Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Clearwater replacement speakers [door and headrest]
I have been very pleased with the performance of thier products. It was very easy to install and the sound improvement is terrific from the crisp highs to a very respectable bass response without any subwoofer or any additional amplification. I can cruise at any speed with the top down and enjoy any type of music and hear everything. Everyone that rides in my car marvels at the sound.
After enjoying the system for several years my passenger side speaker failed, I contacted Clearwater to order a single speaker replacement and they offered to replace the speaker at no cost. I wish everyone I purchased merchandise from were as pleasant and had a customer satisfaction policy like Clearwater. If you are looking for a hight quality great sounding speaker upgrade, check them out.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter
Replacement Door Woofer and Tweeters with a Sound Module. Included is a plastic water shield. Purchased from Moss Miata
Installation took about an hour and involved taking the door panels off. Once the old components were out the new went in easily and cleanly. The improved audio sound is clean and good. It eliminates the problem with the factory Bose speaker distortion and performance caused by moisture and being unshielded.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter
Clearwater speakers for 2003 Non-Bose
The packaging and delivery from Clearwater was excellent. The installation was simple and quick. It fit perfectly as it is designed for this car. The sounds is excellent. While not an audiophile I do appreciate clear, accurate sound and these deliver. No matter the sound volume my factory headunit delivers to these speakers, the sound remains clear and distortion free.
I highly recommend to anyone who is seeking enhanced sound with a product that is made for your car.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter
An audio system designed specifically for the Miata/MX5 which replaces the factory speakers with custom designed woofers & tweeters plus sound modules for each side to control audio blend
We installed the complete system in our 2003 Miata in less than 2 hours with no complications. We have driven the car more than 3000 miles since installation & have throughly enjoyed the excellent sound from our original factory installed radio.
We have read different reviews on audio upgrades where many mistakes & irreversible damage has occurred. This system fits into the original system without any cutting of wires/plugs or making any changes to the original wiring. Their instruction manual is excellent with easy to follow directions. If a quality sound at a reasonable cost is the goal then the folks at sales@clearwateraudio.com or 916-852-1423 are the guys to get in touch with!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
6.5" poly door speakers
I installed the Clearwater speakers against my better judgement, I enjoy high end car audio. However the ease of installation and the assurances from the tech at Clearwater convinced me. I paid around 220 dollars for them and I feel they are not worth the money. They were packed very well and the box did not look damaged at my door. Upon opening I noticed that the speaker flange was bent towards the magnet about 1/4" between the screw holes. I am certain they were shipped that way. the sheet metal basket of the speaker is the thinnest I have ever seen! I called about this and was told that it is not a problem due to the fact that it would straighten out upon installation. I was also told that as long as the voice coil was not rubbing the speakers would sound fine. Also I must note that the water guards were not really optimal and the RH one wont keep water off the speaker. How do they sound, glad you asked, fair at best. While they are of course better than stock they do not compare to 200 dollar speakers from Crutchfield. A much better solution would be to get a component speaker system for 150-175 dollars and install the tweeters in a good location. the speakers reach the end of their cone excursion and make that sharp cracking sound on bass notes. the highs are slightly distorted and of course the tweeter is somewhat muffled by its placement. Overall value about the same as a Co-axial driver in the 69 dollar range. I dont feel that the ease of installation was worth the excessive loss of sound quality. I use a 75 watt per channel amp.
Upgrade replacement door speakers.
After reading so many different glowing articles about these speakers, I decided to take the leap and order them through Brainstorm ($199.00 for the pair). Clearwater was offering a promotion and Brainstorm sent them without any charge for shipping. Once I received them I marched right out to the garage to install as directed. The directions were very complete and easy to follow. It's always a pleasure receiving a product with great instructions. Clearwater claims that it takes all but 10 minutes to install the pair. This isn't true unless you install these 8 hours a day for living. Be that as it may, it took just under 45 minutes from start to finish to put these babies in. The results??? Whether you think they are worth the $199 entry fee is subjective. The speakers do offer more bass than the originals as well as more clear highs. You should not expect a concert hall sound of a surround sound home audio system, but we do enjoy the new found clarity and added bass.
Be careful about pulling the door panel away from the door. Most of the clips will pop off as per the directions, a few are stubborn and will pull from the heavy cardboard panel backing. If they persist in not popping off easily, carefully wedge a wide tipped screwdriver to encourage the reluctant pop clip. All in all, a quick and slick installation for your Miata!
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Two-way replacement headrest speakers
The speakers work fine, and are a definite improvement on the factory speakers. Coupled with a decent replacement head unit, these are a great way to improve the driving experience.
