I recently purchased a 91 MR2 that has fully stock stereo system with the AM/FM casette deck. I'm going to be upgrading the sound system myself, which is not going to be easy because I'm not much of a car guy. So far I replaced the front door speakers with a couple 60 watt Sony speakers. They sound much better, but I still get static like noise at high volumes. I'm guessing it's either the deck or the built in amp causing the problem.
I can't find any specs on the system. Does anyone know any specs about this deck or the amp?
And where is the amp located? I haven't been able to find it.
It's called distortion my friend. You need a better/ more powerful amp to power those sony speakers. I highly recommend replacing your headunit as well. The speakers I believe are 25 watts, but don't quote me on that. So assume that the amperage is low on the stock amp as well. You might want to hurry and buy a new amp, the #1 cause of blown speakers is lack of power.
As for the amp, check under the seats. I know the MKi's amp is under the driver's side seat, not sure about the MKII(my stock amp was already removed when I bought my 91).
Oh if you plan on buying a sub, I wouldn't recommend anything above an 8 inch woofer. My JL8w6 (8 inch sub) is more than enough to shake the crap out of you.
Thanks for the info. I'll check under the seats for the amp when I get home today.
I purchased a 60 watt per channel cd deck, which I have yet to install because I'm waiting for the wiring harness to come in the mail. Do you think I'll still need an amp for the speakers? I was hoping I could use the crappy built in amp for the subwoofer.
I have '91 MR2 and I took out that piece of junk AM/FM cassette deck, replaced the stock sub and door speakers. there is no separate amp for the stock system. it's all one unit in the dash. the unit comes out pretty easy and they make after market harness's for the MR2..as far as the static, it's just like vtsuckah said-distortion. probably from the unit it's self. A good cd player will get rid of that. I am only running 50watts/ch.. which is plenty for me. I bought stock sub from dealer for exact fitment-$165.00!!! installed myself too...just my 2cents
Yes, your new head unit will be able to power your new speakers. As for powering the stock sub, technically you can wire it into your new head unit (or just buy that aftermarket wiring harness like mr2bad said), but I'd just go ahead and replace it if I were you. In doing so, you will need an external amp in order to hear it. If you buy an external amp for the sub, you prolly will need to provide your door speakers with more power in order to balance out your sub. HAHAHA I guess what I'm saying is that for better sound quality, you have to be willing to spend some cash. It's all in what you want out of your stereo system.
I have (just to give you an idea):
Alpine head unit 70 watt x 4 head unit
5.25" kicker comps (in my doors)
2 sets of tweeters (in my doors)
Kicker comps (in rear speaker housings)
1 JL8W6 (behind my seat)
Alpine v12 amp 75watt x 4 bridged for speakers (behind passenger seat)
Alpine v12 class D amp 120 watt x 2 for my sub (behind passenger seat)
Oh and to save money, build your own sub box and wire it up yourself. Audio stores ass rape you with custom sub boxes.
vtsuckah--is the JL8W6 a sub? if so, what size is that? and where did you put it? got any pics? sounds kick ass... I had thought about a nice system similar to yours but I didn't want to give up what little space the 2's have..would be good to see what you have done...
NominalSoul-your cd player "may" be able to power the small sub. you're just gonna have to hook it up , check it out and see if you're satisfied with it.of course , if you want a kick ass system, you should take vtsuckah's advice. it's a good plan.a lot depends on how deep your pockets are.. I only have a 50wx4chan and it powers all 7 speakers. it's loud enough to where I can't hear an ambulance siren till it's almost on me.. prolly not the smartest thing. when the volume's up, gotta keep my eyes open and pay closer attention... I have noticed that the cd decks that have built-in amps get pretty warm and since they are mounted in the dash right below the vents, the unit gets really hot when I run the heater..having a seperate amp would be an advantage in that respect... just an observation..
After buying th car, my pockets are very shallow. Actually, they're pretty much non-existant. I'm going piece by piece right now. So far all I upgraded was the door speakers and I got the deck which I haven't put in yet. I did buy a used bazooka bass tube for $30. Once I get the deck in, then I'll worry about hooking up the bass tube. When I have more cash I'll probably invest in upgrading the other speakers, and maybe adding a second bass tube. Or maybe I should just forget about the bass tube and build custom sub boxes like you guys suggested.
i tore out the stock radio and all the speakers and set this up
Alpine 9805 (free from friend, it didnt work and i somehow magically rebuilt it and it worked lol)
2 sony 5 1/4 inch speakers in the front door
2 sony tweeters in the mirriors
2 4" sony tweeters in the rear sides
2 pioneer 6x9s in the bottom storage boxes
2 rockford fosgate p210s8 10" subs
I used 2 truck boxes out of an s-10 which fit PERFECTLY with no movement at all
this set up is off a strict budget and i also work for best buy so i get more than half off everything lol (yea thats right 109 fosgate subs are 48 for me) This system is so loud it causes headaches, the seat moves so violently that it gives you a good back message, you can actually see the dust being pounded out of the seat. It prolly could cause your ears to bleed, but im not going ot be the one who tries it.
vtsuckah--is the JL8W6 a sub? if so, what size is that? and where did you put it? got any pics? sounds kick ass... I had thought about a nice system similar to yours but I didn't want to give up what little space the 2's have..would be good to see what you have done...
Yes it is a sub. It is an 8" sub made by JL. The "W6" is the model type(W6 is the highest quality JL makes and most expensive). It hits the hardest, less distortion and supports the most power. Kick Solobaricks (spelling?) also is a great sub. It is square in shape and actually hits harder than my JL, but has a lil more distortion under high volumes. I made a custom box myself with matching black carpet and put it behind my seat. The box sits on top and flush with the t top bag holding compartment. My seat can go all the way back, but you can't have the seat leaning back that much. But seeing that I'm 5'9", i don't have to worry about it. But my father can comfortably drive my 2 as well (he's 6'2" 240 lbs). Oh and I can still reach the engine bay door lever as well. My amps are behind the passenger side seat mounted on the firewall. My T Tops fit behind that seat without any trouble. Sorry, I don't have any pics to show........no dig cam and my two is stored for the winter. Oh and if you decide to go my route, make sure you buy good cables. It does makes a big difference. Hope this helps. Good luck and don't go deaf
Thx vtsuckah- that gives me a pretty good pic in my head. good use of space. I'm only 5'8", so that would work good for me. I'm already half deaf from the last couple of systems of past rides, so I NEED it to be kinda loud. if you ever do pics, plz post them, thx again
ill post a few pics when i get a chance, but it is an extremely tight fit, and the seats dont go as far back, but it isnt bad at all its still comfortable. Im 6'0 and im just fine with how it is. the boxes i have are the q logic single 10" truck box that i got at best buy on my discount for like 30 bucks.
Grrrrr. I got my wiring harness in the mail today and it doesn't fit. That's the 3rd one I got that doesn't fit. I finally started digging online any they say the '91/'92 sound system is totally incompatible with any ISO system and that you need to redo all the wiring. And it looks like the amps are in the side wall behind the driver's seat.
Thx vtsuckah- that gives me a pretty good pic in my head. good use of space. I'm only 5'8", so that would work good for me. I'm already half deaf from the last couple of systems of past rides, so I NEED it to be kinda loud. if you ever do pics, plz post them, thx again
No prob MR2BAD, glad it helped. I'll see what I can do as far as pictures are concerned in the spring. If you like it loud, then I hope you love back and ass massages hahahhaha
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Stock MR2 Stereo System Questions
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