So, you want to keep your stock headunit....

[Tasmaniak]

Option1
If your car has the factory 6x9's then install a hi-lo convertor off of those speaker wires and run them into a four channel amp. Lower the gain running to the stock speakers and use the remaining two channels to power the sub. Upgrade 6x9's if you have the cash and put a bit more gain into them.

Option2
If your car doesn't have the catory 6x9's then install the hi-lo convertor off of the front speakers and run the RCA leads down to the 4 channel amp in the rear and power the front splits off of the amp and use the remaining two channels to power the sub. Upgrade splits if you have the cash and put a bit more gain into them.

Option3
Install two hi-lo level convertors and run the RCA's down to a 5channel Amp and run the whole system off it. Upgrade the remaining speakers if you have the Cash, 6x9's first (if none the upgrade splits) then rear door speakers.

Option4
GO FREAKING NUTS! (my favourite, clears a whole day out for me )
install hi-lo level convertors run the rca's down to a 4channel amp with a pre amp output. Come out of the pre-amp outputs in to another amplifier and power several subs off of that. If going this step I would strong advise upgrading all speakers and doing the job properly.

Also, PM Phreddy you has created a great little device that is much better then Hi-Lo Convertors for the Blaupunkt head units.

[Phreddy]

Thanks for the recommendation Mate!!

To those interested, I've created another thread with a PDF attachment - a 3 page introductory ramble about this very project.

Hey King, hope you're doing OK over there! Take care of yourself, catchya around the place...

Cheerz!

[brockyslovechild]

I finally got around to installing Amp and subs in me VYSS 02 yesterday, and thanx to your info, the system sounds extremely bloody good. I installed converter on front speaker lines as you suggested, split rca's so I could run into me 4 channel Kicker amp, then run factory front slpits off amp, 2 remaining channels for 2x12" Rockford subs(which I wired in series), so as to put less stress on amp!

I can not believe how good the factory splits sound running off amp. If you heard them, you wouldn't believe me! I'm a happy little camper , I'VE GOT BASS AGAIN!! I was going to sell my amps and subs when I got me SS, cause I was turned off mucking around with factory steering wheel controls and stuff. But after reading alot of 12Voltking posts on here, I was confident I could do the job easily! And I did! It took me roughly all day to do, but I did it properly and it all looks neat and tidy. So to those out there who are contiplating doing as I have, back yourself and have a go. Take your time when doing things, and if you get stuck or lost you can always get your answers from guys like 12voltking. I did!!

Cheers!!

[Tasmaniak]

Glad to be of service to you BrockyJr.

[mixer_meso]

Lol Ray,

We go freaking nuts. Every time. If a jobs worth doing you gotta do it right. So. remind me again why we did my boot install?

Mixer_Meso

[Tasmaniak]

Welcome to THE forums Josh.

The ONLY forum to be.

Who knows as to why we did your boot install...still trying to figure that one out myself.

oh BTW folks. Mixer_meso is the Melbourne mobile installer for 12Volt King Installations and will be "taking care of business" whilst I'm in the states. Seeing as I won't be online much for the next three months I'm hoping he can also help out here in the forums....

I haven't told him that yet!

[mixer_meso]

I'm hoping he can also help out here in the forums....

I haven't told him that yet!

Erg.... i guess it will be ok. :b:

[OMR001]

where can you get those high low converters cheap i have a vu ss ute and stock stezza . I have a JL 12 inch which i will cut the box down to fit behind the seat and wire a earth and power and amp on (actually what colour wire is it that turns the amp on and is it in the factory loom behind head unit?) thanks for the tips!

[vt2nv]

hey mate ive got a vt and ive just bought a 10 inch sub and a 1 chanel amp is it posible for me to connect these to my car without making modifications to my stok head unit and speakers and if so how wil i do it information regarding this will be much appreciated thanks

[garfa]

not really, there are no "spare" channels to connect your sub to and splitting a channel would be less than ideal.
it would be best to get phreddy to mod the h/u so that you could run the sub off some rca's connected to the rear channel. this would leave the fronts fully functional yet your would have to balence the front and rear spekaers then tune the sub to suit.
beter yet just get a 4 channel and line driver/eq!

[brockyslovechild]

In my recently sold VYSS(still crying over it), I was running 2 x Rockford 12", powered by 600.4 Kicker 4 ch amp. Front splits(factory) were running from 2 channels of amp, other 2 bridged to run subs! I put rca converters on front factory speaker output wires with rca splitters to provide 4 channel input on amp! Was lucky enough to have remote sub controller that came with amp so I could control bass output seperately to front splits, even though they were running from same output from h/u.. End result was a hard running system that could produce good clean sounds at high levels! So in my experience you can achieve good sounds from a factory h/u as long as it is done properly! There are wiring diagrams somewhere within this site that will tell you exactly which coloured wires you need, I used these diagrams to install my system. I asked all the questions I needed to ask in here b4 installing so I wasn't going in blindfolded, it was all too easy! A big hello to 12Voltking, haven't been on here for ages but thanx again for your help back when!!

