My wife is getting a used 2004 RX-8 and I plan on ripping out the Bose stuff and putting in a Focal 6.5" component set in the doors and Focal 6x9's in the rear. I am also going to be installing a 5-channel amp and a single 12" or 15" subwoofer. I have read so far that tapping into the wire harness before the Bose amp in the rear is the way to go, but I need to know some colors. I live in Germany (Air Force) and my oscilloscope doesn't work here (220V 50Hz...bah!) so I don't have the means to identify the four channels coming from head unit. Any help would be great, thanks!

 

i wouldnt reccomend replacing the stock door speakers, as they are quite good. i have an 04 with bose, and have installed an alpine iva-d310. my next step is going to be adding the surround sound crossover from alpine, and doing a single 12 diamond sub and amp combo.

the factory system in the 8 is one of the best i have ever heard. the door speakers in it are 9". yes, 9". i have been doing alot of research on the 8 and different solutions for upgrading the sound, and talked to many people in the industry (btw, i work at a car stereo shop, so i am not talking about people who just want to slap speakers in and such, but people who actually design and manufacture this stuff).

i had my alpine rep sit in the car, put on a good track and turned it up, and he was completely surprised that i had factory amps and speakers in the car.

just my 2 cents

 

You can find the wire colors right at the top in this forum, in Astral's sticky post.

 

Thanks for the replies. I found some of the information I needed in that sticky, but I still haven't found the colors for the wires going into the amp for the front section.

I know alot of people think that the factory stereo sounds good...it does, but it doesn't sound great. I have a very picky taste in sound and listening to it I have already developed a distaste for it. Keep in mind that I would LOVE to not have to change anything in it, but my wife has heard my vehicle one time too many and is no longer impressed with most stereos including aftermarket in cars. I really gotta pull off one great sounding stereo for her to be happy. I made the mistake of introducing her to high quality sound by starting in my home theater and then moving out to my car and showing her that my car system sounds as good if not better than my home theater. Basically I have demoed myself into doing the work on the RX-8...lol. It is going to get the Focal 165A set up front, Focal Access 6 x 9's in the rear and a single Orion P15D4 in the trunk all powered by a Helix 5-channel amp. Helix is a great company here in Germany.

 

what kind of musical tastes do you have?

and i still think its a mistake to replace a 9 inch mid with a 6.5 inch mid.

having good low end up front in a vehicle is so hard to do

 

Sorry if I misrepresented myself. I am still trying to find the pinout or color chart for the wiring harness going into the Bose amp. Thanks for all of your views!

 

Go [Illegal Link] for the shop manual, download the 'electrical' chapter - it will contain the wiring colors you're looking for.
Hope this helps.

Tamas - realize you are just being helpful, but do not post links to Mazda Copyright materials.

 

Thanks for the help everyone!