Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
10 inch Kenwood subwoofer in the trunk
Pleasing performance
Powered by a 300W rms pioneer amplifier, my Kenwood Tornado subwoofer is to my liking. I bought if off of eBay for $30 and it works great. I made a somewhat large box that managed to fit in the miata trunk (approx 1 cubic ft) and carpeted it myself. Sound in teh cabin is great and sound quality is good as well. I Imagine if I spent hundreds of dollars more, I could get a better system, but this setup is great for me and works well. It can be heard up to a block a way if i desire, but it provides good sound quality overall.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Subwoofer enclosure that fits into the spare tire. It is rated at 50W RMS/ 150W peak music. Does not include cross over or amplifier.
I currently have a Clearwater amp and door speakers. Although the Clearwater set up has enough power and mid bass, I want to add a bit more boom into the system. So I tried the Pioneer spare tire sub after reading some positive comments on the miata mailing list.
I first tried the sub with the amplifier I have at home. The instructions state the sub will not have a significant low extension in an open space and that it only performs well in the trunk of a car. Well trying it at home it had such a little boom. When, I cranked the power up it just started to buzz so miserably.
The next step was to try it in the car. I used a cross over at 120 Hz from Kenwood. The sub is so miserable in power handling and bass response. The Clearwater speakers driven at full range are much better than cross over and sub combo. I almost could not hear the little sub the trunk. The buzz it made was more audible than bass itself.
| Back to Product Reviews | 19 March, 2003 |