The Latest Reviews

Tune Up Your Miata’s Stereo with Clearwater Audio

Reviewed by: Forever MX5

Late Breaking News - Clearwater has brought out new speakers for the 2006+ MX-5:

Clearwater Audio has announced  a new set of  loudspeakers for the 2006-2009 MX-5. With the addition of this set, Clearwater now offers replacement loudspeakers for all Miatas.

Using unique high energy “Neodymium” magnets and precision parts, a very high quality level of sound can be achieved in a very small space. Each loudspeaker is assembled by hand using the finest materials available. Read Story...

Clearwater Door Speakers - with Bose

Reviewed by: Mark S.

Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter

Replacement Door Woofer and Tweeters with a Sound Module. Included is a plastic water shield. Purchased from Moss Miata.

Installation took about an hour and involved taking the door panels off. Once the old components were out the new went in easily and cleanly. The improved audio sound is clean and good. It eliminates the problem with the factory Bose speaker distortion and performance caused by moisture and being unshielded.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely.

Clearwater speakers for 2003 Non-Bose

Reviewed by: Larry S.

Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter

The packaging and delivery from Clearwater was excellent. The installation was simple and quick. It fit perfectly as it is designed for this car. The sound is excellent. While not an audiophile I do appreciate clear, accurate sound and these deliver. No matter the sound volume my factory head unit delivers to these speakers, the sound remains clear and distortion free.

I highly recommend to anyone who is seeking enhanced sound with a product that is made for your car.

Over 30 minutes to remove completely.

Radio speakers by Clearwateraudio

Reviewed by: James S.

Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter

An audio system designed specifically for the Miata/MX5 which replaces the factory speakers with custom designed woofers & tweeters plus sound modules for each side to control audio blend.

We installed the complete system in our 2003 Miata in less than 2 hours with no complications. We have driven the car more than 3000 miles since installation & have throughly enjoyed the excellent sound from our original factory installed radio.

We have read different reviews on audio upgrades where many mistakes & irreversible damage has occurred. This system fits into the original system without any cutting of wires/plugs or making any changes to the original wiring. Their instruction manual is excellent with easy to follow directions. If a quality sound at a reasonable cost is the goal then the folks at sales@clearwateraudio.com or 916-852-7029 are the guys to get in touch with!

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Two-way replacement headrest speakers

Reviewed by Mike M.

Applicable to '90 - '97 1.8 liter.

The speakers work fine, and are a definite improvement on the factory speakers. Coupled with a decent replacement head unit, these are a great way to improve the driving experience.

I want to make a STRONG plug for Clearwater's service policy. I've had my speakers for I guess three years or so. A couple months after I bought them, one of the little towers that supports the tweeter broke. Clearwater hastily replaced the speaker for free. Well, here it is summer 2000, and one of the speakers has broken again. I called them up this morning asking how I could go about purchasing a replacement single speaker, and the nice man I spoke with insisted that I just send them the broken one and they'd repair or replace it at no charge. I think that's pretty good, since the failure of the speaker is almost certainly a result of exposure to lots of Texas heat. Yes, maybe all products *should* have lifetime guarantees, but the fact is most don't and even among those that do you often feel like without videotape evidence of the thing failing on its own you'll never get satisfaction from the vendor. So, good job, Clearwater!

Under 5 minutes to remove

Reviewed by: Evan S.

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Four round speakers with two bolt holes (not used). Speakers are twin cone coaxial design with electrical connectors fitting the Miata wiring harness. Kit comes with wiring harness for those doing a primary, rather than replacement, install.

Unit arrived from Moss well packaged. It contained a wiring harness, 4 speakers and printed instructions. Instructions suggest 2 hours if the wiring harness must be installed, 30 minutes for speaker replacement.
The stock speakers and boxes must be removed - 4 screws for each speaker, 3 screws for each box. The instructions direct you to remove a "grommet" to allow the speaker wires to be removed from the box prior to unscrewing box. This is more like a strain-releif and was glued in with some kind of rubber cement on my unit. It took some work with needle nose pliers. The best technique is to start the removal with the box intact. Then remove the box and pull the strain releif out with the needle nose. Care must be taken to not damage wiring.

The round speakers are wider than the enclosure. You "encourage" the speaker to enter the hole. The speaker must be oriented so that the speaker screw holes are vertically aligned. The wire connectors allow idiot proof connection of + and -. Rezip with care as stated in instructions. I found it easier to fold back the cloth over the zipper to avoid zipper binding.

On my first install attempt there was a short preventing sound from coming out of the speakers. I suspect the leads either touching themselves or the magnet. I r/r the speakers, this time applying electrical tape first to the magnet under the leads, then over the leads. The speakers worked perfectly after that.
Dramatic improvement in sound - louder and higher quality. The speakers do not fit the form factor of the seat enclosure and care must be taken with the leads and seat covering during install. Well worth the expenditure. If concert hall sound is desired, additional improvements would be required.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Reviewed by: Robert W.

Clearwater describes their headrest speakers as having a coaxial design, frequency response ranging from 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz, high power handling of up to 20 watts per channel, clear highs that can be heard at 60 mph, easy installation in car with/without factory headrest speakers. The speakers are specially designed for the Miata and included a custom installation harness and no additional amplifier is needed.

The installation was as easy as they claimed. I have a 96 M edition with the MPSS(Mazda Premium Sound System) and these speakers blew the 3" pioneers away. Luckily I already had headrest speakers, I called Clearwater a few days ago and they said that I would have problems with the wiring, they were wrong on that count, the speakers just used the existing connectors that the factory pioneers used. As far as sound goes these speakers are in a league of their own, I can really hear the highs now and I personally like a lot of base in my music(it just sounds cool) and this was the first time that my headrest ever vibrated. Need I say more.

If you have a 96 miata I’d recommend calling Clearwater first before ordering the speakers. Clearwater can be reached at 916-852-7029. So in conclusion if you have a miata and are even considering upgrading the headrest speakers go with the Clearwater ones.

Replacement headrest speakers designed specifically for the Miata.

Reviewed by: Jeff B.

I waited too long to do this upgrade. I really enjoy the sounds the Miata makes, so why waste money upgrading the stereo? Such was my thinking for the past four years of Miata ownership - so why the change? Well it IS nice to have some good music going when you're sitting in traffic or on a long trip, so after much consideration I picked these speakers. I decided to start with the headrest speakers because they really are the weakest point in the stock stereo. I am overwhelmed by the difference. In fact, I probably won't do another audio upgrade for quite some time (if ever). I can now hear the stereo above the exhaust and the rest of the traffic on the road with the volume set at 3 or 4. Before the installation, I would have had to set it at 7 or 8! The sound is clear with good treble and bass. The sound is very easy to tailor to personal taste with the stock controls. They give the feeling that you're wearing headphones. My wife appreciated the difference as well. I highly recommend these speakers - they're well worth the price.

Easy install. The Clearwater design makes it impossible to reverse the phase of the speakers. They work great with the stock wiring harness. A high quality wiring harness is included for the earlier Miatas that do not have factory harnesses.