Fix'd

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 04/03/2018 at 11:40 • Filed to: None

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My left channel in the Miata had been intermittent for some time and eventually the radio displayed “AMP ERR” and stopped playing music entirely. When I ordered the unit and install kit from Crutchfield they included a Scosche line converter which converts the speaker outputs from the head unit’s amp into line-out signals for the amplifiers built into my Miata. I thought nothing of this and simply installed it as you would.

To put this another way, what I was effectively doing was taking a digital music file, that would be converted to analog and pushed out the head unit, converted again to a line signal, and then amplified again and sent to the speakers.

But this head unit has line outs on it.

So I cut up an AV cable and stuck the plugs into the wiring harness, getting rid of the bulky broken Scosche converter and getting my music back. Sounds slightly better due to less electronics between my flash drive full of music and my speakers.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/03/2018 at 12:17

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Not to hijack the comments (or maybe you know) but does anyone have an aftermarket head unit that would look good inside my truck? I need to replace mine, but don’t want a tacky looking one.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/03/2018 at 12:28

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How pretty do you want to spend? Something that doesn’t look like a discotheque = $$$$$

Frustratingly some low-end companies like Pyle and Boss make some fairly attractive looking head units but the quality and longevity is utterly abysmal.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/03/2018 at 12:30

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I dunno, cost isn’t that important as long as it is under $500.00 I’d say.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/03/2018 at 13:14

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Hm, Alpine generally has more reserved designs than most. If you have an old car RetroSound head units come in around that range.

I have the Pioneer MVH series in my car:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130S600BS/Pioneer-MVH-S600BS.html?tp=5684

I abhor touchscreen head units but I wanted a double DIN. Ergonomics are great. The large central knob is super easy to feel without looking and the play/pause/next/previous/etc. buttons are easy to find without taking my eyes off the road. Bluetooth works well. Equalizer has a ton of bands.

I kind of want something where this would look at home:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_522JHD36A/Jensen-Heavy-Duty-JHD36A.html?tp=5684

Simply because it’s so charmingly 90s.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/03/2018 at 13:17

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cheers! Retrosound looks good. I’ll look into some reviews!

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/03/2018 at 17:49

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So are you still using the stock head unit and speakers or have you upgraded the speakers and tweeters?

MM54 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/03/2018 at 17:49

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I’m considering pulling the head unit out of the rx7 tonight to look into why it’s totally dead.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender 04/03/2018 at 23:02

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Stock NB2 bose amps and speakers. Pioneer double-DIN non touchscreen receiver (no CD). The illumination is infinitely adjustible if you download the companion app and spend five hours getting your phone properly sync’d in a manner that satisfies the stupid app, otherwise you can choose from preset colors. Fortunately one of the presets perfectly matches the OEM NB2 backlight colors.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/04/2018 at 00:17

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Ugh 30 gauge wire running audio signals. Not that it matters in a Miata though since audio quality goes out the window as soon as you start moving lol. I have my door speakers wired with dedicated 12 gauge wire to an amp behind my passenger seat. Sounds quite nice while not moving and at least it gets loud enough on the highway to hear something other than wind! The stock Boise stuff didn’t sound bad though surprisingly. Just not worth the hassle of dealing with converters and head units that look worth stealing.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/04/2018 at 17:54

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Holy hell that’s pretty sweet! Stock-matching lights and adjustable brightness are two of my three biggest criteria for finding a suitable aftermarket replacement for my OEM unit. I know your Miata is now a coupe but if you had that headunit installed before removing the soft top, then how was visibility with the top down?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender 04/04/2018 at 18:28

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Fair to middling. Sunlight glares pretty bad off of the glossy surface and the LEDs have a hard time competing.

I have it set to dim automagically around 8pm when the sun sets. You can do “dim when headlights come on” but I always roll with headlights on so...

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/04/2018 at 19:56

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The auto-dim with the headlights sounds pretty sweet, then it basically matches the operation of the original units! I’ve read on the Miata forum that it’s hard to find a good-looking radio that’s still visible in the sun, in fact some have turned to head units meant for boating!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender 04/04/2018 at 22:36

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The sun was shining directly on it today and I noticed that the color will get drowned out but you can still tell what the thing is supposed to read.