SinDiego

im looking at the picture that shows the dash. I see that its going to be a pain in the a$$ to replacethe factory stereo with an aftermarket. so im wondering if that is going to be the standard dash.

Grimace

I agree, it does look like a pain. But this may not be the final dash configuration.
Ford may have learned their lesson with the previous generation "bubble" Taurus and Sable. They had the stereo integrated into a oval center stack. No one like it. The new generation is back to normal (and sales are better).

KayakDaddy

From what I've read, the RX-8 is supposed to have a Bose audio system. I'm not sure if that is standard or if it will be an option, but it was listed on the spec. sheet posted

here:http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.p...highlight=bose

I've seen the pictures of the head unit in the yellow RX-8 show car and it looks pretty nice. It would be a challenge to do something aftermarket though. As long as the system has a pre-out then it will have enough flexiblity for me.

Narflar

I hope the Bose system is just an option. Bose is cool an all but the car systems don't have enough bass. And with some of the Bose systems running at 2 ohms you can't replace speakers. I'd rather add my own system.

WankelWannabe

Who cares about the stereo...I'll be too busy listening to the engine hitting redline :D

Nebuchadnezzar

Looks like the radio won't be able to be replaced easly with the 8, at least on the prototype...

I have a EXPENSIVE head unit in my current car that I will move over to my new car. Will there be a replacement radio surround, or will I have to carve up the stocker, or make something out of fiberglass or carbon fiber?

The guys in the Aftermarket Radio business won't be happy wht the 8, I can tell you that much... and neither will us Audiophiles who like to listen to music when rippin up the road.... (love the sound of the rotary, but common, it can get boring)

enjoy

hmm i dont know about you but i think the stock coaxial and 2way speakers in most new cars sound great and do their job well. I currently have 2 Solo Baric S12L7's (12"inch square subs)
that i will be installing in my Benz and the interior speakers made by Bose are great for interior sound i dont see as to why i need to replace them seeing as i dont use them to hit any Bass only vocal and treble, i let the SUBS do all the BASS:D

Well for my ears the stock premium sound from most cars is good enough, i dont know about people who compete in SPL or SQ sound competitions, maybe it sounds like crap.

Hercules

The thing is, I prefer a *good* stock system over a custom one, only for the reason that a stock system will be more tuned for all passengers in the car, whereas a custom system (and I have a 1200watt, 10 speaker custom system in my car) tends to get too bassy in the rear because of the subs right against the seat/deck.

I think if I go aftermarket again, I'll go with small subs, probably one 12" or 2 10" Infinity subs, with Infinity speaks all around. Those things are TOO clear to describe

enjoy

Why dont you try 1 Kicker S15L7 or S12L7, youll have blurred vision with only 1 sub hitting imagine 2

Hercules

Well, the subs in my car aren't too bad.. but it's just TOO bassy for my taste. I want a good balance of bass and highs/mids, like a stock system delivers. Besides, then I get to keep my volume controls too

Narflar

If you designe your system right you should have a balance of highs and lows. I got Infinity Kappas up front for my mids and highs and a Kicker 12" Sub in the back for my sub. It's perfectly balanced in my ride. It took me a while to fine tune it but it's all about setting your levels right and understanding how the sound flows in your car. Plus a good test CD helps too :p

Hercules

I think my having 2 12" in the trunk, in a bandpass box has a lot to do with it being too bassy

Narflar

hahaha, yeah that would do it. I want to hear a test CD in your ride.

Hercules

Considering the fact that my head unit has my subs turn down to negative 4.. it's reasonable for the people in the front, but if you're in the back seat.. you get a nice massage. Or a migraine headache. Either way, I'm in the front of my car :D

Beemer

If the optional bose system is as good as in the new mercedes S, I'd choose that above an expensive ice installation. I have a 1240 Watts Velocity installation in my car with compo sets and a 12" sub, but I don't think I would buy this again, just give me the Bose system. The bass in my car just gives me a headache (way too heavy), can't even focus on the road clearly :D

I do hope the cd-player can read mp3's and/or wma's.
That would do a lot.
I see there is a md player, at least the old casette player is going to replaced...

hamx0r

this is a duplicate post from a discussions thread, but im curious if anyone has any info about this...

