Clearwater Company
11305 Sunrise Gold Circle, Suite D
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742


A Few Common Quiestions and Answers:

Why do I want to upgrade my Late model Miata audio system?

A: Clearwater has been making high quality audio upgrade systems for Miatas for nearly 20 years. They make upgrade speakers for all model year Miatas. Thousands of satisfied customers attest to the tremendous improvement in sound they can achieve with a simple speaker swap.

Owners of newer Miatas may think there is no need to upgrade their speakers because they are so new. But, some of the best improvements can be made to the newer Miatas.

The CWC-8 and CWC-8b systems are designed for model year 1999-2006 Miatas.

A serious amount of engineering went into the design of these speakers. Using a precision soft dome tweeter from a $900 home theater speaker is only a start. Expensive acoustic analyzers were used to “map” the interiors of various cars to determine what characteristics would be needed for new speakers. Careful design of the woofers was needed to provide the needed bass response in the very shallow depth required by the new NC Miata door panels. Using rare and expensive neodymium magnets and a custom tooled metal speaker basket, this woofer had to play low bass notes and yet still yield smooth and accurate midrange frequencies. A novel method of winding the voice coils enabled us to provide either a 4 ohm load (for non BOSE® equipped cars) or a 1 ohm load (for BOSE® equipped cars). Changes in the crossover and internal wiring were needed for each model. The end result is crystal clear vocals and smooth and extended high frequencies. The most dramatic improvement is in distortion. The improved quality of the components and the crossover yield much lower distortion levels. This change alone allows longer and more pleasant listening sessions.


How many Watts do your headrest speakers take?

A: Our headrest speakers will easily handle 20 Watts of power.

Can your headrest speakers be installed into factory Mazda seats without headrest speakers?

A: Our speakers will fit all cars from 1990 to 1997 except 95' "M" edition Miatas.  These "M" edition cars have adjustable headrests that do not have provisions (holes in the leather) for headrest speakers.  If your "M" edition has provisions for headrest speakers, you are fine.

If I already have headrest speakers in my car do I need a wiring harness?

A: Some Miatas came with defective headrest wiring harnesses. To be 100% sure that your speakers are wired correctly, we suggest that you exchange our full length harness for either of the original harnesses.  While our speakers will plug into the existing wiring that already runs up to your headrests, you still may not have the correct polarity on some of the speakers. There is no simple method to determine if your harness is correct or not. It seems that the wiring mistake from Mazda was inconsistent. Just use our full length harness and you will not have to worry about it.

My factory Miata headrest speakers contain a small capacitor.  Does yours contain a similar capacitor or is that not necessary?

A: The capacitor that may be attached to your factory speakers is not needed in our headrest speaker design.

My Miata has speakers for Bose and non-Bose factory head units, but i want speakers for an aftermarket head unit. What should I do?

A: The non-Bose unit would be used only if you are not connecting to an existing Bose amp that is under the radio. If you have the aftermarket radio connected "directly" to the speakers, then you need a non-Bose set.

I own a 94' or 94 1/2' Miata, How do I know which set of headrest speakers to order?

A: With our new CWC-3D product line, it doesn't matter what year Miata you have.  Both sets of harnesses are now included!

The speakers that are currently in my Miata are rectangular.  How are your round speakers supposed to fit into a rectangular hole?

A: The factory headrest speakers and the black plastic box then are mounted in are both removed.  Our speakers are then simply pressed into the foam.

Where can I find a copy of the Installation/Owner's Manual for the headrest speakers?

Email us to request installation instructions.


How many Watts do your door speakers take?

A: Our door speakers will easily handle 100 Watts of power per channel.

Do I have to do any cutting or re-wiring to install these speakers?

A: All of our speakers are designed to be easily installed with a minimal amount of tools.  There is absolutely no cutting or re-wiring that has to be done.  (Except on 2006+ non-Bose® cars. These require a minor modification to some internal plastic part in the door) .The very original Clearwater door speakers (1990) did require a few small notches to be cut in the door.  To prevent this, seven years ago we re-designed the speaker to exactly replace the original.

Will your speakers work with my Bose® system?

A: Yes. We offer upgrade speakers for all year and types of Miatas.  If your 1999 or new Miata has a Bose® system we have a system designed for you.

Where can I find a copy of the Installation/Owner's Manual for the Door speakers and/or adaptors?

A: The manuals can be downloaded from the Door Speaker Page on this website.


Which system do I need?

A: The CWC-8B system was designed for cars that have the factory Bose® stereo system upgrade.  The CWC-8 system was designed for cars that have do not have the Bose® upgrade.


What makes the Bose® systems different?

A: The Bose® systems use a speaker that has a 1/2 Ohm impedance.  Most normal car speakers have a 4 Ohm impedance.  This 1/2 Ohm impedance allows the Bose® speakers to work with the provided Bose® amplifiers that are also part of the upgraded audio system.

Can I put the CWC-8B system in my Non-Bose® car?

A: Since the CWC-8B speakers were designed specifically to work with the Bose® upgrade amplifiers they should not be used with the standard radio.  Hooking up Bose® replacement speakers to a standard radio could cause the radio amplifier circuits to be destroyed.  Dead Radio!!

Can I put the CWC-8 system in my Bose® car?

A: Since the CWC8 speakers were designed specifically to work with the factory system and not the Bose® upgrade amplifiers they should not be used.  Hooking up standard replacement speakers to a Bose® amplifier would yield poor performance.

What are the power ratings of the CWC-8 and CWC-8B systems?

The overall power rating of our CWC-8 and CWC-8B systems is 150 Watts RMS.


How come my local stereo store has not heard of Clearwater?

A: They may have not heard of Clearwater, but they certainly have heard of the brands we manufacture. Clearwater’s parent company makes speakers for many famous brands, most of which are considered to be the best. Your local stereo shop may actually sell some of the products made on the Clearwater production line. Clearwater has been selling Miata speakers for over 13 years! The very first system was hand built for our owner’s Mother. He knew it had to be easy to install as she had to do it herself.

Are you still making or offering the Clearwater Amplifier and/or Subwoofer?

A: We now make a bigger and better subwoofer. It uses (2) long throw 6.5” woofers in a custom hand laid fiberglass enclosure that mounts in the passenger footwell. It takes up very little space and is powered by a 4 channel 300 watt amplifier. Each “kit” comes pre equalized and simply plugs into factory radios. In conjunction with our door speakers, the sound is amazing! This is the only “invisible” subwoofer solution for the Miata. Currently only available for 1990-2005 non-BOSE® cars.

What other aftermarket Amplifiers can I use with my Clearwater speakers?

A: The Clearwater speakers will work with nearly any aftermarket amplifier out there on the market. They were designed to be as flexible as possible for those people who don't want to keep their sound systems stock.

Didn’t find your answer here?

Please, do not hesitate to call or e-mail us. We are happy to answer any of your questions or concerns.