Hey Whatup'
So I have this ol' Mazda b2200 and I'm not looking for anything to crazy, but something I can be a little proud of. Anyway I currently have these two older Kenwood decks one's a cd' player and ones a tape deck. I've installed both at one point, but when I took out the stock stereo it left his gaping whole in my dash. Now I've got these two decks split up by piece of black wood one on top of the other and it looks pretty sweet as their styles and colors are nearly identical and they fill the double DIN slot nicely. BUT one of them is just a paperweight when the other is running because I can only connect one at a time before I have to slide the whole thing out and unplug and replug it in. NOW MY QUESTIONS IS: Can I hook both of these units up at the same time so they'll both light up and have power and I can switch back and forth between them (for all those times I have a tape to listen to)? Does this become more difficult when I add a subwoofer to a system?? Thanks for your replies in advance friends.
Drewfus~
P.s. Hey I'm thinking about buying a little 10 inch bazooka amp/sub combo unit. My truck is a little extended cab and I wanna still allow for 4 people, but I want a little more thump. Any thoughts?
Replies (12)
UKinstaller on 09/5/2005 20:35:36
welcome to the forum buddy.
well, i see no reason why you couldn't run both units together. you could easily have power to both units at the same time. sound is the only problem. what you will have to do is basically double up your speaker wires.
if you are using a wiring harness, just tap one of the stereo harnesses into the other and you should be good to go. however, you should NEVER attempt to play them at the same time, because you could end up damaging both stereos and the speakers.
sounds like a good idea, though. i'm pretty sure you could do it with no problems whatsoever, but wait for a couple other members to reply to go ahead and go for it. i don't see any problems with it.
as far as the bazooka tube goes, it would be perfect for your truck. you could have some bass and minimize loss of space. don't expect too much though, bazooka tubes aren't loud by any means.
-UK
UKinstaller on 09/5/2005 20:39:30
actually i think i thought of a better way of doing this. does your tape deck have preouts?? meaning you can hook RCA jacks up to it. if it does, run a set of RCA jacks from the tape deck into an FM modulator and play it through a radio station through the CD player. i think that would work better for you.
you said your kenwood decks are older, so i doubt the CD player has an AUX input, so you'll have to use an FM modulator. unless of course you want to run the cd player into the tape deck and play it through a tape deck adapter, but then you'll lose some substantial quality in sound. do the tape deck into the FM mod because tape quality isn't good to begin with.
-UK
drewfus on 09/5/2005 23:36:10
Hey U.k. Thanks a lot for your advice. It's good to hear some positive re-enforcement of the Bazooka sub as well, was a little nervous about it, but now I feel like it'd be good. It's good to know that I can wire them both up, as cheesy as it sounds I think I might just end up wiring power to that bottom one for now so it at least lights up and then some day maybe go for the FM thing. (or actually make enough money to buy decent deck's not 5 dollar ones I bought off of friends and then fixed ! :)
Drew~
P.s. so what do you think of blow through boxes in trucks putting the subs in the back and then making a hole from the box to the cab.
swez on 09/6/2005 12:15:19
If you did run 2 decks, they can share the same power lines. (Ie: Red IGN, Yellow Constant and GNDs.) However, when one HU is on and speakers are getting power, each HU has to be protected from audio output power from Deck A to Deck B and visa-versa. This reverse voltage will damage output transistors if they get backfeed power from another audio source.
One solution here are to use blolcking diodes that only allow power to flow out of each speaker line from internal HU amps. The diodes will allow power to flow out of either HU, but not allow voltage back to the deck not being used at that moment. Yes, it will work, but a bit tedious as you will need a total of 8 diodes here. One diode on each speaker + line is needed.
Do both HU's have RCA outs? If yes, consider a Line Driver/EQ that has an AUX input source. Audiobahn's AEQ6 will do a nice job if you wish to amp speakers and a sub. This item needs only 1 pair of RCA's for main input and 1 pair of RCA's for the DVD input side. Now, you have 4 full range pairs and 1 sub out. This device has a 5 band EQ, separate Full range volume controls and a separate sub output control.
