Factory Information
Q: What speakers fit my car?
A: This thread lists all factory speaker sizes for all Proteges: http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8940
This thread also lists all the facotry dash kits and wireharness available for all proteges.
Q: What equiptment came in my car?
A: MSP
The MSP came factory equipt with 4 Kenwood Excelon coaxle speakers. Two front door speakers wired to factory mazda tweeter and rear door speakers. THERE ARE NO REAR DECK SPEAKERS IN THE MSP!!!!!! I don't know the exact model number. My guess is the fronts are KFC-5708C and the rears are the KFC-1668S. The power handling specs are pointless as kenwood is listing over a 100 watts. RMS ratting values are likely arouns 50 watts.
The head unit is the KDC-MP919. They provide 22x4 watts rms (not CEA rated), Sub volume control via a 4.5 volt <80 ohm preout, 3 preouts, adjustable high and lowpass crossovers. It does not have a direct aux input but it does have an adapter to use the CD change bus as one. Here is the link to the manual:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71478&highlight=Kenwood+manual
The amp in the back for the subs is the Kenwood KAC-529 or the Kenwood KAC-5201.
It is rated at 120 watts x1 @14.4 volts int a 4 ohm load. However, the Factory subwoofer is a 8 ohm subwoofer, a Kenwood KFC-W2005. THe sub is 8 ohms to avoid over heating issue that are possible with an 4 ohm sub connect to the kenwood amp when it is inverted like in the MSP.
A: MP3
The Protege MP3 also came with 4 Kenwood Excelon speakers in the front doors and on the rear deck. I do not knwo the model numbers.
The MP3 came with either the Kenwood Z919 or Kenwood Z828 Head Unit.
The rear subwoofer is a KSC-WA100, is an ported 10" sub and integrated amp.
A: P5
The Protege 5 came from the factory with all mazda equiptment except for the tire well subwoofer built by Pioneer. It is a singel 5.25" driver mounted in a plastic bandpass enclosure. It has an integrated amplifier good for about 50 watts rms.
Q:Why is there no sound in the MSP rear deck speakers?
A: The MSP does not have rear deck speakers. The rear speakers are in the rear doors.
Q: Can I add speakers in the rear deck of the MSP?
A: Its possible. You have to find few shallow 6x9's though. Not many are buit any longer. I am not sure of the actual depth limitation although I guess 3 inches or less. You will also have to either buy an amplifier to power these speakers or disconnect the rear doors speakers, intercept their wiring and redirect it to the rear deck.
Q: My MSP's sub doesn't work!?
A: There are a couple of known issues with the MSP subwoofer. The simplest to fix is that sometimes the wire connections to it in the sub eclosure simply fall off. YOujust need to remove the screw holding in the sub, then reconnect the wires. Try to compress the conntacts on the wires connection spades so that it will grab batter. Another common issue stems from loosing power to the radio. If the factory radio looses power or resets then it will come back on with the subwoofer output disabled. This will result in the sub not working. Simply hold the AM button down for about 3-5 second and it will come back on. Total failure of either the sub or amp is not unheard of.
Q: What can I replace my MSP sub with?
A: Most 8 inch subwoofers will fit. The JL 8W3v2D2 or 8W3v2D4 are a common choice. If the factory amp is going to remain inverted then I HIGHLY suggest an 8 ohm sub. Otherwise if you are willing to relocate it then a 4 ohm sub will be a better choice and will extract all available power from the kenwood amp.
Q: My MSP's head unit freaked out!?
A: Another common issue is that the stock MSP head unit will stick half way flipped over, sometime without even being told to do so. Usualy resetting the headunit will typicly bring it around. There is a button under the factory face plate and simply disconnecting the battery for a minute will accompish the same thing.
Q: Can I plug in an Ipod or other device into my stock system?
A: Yes, for the mazda radio equipt cars, an FM modulator can be used to intercept the FM antenna and use it as an input into the head unit. The Mazda MP3's with the Z828 should have direct inputs and the kenwood adpater CA-C1AUX or KCA-S210A can also be used. I can not find an adpater availble for the kenwood Z919, kenwood should be conntacted on its availability. The MSP head unit can be used with the CA-C1AUX or KCA-S210A to provide aux inputs.
Q: Can I install an amp or EQ with my factory head unit?
A: With the MP3's or MSP its an easy installation with just some RCA cords to get signal to the amps. WIth the other proteges a high quality LOC ( Line-Output-Converter) can be used to turn the speaker wires into RCA signals that any amp can use. Also some amps have built in LOCs so external ones are not neccissary. I reccomend www.davidnavone.com for a great quality LOC.
