My first MX5 had the standard radio set-up. I loved it and it kept me company on my journeys around the country. I used the auxiliary socket for attaching my phone and life was good. The upgrade then in the more expensive MX5’s was the Bose system.
I’m a fan of Bose in my house and in my current MX5 the system was ok. But times have moved on and in-car entertainment has moved on a long way so I knew as I drove it of the forecourt on the day I picked the car up that it was going to need an upgrade.
Of course opinions vary on what that upgrade should be, extensive research online offered a number of potential choices and I decided to fit a Sony XAV-AX6050 head unit.
Researching the install of the unit in a number of videos forewarned me of the chaos ahead. I decided to phase the work to help spread the workload and added them to my work plan. This would also give me a chance to see what the effect would be and possibly save money if results were satisfactory.
I found videos like the mini series by Five Star Car Stereo very helpful in how to approach the installation and duly ordered the right parts and kit off the internet.
Phase One would be to change the head unit, purchase the double-DIN housing kit and the necessary loom to connect the Sony to the Mazda’s Bose Loom.
Adding a new surround means removing the old head unit which involves lifting the centre gear leaver and windows console to give access to the side units which once removed included in my car trying to access the hidden side security screw (complete pain – but doable).
Changing to the double-DIN surround and transferring the ventilation controls was very straight forward. fitting the unit meant almost scratching the screen of the new unit (fortunately I remembered to put the gear knob back on to prevent this but wrapping the gear lever with a cloth would give more room.
Attaching the loom was more taxing as once I’d worked it all out and had the confidence to switch it all on I was left with the usual conundrum of power but no sound. This happens because the Bose amp sits behind the drivers seat under the roll bar and required a remote start up signal. Cutting into the blue wire providing power to the Sony and tapping into it to connecting it to the (from memory) blue and white wire reinstates the remote triggering of the Bose and we have sound. I’d really recommend checking the wiring diagram for the MX5 so you get the correct wire for this operation other than taking my word.
Frankly the Sony head provided better sound through the Bose amp and speaker set but it was not the upgrade I was hoping for, so further down the road I’d be looking for a speaker upgrade.
Phase Two would be a speaker upgrade. Using the internet to research what might be possible you run up against the restrictions of door depth. I would have gone for Sony High Res speakers but they were too deep. Researching options I elected to go for Focal Focal Universal ISU200 160W Two-Way Component Speakers.
Installing them required a little surgery with a hacksaw to the main bins to remove a plastic that projects from the inner plastic door and guides the Bose Speaker orientation; so the Focal unit could sit flat. I also needed to fabricate a new housing from mouldable plastic for the tweeters which sits in the door outer skin as the Mazda units were much larger..
Wiring was left as standard at this stage. Again results were acceptable but something was still missing.
Phase Three involved removing the Bose amp, rewiring with improved audio cables and fitting a Sony XM-GS4 High Res Power amp. This was a complete pig to achieve. The door connectors are too tight to feed the cables through. Some work with a drill in the available space on the passenger side now leaves the car with DNA evidence of my ownership. The drivers-side door cable is too busy to achieve the same thing so I’ve created a separate wiring loop for the door. Feeding power leads and audio cables was easy, as was removing the Bose unit and re-routing the remote trigger wire.
I left the old loom in-situ mostly because I was not keen on the amount of work it would require and the risk of messing up the central locking, window power and mirrors that would come with that decision.
Was it worth it? Short answer is yes. It sounds pretty good and better than the old tired Bose gear. It kept me busy for quite a few days. It would have been better to have someone fit it for me and let them have all the hassle but Ive learned a lot in the process.
Upside is that my car has wireless CarPlay, sounds great, I have Waze and all the essentials of 21st century in-car entertainment and my journeys to my trackways will be more comfortable as a result. The car feels like a more grown-up Grand Tourer track-day toy.