This one: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/viewitem.php?id=101
I have noted it on E-bay as well. Buy it now price is very good at $60.00 or less.
http://search.ebay.com/audiobahn-aeq6q_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1
Swez
PS To use this item, you must have outboard amps and each HU has at least 1 pair of RCA's. A powered sub (like Bazooka) will do fine here. Yes, you can go to a larger bass system as well. But, powering 2 amps may present issues later, depending on ALT/BAT system in that truck.
ttocs on 09/6/2005 15:47:45
simple question, do you buy tapes? Do you listen to tapes?
I am a big fan of the kiss (keep it simple stupid) and would recommend getting a din pocket to fill the whole and make it look good. Two head units in the dash is just 2 more reasons for a theif to break in..............
swez on 09/6/2005 19:18:40
Ttocs,
Didn't know you were a KISS fan... hehe What are your fav tunes from them? Detroit... Rock City is alright by me. "Beth" was so-so and dig those crazy threads and makeup.
Ehhmmm... he is right. Simple is always best. You can still find 2 din HU's with CD and tape players. Most have RCA's for add on amping as well. Pioneer, Jensen and perhaps JVC still sell them. If you shop around on E-bay, may find a good one for about $200.00.
Swez
drewfus on 09/7/2005 00:21:01
Ahhh, but the coolness factor of a DIN filler is simply not there. I live in a pretty theft free area (rural Southern Alberta Canada) so I'm not to concerned about that, plus the deck's I have aren't big theft'ers. That is interesting about the two decks to the one amp. But I think my plan now is to just run power to my tape deck so it'll light up and look prrty' and just run everything else straight off of the cd-deck (assuming that the button's stop sticking so bad from the supersized pop that was spilled onto/into it by the previous owner.) Thanks so much guys, wicked informative! Later~
Drew~
swez on 09/7/2005 10:42:23
Sticky buttons and controls?
Try a shot of WD-40 on them. It will disolve the gunk and should not hurt plastics and most other surfaces if you wipe up the excess quick. It won't hurt the switches and most electronic parts either. It's a great lubricant, cleaner and solvent, on most anything I have tried it on to date.
Swez
MrBrownstone on 09/12/2005 15:57:56
You could use both units with one set of wires by using an in dash preamp. The old PA-1 and PA2 from rockford had that ability to A/B switch from one source to the other. However, it might be wise to ask yourself why?
There are double din to single din converters sold at any best buy, circuit city, etc. stores that'll solve the hole in your dash problem.
The idea of using an FM modulator would be a good option as well, but as UK mentioned SQ is usually greatly reduced. Might want to consider doing what I did in 1990 and ditch the tapes. I know, like vinyl, they've gone the way of the dinosaur.
Dude, the 'cool' factor? There is nothing cool about tape players. Heck, chicks immediately vacate the area of tape players like Swez just ate a beef, bean and jalepeno taco! Eventually, something bad is going to happen in the end.
My suggestions are:
-Use a 2DIN to 1DIN converter (the one with the flat plate)
-Ditch the chick repellent (tape player)
-Save money on Bazooka by getting better door speakers.
drewfus on 09/12/2005 23:32:07
So the "cool" factor, yeah I understand all that, in fact I've been told a few times. (do people read what others have written??) But yeah, I got it runnin' and it looks good at night, and it's fun to see what I can do, partially this experiment is looking towards the future with some some mini-disc/cdplayer's or something like that. Plus how many people have 2 seperate decks. I dunno, little defencive. Anyway got it all hooked up and it's good times, if nothing else fun to look at.
So the lame setup is this. 1 old kenwood cd player and 1 old kenwood tape deck with a small block of wood seperating them that is covered with black electrical tape to hide the wood grain. Now it fit's into the vacant spot quite nicely and even though the tape deck sits on "off" for the most part it still looks quite nice and unique.
Thanks for all your replies and stuff, can i now close this topic to discussion?
Drew~
swez on 09/13/2005 07:46:03
Sure, you can close the topic if you wish. However, as long as it remains on the board, you may get additional "feedback" , not desired. The only way to lock that up, is to delete the post and threads. I can do that for you, if you so desire.
Swez
drewfus on 09/13/2005 12:50:14
Yeah Swez, thanks, that'd be sweet! I've got all the info and opionio.... advice that I need! :) Thanks a lot everyone!
