Originally Posted by Lord09

Audio Upgrade!

Polk DB651s:







With the Metra harness, completely plug and play. No splicing of wires required and fit perfectly in the stock speaker baskets. Painlessly simple and no fitment/vibration issues whatsoever.

JVC KDX250BT:





(I like the CR shift knob a lot, just prefer the weight of the Skunk2 knob)

Bluetooth mic mounted at the top of driver side A-pillar trim:





I really need to learn to solder!

Also used the Modifry wired DCI + harness. Great instructions and works perfectly. Buttons and their functionality take a bit of getting use to, but work very well. The button tap and combination of presses features are great as well as the speed control volume.

Overall very happy with this very inexpensive upgrade. Sound quality is light years better and Bluetooth voice and music is a very nice modern touch.

I had the previous model of JVCs media receiver in my old MR2 and loved it. A few gripes however:

1. Bluetooth takes about 20-30 seconds to connect when first starting the car, same as the previous generation.
2. The back lighting used to be adjustable in the previous model, fixed color in this one - bummer.
3. My AM/FM reception is about 20% worse.

Despite the gripes and for the how inexpensive it is, I can't complain and definitely recommend it.

Reference:

Remove door + speaker/etc install DIY
Head unit cover removal

Shopping List:

Polk Audio DB651s Slim-Mount 6.5 Coaxial Speakers (Pair)
Metra 72-7800 Honda and Acura Speaker Adapter Harness Connector - Pair
JVC KDX250BT Digital Media Receiver Bluetooth Front USB-AUX
Modifry Wired DCI + Harness

*EDIT*

So the JVC unit worked great except for the Bluetooth connectivity. It would cut out intermittently and while the phone would always connect via Bluetooth, the audio would take 20-30 seconds and would not auto-play, a functionality I've been use to on my other car and previous head units I've had.

I next tried a Kenwood KDC-BT555U and same behavior. Read good things about Alpine units and purchased a Alpine CDE-143BT. It's pretty much their most basic unit with Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, but the audio connection is almost instantaneous and auto-plays, winner!

Very happy with it overall, no complaints other than it looking super basic, not a big deal since I leave the door closed 95% of the time anyways. I definitely recommend it for a basic head unit with Bluetooth phone and audio.

I also added an UltraGauge, which I had on my old Miata. It's similar to a ScangaugeII and reads OBD2 parameters. I have it setup to display coolant temp, intake temp and some other misc parameters. It's an awesome unit that's highly configurable, displays a ton of information for the curious and also allows you to read and clear codes.





Alpine CDE-143BT Advanced Bluetooth CD Receive
UltraGauge OBDII Scan tool & Information Center