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Author Topic: Directions on how I did my Bose-ectomy  (Read 64695 times)
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RC2004
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« on: November 12, 2012, 02:46:40 AM »

Thanks to the Internet and this forum I was able to complete a total Bose-ectomey. At the request of several forum members I decided to put together the path that I took. This is not the only way to accomplish this task, just the method that I used. I take no responibility for what others may or may not do to their cars. Unless you are comfortable with soldering and making 100% accurate wiring changes, I would leave this to a professional.  I will put here links to the threads and locations where all the data I used are located and give full credit to the original posters for their insight and help.

FYI – I have an 04 MSM that had the silver double DIN Bose radio. I elected to go the single DIN route since at some point I may want to put gauges in above the radio. Any deck less than 6 ˝ inches deep will fit in case you opt for something else like a double DIN setup.

Here is what I purchased to start the project:

   Kenwood KDC-X996 single DIN radio (Amazon)
   A pair of Pyle 8” 3 way speakers (Amazon) for the door speaker replacements
   A radio mounting kit (Metra 99-7505) Crutchfield  (I ended up only using a couple of pieces.
   Wiring harness adapter  (Crutchfield 120 70-7904)
   Single DIN Pocket (Metra 88-00-9000) http://www.parts-express.com PN#  265-671
   A set of XTC 8” round foam baffles http://www.parts-express.com PN# 260-792 These were difficult to find anyplace else.

1.   First step of course is to disconnect the battery to avoid letting the smoke out of any of the critical components.

2.   For removal of the old (DEAD) stock Bose head unit I cut an old wire coat hanger and made my own removal  tools. For the double DIN I made a total of 4 since there are four holes on each side that need to be released. Great information from Aaron Lopez at http://www.miata.net/garage/miata_radio_removal.html  It is all a lot easier with the shift knob removed.

3.   Unplug the big multi-wire connector. There is a release lever. Also remove the antenna connection.  My radio did not have a ground wire.

4.   Set the old radio aside as you will need that alignment rubber piece from the back of it later.

5.   Also remove the rear windblocker by taking off the center panel and unplugging the feed to the little amplifier there. This way later your new radio will not be sending any signals to that amp and possibly causing harm to your new radio.

6.   Wire the wiring adapter and the Kenwood wiring together. I chose to solder each one together and heat shrink each individual wire. My source for this information was http://miata.fosketts.net/index.php?title=J-01





7.   After setting the completed wiring adapter aside I turned my attention to jumpering around the front Bose amps that are buried under the dash over the transmission tunnel. It would require removing the dash to totally remove these little amps. I elected to leave them in place and leave them disconnected. With the radio removed you can see the connector way down close to the throttle peddle. Getting to this plug is a real PITA. Getting its latch to remove was the hardest part. Great info at http://miata.fosketts.net/index.php?title=Bose_Amp   After getting it unplugged I was able to pull it upwards into the radio hole and work on installing the bypass jumpers that way. I used 4 short pieces of wire that were large enough to provide a tight fit into the female connection on that plug block. I solder/tinned the wires and then cut the wire end to a length so that when plugged in, only the insulation was showing. This will take 4 wires total.





8.   At this point I removed the door interior panels in preparation for replacing speakers. I found a good description with pictures at http://www.mazda-speed.com/forum2/index.php/topic,26820.msg288802.html#msg288802   The passenger door only has one wire to disconnect and that is the one to the tweeter speaker. This disconnects right up next to the tweeter. The driver’s door has two wire sets, the tweeter like the passenger door and the wires to the lock switch. There are some U shaped brackets that pulled away in this process leaving the round snap-ins still on the door. I used epoxy to remount them onto the door panels and set them aside to dry.

9.   After removing the 4 screws holding the 8 inch speaker in & unplugging the connector, I did a test fit of my new speaker and found that they were a tad lager but the mounting holes lined up right. I used the wires that came with the speakers to make up a pigtail about 6-8” long and soldered on a couple of spade connectors that would plug into the existing plug that came off the old Bose speakers. Keep in mind that the green & Yellow wire is + and the green wire is -.
  
10.   I  punched a small hole in the foam baffle at the bottom and fed the wires up into the center of the baffle. With the baffle in place (untrimmed) I plugged the wires onto the speakers and screwed the speakers in using the original 4 screws.  I then trimmed off the excess foam. I left the door panels off till everything was all powered up and tested later.

11.   The old Bose 8” speakers were 0.5 ohm & totally not usable. The door tweeters on the other hand were 4 ohm and match the new Pyle speakers I installed. I was surprised at how light the Bose speakers were as compared to the Pyle’s.