General Information
Terms
Q: Whats an Amp?
A: An amp refers to 2 things in car audio. It is most commonly revering to an amplifier. The second is that an amp is the unit of measurement for electrical current. Often you will see that fuses have amp rating. This is how much current they can pass before blowing.
Q: What is Bridging?
A: Bridgin refers to combining two amplifier channels to make a single more powerful channel. An amp has to be capable of bridging, not all are! Typicly this is done by using the positive of one channel and the negative of another. Every amp is different so fallow the manufacturers directions when bridging an amp.
Q: Whats a Deck?
A: A deck is a common term for a head unit, aka radio. It can be a CD player or a tape player.
Q: Whats a LOC?
A: LOC stands for Line-Output-Converter. A LOC uses the speaker froma factory radio and changes them into aline level signal (RCA) that any amp can use.
Q: Whats an ohm?
A: An ohm is defined as A unit of electrical resistance equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere is produced by a potential of one volt across its terminals. Its also the value of resistance in an electrical circuit. In short it is the measure of how much opposition something has to electricity flowing. A speakers have a certain ohm value that sould be considered when buying. A standard door speaker or component set is usualy 4 ohms. A subwoofer can be 2, 4, 6, or 8 ohms. A DVC subwoofer has 2 coils each with its own resistance (ohm). So a DVC can have 2, 4 ohm coils. Amplifiers have a certain resistace they want to see to work there best or at all. Some amps play best to a 2 ohm load and others to a 4 ohm load. Some even hit there sweet spot with a 1 ohm load.
Q: What is RMS?
A: Root Mean Squared, best or atleast simpliest described as average power. RMS wattage is the realistic power an amplifier can give you.
Q: Whats the difference Between Peak and RMS power?
A: Peak power refers to the power an amp can give yu in VERY breif and infrequent burst. In other words, it is a totaly useless statistic and should be ignored. If a peice of electronics only list peak power or does not state if its single power specification is peak or not, then you likely have a bogus product. RMS power is the stati
Q: What is series wiring?
A: Series wiring is when the amps positive terminal is wired to the first subs positive terminal then that subs negative terminal is wired to the next subs positive terminal. Next the second subs negative terminal is wired back to the amplifiers negative terminal. The resistance of the subs is simply added together for the final resistance. R1+R2 = Rt
So if 2, 4 ohm subs are wired in series, they will be a total of an 8 ohm load. If 2 subs with dual 2 ohm voice coils are seriesed together then they will be a total of an 8 ohm load aswell.
Q: What is parallel wiring?
A: Parallel wiring is when each subs positive terminal is wired to the amplifiers positive terminal and each subs negative terminal is wired to the amplifiers negative terminal. With only 2 subs or voice coils, the resistance is simply halfed. So 2 4 ohm subs wired in parallel creat a 2 ohm total load. If you wire the voice coils of a sub with two 6 ohm voice coils then you get a total of a 3 ohm load. If you wire the voice coils of two subs each with two 6 ohm voice coils then you get a total of a 1.5 ohm load. The The actual formula for calacualting parallel resistance is a bit complex. 1/(1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+.....) = Rt
Audio Components
Head Unit
Q: Do I need a new head unit?
A: Although some disagree, my feeling is that an aftermaket radio is best bought for features. For Sound Quality (SQ) the factory Mazda head units are very capable in combination with a good quality lock. If there is simply a feature you must have such as MP3 playing ability, seperate subwoofer volume control, built in EQs or satelite radio.
Q: Can I bridge a head unit
A: NO!!!!
Q: What features should I look for in a head unit?
A: Headunit have about 3000 features these days but not all are actualy usefull. The most common features to buy a headunit for are:
- Number of RCA preouts
- Preout voltage
- Preout impedance
- Dedicated subwoofer preout
- Subwoofer volume control
- Internal crossovers
- Adjustable crossovers
- Internal EQ/signal adjustments
- Aux input
- CD changer control
- MP3 playing ability
- Number of radio presets
- Satelite radio
- Internal amplifier power
- Available external components
Q: What are some good brands of Head Unit?
A: THere are a ton of great head unit out there although many people have had varing degrees of success with them. Here are some of the common head units considered to be of good quality. ALthough I would argue against several of them.
- Alpine
- Blaupunkt
- Clarion
- Denon
- Elcipse
- JVC
- Kenwood
- Nakamichi
- Panasonic
- Pioneer
- Rockford Fosgate
Q: What speakers fit my car?
