a longtime relationship with Mazda, at least according to this: Miata Audio Pinouts
Although the tweeter looks slightly different than the ones I pull out of my original '85 GSL, the basket design and connector is identical, meaning they certainly are not aftermarket. You can see photos of mine in page 1 of my build thread. https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread...build-1123224/
I have seen (and you can also search for) vintage clarion speakers from the 80's and they stamped their logo on them. As delturcious pointed out, the logo on these resembles Panasonic, not Clarion, who would have been pumping out 1,000s of cheap OEM spec speakers at the time.
In any case, they are garbage, toss them in the bin. The rear speakers hold up better than the fronts, but anything you can buy today will sound better and once it's behind the panel, no one will know you changed anything. I'll add that the Clarion amps are garbage too. Once you put a decent speaker in, you'll notice how grainy and harsh the sound is. A basic class D chip amp can be plugged into the factory location and offer more power and better quality sound. The head unit is fine and the EQ offered in the higher trim models works well as long as the contacts aren't corroded.
Although the tweeter looks slightly different than the ones I pull out of my original '85 GSL, the basket design and connector is identical, meaning they certainly are not aftermarket. You can see photos of mine in page 1 of my build thread. https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread...build-1123224/
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In any case, they are garbage, toss them in the bin. The rear speakers hold up better than the fronts, but anything you can buy today will sound better and once it's behind the panel, no one will know you changed anything.
Thanks chuyler--those are some great photos. And yes, I had already replaced everything and ran new wiring. Even if the old Panasonic ones sound terrible, it's pretty impressive the surrounds are still intact.
I think the amplifiers had a built-in 100Hz highpass. I never got any bass out of them, but it probably helped with longevity. Also, these speakers have a woven fabric surround. It was cheap but durable and didn't rot away like the foam surrounds used throughout the 90's. Now most speakers have rubber surrounds and basically last forever or until the glue dries out.
