sub and amp on stock headunit

[=Calais v8=]

hey, just a quick question

i have a 96 VSII calais with the stock 10 stacker stereo. can i hook up an amp and sub to it? or do i need a headunit with some sort of special connection?

cheers.

[r_i_d_a_h]

i guess ya could still use ya factory unit cept, you'd most likely need a high-to-low converter and tap into the rear speakers. This can be purchased from jay-car. $20-$25?

[azzfox]

can use a high-low signal converter. will turn your existing speaker wires into a low signal for amp input. not the most ideal way tho.

[r_i_d_a_h]

it'll sound much much better with a good new head unit

[azzfox]

heres one from jaycar.

Jaycar Electronics

from what iv heard you may get a little bit of noise, but seeing its to run a sub it shouldnt be too much trouble.

[=Calais v8=]

whoa. such quick replies! you guys are champions. thanks for the help. rep points for you two.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

the problem you will have is even if you convert your factory speaker lines with a low pass converter you wont have a sub output! meaning you will now have a low pass set up for your front and back car speakers to hook up to a 4 channel amp but you wont have one for your sub woofer! the way i got around this was to buy a fusion EQ wich actually creates a sub output by splitting up the music it recieves from the front and rear speakers and only sending bass signals to your subs! i sounds tricky but let me know if you run into trouble as i have done what your doing!

[r_i_d_a_h]

hoo-RAA!

x]

[azzfox]

the problem you will have is even if you convert your factory speaker lines with a low pass converter you wont have a sub output! meaning you will now have a low pass set up for your front and back car speakers to hook up to a 4 channel amp but you wont have one for your sub woofer! the way i got around this was to buy a fusion EQ wich actually creates a sub output by splitting up the music it recieves from the front and rear speakers and only sending bass signals to your subs! i sounds tricky but let me know if you run into trouble as i have done what your doing!

im not following completely. i cannot see a problem with this setup..

head unit > speaker wires > converter > rca cable> amplifier with low pass filter.

or if you want to do a full amp upgrade..

head unit > speaker wires > converter/s > rca cable/s > 4 channel amplifier > pass-through rca > mono or other amplifier to suit with low pass filter.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

im not following completely. i cannot see a problem with this setup..

head unit > speaker wires > converter > rca cable> amplifier with low pass filter.

or if you want to do a full amp upgrade..

head unit > speaker wires > converter/s > rca cable/s > 4 channel amplifier > pass-through rca > mono or other amplifier to suit with low pass filter.

this is the best way for me to explain!

[SweetWagon]

Still dont see why that matters. I run my Sub through an RCA splitter for the rear preouts. Set the amp to LPF and it will be fine. Just means you cant control your sub independantly of the other speakers on the headunit.

[azzfox]

this is the best way for me to explain!

now you have made it easier for me to explain.

heres my version attached.

also, not sure how many channels those converters take tho it would be best to have 4 channels (front and rear, left and right) if running a 4channel amp, this way you can still use the fade settings on the head unit.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

now you have made it easier for me to explain.

heres my version attached.

also, not sure how many channels those converters take tho it would be best to have 4 channels (front and rear, left and right) if running a 4channel amp, this way you can still use the fade settings on the head unit.

hey that was my bodgie drawing no seriously though how do you get the extra rca output running from the 4 channel amp to the sub amp? the reason i had an EQ installed was i was under the impresion that it was needed to be able to get a subwoofer rca channel?

[azzfox]

hey that was my bodgie drawing no seriously though how do you get the extra rca output running from the 4 channel amp to the sub amp? the reason i had an EQ installed was i was under the impresion that it was needed to be able to get a subwoofer rca channel?

