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xscruffx
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does any one no if the stock vz head deck has a remote wire so can hook up an amp or do i have to replace it :bang:
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Phreddy said:Hey All.
After having some questions myself over this issue I decided to pull the stereo out and have a proper look. (I'm a qualified electonics tech BTW)
Mine is the in-dash 6 stacker.
1st point - there are NO low level outputs. Sure, you can use a high-to-low level converter, but as mentioned there is a "hiss" which finds its way to your power amp. There's also a vast difference in quality between different manufacturer's converter units. Regardless of the converter quality though, another drawback is that any distortion introduced by the onboard power amp chips is then dutifully handed on to the external amp. Not exactly desirable.
2nd point - there is also no remote output for power up/down of the external amp. There is of course an output for the power antenna, but do you only want your amp to operate when the radio's on??
I'm in the process of performing a slight mod to my unit, in which I build a small circuit board into the head unit which acts as a buffer amp (a buffer has little or no gain, it just prevents loading from the external amp from interfering with the signals inside the head unit) and also provides a remote output for the external amp power control. However, this mod is not for the faint-hearted. It involves pulling the unit apart (obviously) and a little soldering to connect the thing up. There's also a requirement to add a couple of sockets (RCAs or whatever) to the head unit to get the signal out, plus a modification of the cradle the whole thing sits in to be able to connect the RCA cables. Damn!
I'm prepared to go to the trouble though, as - like a few others - I like the convenience of the wheel mounted controls without having to spend hundreds on top of the head unit to convert the control signals. Plus the fact that the Blaupunkt unit isn't too bad - certainly not high-end, but a vast improvement over the crappy Eurovox units from years past. (last ride was a VT II - out came the Eurovox and in went a Panasonic head)
Comments welcomed, I'll post again soon with the results. (it's a work in progress)
Cheerz!