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Hey guys, did a quick search and didn’t come up with a ton, so my question is, what have you guys upgraded to stereo wise, headunit, speakers etc. The person that had it before me put a radio in it, but it’s cheap dual unit and from what I can tell, they used some home stereo cables and all kinds of weird crap. On the bright side, they did leave me a nice 4 channel crunch amp. I would like to just start over. Want to replace the headunit, move the amp from under the drivers seat to the back and replace the speakers. It was a BOSE system and the dam radio has so much interference that when I use the blinkers, they come though the speakers and it humming and such is just crap. So I guess I need to know dash install kits and what harness I need to buy to put the dam radio in it the right way. Thanks for the help guys.
You can get a single DIN from Crutchfield. They have the single DIN to 1 1/2 DIN dash adapter and the wiring harness adapter.
Some have put a Double DIN in if you want to alter the bezel to make it fit.
Hey guys, did a quick search and didn’t come up with a ton, so my question is, what have you guys upgraded to stereo wise, headunit, speakers etc. The person that had it before me put a radio in it, but it’s cheap dual unit and from what I can tell, they used some home stereo cables and all kinds of weird crap. On the bright side, they did leave me a nice 4 channel crunch amp. I would like to just start over. Want to replace the headunit, move the amp from under the drivers seat to the back and replace the speakers. It was a BOSE system and the dam radio has so much interference that when I use the blinkers, they come though the speakers and it humming and such is just crap. So I guess I need to know dash install kits and what harness I need to buy to put the dam radio in it the right way. Thanks for the help guys.
If Bose originally consider re-Bose-ing, they sound great and look correct.
I have a double din in mine .
pioneer avic 6200NEX
Infinity 6x9 on the rear
Infinity 4 inch in the front
No amp. Headunit powers it just fine . Sounds great and the 6x9 have a nice kick (bass)
I just had a Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX installed. New amp, speakers, bluetooth for the phone, built in GPS navigation, USB ports in the old cig lighter hole, little steering wheel remote and a backup camera. I have a 96 base coupe. I love it. It was kind of expensive. They were pros and knew how to set it up so I did not have to have the parking brake engaged to change things. Precision Concepts in Davenport,Iowa. Dan
Whatever you decide upon, I strongly suggest running a dedicated ground from engine compartment (the negative battery cable has a tracer wire that connects to the frame near the base of the battery, connect a lead there) and run that ground wire through firewall and under dash. Make a grounding block and connect your head unit and amps to it.
You'll be happy to find any noise (ignition or electrical) will be eliminated!
Fastronix 3/8" 4 Stud Ground Distribution Block with Cover
Lots of options with that year. I've used single DIN Alpines....clean and looks great. You can put 6.75s in the doors, and 6X9s in the back hatch. A good 4 channel is fine to make it really pump. The noise is from a bad ground, non twisted signal cables to the amp, or both. I would pull everything out and redo it so that you know it's straight. The best noise avoidance is to make sure the amp and the HU have good grounds and use twisted signal cables between the two.
If you really want boom, Subthump makes a great C4 box. Pics in my 96 album.
Thanks guys for all the ideas. I had forgotten about a set of Infinity reference series 6.5 component set I had in a box in the garage so I modded the front speaker boxes to fit those. I have ordered a couple small comp 6.5 woofers for the rear and I am going to power it all off the 4 channel crunch amp they left under the passenger seat. I also ordered a jvc head unit and will install the ground block like you said Izzy Dizzy and I did run twisted cables and all new wires like you said Jeff. Thanks for all the replies guys it’s been a great help. I’ll try and take some picks when I start putting all back together so you guys can see it.
Last edited by RAZORVETTE76; 01-03-2019 at 07:41 AM.