I want to make a STRONG plug for Clearwater's service policy. I've had my speakers for I guess three years or so. A couple months after I bought them, one of the little towers that supports the tweeter broke. Clearwater hastily replaced the speaker for free. Well, here it is summer 2000, and one of the speakers has broken again. I called them up this morning asking how I could go about purchasing a replacement single speaker, and the nice man I spoke with insisted that I just send them the broken one and they'd repair or replace it at no charge. I think that's pretty good, since the failure of the speaker is almost certainly a result of exposure to lots of Texas heat. Yes, maybe all products *should* have lifetime guarantees, but the fact is most don't and even among those that do you often feel like without videotape evidence of the thing failing on its own you'll never get satisfaction from the vendor. So, good job, Clearwater!
Under 5 minutes to remove
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Four round speakers with two bolt holes (not used). Speakers are twin cone coaxial design with electrical connectors fitting the Miata wiring harness. Kit comes with wiring harness for those doing a primary, rather than replacement, install.
Unit arrived from Moss well packaged. It contained a wiring harness, 4 speakers and printed instructions. Instructions suggest 2 hours if the wiring harness must be installed, 30 minutes for speaker replacement.
The stock speakers and boxes must be removed - 4 screws for each speaker, 3 screws for each box. The instructions direct you to remove a "grommet" to allow the speaker wires to be removed from the box prior to unscrewing box. This is more like a strain-releif and was glued in with some kind of rubber cement on my unit. It took some work with needle nose pliers. The best technique is to start the removal with the box intact. Then remove the box and pull the strain releif out with the needle nose. Care must be taken to not damage wiring.
The round speakers are wider than the enclosure. You "encourage" the speaker to enter the hole. The speaker must be oriented so that the speaker screw holes are vertically aligned. The wire connectors allow idiot proof connection of + and -. Rezip with care as stated in instructions. I found it easier to fold back the cloth over the zipper to avoid zipper binding.
On my first install attempt there was a short preventing sound from coming out of the speakers. I suspect the leads either touching themselves or the magnet. I r/r the speakers, this time applying electrical tape first to the magnet under the leads, then over the leads. The speakers worked perfectly after that.
Dramatic improvement in sound - louder and higher quality. The speakers do not fit the form factor of the seat enclosure and care must be taken with the leads and seat covering during install. Well worth the expenditure. If concert hall sound is desired, additional improvements would be required.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Clearwater describes their headrest speakers as having a coaxial design, frequency response ranging from 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz, high power handling of up to 20 watts per channel, clear highs that can be heard at 60 mph, easy installation in car with/without factory headrest speakers. The speakers are specially designed for the Miata and included a custom installation harness and no additional amplifier is needed.
The installation was as easy as they claimed. I have a 96 M edition with the MPSS(Mazda Premium Sound System) and these speakers blew the 3' pioneers away. Luckily I already had headrest speakers, I called Clearwater a few days ago and they said that I would have problems with the wiring, they were wrong on that count, the speakers just used the existing connectors that the factory pioneers used. As far as sound goes these speakers are in a league of their own, I can really hear the highs now and I personally like a lot of base in my music(it just sounds cool) and this was the first time that my headrest ever vibrated. Need I say more.
If you have a 96 miata I’d recommend calling Clearwater first before ordering the speakers. Clearwater can be reached at (916)983-6162. So in conclusion if you have a miata and are even considering upgrading the headrest speakers go with the Clearwater ones. As a footnote If you have the MPSS don’t waste your money upgrading the door speakers, they aren’t as loud as the pioneers and the sound quality isn’t as good.
Replacement headrest speakers designed specifically for the Miata.
I waited too long to do this upgrade. I really enjoy the sounds the Miata makes, so why waste money upgrading the stereo? Such was my thinking for the past four years of Miata ownership - so why the change? Well it IS nice to have some good music going when you're sitting in traffic or on a long trip, so after much consideration I picked these speakers. I decided to start with the headrest speakers because they really are the weakest point in the stock stereo. I am overwhelmed by the difference. In fact, I probably won't do another audio upgrade for quite some time (if ever). I can now hear the stereo above the exhaust and the rest of the traffic on the road with the volume set at 3 or 4. Before the installation, I would have had to set it at 7 or 8! The sound is clear with good treble and bass. The sound is very eay to tailor to personal taste with the stock controls. They give the feeling that you're wearing headphones. My wife appreciated the difference as well. I highly recommend these speakers - they're well worth the price.
Easy install. The Clearwater design makes it impossible to reverse the phase of the speakers. They work great with the stock wiring harness. A high quality wiring harness is included for the earlier Miatae that do not have factory harnesses.
| Back to Product Reviews | 24 January, 2010 |