MOST amplifiers will have a pass-through ouput rca, which is basically just putting out whats being put in to the amp making it easier to install other amps. If the amp doesnt have a pass-through output rca then you can just run an rca splitter as vn6pwr said. Im also under the impression hat youv forgot that amps has crossover filters, or never knew in the first place anyway hope that cleared it up a bit.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

MOST amplifiers will have a pass-through ouput rca, which is basically just putting out whats being put in to the amp making it easier to install other amps. If the amp doesnt have a pass-through output rca then you can just run an rca splitter as vn6pwr said. Im also under the impression hat youv forgot that amps has crossover filters, or never knew in the first place anyway hope that cleared it up a bit.

yeah that sounds about right i know how to hook up the basic amp setup but im not to sure about all the extra settings of filters and stuff:P actually on my fusion 4 channel amp there is like 10 different kinds of settings i look at it and think

[simon.w]

FYI - I tried a speaker level to line level converter in my VE SSV to run a sub in my boot. I found that the quality of the signal wasn't as good as if it were run straight fron a line level output.

When you think about it... you go from low level in the head unit preamp, to high level in output stage of the headunit, then you convert that back to low level with the jaycar converter, then back to high level in your amp.

Every time you go through one of these conversions, you increase distortion, and reduce frequency response.

It is less noticable at sub levels (although I could notice it), but far more obvious at higher frequencies.

For my money... rip out the stocky head unit, and replace it with a decent CD/MP3/tuner with line output.

That way you can run the front speakers off the head unit, rear speakers off two channels of your amp, and a sub off the other two bridged in mono.

If your amp doesnt have a low pass filter on it, then run a Y cable... with one side going straight into your amp, the other side going into a jaycar low pass filter, then into your amp.

[azzfox]

FYI - I tried a speaker level to line level converter in my VE SSV to run a sub in my boot. I found that the quality of the signal wasn't as good as if it were run straight fron a line level output.

When you think about it... you go from low level in the head unit preamp, to high level in output stage of the headunit, then you convert that back to low level with the jaycar converter, then back to high level in your amp.

Every time you go through one of these conversions, you increase distortion, and reduce frequency response.

thats true. if you really wanted to run the stock head unit with no loss.. pull apart the unit and solder connectors to the circuit board before the signal is amplified.

..or just get a new unit

[r_i_d_a_h]

i say get a new unit with MP3 file-compatibility and/or USB plug-in, there for you wont need a 10-CD stacker, you'll get much much better sound from your factory speakers and your sub compared to the eurovox =]

[=Calais v8=]

another question,

if i wire it up by splicing the rear speaker wires, does this mean my amp and sub will always be on, even when the car is switched off draining the life out of my battery? i dont see where a switch of some sort would come from. <-- (what happens with aftermarket headunits with the proper connections? does it turn the amp off when the headunit is switched off or something?)

oh and my amp has a low pass filter on it too, and has a plug for spliced rear wires to go to. so do i still need any of this jaycar gear?

as for getting a new headunit - i might one day.

[r_i_d_a_h]

you can tap that switch into your ciaggarette lighter line

[=Calais v8=]

so when the amp its plugged into a headunit using the RCA leads, the power is cut when the headunit is turned off?

if the power cable is run straight from the amp to the battery, and the earth is always connected, that would be a complete circuit which means it would always have power. how does the power get shut off on yours?????


EDIT: i noticed my amp has the + terminal, the GND, but also has a "power control wire". im assuming this is what causes the amp to turn off? do i splice this wire with say... the stock headunit power source? will this work? or will i blow stuff up. thanks for the help

[azzfox]

an amp will have a "remote" wire terminal or "power control wire" as you said, basically like a relay setup. when 12v passes through this wire it tells the amp to 'turn on'. an aftermarket head unit will have an external remote wire for you to connect this to so the amp will turn on when the head unit is on.

[=Calais v8=]

so i can simply splice this into the radio power source to have the same effect?

[azzfox]

what? the remote wire? to make this a bit easier, what are your decisions? are you going to go with a new head unit or stay with the original and use signal converters?

[=Calais v8=]

the 'power control wire" (i want the amp to turn on when the stock headunit is on). i am sticking to my original.