Drew~
So I have this ol' Mazda b2200 and I'm not looking for anything to crazy, but something I can be a little proud of. Anyway I currently have these two older Kenwood decks one's a cd' player and ones a tape deck. I've installed both at one point, but when I took out the stock stereo it left his gaping whole in my dash. Now I've got these two decks split up by piece of black wood one on top of the other and it looks pretty sweet as their styles and colors are nearly identical and they fill the double DIN slot nicely. BUT one of them is just a paperweight when the other is running because I can only connect one at a time before I have to slide the whole thing out and unplug and replug it in. NOW MY QUESTIONS IS: Can I hook both of these units up at the same time so they'll both light up and have power and I can switch back and forth between them (for all those times I have a tape to listen to)? Does this become more difficult when I add a subwoofer to a system?? Thanks for your replies in advance friends.
Drewfus~
P.s. Hey I'm thinking about buying a little 10 inch bazooka amp/sub combo unit. My truck is a little extended cab and I wanna still allow for 4 people, but I want a little more thump. Any thoughts?
Replies (12)
UKinstaller on 09/5/2005 20:35:36
welcome to the forum buddy.
well, i see no reason why you couldn't run both units together. you could easily have power to both units at the same time. sound is the only problem. what you will have to do is basically double up your speaker wires.
if you are using a wiring harness, just tap one of the stereo harnesses into the other and you should be good to go. however, you should NEVER attempt to play them at the same time, because you could end up damaging both stereos and the speakers.
sounds like a good idea, though. i'm pretty sure you could do it with no problems whatsoever, but wait for a couple other members to reply to go ahead and go for it. i don't see any problems with it.
as far as the bazooka tube goes, it would be perfect for your truck. you could have some bass and minimize loss of space. don't expect too much though, bazooka tubes aren't loud by any means.
-UK
UKinstaller on 09/5/2005 20:39:30
actually i think i thought of a better way of doing this. does your tape deck have preouts?? meaning you can hook RCA jacks up to it. if it does, run a set of RCA jacks from the tape deck into an FM modulator and play it through a radio station through the CD player. i think that would work better for you.
you said your kenwood decks are older, so i doubt the CD player has an AUX input, so you'll have to use an FM modulator. unless of course you want to run the cd player into the tape deck and play it through a tape deck adapter, but then you'll lose some substantial quality in sound. do the tape deck into the FM mod because tape quality isn't good to begin with.
-UK
drewfus on 09/5/2005 23:36:10
Hey U.k. Thanks a lot for your advice. It's good to hear some positive re-enforcement of the Bazooka sub as well, was a little nervous about it, but now I feel like it'd be good. It's good to know that I can wire them both up, as cheesy as it sounds I think I might just end up wiring power to that bottom one for now so it at least lights up and then some day maybe go for the FM thing. (or actually make enough money to buy decent deck's not 5 dollar ones I bought off of friends and then fixed ! :)
Drew~
P.s. so what do you think of blow through boxes in trucks putting the subs in the back and then making a hole from the box to the cab.
swez on 09/6/2005 12:15:19
If you did run 2 decks, they can share the same power lines. (Ie: Red IGN, Yellow Constant and GNDs.) However, when one HU is on and speakers are getting power, each HU has to be protected from audio output power from Deck A to Deck B and visa-versa. This reverse voltage will damage output transistors if they get backfeed power from another audio source.
One solution here are to use blolcking diodes that only allow power to flow out of each speaker line from internal HU amps. The diodes will allow power to flow out of either HU, but not allow voltage back to the deck not being used at that moment. Yes, it will work, but a bit tedious as you will need a total of 8 diodes here. One diode on each speaker + line is needed.
Do both HU's have RCA outs? If yes, consider a Line Driver/EQ that has an AUX input source. Audiobahn's AEQ6 will do a nice job if you wish to amp speakers and a sub. This item needs only 1 pair of RCA's for main input and 1 pair of RCA's for the DVD input side. Now, you have 4 full range pairs and 1 sub out. This device has a 5 band EQ, separate Full range volume controls and a separate sub output control.
