Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 +
6.5 inch speakers with 150 watt max power
Excellent upgrade from Pioneer 100 watters. Even with just these speakers and a new Blaunpunkt Munchen CD player the sound is awesome!
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 +
CD Player with AM/FM DigiCeiver 4 X 40 Watt Max Power ABOUT 23 Watt RMS 2 Keycards CD Naming And many more features
Excellent Experience Install took about half a day b/c I had to re-wire the wiring harness from previous owner, uninstall a broke cd changer, and cut the dash with a Dremel to make it fit w/o an additional mounting bracket. A lot of time went into trimming the center console just right.
The cd player is such a great upgrade from what the previous owner had. None of my CDs skip anymore! There is an option to change the viewing angle so it's easier to see in the sun, but only a little better than most Faces when in direct sunlight. Looks awesome at night. Shopped around on Ebay for about 3 weeks waiting for this item and got it new/open box condition still with the warranty for only $169 shipped! Great price as opposed to $279 from Crutchfield.
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Blaupunkt Honolulu In-Dash CD-Player, 4x25watts (RMS), orange and red display, removable faceplate, dual pre-amp outs, 4V outputs.
Excellent. I bought it from Crutchfield's "outlet store" on line, and got a good deal. Because of the tilt-down face, the display is HUGE. Blaupunkt uses a great anti-glare display, and combined with the large, bright display, it's total easy to see in direct sunlight - key in a Miata. The buttons are large, spaced well apart from each other, and give good tactile feedback, so you don't have to look at it, and you can tell whether you really pressed the button or not (unlike the typical "chicklet" buttons that don't really move much when you push them). The finish of the plastic and the print on the buttons looks very high end, plus the volume/power-on encoder glows with this cool blue/purple glow even when it's off (blau punkt = blue dot, right??). With the same basic Kenwood speakers, the sound improvement is amazing (versus old JVC cassette deck). I cannot believe a head-unit change can do so much, and I'm an engineer who makes guitar amps in my basement for fun.
I am very pleased with this product, and with my Crutchfield experience. I realize I may have been able to get this deck cheaper (saw it for $20 less in the back of a magazine), but it's worth 20 bucks to get Crutchfield instructions, tech help (didn't need it), and backing (and I have no affiliation w/Crutchfield). I think I'll get another Blaupunkt Honolulu or similar model for my Civic sedan now...
Difficult to remove without leaving damage
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
In-Dash CD Player/Receiver (Red) (25 watts x 4)
I went from the OEM stereo in my '92 yellow, with headrest speakers and the Jeff Anderson mods, to this Blaupunkt model. I have yet to replace the OEM speakers. I bought it from Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com--check out the photo and specs there) and installed it with the Metra kit (see Jeff Barlow's Miata.Net write-up) and made sure I did everything cleanly, using solder and heat-shrink tubing and flex-looms on the wiring, and carefully trimming the Metra kit to fit my dash. I was not able to flush-mount the unit and I did have to use the DIN sleeve that came with it. Eventually I may add the Thummer remote.
The sound is dramatically better, even with the OEM speakers. I am skeptical about claims of better sound, but the level of detail, the bass response, and the overall volume are much better. Especially the bass. This unit simply has a great amp. I also like all its features, although carrying the faceplate around is a pain. I love the flexible loudness and bass controls. The red faceplate sets off my yellow car nicely. I highly recommend this stereo for anyone wanting something dramatically different. The controls are all very intuitive, but I still miss having regular knobs!!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97
Blaupunkt Alaska II is a detachable face CD player that is very similar to the original Alaska, but has different illumination.
A breeze to install. Bought at Crutchfield with their Thummer Remote special. Easy to instal. In dash Metra kit is a joke and I highly modified it so that the unit would sit back into the dash more. Better than factory CD sound and the AM/FM Digi-reception is beyond my expectations. The DigiCeiver concept, as the call it, received 2 awards at the January 1999 Consumer Electronics Show - the VERY prestigious "Best of Show" award for mobile electronics...so I was sold.