[lockmac]

Hi guys. I have a VX Berlina.. I have bought a calais headunit and the rear subs but that is proving to be a bit too hard to set up... is their a way i can either connect the subs to the berlina headunit, or possibly buy a new sub and connect that some how?

Many thanks

[SweetWagon]

Hi guys. I have a VX Berlina.. I have bought a calais headunit and the rear subs but that is proving to be a bit too hard to set up... is their a way i can either connect the subs to the berlina headunit, or possibly buy a new sub and connect that some how?

Many thanks

the calais also used an external amplifier, the 2x8" subs wont plug straight of the headunit, so u will need to track one down, but im not sure your car will have wiring provisions for it? the only way to connect a aftermarket sub is with hi-lo converters in your case,unless the amplifier has high level inputs. cheers

[VNexecutive]

just digging this thread up. i did the right thing and searched...

im a bit confused with all the jibber-jabber above, so i was wondering if anyone has a wiring diagram of how i'd go about running an amp (more than likely a 4 channel) off a stock VZ Berlina stereo (6 stacker, if it makes a difference..)

the missus wants better speakers all round but wants to keep the stock headunit. thanks

[holdenboy]

You will need to "tap" into the stock speaker wiring, this basically means just stripping back the wires without cutting them completely and connecting (soldering) new speaker wire onto each.

The run these new cables to wherever you want to mount the amp (probably in the boot). Depending on which amp you buy, some will have a "high" or "speaker" level input, in which case you will need to connect your speaker cables to this plug (it'll come with a plug). If it dosent have high level inputs then you'll need a line out converter.

Line out converters convert speaker wires into RCA cables. If you buy a 4 channel amplifier you'll need a 4ch. LOC or 2x 2ch. LOCs. Cheap LOCs most of the time will introduce interference into the system (annoying) so it pays to spend a little more on a decent quality version.

Do you need to know how to connect / wire up the power/remote/earth wires?

[VNexecutive]

so does one set of speaker wires (positive and negative of one speaker) turn into one RCA cable with two plugs?

im assuming from what you've wrote you have to tap into each set of speaker wires that you want amplified?

[holdenboy]

One pair of speaker wires (+ and -) turns into one RCA plug, so left and right speaker cables turn into a left and a right RCA plug.

Youre basically right......say you want to amplify your front speakers.....then you would cut the speaker cables before they go into the doors in each corner of the dash. Then connect the speaker cables coming from the head-unit to the LOC or the high level input of the amp. The other speaker wires that run into the door that go to the speaker need to be connected to the output of the amplifier (both sets of wires lengthened as necessary).

If you wanted to add a sub then you would "tap" into the rear speaker wires and run these to the LOC / high level inputs of the sub amp. This way you still keep your rear speakers connected and get the audio input you need for the amplifier to power the sub.


Hopefully you get what i mean, it can be confusing....if you like i can draw up a quick diagram on paint.

[VNexecutive]

so in theory all we're doing is using the wires from the two front speakers as RCA cables? sounds easy

all i need to know now is whether a VZ Berlina has a seperate speaker cable for its factory tweeters? (if theres even factory tweeters in it? theres a spot for them in the dash so i assumed so).

ill probably just cut that off and run a decent set of splits off the amp once ive used the old speaker cables with the LOC as RCA's.

i think she wants a sub so i might have to tap into the rear speakers to do that then

how much roughly are LOC's?

[kinga]

NO, I dont want to keep my stock, Sh1tty head unit! Why not just get a new one, I did. High level inputs suck and will sound awful. New head units are cheap and double to single din converters are cheap as too.
Get a PAC swi-jack steering wheel remote unit from ebay to keep your steering wheel buttons, and get rid of that crappy oem headunit! New headunits offer usb input, bluetooth and so much more than standard.

[Tasmaniak]

When this thread was written it was aimed at vy-vz when there was no fascia kit available for them. There was virtually no other option then.

[Ninety3]

Ill open up this thread again

I have a VX Calais and want to lose the Maestro series headunit, but keep the factory speakers including the small amp and 2x8" subs.

I have an adaptor loom from supercheap, (not that its hard wiring and soldering them together - but im lazy) which is fine for the main plug, but im wondering how to get the smaller plug, which I am pretty sure runs the subs wired up to work.

Can anyone help with this? I have spent about 4 hours reading countless forums and scoured google for a wiring diagram but no joy...

In the middle pic, the plug im talking about it the one thats unplugged, at the top right. It has 5 wires, so im assuming +/- Left channel and +/- Right channel and remote (amp activation wire). I checked them all with a test light, and one lit up. Weird thing is, when I unplugged it, both the wire and the terminal both lit up when tested, which seems wrong...

[Ninety3]

DW, sorted.

[Pecker]

Just double checking so i don't ruin my car ( stato int ls8)

The plan: Install Alpine type r 12 inch ( 600rms) and appropriate amp ( more than likely mono).

Can i use a mono amp via this method?

tap into my rear 8" factory sub, run to a loc, then to the new mono amp.