I just downloaded the press kit from http://www.mazdausamedia.com/SwitchBoard.cfm for the rx8 and after opening up the photos and zooming in on the cd player, i can see a slot that says "PC card" right next to the slot for the CDs. is this for PC card storage devices like hard drives? like, is this another media for storing and playing MP3s?

i think this press kit is old. it seems that the latest revision of the rx8 is the yellow one and that this red one is old and irrelevant. can someone verify this? are all these pictures of something that we will never see or is this the production model?

Donny Boy

Hope it has a minimum of 6 cd's for in dash changing. The ability to play MP3's would be a great bonus also. Good stock speakers would be nice too. Please, no 6x8's. Just give me 6x9's.

Hercules

It definately has the first thing, the 6 disc in-dash changer.

How do I know? Look at this picture:

Click me!

Sputnik

That may or may not be an "in-dash" changer. It could still be marked like that if there was an external changer. But considering the trend nowadays, it probably is internal.

I hate internal changers. They are no more convenient to me than a single slot CD player. The benefit of a magazine changer for me is that I can load the magazine in-house, leave all of the jewel cases in there, and just carry the magazine around. If I'm going on a long trip, I just pack three or four magazines. But with the slot-loaders, I still have to carry the jewel cases around, find a place for them in the car, and mess around with them as if I had to juggle a single slot CD player.

I would much rather have a magazine changer.

---jps

pmacwill

in Hercules picture it does say "6 CD in Dash" on the MultiDisc logo. Also, about the smartcard reader... I'm not sure if I am buying that that is what that is (we are looking at the lower left below the cd slot(?). It looks like it could just be a light reflection and I would think that if it was a smartcard reader it would have some sort of print to signify that.

pmacwill

and it had a minidisc player?? who uses those anymore.

Beemer

I use minidisc
way better than those old casettes
cd quality, good protection, track marks, track names, disc names, write and delete as much as you want and many more features...
80 minutes playing time stereo, 150 min. mono, and with the new Long Play (MDLP) function, this is about 5 times longer. And hey, it's WAY smaller than a CD!! What else do you want??
I use this for almost 4 years now in my car and the only thing that I might considering buying is an mp3 cd player only, because of the ease of recording the songs...

- There's no such thing than convenience -

Hercules

I personally would just like to see an input jack so I can plug in a portable MP3 player :D

magazineracer

lots of people want a high quality factory stereo they dont have to toy with. lots of people like installing their own playstation. what i would love to see mazda do is offer a good factory system that can be removed without causing the car to need plastic surgery or cause it some massive trauma in the form of losing its security system, keyless entry, or ability to use the high beams when the left turn signal is on. if the factory system is bose or not, i don't really care. personally i'd take alpine like lotus does with the esprit!

pelucidor

BOSE makes terrible in-car (and home) systems. This topic has been beaten to death in other car forums. The G35 I test-drove had BOSE and as the saying goes - no highs, no lows it must be BOSE. Sounded dull and no amount of tweaking could help it.

The 8-speaker BOSE in my Acura MDX is even worse - the worst wooly muffled bass I've ever heard (apparently has a big sub in the back) and dull highs. I would pay money to downgrade to the stock Acura system. I believe they are the only company to use paper tweeters (outisde of manufacturers making alarm clock radios). All their money is spent on marketing and none on quality materials or R&D. I am mostly criticising the speakers - I don't know enough about the head unit to rant about it.

For comparison the Infinity system in my Jeep, or the Nakamichi in my RX300 were vastly better than the BOSE in my MDX. The stock stereo (unbranded) in my IS300 is the best stock system I've ever heard (next to the Mark Levinson in the LS430). I hope the RX-8 doesn't inflict BOSE on us...