The reason I went with the Alaska II, was basically because its illumination was to match the new 1999 VW line of blue and red...very cool at night and matches my new amber interior. The blue even matches my car color :-) The features seemed to match what I was looking for as well…most importantly, CD clarity.
During the day, the lights become clear and the background of the LCD becomes the standard gray background.
Operation is easy and a very solid system. Hardly any skipping with my Koni shocks on hard and 50 series tires.
One feature I REALLY liked was the Decoding of the RDS time signal - The internal clock is set automatically by using the time signal encoded in the RDS signal. As a result, this unit adjusts the clock according to the radio station that you are listening to! COOL!
I have owned MANY in-dash stereos before, but this one gets the golden apple from me. Will buy another in the future.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Aftermarket CD radio/CD player. 40W per channel.
I searched long and hard for a factory CD player for my 93A with no luck. I finally gave up and went the aftermarket route. The dilemma was finding a unit that looked like it belonged in my car. All the units out there with the gee-whiz displays and bronzed plastic screamed Honda Civic to me. I wanted something that belonged in a classic roadster - that had the right look - that had a volume knob I could TURN! I narrowed my search down to the Blaupunkt and a Nakamichi CD-35Z. I thought both looked great. Both have green displays to match the stock dash lights. Decided on the Alaska for two reasons - features for price and the option to install it myself. I couldn't find anyone who would sell me the Nakamichi uninstalled. I've been completely happy with the unit but it took me awhile to get it installed attractively. I found another install kit (see my review on the Metra Kit for details) - now it looks great!
I must admit I bought it mostly on its acsthetics but it specs are on par with other systems in its price range. As it so happens, it's clean lines are a result of some cool technology(see the Florida reviews). The big plus to the Alaska over its cheaper siblings (the Nevada and Florida models) is the inclusion of a parametric EQ in addition to the traditional treble and bass controls. It takes a while to get it fine tuned (and it's best advised to do this while the car is sitting still!) but some patience lends great results. Now I can hear the bass at highway speeds! I highly recommend this unit after six months of very critical use. I didn't want to get rid of my factory radio - it fit my audio needs and didn't say "steal me", but I couldn't live without a CD player any longer. Now I don't look back - I should've done this long before. And man is it great to look at!
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Blaupunkt Florida CD receiver. 40 w/ch, most of the things you'd expect, but a DSC program mode to fine tune features rarely changed, like loudness mode. Great Mute feature.
Wow, got this from Crutchfield to replace the factory unit, and this performs great. Easy mute button lowers volume at intersections, so I can crank this. CD skips rarely at big bumps. Best bang on the buck I could find. Easy install. Plain looking, so I don't worry about Theft! Removable face. Very, very good radio sound, the circuits are new ... digital and only 4 chips do it all. Highly recommended, priced at about 240.
The first of the Blaupunkt 5 series line, I purchased it online from www.audiodataonline.com for $240 including the harness and mount.
Was a snap to install (took about 20 minutes, mostly figuring out what those damn grey wires were for). I had previous experience removing the dash, but no experience installing a head unit until now. This unit has the best tuner i have ever heard, in home or car audio. The 100% all-digital tuner gives crystal clear reception in the worst conditions. At 40Wx4 it has sufficient power to drive the factory speakers so that i can hear them doing 95mph. with the top down. A 4-channel RCA output adapter is available for $15 but does not come with the unit, this is the major drawback.. Occasionally the CD player skips when going over multiple railroad tracks, but most of the time it is fine. Orange display is easy to see and looks snappy in the dash as well. (for another $50 or so you can get the Nevada which comes with a colored faceplate of your choice). The face is detachable and comes with a carrying case as well, i usually just lock it into the center console if im not going to be away from the car for <remainder of review cut off>
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