Aftermarket audio while retaining factory nav and functionality

[mnchvgs79]

I just bought an 07 RTL with Nav the other day and I am going to be upgrading the audio system. The question I have is what have you guys done to retain the factory nav unit and not lose any functionality? I will be replacing all the speakers and adding amplifiers and subs.

Have you just spliced off the speaker wires and soldered in RCA cables?
Did you buy some sort of module?
Does the factory unit by some act of god have RCA outputs?

Pictures and explainations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[MegNAntsRidgeline]

Well using line out converters would work for your application however there not the best for sound quality purposes. What you would need to do is locate the speaker wires on the back of the factory unit, cut them in half and use the wires comming off the head unit as the signal for the line out converters (you will need two for a four channel amp) and use the other side of the wires (connect extensions) and run them to the amp speaker inputs.

~Anthony

[mnchvgs79]

Originally Posted by MegNAntsRidgeline

Well using line out converters would work for your application however there not the best for sound quality purposes. What you would need to do is locate the speaker wires on the back of the factory unit, cut them in half and use the wires comming off the head unit as the signal for the line out converters (you will need two for a four channel amp) and use the other side of the wires (connect extensions) and run them to the amp speaker inputs.

~Anthony

Do you know of any quality product for this application? Someone mentioned JL Audio Cleansweep, but I'm having trouble understanding exactly what it does and one of the cleansweep units has it's own volume knob, which I am DEFINITELY not looking for.

[fredridge]

cleansweep, rockford 3sixty and I think alpine has a unit now. Don't splice, buy a bazooka F.A.S.T. connector.

These units allow you to add after market equipment and level out the factory equalization and numerous other features.

[mnchvgs79]

Originally Posted by fredridge

cleansweep, rockford 3sixty and I think alpine has a unit now. Don't splice, buy a bazooka F.A.S.T. connector.

These units allow you to add after market equipment and level out the factory equalization and numerous other features.

I'm a bit confused, you mentioned 3 product's then you recommend a 4th one... does the bazooka one do the same thing as the others? What is it and why do you recommend it?

[ONTHEVERGE]

What are you planning to do or wantin to do? You can just replace the factory speakers and the garbage sub and sound wil improve. Depending on how much you speanding and the end goal you can do a little or a lot. I have an 06 with Nav; as I did not want an after market Nav unit. I replaced doors with high end Focal and my subs are JL Audio as all my Amps. I Dynamated the doors, floor and behind rear seats. I turbolined my bed and trunk. The clean sweep by JL is a good recomendation and I love JL products.

To be fair, it is personal prefernce as Alpine and other make similar products; if I did not go with JL I would go Alpine. Amps I think the Alpines are best on market just beating out JL's. Factor in the price and then JL's hands down. Factor in size then Alpine, but if you mount Amps behind rear seat then you have plenty cspace and size not a factor.

Start with the speakers and sound deaden the dorrs completely. Build from there and if you building a competition ride then cleansweep and all the extras.

[fredridge]

Originally Posted by mnchvgs79

I'm a bit confused, you mentioned 3 product's then you recommend a 4th one... does the bazooka one do the same thing as the others? What is it and why do you recommend it?

Sorry, the FAST is just a wiring harness that will make it easy to connect amps or other products without having to cut up your wiring harness. You can get one for about $20.
The other products I mentioned are designed to equalize the factory sound systems frequencies, among other features.

[mnchvgs79]

Thanks guys.

I will be replacing everything but the nav unit. I have been doing car audio for many years, I just have never done a high end installation with a source with no RCA, low level outputs, so I just don't know how to make that work out well and everything appear to function just like stock, but louder and cleaner.... I am familiar with line converters, but I have never heard anything positive about them.

[hofffam]

I think you should avoid cheap line level convertors completely. Unless you need to feed an electronic crossover first or need headunit equalization you should buy amplifiers that accept speaker level inputs. I'm willing to be the speaker level convertors built in to good amps are better than the outboard units.

The Rockford 3sixty or JL Cleansweep are very interesting units that will compensate for the headunit's response curve if it is not linear. But they are expensive and are "correct" at only one volume level of the headunit since the headunit equalization is usually volume sensitive.

If you don't want/need equalization - I'd probably look at the AudioControl 6LC or similar unit for line conversion if you need to convert speaker level to line level.

[mnchvgs79]

Originally Posted by hofffam

I think you should avoid cheap line level convertors completely. Unless you need to feed an electronic crossover first or need headunit equalization you should buy amplifiers that accept speaker level inputs. I'm willing to be the speaker level convertors built in to good amps are better than the outboard units.

The Rockford 3sixty or JL Cleansweep are very interesting units that will compensate for the headunit's response curve if it is not linear. But they are expensive and are "correct" at only one volume level of the headunit since the headunit equalization is usually volume sensitive.

If you don't want/need equalization - I'd probably look at the AudioControl 6LC or similar unit for line conversion if you need to convert speaker level to line level.

Thanks!

Do you know of any GOOD amps with line level inputs? I can't recall having ever seen any worth talking about...