[TMMA]

IT SUCKS!!!

 

[dinu01]

Not for me. It's just fine IMO.

 

[Nuvada]

Not quite what I was hoping for...but it's making due until I can get an amp, sub, and a few better speakers in there, hope that helps, I don't want to change the head unit...since that's going to be a pain it being integrated....

 

[Butters]

I think you're overreacting juuuuuust a little bit. I'm with Dinu, it's fine for me

 

[D]

Its fine with me... for now. Soon I'm gonna look into better quality door speakers so I can crank it up a little more. Then if the stereo can't output enough, I'll toss some amps on there. Then if the bass isn't filled in, I'll throw around the idea of custom 6x9's behind the back seat headrests on the sedan and/or some subs in the trunk.

 

[Absinthe]

Fine for its price....

 

[skru_fase]

don't forget, most audio equipment sounds better after it is broken in (at least that's the case in home audio). the lack of bass was my biggest concern, but for a base stock system it could be a lot worse.

 

[fracatta]

Hey TMMA great Car, do you know if there is a preout in the stereo? and if there is the way, behind the Tape/MD slot, to put another sound source, using the Tape/MD selection?

 

[bluong1]

All audio systems on Mazda passenger cars have double DIN input, the the upper DIN accepts single CD or 6-CD changer and the lower DIN accepts cassette or mini-disc.

 

[Levitron]

I think the sound system is just barely okay.

Bass response is a little fuzzy....but otherwise everythign else is okay. I think the tweeters at the top of the doors help a lot.

 

[chickmod]

Yeah, the system does seem to break in a little with some use.

 

[TMMA]

Hey TMMA great Car, do you know if there is a preout in the stereo? and if there is the way, behind the Tape/MD slot, to put another sound source, using the Tape/MD selection?

I don't see the Tape/Md slot you are talking about.

 

[fracatta]

Hey TMMA great Car, do you know if there is a preout in the stereo? and if there is the way, behind the Tape/MD slot, to put another sound source, using the Tape/MD selection?

I don't see the Tape/Md slot you are talking about.

the Tape/MD slot is where you can read "Multi Function Audio System" between two knobs. Here you can put a tape player or a MD player if you ask to Mazda, so I guess behind the cover should be a sort of connector where with some manipulations I can gain an audio aux input connected to te Tape/MD key selection. (Sorry for my bad english).

 

[landrumdh]

I asked about this in another thread. Somebody said there wasn't just a normal input you can hijack.

But there was a link to an RX8 thread where sombody purchased a tape desk and was able to wire a set of RCA in's into the tape deck.

 

[fracatta]

Unfortunately I don't have a MZ3 yet to test it. I don't want to buy a tape desk to have an aux input. I imagine that somebody can understand the signals presents on the tape/md connector in way gain the aux deceiving the radio.

 

[schulkw]

I don't expect a car to have a superb audio system. But it is a decent one.

 

[earl_s]

It is assumed that the 3 will have the same head unit as the 6 and the RX-8. These are essentially the same units that mazda introduced in the 2000 model year I believe that they call The Mazda Modular Audio System. It used to consist of an AM/FM tuner and then two ports on it that a CD or CD changer and a Tape Player or Mini-Disc player could be added, with the 3, 6, and RX-8 it appears to be the same thing, just a CD player comes standard with the option of getting CD changer. Ok, So what does this mean? Yes there is a connector where the tape/Mini-Disc module connects to the main unit, but, the communication that goes through this port is Digital. The tape-player module converts the tape signal to a digital signal to send it to the main unit. This digital protocol is obviously propritary. So far the only way around this is to trick the tape module into accepting analog input by soldering wires to the circuit board of the tape module and for it to convert the analog signal you're sending it into Mazda's digital signal to be sent to the head unit. I am sure someone somewhere is capable of figuring out the digital protocol, but I am sure that they have more important things to do. My advice is if a bunch of people email/write/call Mazda requesting some type of Aux-In module they will make it. I have already sent my email to them.

 

[fracatta]

Are you sure that the tape-player module converts the tape signal to a digital signal to send it to the main unit. I agree with you, it is a digital port but I assume the digital it's only for commands I suppose. The sound signal from tape to main unit can be analog. An other possibility is S/PDIF. But I don't exclude the propritary digital protocol.
Thanks

 

[earl_s]

An eletrical engineer friend of mine and I have discussed this for months now, but we have not had the opportunity to "play" with an acutal unit. We believe that it converts the signal, because if it didn't then you wouldn't have to buy a tape module you could just splice into the connector and go from there. If the signal is only analog, there is another problem though. There is some communication between the tape module and the head unit. I'm not sure what all goes to it, but part of the tape player mod is you have to insert a tape in the tape player (either a blank tape, or cut the cord from a tape adapter). You can't just rip the tape out of a tape, there has to be something there. Also, if the tape module is not attached nothing happens when you hit the tape/MD button, so the head unit must either use some type of communication protocol (like Pioneer's IP-Bus maybe) or maybe it's just the completion of a circuit that turns on the connector. So here are our conclusions: To create an aux-in something would have to "trick" the head unit. Right now the easiest way to do this is the tape player. It also works for the mini-disc module, but the tape module is cheaper since you're sacrificing it anyway. Best case scenario is that the audio input is analog and you could just complete the circuit on the connector to get the head unit to recognize that something was there. But it is our opinion that at the minimum something would have to "talk" to the head unit to accept an analog audio signal, if the signal isn't digital. This would require a significant piece of hardware and it would be extremely difficult to reverse engineer a complete protocol

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

Yeah everythings sent over a digital bus... at least, I'm 90% sure.