So I got it all installed and now I am stumped. It sounds okay when the car is off but when I start the car it Starts crackling in the speakers. It has all new wiring run with the grounds going straight to the battery. So at this point I just don’t get it. Any ideas would be great. I have installed at least 30 stereo systems in my day and this one has me stumped. Thanks
So I got it all installed and now I am stumped. It sounds okay when the car is off but when I start the car it Starts crackling in the speakers. It has all new wiring run with the grounds going straight to the battery. So at this point I just don’t get it. Any ideas would be great. I have installed at least 30 stereo systems in my day and this one has me stumped. Thanks
Be certain both ground wires are clean and tight on your power antenna motor. Ifantennat was changed to aftermarket you may need to add one.
So I got it all installed and now I am stumped. It sounds okay when the car is off but when I start the car it Starts crackling in the speakers. It has all new wiring run with the grounds going straight to the battery. So at this point I just don’t get it. Any ideas would be great. I have installed at least 30 stereo systems in my day and this one has me stumped. Thanks
How old are your spark plugs and wires? Cap/rotor? Don't overlook the little things!
Desertguyj, it’s stock although it doesn’t go up and done any more. Also I believe it has a new line ran to the stock antenna from the previous owner adding the aftermarket and taking the receiver out of the back storage compartment. When I am under the car, I can see what looks like all the wires that where connected to the antenna are just hanging there. My other though was I screwed the amp to the back wall under the rear latch and I could be causing a ground loop or since my ground is ran from the battery all the way back there, it’s to long maybe? Izzy dizzy, the cap, rotor, plugs and wires where just replaced right before I bought it, so I am ruling those out for now. Going to unscrew the amp tomorrow and see if it’s ground looped and try a shorter ground to somewhere in the back of the car. I will say that for the most part, all the noise that was present before, is now gone, no more blinkers coming though the speakers etc. And to add, the popping/cracking noise only seems to be in the rear speakers as of now, and those are the only ones hooked to the amp. They are 2 Lanzar 6.5 inch comp woofers, rated at 600 watts. My amp is only a 2 channel rated at 150 watts, so I know I am not over powering them. Thanks for the help guys.
You can get a single DIN from Crutchfield. They have the single DIN to 1 1/2 DIN dash adapter and the wiring harness adapter.
Some have put a Double DIN in if you want to alter the bezel to make it fit.
Do you have a part number for the dash kit you are referring to at Crutchfield on the single DIN to 1 1/2 DIN dash adapter?
Overpowering speakers is better than underpowered, with limits. If a speaker is rated at being able to handle 100 watts, then an amp with at least 100watts per channel is recommended. High powered speakers sound terrible when fed a low power signal. Also make sure the speaker wires are of the proper gage and ensure correct polarity. My amp is grounded at the passenger seat mounting bolts. There should be plenty of metal in the hatch area to make a proper ground.
My speakers are something like 45-50W. Is there an reasonable benefit to spend $200 on that Alpine 445U amp and run 12V wire vs. just sticking with the headunit at 22W?
I'm wondering if spending $200 on that Alpine 445U amp would be worth the cost. Some say the benefits are rather limited and the cost wasn't worth it. I'm guessing the benefit with that amp is mostly more clarify. But is there $200 in better clarity?
Too you'd have to figure out how to run a 12V wire through the firewall as well.
More power is usually a good thing. That amp was installed by PO in my 92, but the speakers were capable of handling more so I installed a Focal 400 watt amp. I was going for a more powerful result. That amp is what is commonly referred to as a line level amp, which means it receives signals from the head unit via it's speaker wires, then amplifies it. Mainstream installations use an aftermarket head unit with low level outputs (RCA) to the amplifier(s). If your head unit is capable of 22 watts, you are still only getting the 45 watts that the amp is rated for, not 45+22 for 67 watts. I believe this amp is intended for compact installations (which the C4 is to some degree) and for budget conscious folk who just need a bit of a boost. And I checked prices and that amp can be had for around $100. Great audio costs money. How loud and clear do you want it?
