Hi guys,
Need a little help here. I've installed plenty of amps to stereos, but only to aftermarket HUs. My latest install was on my brother's 2003 Lexus IS300. He wants to keep the factory HU. I have 2 amps to install (one 2-channel amp for the rear 6x9s because he's upgrading those and one 1-channel amp for the subs). Since we are keeping the factory HU, I know I need to use a Line Output Converter. I tapped the LOCs into the rear 6x9 speaker lines. The RCA cables from the LOCs are plugged into the 1-channel amp because it has RCA ouputs and another set of RCAs are plugged from the 1-channel into the 2-channel amp. When I connect the speaker wires from the 2-channel amp to the speakers, they sound muffled, like the sound isn't full.
However, when I connect the RCAs to the 2-channel amps without going through the 1-channel amp, they still sound muffled.
I know I wouldn't have a problem if I installed an aftermarket HU.
Can you guys tell me if I need to get 2 LOCs, one for the rear speakers and one for the subs?
Thanks!
Replies (3)
ttocs on 12/4/2008 21:09:36
is it missing bass or treble? There is a possability that the signal to the factory speakers is seperated into bass/treble so that the speakers play better. If this is the case you will probably need a 2nd loc, or need to move the one you have before it gets seperated which is probably in the amp.
gnehc1 on 12/5/2008 00:56:55
well the 2-channel amp has full, lp, and hp settings. when i select hp, all i hear is the treble. when i select lp, all i get is the bass, and when I select full, I hear both bass and treble, but the output of the speakers still sounds muffled and not fully audible.
swez on 12/5/2008 19:46:08
A better option is to amp the front speakers off an LOC, run the rear speakers off the factory HU and tap the rear speakers with an amp that has "Speaker level inputs", to power the bass engine.
There are several options to consider here, but most want to power the front channels with an outboard amp, add a "Bass Engine" to fill in the deep lows. The rear speakers are just fill and most are efficient enough to cut through the bass when dialed in properly.
A good quality LOC converts "speaker level" voltages to usable "line level voltage for RCA type amp use.
As for the "Bass amp", one can tap off the rear speakers and provide decent voltage input to feed the sub amp.
Think about all that as you plan and we'll try to guide you to a better than average upgrade.
Swez
Need a little help here. I've installed plenty of amps to stereos, but only to aftermarket HUs. My latest install was on my brother's 2003 Lexus IS300. He wants to keep the factory HU. I have 2 amps to install (one 2-channel amp for the rear 6x9s because he's upgrading those and one 1-channel amp for the subs). Since we are keeping the factory HU, I know I need to use a Line Output Converter. I tapped the LOCs into the rear 6x9 speaker lines. The RCA cables from the LOCs are plugged into the 1-channel amp because it has RCA ouputs and another set of RCAs are plugged from the 1-channel into the 2-channel amp. When I connect the speaker wires from the 2-channel amp to the speakers, they sound muffled, like the sound isn't full.
However, when I connect the RCAs to the 2-channel amps without going through the 1-channel amp, they still sound muffled.
I know I wouldn't have a problem if I installed an aftermarket HU.
Can you guys tell me if I need to get 2 LOCs, one for the rear speakers and one for the subs?
Thanks!
Replies (3)
ttocs on 12/4/2008 21:09:36
is it missing bass or treble? There is a possability that the signal to the factory speakers is seperated into bass/treble so that the speakers play better. If this is the case you will probably need a 2nd loc, or need to move the one you have before it gets seperated which is probably in the amp.
gnehc1 on 12/5/2008 00:56:55
well the 2-channel amp has full, lp, and hp settings. when i select hp, all i hear is the treble. when i select lp, all i get is the bass, and when I select full, I hear both bass and treble, but the output of the speakers still sounds muffled and not fully audible.
swez on 12/5/2008 19:46:08
A better option is to amp the front speakers off an LOC, run the rear speakers off the factory HU and tap the rear speakers with an amp that has "Speaker level inputs", to power the bass engine.
There are several options to consider here, but most want to power the front channels with an outboard amp, add a "Bass Engine" to fill in the deep lows. The rear speakers are just fill and most are efficient enough to cut through the bass when dialed in properly.
A good quality LOC converts "speaker level" voltages to usable "line level voltage for RCA type amp use.
As for the "Bass amp", one can tap off the rear speakers and provide decent voltage input to feed the sub amp.
Think about all that as you plan and we'll try to guide you to a better than average upgrade.
Swez
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