i have a lariat with cd player.. is there a way to conect a amp to the original cd...i have a large speaker and a 10 ins sub but want to keep the original cd...
thanks...

 

1st you need a Line Out Converter. You can get that for about 10-15 bucks. It just changes the high level output from the speakers into low level output(RCA's) Then you just need to find a switched 12volt power source for the amps turn on lead. I think it was a black wire with a red stripe on mine, not for sure thought.

 

thanks.. my mecanic bought the line out converter, and conect the to the 6*9 DLS speaker. + amp to a 10"sub behind the rear seat, sounds perfect nothing exteme but,,,,, The guys at the garrage where amaised how well the original cd was driving the speakers...

 

The stock HU's sound great! I'm still running mine while saving for an Alpine. Running 1800 watts through a 4 channel LOC and it works perfect!

 

No problem.

Yeah, the stock HU's do sound pretty good. Personally I dotn think it was worth my 160 bucks for my Pioneer HU, I think my stock one almost sounded better

 

Running all after market stuff off of stock hu, works and sounds great!

 

The OEM units have come a long way over the years. The only real drawback is having to use the LOC to convert to RCA's and none of the tricked out added features of the aftermarket unit. But if all you are trying to do is add some bass and amps and speakers to give you better sound you can save money otherwise spent on a HU and put more toward nicer speakers and amps.

 

does anyone have any opinions on wiring the amp to factory HU. My amp has speaker level imputs, and I can just wire the 4 speaker wires to it no problem. Will the signal be any better if I use LOC's and run RCA's to the amp. Hope someone can give me an opinion, want to install as soon as possible. thanks.

 

It's better to use the high to low line convertors with RCAs. A lot less noise.

 

I like the LOC's too. They give you more flexibility with the gains on the loc itself being most critical when setting up multiple amps. High inputs would suit most people that aren't necesarily "into it" Definatley the inexpensive, easy way out.

 

Just like Dupius said. The largest thing you will notice is that some amps out there have noisy high level inputs. There are some amps that interface with the speaker leads with no problem but the LOC will give you much more control and in most LOC's give you different methods of eliminating the noise via grounding options.

 

Sounds like LOC's are the way to go. Will LOC's with variable gains play much of a role in a single amp system? If so, whats the best way to adjust the gains?

oh, yeah, and could you explain the "grounding options" a little further? Possibly ground to same place as amp for better noise reduction?

sorry for all of the questions, but thread searches and you guys are a great source of knowledge. thanks for all of your help.

 

Well probably the most common and cheapest LOC out there is the Metra with the adjustable gains. With that particular LOC there are (if I remember correctly) a couple brown wires that you can either connect to ground or leave disconnected. In some cases you have to ground them to keep noise out and in others you don't need to do anything with them. Instructions for wiring them will be with the LOC you get, just be sure you read them As far as setting your your gains on an adjustable LOC goes it is really no different than setting those on an amp it is just now you have two sets of gains. I personally prefer coming out of the LOC with very high levels (4-6volt range) and reducing gains on the amps to their lowest setting. Sticker Steve and some other may be even more help with any other questions you may have since they are using LOC's in their systems. Let us know what am your using and what LOC you have.

 

Depends on the amps. For instance I am using a Navone 4 channel adjustable LOC. Om my 1500 D i have the gains on the LOC all the way up and my amp is almost all the way up too. Now when I hooked up my 100x2 to the fronts the loc gains at that level would not let me back the amps gains low enough because of the amps input sensitivity. I backed the gains on the loc way down and got the amp turned up to about 1/4 the way up. It really cleaned up the sound!

You can find some high quality low cost locs click here

I highly sugest using this brand because the gains are balanced and not individual to where your chasing the balance back and forth like on alot of other brands that have the left right gains. They are a pain without an RTA to set up.

 

On my setup the LOC gains are about 1/4 of the way and my amp is about 3/4. That is the best setting for what I have that gave me the cleanest sound. You will just have to play with both gains once you install everything. Your amp will play a big role as to where your gains or set on both the amp and the LOC. I did not have to ground my LOCs.
I installed my LOCs right behind my stock HU so I would have a strong signal from the HU and than ran good sets of RCAs to the amp. That may be why I have the LOCs set to only 1/4. Just things to think about. Hope you have enough in this thread to be able to get your install the way you will like it.
Good luck.