So I have installed about a dozen aftermarket systems into my cars and friends cars, but it always included an aftermarket deck. So my question is where and how do I go about hooking up a four channel line level converter? I have read the speaker replacement post, and saw the diagrams but none of that makes much sense to me.

Sorry I sound so lame, but this is uncharted territory for me. Any help would be appreciated, considering that I will have my speakers and amp before I get my car. Thanks!

 

I would suggest the MTX reQ. Great easy addon for outputs.

 

I am looking at doing the same thing. So far, I am told one is coming out real soon made by Alpine thats suppose to be real good and that I should wait, but, thats from an Audiophile, and, I'm not building to compete, just for my own enjoyment. Also, I found....

Rockford 3Sixty.1 and 3Sixty.2
JL Audio Clean Sweep
Phoenix Gold SLD44 (I think) is a really cheap one at $49 on Ebay

I think either the JL or the Rockford might require a Palm Pilot to tune the system.

I'm told that with the technology today that these will be equivilant to running an aftermarket head unit. I sure hope so. ;-)

 

OK so how do these wire into the stock setup? And where?

 

I used the JL in my Subaru. It takes 8 wire input from your OEM deck (two wires per output). No need for a PDA for setup....just pop the included CD in the deck and follow the instructions. The JL will take the factory output and re-eq it to remove any eq curves, giving you a clean, flat 8V output to your amps. It works quite well and my setup one a few shows for SQ and clean install.

As for the RF unit, the more expensive one uses a PDA for setup and has the added advantage of user tuning of the EQ (it's 2x the cost of the JL, so not for everybody).

The Alpine ships in three weeks...it falls in between these two. It comes with a mic and auto-eq's your setup (vs. the input signal like the JL).

I'm working on an install for a vendor on this board for an R56. We were going to do one of these three units, but decided to use the hi-level inputs on the amp first to see what we could get away with. why throw $$ at it if you don't need to.

If all you need is a LOC, no EQ...check out autosound2000.com for the Navone Engineering device. Excellent and not pricey. Also, PAC makes good ones and Crutchfield is also a good source.

 

Well would I need one with the EQ if I am running a setup with no sub? Or should I get one with the EQ because I am running it with no sub and the tuning is more important? Sorry so many questions, just want to get the right stuff so I can do it Once!

 

I'd spend the $$$ on a sub before I'd spend it on EQ. small drivers can only do so much, EQ or not

 

If you have the HiFi setup, you can easily wire the line level converter right off the amp in the side of the boot. The wire colors and connector... is all doc'd in a post here.

 

I took the HiFi off of my order because I figured I would just upgrade the speakers myself. So all I am trying to do is to connect a 4 channel amp to the stock headunit to run the speakers. So am I looking for the right thing then? It taps into the speaker lines and converts the signal into rca jacks for the amp. Right? I know this can't be as hard as it is sounding!

Oh and I usually do have a sub in my cars, but if I can get a good enough sound from the 6 aftermarket speakers I would prefer not to do a sub for space reasons (2 kids).

 

Yes, your on the right track. The only problem is without the hifi upgrade, I think you will have to remove the stock headunit in the center stack (no easy task!!) to get to the wires. There is a thread on "How to remove the OEM stereo" which shows how to pull it out.... good luck.

 

If thats it, I'm not too worried. I enjoy seeing how the parts all fit together. Just as long as I don't have extra pieces left over afterwards.

 

Even w/o the HiFi might be worth your while to see if the wires terminate where the Amp is anyway. They might and would make your wiring job way easier.

 

some amps will take hi-level inputs, meaning no LOC is even needed. Some have speaker level inputs, while others have a switch and you solder RCA plugs onto speaker wire (Polk and JL amps for example).

 

Subscribing to hopefully find the best LOC solution for the standard HU. I have an Infiniti Basslink that needs badly to be intalled. I have the PAC solution from my previous car, but there doen't seem to be one for the R56 on their site...