Hey all

I am looking to change my current car stereo system for an upgraded system, but I have been told I might get some interference by doing it this way

I want to remove the front door speakers, and use the speaker level line to connect to a RCA adaptor. Then i am going to plug the RCA leads into my amplifier (Kenwood) and use this as the line input and then run the rest of the system off this amplifier (rear speakers too)

The mechanic has told me that using a speaker level to RCA adaptor might cause some interference - does anyone know if it would or not?

Thanks

 

newministuff do a loom with all the RCA outputs you would need for about £30. Surely thats easier!?

 

Only problem with that is that you have to remove nearly all of the dash to get the loom at the back of the stereo, and any savings in cost would be lost in labour to remove all the necessary access panels....

If you could just cut at the front door speaker, you would save hours and not have to remove all of the dash etc

 

There are a number of good threads you need to read in the Navigation & Audio Forum. Be sure to read this one about the X9331 connector.

 

There's nothing inherently "bad" about line-level converters, but the quality is all over the map. I've used a few that have given me pretty bad alternator whine, probably the result of a ground loop.

If you haven't already purchased the amplifier, I'd just go with an amp that has line-level inputs to begin with. I'd trust the converter built into a Kenwood or JL amp a lot more than I'd trust an aftermarket standalone converter.

 

So are you saying that if I got an amplifier with line level inputs (like the Kenwood here: http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/pro...s_id/8100.html and used the speaker line level inputs that I shouldnt get any intereference? Is the interference only caused by the speaker line to RCA conversion?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be sure Im getting it right before spending a lot of money!

Thanks

 

You'll *reduce* the chance for interference, because you'll have one less component to worry about (the line-level converter).

You still have the possibility of a ground loop since you'll have to ground the amplifier. The best way to avoid interference when adding an amp is to ground it directly to the negative terminal of the battery if the amp is going to be located near the battery, or if that's not an option, ground the amp directly to the car's chassis using a short, heavy-gauge ground wire and making sure to scrape any paint/grease off of the chassis where you're going to ground it.

When I'm doing a full stereo install (head unit, amplifier(s), signal processors, CD changer, iPod adapter, etcetera), I run *one* ground wire from the car's battery to a distribution block, and then ground *absolutely everything* in the stereo system to that distribution block. This called a "star grounding scheme" and guarantees that all of the audio components see the same voltage level as "ground".

If you're adding an amp to an existing factory stereo, you probably won't be able to ground the factory stereo to the same grounding point that you pick for the amp, but grounding the amp directly to the battery or to a clean chassis ground is the next-best thing.

 

Thanks very much for the help there
I will keep this updated with my progress.

Regards