More power is usually a good thing. That amp was installed by PO in my 92, but the speakers were capable of handling more so I installed a Focal 400 watt amp. I was going for a more powerful result. That amp is what is commonly referred to as a line level amp, which means it receives signals from the head unit via it's speaker wires, then amplifies it. Mainstream installations use an aftermarket head unit with low level outputs (RCA) to the amplifier(s). If your head unit is capable of 22 watts, you are still only getting the 45 watts that the amp is rated for, not 45+22 for 67 watts. I believe this amp is intended for compact installations (which the C4 is to some degree) and for budget conscious folk who just need a bit of a boost. And I checked prices and that amp can be had for around $100. Great audio costs money. How loud and clear do you want it?
Originally, I thought the Alpine 445U was a simple plug and play. So I was looking at just trying it out. But then I found you have to run a dedicated 12V and a dedicated ground. So I've still been looking at that. I'd say the costs plus the 12 gauge wire and other things would be around $150. And yes, you'd just get 45W going to the speakers.
ls there really a $150 noticeable difference going with the Alpine 45W amp vs just connecting the speakers directly to the aftermarket 22W headunit?
If it's something that's barely noticeable, then I'd much rather just connect the speakers to the aftermarket headunit. As I'm still looking around like seeing if the 12V wire can be connected to the 12V junction behind the battery. Then if the rubber sleeve for the hood release cables at the firewall can have a slit cut into it and the 12V wire pushed through the firewall there and into the car.
I don't think there is a need for running a 12v line through the firewall as it is a smaller wire that doesn't need to come off the battery. I don't remember how mine was connected but I do know it wasn't ran through the firewall. Look at the wire sizes of the unit. I could be wrong but why run a 12 gage wire from the battery to connect to a smaller gage wire of the amp? There should be a way to power it with a hot switched connection inside the car. From what I can tell, it only has a 15A fuse, where bigger more powerful amps require 8, 10 or 12 gage wire for power and 30-50A fuses. With my Focal amp I was forced to drill a hole in the door jamb and run an 8 gage power line to the amp.
I don't think there is a need for running a 12v line through the firewall as it is a smaller wire that doesn't need to come off the battery. I don't remember how mine was connected but I do know it wasn't ran through the firewall. Look at the wire sizes of the unit. I could be wrong but why run a 12 gage wire from the battery to connect to a smaller gage wire of the amp? There should be a way to power it with a hot switched connection inside the car. From what I can tell, it only has a 15A fuse, where bigger more powerful amps require 8, 10 or 12 gage wire for power and 30-50A fuses. With my Focal amp I was forced to drill a hole in the door jamb and run an 8 gage power line to the amp.
The factory fuse for that circuit is 10A. Which the Alpine 445U amp instructions says the factory wiring should be on a 15A circuit. So, since our circuit is on a 10A, the Alpine instructions says to run a 12V wire from the battery as the 10A wiring is too thin. 12 gauge is the recommended wire size to run for the 12V wire from the battery to the Alpine amp. That's just the gauge that others had recommended and I've seen mentioned. The idea is to not melt the wiring by overloading it if you were to run too thin a wire.
I have heard of some people tapping into the cigarette lighter wire. But I don't really know much about that. As you really don't want to melt down the car.
What percentage improvement do you get with the Alpine 445U Amp going into 45W speakers vs just connecting those speakers directly to the aftermarket headunit? Is it a 10% improvement, or maybe a 50% improvement? If it's something like a 25% improvement, then I'd probably not bother spending the money and time to run wire for it.
The percentage your'e asking for is subjective and dependent on a number of factors, like speaker size and placement, head unit amp quality, vehicle acoustics, personal listening preferences (more bassy or lighter music), quality of the recording and media, etc. If I had to guess, and it IS a guess, I'd say probably a 35% improvement on the loudness, but not necessarily clarity. And remember, amp ratings are at maximum sustained, but if your head unit is rated at 22 watts, under normal listening volumes it's only putting out maybe 5-10 amps, same with more powerful amps. If your'e doubling the power to the speakers at normal volumes, there will be an improvement, maybe a large one.
12-31-2018, 09:12 AM
Stereo upgrades
