Does anyone know why the stock sub is useless if you add a after market radio.... or if there is a way to keep the stock sub with a after market radio... and is there also a way to keep the stock steering wheel controls and aux jack?

this is the radio i am looking to put in...
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=168550&i=130AVHP400&tp=75

Please someone help!

If you check, one of the stuck threads at the top of the Mobile Electronics forum will explain to you how to go about installing an aftermarket head unit and how to keep your subwoofer.

You will lose the factory XM, however.

Use the Metra 70-1725 wire harness and you'll be all set as far as hooking up to the factory amp. All you need to do is attach RCA connectors to the Sub/Aux lines.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/images//big/bigmet-701725.jpg

Use the Metra 70-1725 wire harness and you'll be all set as far as hooking up to the factory amp. All you need to do is attach RCA connectors to the Sub/Aux lines.


Just judging by the pic, this would work for hooking up the main harness to the fatory amp, but the subwoofer connection is a seperate 3-wire molex connector. You could just use half-taps to splice an RCA connector to the subwoofer harness.

Haha yeah I forgot to mention that it's on a separate connector. I used this harness in my car and it works great.

Haha yeah I forgot to mention that it's on a separate connector. I used this harness in my car and it works great.

............:)..................

Just judging by the pic, this would work for hooking up the main harness to the fatory amp, but the subwoofer connection is a seperate 3-wire molex connector. You could just use half-taps to splice an RCA connector to the subwoofer harness.

can you explain it better, i can not understand since i am without experience of install a audio. can you use plain english for a layman?

After spending a long time searching several threads on this site yesterday, I still did not have a clear understanding of the wiring hookup. Then I found "ahdol.com" (automotive hobbiest documents online). For $5.99 I ordered and received within 12 hours a stereo wiring diagram for the 2006 Honda Element which clears up a lot of the confusion for me. It now appears that the OEM head unit for 2006 EX-P Elements outputs five channels of line-level audio (FR, FL, RR, RL, and woofer) to an amplifier which recieves the FIVE channels of input and then outputs SIX channels of speaker-level signals, with TWO of those channels going to one big woofer which has, according to the diagram, TWO separate coils.

The sound from the EX-P premium factory 7-speaker system seems fine to me; I'm upgrading the head unit to get Bluetooth handsfree function and to get a larger screen for viewing more complete MP-3 playback information. By selectively leaving one of the rear plugs unplugged on the back of the current head unit and then seeing what function is missing when the unit is powered on, I've clarified the purpose of the different plugs and labeled the attached photo accordingly. Also, the wiring diagram from AHDOL seems to go along with my labels.

My current impression is that if a new head unit has line-level output for a woofer in addition to the usual four line-level channels of audio output, then hookup to the vehicle wiring should be a simple matter of matching up the factory wires to line-level signals from the new head unit, often involving splicing RCA plug adapters to the wires. In my case of a Pioneer AVH-P4000DVD, I was disappointed to discover that only four line-level channels of output are provided, and that in order to get woofer output from the head unit, one has to sacrifice the rear speakers (I've never run across this arrangement before in several previous installations over the years -- seems an odd compromise, especially in a fairly expensive head unit). My plan is to turn off the woofer function in the head unit and simply set it to send all audio frequencies to all four main channels. I'll wire those four channels to the Element's factory harness and see how it sounds without a signal for the woofer. I'm hoping the amplifier might be programmed, in the absence of a dedicated incoming woofer signal, to send to the woofer the low frequency portion of the other signals it receives (but I doubt this will be the case).

If the bass is inadequate with this arrangement, I plan to purchase and install a small crossover device I found on the Crutchfield site for $150 (Kicker KX3) that takes four standard line-level channels of input and then outputs five line-level channels (adding a woofer channel) which I believe would provide the five line-level audio signals expected by the Element's factory amplifier.

i had a pro to install my single din dvd for my element and it took him about 30 mins to hook up the stock sub to aftermarket head unit.

You don't have to do any of that if you just use the harness I posted. All you have to do is snap on the harness, hook up the 4 supplied RCA's, which go to the factory amp, and splice the 5th RCA to the factory sub connector.

can you explain it better, i can not understand since i am without experience of install a audio. can you use plain english for a layman?
http://www.delcity.net/delcity/images/photos/wireconn-qkspl/905585_tab.jpg This is a quick-connect tap which can be used to splice a wire onto another wire without having to cut or strip the original wire. You simply clip it over the signal wire, stick your new wire into the hole, then squeeze in the metal piece with pliers. The metal piece pierces the insulation of the two wires and contacts the inner conductor, thereby completing the circuit.

I am not trying to be a jerk AT ALL, but I can't believe how impossibly complicated some try to make this on themselves. I also can't believe that Metra has not stepped up to plate and made the sub connector to go along with the other amp integration harness that they currently make for the EX system.

I am looking to find which pins take the power in to the stock amp. My diagram only gives the speaker lines not the power in line..And do you know what the B+ is in the amp?

I am not trying to be a jerk AT ALL, but I can't believe how impossibly complicated some try to make this on themselves. I also can't believe that Metra has not stepped up to plate and made the sub connector to go along with the other amp integration harness that they currently make for the EX system.

to date, the connector has only been able to be sourced in a "board mount" style and not a regular connector that can be pinned. as much as i beat them up about it and as much as i would love to see it myself it isnt really a priority when there are a million new cars out that need data interfaces or turbo2 style kits made to just put a radio in.:-(

i agree about it not being braing surgery. my grandfather would always say "lets not make this into a government project" :)

I am looking to find which pins take the power in to the stock amp. My diagram only gives the speaker lines not the power in line..And do you know what the B+ is in the amp?

constant is a11 blue/orange, remote turn on is b1 yellow/green

I think I already gave a note on this but.
The 05-06 has a different pin input to the other years. According to the diagram pin one of plug b is the remote but on the motherboard of the 05-06 amp it shows that pin 1 and pin 2 are CD- and CD+ . Not sure what CD stands for. but it appears to indicate that the remote has an input and output .
Any idea what the output might be?

so what exactly does this wire to??? the after market HU connector, the stock element connector or the amp itself??

i may have confused myself....

what are you looking to do and what model element do you have?

hook up a pioneer HU and make it all work without burning my car down...

hook up a pioneer HU and make it all work without burning my car down...

what model is your truck? this is needed to tell you the proper parts for the install.

its an 05 EX.

The harness in the pic connects an aftermarket radio to the factory harness behind the radio in an EX/SC. Look at the link in my sig line for wiring instructions. :)

The harness in the pic connects an aftermarket radio to the factory harness behind the radio in an EX/SC. Look at the link in my sig line for wiring instructions. :)

which has also been made a sticky for everyone's enjoyment ;)

thanks fellas... i figured i just confused myself.:rolleyes:


how do i wire up the antenna? my HU has the old style hookup. is there an adapter?

found it:D