OK, I have been looking at getting a new radio for awhile, really want MP3's again.

I have never had a car with an amp, so just assumed that I would use the pre-amp outputs of a new stereo, and that seems to be what I have gotten from some of the talk here. But I have gone to a high end car audio shop and they said they have never seen a factory amp that used the pre-amp outs, just the standard speaker outs. Apparantly only aftermarker amps use the pre-outs.

Does anyone here know exactly what is right for our car? I have seen in here posts talking about how are amps are wired somewhat different, i.e. there are front/rear inputs on the amp, but they are spliced together to take a single out from the radio.

Has anyone taken a meter to the out lines on the stock stereo to see what voltage they are running at, 12.5v or a lower pre-amp voltage?

Also, when I get a new stereo, should I seperate the spliced wires on the amps inputs so that I can use the seperate outs for front/rear/subwoofer on a new stereo? (I am hoping this would keep more of the bass at the subs and less coming out of the door speakers)

thanks
chris



oh yeah... another question.. I saw that someone here had added small speakers in the hatch to create for of a surround sound, as opposed to the all front. Anyone have any instructions on to do this, w/o doing to much damage to the car?

 

I have installed the Pioneer Premiere SAT/MP3/etc receiver model DEH-P80MP
(http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...014395,00.html)

I paid a place called Sound Advice in St. Pete $135 to install it and it required no additional amps etc. I also have the XM radio addon and the unit rocks!!

 

I looked at that unit and really liked it EXCEPT.... no pause button, you have to use the **** and go into a menu and scroll to a pause option. Way to much work when you get a phone call or pull up to a drive thru (don't care to just hit the ATT button and let it keep playing at a lower volume)



But back to the question at hand. When they installed it, did they use the pre-amp outs or just plug into the speaker outs?

 

Wow... I paid $349 for everything from a friend up north that owns a car stereo shop. I couldn't resist and never put thought into the pause issue although I am sure there is a work around or macro. I will check. I simply turn down the volume.

Not sure how it was wired, but I can tell you it blows away the Infinity deck. I assume it was with the pre-amp outputs because I told them wanted to use the existing amplifier and if that wouldn't work, install one that would work.

 

i installed a JVC CD MP3 player and used the front pre-outs only, no speaker outputs. It works great. The stock Inifinity system uses an amplifier that accepts left and right signal only (no front or rear). the amplifier then splits the signal for the tweeter, mid, and subwoofer. I have had previous stock system systems (Bose, JBL, etc.) that used a speaker level input to their amplifiers. The Infinity system in the XF is not speaker level.

As far as adding rear fill speakers, now that you essentially have an unused amplifier in your new head unit, you could run those wires throughout the interior and theoretically add four more speakers.

 

The stock CD player seems to have too much boom in the bass. Does that go away with an aftermarket radio/CD player?

 

Any deck will allow for you to compensate the base and treble. I thought the stock unit sounded fine, but the new Pioneer sounds even better.