12.   Now to install the new deck.

13.   I used the little plastic parts of the Metra install kit for the side latches. I had to cut them a bit since they seemed more for a double DIN setup. I used the countersunk screws that came with the Metra kit. After test fitting it I decided that a rear support was necessary, just like what the original speaker had. I removed this off the old radio and had to make a new screw that would fit the tapped hole that was already there on the back of the Kenwood. The old post in the middle of the rubber part was not compatible so I found a bushing and the proper sized screw to make it all work. Without this post, the radio had no support at the backend. With as much road vibration our cars generate everything needs to be pretty snug and secured.



14.   I used the Kenwood face surround that came on the radio. It fit OK but had to much slop to the sides and as a result the side catches would not hold the radio in as securely as I liked. To that end I had a bit of Black ABS plastic which was3/32” thick and cut out a couple of little strips and glued then on the sides of the Kenwood surround using some super-glue.



15.   With the modified face surround back on the radio and the faceplate removed, it was time to connect the main wiring adapter into the car wiring harness and then into the new radio, making sure that both plugs went in all the way and snapped. This process can be a bit of a juggling. An extra set of hands would help.

16.   The antenna connection is pretty straight forward.

17.   There are two more wires to connect. One is the USB for the iPod. This one I ran down to the right and eventually had it end up inside the glove-box. The other is the wire for the hands-free microphone which I mounted just above the steering wheel close to the instrument panel. The wires was extra long but after removing the panel below the steering column I found a place to wire-tie the extra together and up out of the way.

18.   As I slid the radio up in place and made sure the rear rubber guide was lined up and that all cables were not being pinched, I heard it snap into place. PERFECT! You will note in the picture below how the two added plastic pieces snugged everything up.
      
 

19.   Once the radio is in, I put the faceplate on and reconnected the battery so I could test  it all and validate that the door speakers and the deck were functional. What a rush to have it all work 100% at first try!

20.   With assurance that the door speakers and the radio were OK then it is time to put the door panels back on and start to finish up the dash installations by adding the cubby. I suppose at this point you could pursue using the empty DIN slot above the radio for gauges if desired. I chose to add the cubby at this time. It also required a couple of plastic shims on the side of it as well. I used the largest of the surrounds face plates that came with the Metra kit. I was warned via the forum that the side screws are to easily overtightened.

   

 21.   Once you snap the cubby in, it is time to put the shift knob back on and then turn your attention to the windbreaker behind the seats.

22.   The two windbreaker speakers can be used as-is since they are also 4 ohm speakers.  There is only room for 2” speakers there and the stock ones appear to be identical to the tweeters in the doors. These speakers have capacitors just like the door tweeters. These capacitors act as a high-pass filter that blocks the low frequency sound and only allows the higher frequencies to pass.

23.   I elected to take the whole thing apart and replace them both with a couple of healthier mid-range speakers. I go mine by salvaging a couple out of a Macintosh computer. Better ones are available from a variety of sources. I also did not install any high-pass capacitors.

24.   I did remove the little amp in the wind-blocker and wired the speaker wires directly. I cut off the terminal  block that plugged into the Bose amp. The orange & black were cut since I had no need for power at that location. I suppose that you could use this power for some other low poser accessory. No sure how much power is in that circuit.





25.   Reinstall the wind-blocker and it is all done! Nothing to do now but read the manual and enjoy all the new features of the new deck.



« Last Edit: October 31, 2016, 11:09:12 PM by mr_hyde » Logged

04 VR MX-5 Mazdaspeed
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« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2012, 04:48:45 AM »

Awesome write up! But what is that cool looking thing where your airbag toggle would be?
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RC2004
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« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2012, 12:48:29 PM »

That cool device in the picture that is velcro'ed over my air bag control is an Ultra Gauge. http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/index.htm.

It was a tossup between the Scan Gauge and the Scan Gauge http://www.scangauge.com/ but the Ultragauge has a better display IMHO.

After having some cooling issues, I had done the temp gauge mod but still wanted to know more and exactly what my engine temp was so I bought the Ultra Gauge. Since then I have been plotting out gas milage and also use it for trip information on the longer drives. Its only limitation is that of the OBC and what data it sends out. The only wore for it is the hard wire connection to the ODB2 connector under the dash.
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barmato
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« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2012, 03:19:43 AM »

Maybe I'm missing something but how do you run new door speakers (4 ohm) stock tweeters (4 ohm) and wind blocker speakers (4 ohm) all off a 4 channel deck?  I'd love to just replace the 8" speakers in my doors for now and bypass the Bose amps (keep door tweeters and wind blocker speakers), I just don't understand how you run 6 speakers off 4 channels.
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RC2004
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« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2012, 04:08:44 AM »