A: This thread lists all factory speaker sizes for all Proteges: http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8940
This thread also lists all the facotry dash kits and wireharness available for all proteges.
Q: What equiptment came in my car?
A: MSP
The MSP came factory equipt with 4 Kenwood Excelon coaxle speakers. Two front door speakers wired to factory mazda tweeter and rear door speakers. THERE ARE NO REAR DECK SPEAKERS IN THE MSP!!!!!! I don't know the exact model number. My guess is the fronts are KFC-5708C and the rears are the KFC-1668S. The power handling specs are pointless as kenwood is listing over a 100 watts. RMS ratting values are likely arouns 50 watts.
The head unit is the KDC-MP919. They provide 22x4 watts rms (not CEA rated), Sub volume control via a 4.5 volt <80 ohm preout, 3 preouts, adjustable high and lowpass crossovers. It does not have a direct aux input but it does have an adapter to use the CD change bus as one. Here is the link to the manual:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71478&highlight=Kenwood+manual
The amp in the back for the subs is the Kenwood KAC-529 or the Kenwood KAC-5201.
It is rated at 120 watts x1 @14.4 volts int a 4 ohm load. However, the Factory subwoofer is a 8 ohm subwoofer, a Kenwood KFC-W2005. THe sub is 8 ohms to avoid over heating issue that are possible with an 4 ohm sub connect to the kenwood amp when it is inverted like in the MSP.
A: MP3
The Protege MP3 also came with 4 Kenwood Excelon speakers in the front doors and on the rear deck. I do not knwo the model numbers.
The MP3 came with either the Kenwood Z919 or Kenwood Z828 Head Unit.
The rear subwoofer is a KSC-WA100, is an ported 10" sub and integrated amp.
A: P5
The Protege 5 came from the factory with all mazda equiptment except for the tire well subwoofer built by Pioneer. It is a singel 5.25" driver mounted in a plastic bandpass enclosure. It has an integrated amplifier good for about 50 watts rms.
Q:Why is there no sound in the MSP rear deck speakers?
A: The MSP does not have rear deck speakers. The rear speakers are in the rear doors.
Q: Can I add speakers in the rear deck of the MSP?
A: Its possible. You have to find few shallow 6x9's though. Not many are buit any longer. I am not sure of the actual depth limitation although I guess 3 inches or less. You will also have to either buy an amplifier to power these speakers or disconnect the rear doors speakers, intercept their wiring and redirect it to the rear deck.
Q: My MSP's sub doesn't work!?
A: There are a couple of known issues with the MSP subwoofer. The simplest to fix is that sometimes the wire connections to it in the sub eclosure simply fall off. YOujust need to remove the screw holding in the sub, then reconnect the wires. Try to compress the conntacts on the wires connection spades so that it will grab batter. Another common issue stems from loosing power to the radio. If the factory radio looses power or resets then it will come back on with the subwoofer output disabled. This will result in the sub not working. Simply hold the AM button down for about 3-5 second and it will come back on. Total failure of either the sub or amp is not unheard of.
Q: What can I replace my MSP sub with?
A: Most 8 inch subwoofers will fit. The JL 8W3v2D2 or 8W3v2D4 are a common choice. If the factory amp is going to remain inverted then I HIGHLY suggest an 8 ohm sub. Otherwise if you are willing to relocate it then a 4 ohm sub will be a better choice and will extract all available power from the kenwood amp.
Q: My MSP's head unit freaked out!?
A: Another common issue is that the stock MSP head unit will stick half way flipped over, sometime without even being told to do so. Usualy resetting the headunit will typicly bring it around. There is a button under the factory face plate and simply disconnecting the battery for a minute will accompish the same thing.
Q: Can I plug in an Ipod or other device into my stock system?
A: Yes, for the mazda radio equipt cars, an FM modulator can be used to intercept the FM antenna and use it as an input into the head unit. The Mazda MP3's with the Z828 should have direct inputs and the kenwood adpater CA-C1AUX or KCA-S210A can also be used. I can not find an adpater availble for the kenwood Z919, kenwood should be conntacted on its availability. The MSP head unit can be used with the CA-C1AUX or KCA-S210A to provide aux inputs.
Q: Can I install an amp or EQ with my factory head unit?
A: With the MP3's or MSP its an easy installation with just some RCA cords to get signal to the amps. WIth the other proteges a high quality LOC ( Line-Output-Converter) can be used to turn the speaker wires into RCA signals that any amp can use. Also some amps have built in LOCs so external ones are not neccissary. I reccomend www.davidnavone.com for a great quality LOC.