This one: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/viewitem.php?id=101
I have noted it on E-bay as well. Buy it now price is very good at $60.00 or less.
http://search.ebay.com/audiobahn-aeq6q_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1
Swez
PS To use this item, you must have outboard amps and each HU has at least 1 pair of RCA's. A powered sub (like Bazooka) will do fine here. Yes, you can go to a larger bass system as well. But, powering 2 amps may present issues later, depending on ALT/BAT system in that truck.
ttocs on 09/6/2005 15:47:45
simple question, do you buy tapes? Do you listen to tapes?
I am a big fan of the kiss (keep it simple stupid) and would recommend getting a din pocket to fill the whole and make it look good. Two head units in the dash is just 2 more reasons for a theif to break in..............
swez on 09/6/2005 19:18:40
Ttocs,
Didn't know you were a KISS fan... hehe What are your fav tunes from them? Detroit... Rock City is alright by me. "Beth" was so-so and dig those crazy threads and makeup.
Ehhmmm... he is right. Simple is always best. You can still find 2 din HU's with CD and tape players. Most have RCA's for add on amping as well. Pioneer, Jensen and perhaps JVC still sell them. If you shop around on E-bay, may find a good one for about $200.00.
Swez
drewfus on 09/7/2005 00:21:01
Ahhh, but the coolness factor of a DIN filler is simply not there. I live in a pretty theft free area (rural Southern Alberta Canada) so I'm not to concerned about that, plus the deck's I have aren't big theft'ers. That is interesting about the two decks to the one amp. But I think my plan now is to just run power to my tape deck so it'll light up and look prrty' and just run everything else straight off of the cd-deck (assuming that the button's stop sticking so bad from the supersized pop that was spilled onto/into it by the previous owner.) Thanks so much guys, wicked informative! Later~
Drew~
swez on 09/7/2005 10:42:23
Sticky buttons and controls?
Try a shot of WD-40 on them. It will disolve the gunk and should not hurt plastics and most other surfaces if you wipe up the excess quick. It won't hurt the switches and most electronic parts either. It's a great lubricant, cleaner and solvent, on most anything I have tried it on to date.
Swez
MrBrownstone on 09/12/2005 15:57:56
You could use both units with one set of wires by using an in dash preamp. The old PA-1 and PA2 from rockford had that ability to A/B switch from one source to the other. However, it might be wise to ask yourself why?
There are double din to single din converters sold at any best buy, circuit city, etc. stores that'll solve the hole in your dash problem.
The idea of using an FM modulator would be a good option as well, but as UK mentioned SQ is usually greatly reduced. Might want to consider doing what I did in 1990 and ditch the tapes. I know, like vinyl, they've gone the way of the dinosaur.
Dude, the 'cool' factor? There is nothing cool about tape players. Heck, chicks immediately vacate the area of tape players like Swez just ate a beef, bean and jalepeno taco! Eventually, something bad is going to happen in the end.
My suggestions are:
-Use a 2DIN to 1DIN converter (the one with the flat plate)
-Ditch the chick repellent (tape player)
-Save money on Bazooka by getting better door speakers.
drewfus on 09/12/2005 23:32:07
So the "cool" factor, yeah I understand all that, in fact I've been told a few times. (do people read what others have written??) But yeah, I got it runnin' and it looks good at night, and it's fun to see what I can do, partially this experiment is looking towards the future with some some mini-disc/cdplayer's or something like that. Plus how many people have 2 seperate decks. I dunno, little defencive. Anyway got it all hooked up and it's good times, if nothing else fun to look at.
So the lame setup is this. 1 old kenwood cd player and 1 old kenwood tape deck with a small block of wood seperating them that is covered with black electrical tape to hide the wood grain. Now it fit's into the vacant spot quite nicely and even though the tape deck sits on "off" for the most part it still looks quite nice and unique.
Thanks for all your replies and stuff, can i now close this topic to discussion?
Drew~
swez on 09/13/2005 07:46:03
Sure, you can close the topic if you wish. However, as long as it remains on the board, you may get additional "feedback" , not desired. The only way to lock that up, is to delete the post and threads. I can do that for you, if you so desire.
Swez
drewfus on 09/13/2005 12:50:14
Yeah Swez, thanks, that'd be sweet! I've got all the info and opionio.... advice that I need! :) Thanks a lot everyone!
Drew~
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