Just been there - Mine a 1998 was fitted with Clarion as standard. Just had Sony Single CD fitted and needed a conversion cable between car socket and Sony Wiring loom.

May need to take out the 'cage' to fit Alpine as probably uses a differant security fitting to Sony and cage needs holes to clip into.

Easiest would be to do a Sony Single CD but depends obviously if you have the player already or the price to pay, but MAY need extra cables to do it and typically don't come free. (1/00)

I have a Mk2 now which I've kitted out with an amp and some upgrade speakers. It sounds pretty damn good to tell you the truth - plenty of bass and very loud (well loud enough!)

Give you an idea though, I was in the local stereo shop last weekend and was enquiring about putting a sub in the boot. Wired up a seperate amp and the sub but the speakers up front in the doors were so loud and bassy that I couldn't tell if the sub was wired up or not. Safe to say I didn't bother.

The system consists of the standard Sony headunit (going soon for a nice Clarion jobby), an Alpine MRV-1005 amp (horridly over-powered for the job - you could make do with the MRV-505 easily), and two Kenwood HQ-??? 8" coaxial speakers. Oh, and the factory tweaters. (2/00)

Ditch those piles of crap as soon as you can. Adding tweeters to crap woofers won't help much.

The holes in the doors are for 8inch round speakers, but for europe Mazda fit plastic adaptors with crap 5X7 oval jobs. In the US they fit nice custom 8" round bose jobs and still sell the cars for less than we pay here. This limits your choices somewhat as most replacment 8" speakers are subwoofers only.

MB Quart do some which are excellent - I have these in my car. Trouble is they are expensive at 200 quid a shot, but that price includes high quality crossovers and tweeters I think somebody in the list said there was one japanese manufacturer making full range speakers in this size??

You could of course get the bose speakers that Mazda use from a dealer mail order from the US. Serious auto (http://www.seriousauto.com) have a set for $180 the pair

Finally you can make your own adaptor rings, say using plywood so that you can put in one of a myiad of 6.5" designs that are out there (2/00)

I have a Mk2 with Alpine CD head unit, Rockford Fosgate 45.2 amp in the boot, 8" MB Quart 200.3 speakers in the orginal door pods, integral tweeters mounted over the drivers rather than in the pods. It sounds fine, except for door resonance at certain bass frequencies, and I think I've damaged the drivers when playing "Sounds of Goodwood" at full volume.

I took it to a audio installer at the end of last summer and said "money no object, what could I do to make it sound better". He said "not much", which was a bit disappointing given that it's still way way short of home hifi standards.

I think it's really difficult to get a good soundstage in the Mk2, as the speakers are effectively in the footwells, and sound gets bounced around and absorbed by your legs. I've considered getting 9x6s in the "parcel shelf", but this is no good with the roof down as they would be covered by the glass.

Dunno about the crackle, I'm not that technical. (2/00)

Convential hifi wisdom is "everything being equal, start upgrading at the source" (i.e. head unit).

However, the standard speakers are *really* terrible. I picked the MQ Quart 200.3 (180 quid) on the basis that I wanted 8" speakers of a quality such that I'd never need to upgrade again (you know how it is with these things, the upgrade path can go on for ever).

If your budget it tight, I'm sure you don't have to spend that much to get a better result. Pick up a car hifi mag and go through the review section at the back, then try and listen (in store) to your shortlist. Maximum power on speakers is usually fairly irrelevant - the quickest way to wreck speakers is with distortion, not power. If you want it loud and clean, get an external amp, it won't cost the earth (esp if you install it yourself), it'll reduce distortion, and there is plenty of room in the car - I have mine covering the tool well in the boot and it's really very compact.

Headrest speakers are another option, and give you more apparent volume for the power, but you won't get the same "soundstage" and you will need to cut into the headrests.Clearwater (US) do a set that are apparently pricey but very good, or go more diy and save money. (2/00)

Mac Audio makes 20cm coaxial speakers. MLC-2120, 200W - 2way, about £75 overhere. Don't know if it'll fit though as you can't remove the grilles.

But there's also the Mac Platinum 20.3, 150W - 3way. which go for about the same price and the grilles can be removed. Should drop straight in. No seperate tweeters though.

There's also the Mac Titanium 20.3 and the Mac Diamond 20.3, don't know the prices by heart, but they are about the same as the MB Quart I think. Very good quality. (2/00)