The door speakers, the 8" and the upper tweeters are wired from the factory in parallel. Technically this will only present a load of 2 ohms (two resisters in parallel). The deck was able to power it OK but I was getting to much high end. Since my initial install, I have since unplugged the upper tweeters, putting the impedance back to 4 ohms and consistent with the Kenwoood specs. The 3-way Pyles actually had thier own tweeter & midrange so the upper door tweeter was not really needed. Kenwood lists that speakers need to be 4 - 8 ohms. I suppose that you could rewire the door to put the tweeter & 8" Pyle in series and then be presenting 8 ohms to the deck. More work that way but since the Pyle's tweeter in the 3 way is more than capable, I always opt for the simpler solutions.
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« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2012, 01:30:40 PM »

Maybe I'm missing something but how do you run new door speakers (4 ohm) stock tweeters (4 ohm) and wind blocker speakers (4 ohm) all off a 4 channel deck?  I'd love to just replace the 8" speakers in my doors for now and bypass the Bose amps (keep door tweeters and wind blocker speakers), I just don't understand how you run 6 speakers off 4 channels.

Like stated running parrallel the amp would see a 2 ohm load only where the speakers play the same frequency.  Due to him using 3 way door speakers plus the tweeters only the frequencies the extra tweeters play is where the 2 ohm load would be.  Being high frequencies its not much of a strain on a amp.....

If you just get 8in midbass drivers without tweeters you can run them however is easier, series or parallel due to their frequency responses barely overlapping.

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barmato
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« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2012, 01:37:04 PM »

Ah, that makes sense now. So do the pyle's sound ok even though the tweeters are down so low? 

Whether the 8" door speakers and tweeters are wired in parallel or series I'd imagine you'd still have to much high end so maybe ill just skip the factory tweeters unless I can find some nice components that drop right in.
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RC2004
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« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2012, 02:09:03 PM »

So far, I am happy with the Pyles. Being a 3-way they seem to have pretty good full range coverage. The Kenwood has some cool settings for the audio. One of these is a setting to define if the speakers are down low or up higher. Lots of potential for tweaking. With my hard-top on I know that the optimum settings are different than they would be going topless. The only negatives I have seen regarding Pyle speakers is that they do not have the longevity of some more expensive speakers. That is why I put the baffles in behind them to keep any chance of moisture away.
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« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2012, 02:54:08 PM »

Get components, it's will sound much much better..... A small amp will also make a huge improvement as well.

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davlafont
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« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2013, 09:43:46 PM »

I hope you don't mind the thread resurrection, but I wanted to add my thanks for this extremely useful how-to.  I've got some new stuff on the way and I've removed my head unit and door speakers.  I wasn't sure how the plug to the head unit and the amp connector are supposed to be handled; this post--especially the jumper pics--were EXACTLY what I was looking for. 

Props to the Stephen Foskett's Miata Wiki as well, but I would never have found them without the links in this thread.
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Kalmairn
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« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2016, 09:13:14 PM »

(Raising this again.)

Jumping the amp plug was genius.  Worked perfectly for me.

Two additions:

First, I found a very easy way to get the plug off the front Bose amp.

You can see the Bose amp from the driver's footwell if you're willing to crawl underneath the dash.  Removing the plastic cover under the steering wheel makes it easier to move around to see it.  While not necessary, knowing the lay of the land makes these steps easier.

  • Find a small-headed flat-head screwdriver with a shaft at least 8" long, not including the handle.
  • On the driver's side of the center console there is a 1"x2.5" rectangular plastic plug; it just pops off with a little levering with a thin putty knife, remove it.
  • Reach your left hand around behind the plastic of the console, near the gas pedal, and find the plug.
  • Next, find the clip holding the plug in place.  The clip holding the plug is near the center facing the rear of the car and the far side from your hand.
  • With your right hand, guide the flat-head screwdriver through the opened plug.
  • With your left hand, line up the screwdriver with the clip.
  • Carefully push the clip with the screwdriver, holding the screwdriver against the clip with your lefthand fingers/thumb.  It takes surprisingly little pressure, don't stab yourself.
  • Pull the plug toward you by the cables, toward the driver's side.  A few wiggles, a thump of your knuckles on the inside of the console, and it's out.

Second, the Fosketts.net site was down when I tried to get the pinout.  I've linked a screenshot I took of the Google Cache for the site below:
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqJ788-9likNvQXU7iiU6fQTt0ti

Edit:
A third thing:

I played with stereo connections to hear each pair, suffice to say that the windscreen speakers are a waste in their stock form.  I didn't find any suitable replacements, so I disabled them. There is a second Bose amp in the windscreen.  It's located in the center, behind a cover visible from the back.  The cover "flips" down, clips on the top and "hinges" on the bottom.  Pop the cover with a putty knife, remove the connector from the amp, put in some padding to stop a new rattle from the now loose connector, replace the cover.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2016, 09:19:53 PM by Kalmairn » Logged
SilverMiataRacer
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« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2016, 02:09:57 AM »

Okay threads need to go to Miata.net
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mr_hyde
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« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2016, 11:18:12 PM »

Moved.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?p=8237179#post8237179
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