MSM Bose Radio trivia

['95MSM]

For those of you wanting to move on to a different radio/head unit, perhaps this makes it easier to sell your Bose...

The radio works great / sounds great with "normal" amps and speakers - treat it as a headunit.  I can help with wire colors for channels.  I'm driving door speaker separates (much like the MSM), Max5 headrest speakers and a sub with two amps. 

The MSM radio speed related volume adjustment will work with an NA Miata.  I wired the cruise control speed pulse (found on the back of the instrument cluster) to the MSM radio - the volume adjustment happens at a higher roadspeed than I would like (40 - 45mph), but it works.

Illumination, power antenna lead, etc work fine.

[Yosho]

Great!  I've been looking at upgrade routes for the stock system and not liking what I've been finding.  I actually like the controls and look of the stock headunit and until they get some of the features and bugs worked out of the Alpine/Eclipse/Pioneer nav systems I really don't want to upgrade it.

Could you post any information you have about wiring the stock headunit up to a full system?  How do you like the quality of the headunit as a source?


Any pics of your system in your NA?

['95MSM]

The Bose amps (2) for the door speakers are behind the radio, while the windblocker speaker amp is in the... windblocker.  Mazda uses shielded wiring between the headunit and the amps.  I used long, unshielded RCA patch cables from Radio Shack & spliced them into the wiring harness just a few inches from the head unit.  The two audio cables run under the console then into the tunnel to the trunk.  I did take pains to ground the radio and amps to a common point near the shift lever.

Wire colors at the head unit:

LF+ Black
LF-  Green
RF+ Red
RF-  White

LR+ Blue/Yellow
LR- Yellow
RR+ Green/Orange
RR- Green/Black



I re-used the amps from my previous setup.  I have an Alpine in the trunk (wedged between the gas filler tube and vent, almost totally behind the metal shield) driving the door and headrest speakers.  The amp has adjustable gain and bandpass filters on each pair of channels, so I can balance door speakers vs. headrest speakers with the headunit fader at "0".  I'm sending full spectrum to the doors (6" plus separate tweeter Jensens), removing low pass on the headrest speakers (Max5).  The 8" subwoofer is powered by a small Blaupunkt amp with a remote adjustable gain and adjustable bandpass filter cutoffs.  I have it set to pickup what is filtered out by the Alpine for the headrest speakers.  The adjustable gain has a blue power LED, which I'm using to provide a bit of illumination to the glovebox.  The amp is a T type & runs much cooler than older amps - I have it tucked away in the tunnel to the trunk on the driver's side, which I have sealed.  It seems happy back there despite near total lack of cooling air flow.  I also added one of the $150 ebay Mazda Sirius kits (VERY comprehensive, with cable ties, double stick tape, cushioning tape, along with the patch cable, antenna, tuner and splitter).

My impressions:  the un-Bose radio sounds very nice.  A comfortable listening level is about 11 on the volume control - it will loosen your fillings before the speakers distort too badly.  I'll probably turn the gain down on all the units so that an accidental twist doesn't blow all the speakers.  The volume adjustment provided by top-up 2 is just about perfect with the hardtop on.  Why Mazda dropped the headrest speakers is beyond me. The wrecked MSM I bought had black leather w/ silver stitching.  I installed the driver's seat for a weekend, but in the end our lumbar supported, seat-heatered, headrest speakered, leather covered NA seats were a very easy choice. 

Non-MSM Miatas should be lining up for these radios.  The only thing I really miss is shuffle on all 6 discs, but to be honest I listen to Sirius most of the time now. 

I could post a pic, but it would look almost like your cars - I installed the MSM dash.  I'm currently using the '95 instrument cluster, but I will see if I can make the MSM cluster work w/o the MSM ECU when the 6 spd goes in.  I didn't want to mess with moving the "electronic speedo cable" onto the 5 speed.  It would have been geared incorrectly until I swap the rear subframe into the '95 plus I had my hands full putting '05 connectors into the dash harness of the '95.

[Yosho]

Wow, thanks for the run down.  It sounds like you've got a fun system setup there.  I'd really like to see how your NA looks with the NB dash in it.  If we pick up an NA some year I'd really like to do that conversion.

[Panamiata]

I just had someone steal the Bose HU & CD changer out of my 2002 SE.  They cut the cable behind the connector, so now I need to find the color codes/diagram for the wires left behind.  I wonder if you have the wire colors/codes?