Headunit, speakers or both?

[TheLoraxxZeus]

Looking to upgrade the audio in my MK2 MX-5. It has the bog standard speakers that come with the poverty spec but has the uprated Pinoeer single DIN radio with the 3.5mm jack, USB and BT. I really want to keep the radio or at least avoid the big double DIN touch screen abomination.

Audio is low, sounds like a tin can and just overall sucks. Fine for when I'm driving because I don't particularly care and prefer to rev the tits off it. However my partner, when on trips complains about how useless it is.

Any advice? Should I do just the door speakers or is the quality of the headunit also holding it back?

[defblade]

First off, find out how far you can turn the HU up before it clips the signal. Do this by playing a 1khz test tone through it, starting at zero volume and increasing until the note takes on a hard metallic edge (at least, that's how I'd describe it). That's the point the internal amp runs out of amplification headroom, and using volume levels above that will kill speakers... and it'll kill nice speakers faster than the rubbish OE ones.
It might not clip at all - I've had (and kept, although not currently fitted to anything) one HU that didn't... but all the rest have.

Then decide if the safe volume level (just before the "edge" appears... and the number you're never going above again, right? ) is loud, or nearly loud, enough for you.

If it is, then go ahead and buy some decent speakers... and some sound deadening. Stick plenty of the deadening on the inside of the outer skin as far as you can reach through the holes in the inner skin, then seal up as much of the inner skin with more deadening as you can while still refitting the door card, cables for the locks, etc. Then mount your speakers - you may need adaptor rings - and make sure the edges are sealed as well. Overall, you're doing your best to turn the inside of the door into a sealed speaker cabinet.
This will sound waaaay better than it used to, and gain a fair bit of volume inside the car.

If that's not loud enough, then you may consider a new HU, but most are limited to similar power levels to each other, no matter how "loud" the advertising claims are
You'd likely see far better results with a small amp or two, but that's another longish post. Oh, and you'd need another new set of speakers to suit the uprated power.

If you just feel after doing the speakers as above that the quality of the HU, rather than volume levels, is the problem, crack on and change it for a new one of your choice. It'll be playing through great speakers now! Just remember to run the clipping check on the new one too.

Edited by defblade on Saturday 1st July 00:03

[TEKNOPUG]

If it's a Jap OEM HU, it'll be underpowered rubbish. Find the model number or remove it and it should have it's specs printed somewhere on the unit.

No point upgrading speakers if you are feeding them a weak, low quality signal. Cheap speakers with a decent HU/power, will sound much better than expensive speakers with a underpowered, crappy HU.