General Information
Terms
Q: Whats an Amp?
A: An amp refers to 2 things in car audio. It is most commonly revering to an amplifier. The second is that an amp is the unit of measurement for electrical current. Often you will see that fuses have amp rating. This is how much current they can pass before blowing.
Q: What is Bridging?
A: Bridgin refers to combining two amplifier channels to make a single more powerful channel. An amp has to be capable of bridging, not all are! Typicly this is done by using the positive of one channel and the negative of another. Every amp is different so fallow the manufacturers directions when bridging an amp.
Q: Whats a Deck?
A: A deck is a common term for a head unit, aka radio. It can be a CD player or a tape player.
Q: Whats a LOC?
A: LOC stands for Line-Output-Converter. A LOC uses the speaker froma factory radio and changes them into aline level signal (RCA) that any amp can use.
Q: Whats an ohm?
A: An ohm is defined as A unit of electrical resistance equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere is produced by a potential of one volt across its terminals. Its also the value of resistance in an electrical circuit. In short it is the measure of how much opposition something has to electricity flowing. A speakers have a certain ohm value that sould be considered when buying. A standard door speaker or component set is usualy 4 ohms. A subwoofer can be 2, 4, 6, or 8 ohms. A DVC subwoofer has 2 coils each with its own resistance (ohm). So a DVC can have 2, 4 ohm coils. Amplifiers have a certain resistace they want to see to work there best or at all. Some amps play best to a 2 ohm load and others to a 4 ohm load. Some even hit there sweet spot with a 1 ohm load.
Q: What is RMS?
A: Root Mean Squared, best or atleast simpliest described as average power. RMS wattage is the realistic power an amplifier can give you.
Q: Whats the difference Between Peak and RMS power?
A: Peak power refers to the power an amp can give yu in VERY breif and infrequent burst. In other words, it is a totaly useless statistic and should be ignored. If a peice of electronics only list peak power or does not state if its single power specification is peak or not, then you likely have a bogus product. RMS power is the stati
Q: What is series wiring?
A: Series wiring is when the amps positive terminal is wired to the first subs positive terminal then that subs negative terminal is wired to the next subs positive terminal. Next the second subs negative terminal is wired back to the amplifiers negative terminal. The resistance of the subs is simply added together for the final resistance. R1+R2 = Rt
So if 2, 4 ohm subs are wired in series, they will be a total of an 8 ohm load. If 2 subs with dual 2 ohm voice coils are seriesed together then they will be a total of an 8 ohm load aswell.
Q: What is parallel wiring?
A: Parallel wiring is when each subs positive terminal is wired to the amplifiers positive terminal and each subs negative terminal is wired to the amplifiers negative terminal. With only 2 subs or voice coils, the resistance is simply halfed. So 2 4 ohm subs wired in parallel creat a 2 ohm total load. If you wire the voice coils of a sub with two 6 ohm voice coils then you get a total of a 3 ohm load. If you wire the voice coils of two subs each with two 6 ohm voice coils then you get a total of a 1.5 ohm load. The The actual formula for calacualting parallel resistance is a bit complex. 1/(1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+.....) = Rt
Audio Components
Head Unit
Q: Do I need a new head unit?
A: Although some disagree, my feeling is that an aftermaket radio is best bought for features. For Sound Quality (SQ) the factory Mazda head units are very capable in combination with a good quality lock. If there is simply a feature you must have such as MP3 playing ability, seperate subwoofer volume control, built in EQs or satelite radio.
Q: Can I bridge a head unit
A: NO!!!!
Q: What features should I look for in a head unit?
A: Headunit have about 3000 features these days but not all are actualy usefull. The most common features to buy a headunit for are:
- Number of RCA preouts
- Preout voltage
- Preout impedance
- Dedicated subwoofer preout
- Subwoofer volume control
- Internal crossovers
- Adjustable crossovers
- Internal EQ/signal adjustments
- Aux input
- CD changer control
- MP3 playing ability
- Number of radio presets
- Satelite radio
- Internal amplifier power
- Available external components
Q: What are some good brands of Head Unit?
A: THere are a ton of great head unit out there although many people have had varing degrees of success with them. Here are some of the common head units considered to be of good quality. ALthough I would argue against several of them.
- Alpine
- Blaupunkt
- Clarion
- Denon
- Elcipse
- JVC
- Kenwood
- Nakamichi
- Panasonic
- Pioneer
- Rockford Fosgate
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