Topic: car audio

[scb]

so i couldn't sell my wrangler and i'm just trading it in now.  since i'm giving it to the dealer, he doesn't care about the stereo, so i spent about 2.5 hours today ripping out the amp (phoenix gold xs4300) and cabling from that, along with a set of pioneer premier 6.5s, set of kenwood excelon 5.25s and mb quart 5.25 components.  i left the in dash receiver since it's a few years old anyway, along with a pair of pioneer premier 5.25 3 ways in the soundbar and a crappy pair of 4x6 in the dash.  i'd like to keep those premiers from the sound bar, but i had to keep something up there.

anyway, this now leaves me with some toys for the new car when i get it on sat.  it's a wrangler unlimited, so I could just put the 6.5 boxes in the same spot behind the front seats, and put the 5.25s overhead and the components in the dash.  it's got a sub in the center console

my question is do I really need this amp?  I got it when my head unit kind of blew and when i was powering 8 speakers + 2 separate tweeters.  i figured a 4 channel amp would be a bit better powering this many speakers than an in dash head unit.  but in the new car i'll have a decent head unit (nak cd400), and i won't be powering as many speakers. plus, the amp won't fit under the back seat anymore (they lowered the seat).

what would you guys do?  i don't know where i'd put it, and i kind of wanted to go simpler...but is it dumb to not use it?

sorry for the rambling.  i slept about 1.5 hours last night and had to be up at 345 to be at work by 5am this morning.  i'm kind of delirious right now..

[Lee]

Stock head unit?  Definately go with the amp.  Aftermarket headunit?  Probably still go with the amp.  If you've already got it, why not put it in?  It's bound to sound better.

Myself personally, I wouldn't put it in, but that's because it's going in a wrangler and to me, that's just asking someone to take a box knife to my plasticy windowy thingys.  But since you're already familliar with the perils of decent stereo equipment in a jeep, that's probably a moot point.

[scb]

Stock head unit?  Definately go with the amp.  Aftermarket headunit?  Probably still go with the amp.  If you've already got it, why not put it in?  It's bound to sound better.

Myself personally, I wouldn't put it in, but that's because it's going in a wrangler and to me, that's just asking someone to take a box knife to my plasticy windowy thingys.  But since you're already familliar with the perils of decent stereo equipment in a jeep, that's probably a moot point.

that's the thing.  before, the amp was under the back seat and no one knew it was there (totaly hidden).  the speakers aren't visible anyway since the components are in the dash and the nice speakers are upside down on the soundbar and you can't see the make.  so no one ever knew i had nice stereo equipment in it unless they heard it

but i don't think an amp fits under the back seat anymore.  i think i'll put in the nak head unit and replace the speakers and go from there.  maybe i'll be pleasantly surprised by the nak

thanks

[scervin]

I say sell it all as I'd think the windnoise/road noise would cancel any improvement in sound quality.  FYI, I've not ridden in any new Wranglers and maybe they are "library quiet".....YMMV.

SC

[scb]

the stock jeep system is a chrysler cd receiver powering 2 speakers in the dash, 2 overhead and a sub in the center console.  i was told that the sub was wired off a speaker level output.

i took out the stock head unit and installed the nak, using the standard chrysler wiring harness.  nothing from the sub (not to mention the wiring harness has loose connections anyway. 

so i have no idea what to do.  i don't know which wire in the stock harness is going to the sub, so i have no idea how to feed it a signal (or power).  I can't exactly get top it without removing the entire center console either.  so i might just break down and bring it to a shop to install.  they might be able to do something about the wiring harness that's semi screwed too

pain in the ass.  i spent like 3 hours with it today and couldn't get it working.  plus, if the nak harness is busted, that might not be easy to replace. 

[scb]

you know what, i had it right.  it's the damn power antenna lead on the harness.  it looks like the connection in the bracket is busted. 

what do you do when your harness is busted?

[Lee]

you know what, i had it right. it's the damn power antenna lead on the harness. it looks like the connection in the bracket is busted.

what do you do when your harness is busted?

You can buy one from crutchfield or the like, but around here, we just go find a pull-a-part junkyard and get a used one for pennies on the dollar.  Or, if you're handy with a soldering iron and crimper, you can make your own.

[scb]

it's not the chrysler harness, but the nakamichi harness (i think)

they aren't easy to come by

[Lee]

ouch... ebay?  nak service center?

You could come direct-wire out of the radio and splice onto the stock wiring, but I doubt you want to tear that up.  You could bust open an old mopar radio and cannibalize the harness plug off of it, then direct wire it to the pins of the nak.  Essentially, you'd end up with a nak radio that hooks up to a standard mopar OEM harness.

[scb]

i'm going to bring it to a guy who does a lot of custom installs first and see what he thinks...

thanks for the help

[scb]

they got it working.

the nak is a pretty nice head unit.  great sound, and i can take the volume all the way up without any distortion