Has anyone kept their factory system and installed a amp and subs. If so how did you do it? I'm thinking about taking the wires from the factory sub and splicing a line out converter into the wires. Does any one know if this is possible. thanks for any help that i can get :lol:

[quote:a290ea2212=" "]Has anyone kept their factory system and installed a amp and subs. If so how did you do it? I'm thinking about taking the wires from the factory sub and splicing a line out converter into the wires. Does any one know if this is possible. thanks for any help that i can get :lol:[/quote:a290ea2212]

The EX's factory headunit has a separate, line level, connector for the subs. It's the black (6 or 8 pin?) socket. The plug that fits in to it only uses 3 pins too. The question is: can someone find a similar plug that could be used for outputting that line level to another amp/sub without tapping/cutting the wires going into the current plug/socket?

-brendan

Thats not what I was asking but thanks for totally rearranging my question so that I will never be ablre to get a answer

[quote:fcf716a3e2=" "]Thats not what I was asking but thanks for totally rearranging my question so that I will never be ablre to get a answer[/quote:fcf716a3e2]

Ok, sorry.

I don't know the answer to your first question.

The answer to your second question is "yes, but that's the hard way".

-brendan

Thanks, Had a long day did not mean to come across rude. Should I try splicing in to the wires before the amp or after the amp?????

OK I did it and it worked! What I did is I soldered wires on two both the positive and the negative wires inside the sub box under the dash. I then ran the wires back out the hole with the original wires. I then connected a line out converter and it worked great. Both the original and subs still work properly and the sub w control also works! Everything works just as it did originally but it has a ton of base! Two JL Audio 12" w-6's! Goodness it is loud!!! If any one needs help doing this just pm me and I will be glad to help. :lol:

Any problems with whining (from the engine) or popping when turning the system on? I've been told this can be a problem when tapping into factroy systems like this. Might not be with the Alpine, but is in vettes with Bose systems along with some other factory systems.

[quote:8736650d3f=" "]OK I did it and it worked! What I did is I soldered wires on two both the positive and the negative wires inside the sub box under the dash. I then ran the wires back out the hole with the original wires. I then connected a line out converter and it worked great. Both the original and subs still work properly and the sub w control also works! Everything works just as it did originally but it has a ton of base! Two JL Audio 12" w-6's! Goodness it is loud!!! If any one needs help doing this just pm me and I will be glad to help. :lol:[/quote:8736650d3f]

Ah, I see, I didn't realize you wanted to keep the OEM sub going as well. I had been thinking about tapping "live" speaker level output (where "live" indicates that it's still going to a speaker) and it seems you can.

This makes sense, as the impedance of the converter box is much higher than the speaker, and therefore it has little bearing on the OEM speaker performance - it's sort of tapping the line like a benevolent parasite!

I'd wonder about the accuracy of the signal going to the additional speakers, but I bet it's OK if you don't try to overdrive the OEM speaker.

Neat, good job!

-brendan

No engine noise what so ever! We took into consideration when doing this that the radio itself probably was not sending a signal with power behind it since it went into the factory amp. So by splicing in after the amp it was if we hooked directly onto the back of an after market radio which probably has an amp already built into the radio. I can still turn the front factory sub up all thre way

[quote:6fa22e9fe7=" "]No engine noise what so ever! We took into consideration when doing this that the radio itself probably was not sending a signal with power behind it since it went into the factory amp. So by splicing in after the amp it was if we hooked directly onto the back of an after market radio which probably has an amp already built into the radio. I can still turn the front factory sub up all thre way[/quote:6fa22e9fe7]




Cool, thanks for the info! 2 10's going in today :twisted:

If you need any help just holler at me. I will be glad to assist you. I think you will be very happy with two tens!

[quote:5c1c23feb4=" "]If you need any help just holler at me. I will be glad to assist you. I think you will be very happy with two tens![/quote:5c1c23feb4]

Well 2 10's in a box are the short term plan, I had them laying around so in they go.

This summer I want to do something more trick that gives me back floor space by putting the subs in the floor over the spare storage. Right now the box is held in place with a cargo net and the amp mounted to the side of the box.

I need to find a better place for the amp that doesn't require cutting/drilling the interior panels...doesn't look like such a place exists though.

WOW! The 10's sound awesome! My amp is a POS that I had laying around so a better amp is in the future so it hits a bit harder, but...WOW does it sound better now.

I had these subs in my Eclipse (self installed, simple plug n play rca outs) and they sounded good but I let a pro install into the E, man what a difference when a guy who knows what he's doing does the job, lol. Worth the $100 for the install IMO cuz I don't know jack about audio/wiring.

Hey I am hoping to install a pair of 10's in my Element this weekend.
Did you say that you ran a lead from the factory amp of your element into another after market amp?
Or did you run the lead directly from your head unit to the after market amp.
I will be installing a 400 watt amp to power my 10's.

Thanks

Kovert,
This is what I did. I ran my leads from the wires that lead out to the sub from the radio.

Cool, sounds like the way to go.
So did you connect your amp to the blue and white amp power cable?
Does it put out sufficient power for the additional amp?

OK I did it and it worked! What I did is I soldered wires on two both the positive and the negative wires inside the sub box under the dash. I then ran the wires back out the hole with the original wires. I then connected a line out converter and it worked great. Both the original and subs still work properly and the sub w control also works! Everything works just as it did originally but it has a ton of base! Two JL Audio 12" w-6's! Goodness it is loud!!! If any one needs help doing this just pm me and I will be glad to help. :lol:
Alright...howd u get to all those wires? I dont want to tear anything up i just got it sat. and where can i get the line out converter? and how much?

This is what I did. I ran my leads from the wires that lead out to the sub from the radio.

So ur talkin about usin those wires for the RCA cables to the amp?

This is exactly what I'd like to do with an amp and sub I have from my last truck. I see this thread is ancient but I've been using the search engine like a crack head....I don't have any experience wiring or tapping anything car stereo but my budget is nil and I just want to use what I have. I think I can hook up the amp and run through the firewall based on other threads I've read, but the audio signal to the amp is where I'm having trouble deciding what to do. Sorry but I really have just started researching and learning about car audio terms so pardon my complete ignorance. If someone can post colors of wires and pics maybe, that would be the key and I'm done. I need easy steps like I was your brother-in-law's 13 year old, assume I know nothing!!! Thanks to everyone here, yoda, emass, bigal,empire, all your help is so greatly appreciated, I;ve learned sooo much already!!! this place is gonna make me need therapy, or it is my therapy!

assuming you are hooking the amp up to only the sub, grab the sub output from the factory amp in the passenger kickpanel. hook the gray and gray/black & the white and white/black of a line output converter (LOC) to the sub output in the diagram below and hook your rcas into it. or if your amp has highlevel inputs you can tap into those wires and hook them to the highlevel inputs of your amp. then hook your remote turn on for the amp up to the yellow/green wire in plug b pin number 1 at the factory amp. run power and ground to the new amp and you are done.

Thanks for helping, I think you brother-n-law's kid is smarter than mine::-(
you said "grab" the sub outputs, I see four outputs from the amp, wf1 out+(brown),wf1out-(red), wf2out+(blue),&wf2out-(grey/black) in the diagram, I don't know how to grab, and is the colors for all loc's what you described? by the way I just figured out how to attach this image,:razz: I'm computer illiterate, so that was just huge, thanks.

you will attached the wires into the existing wires gomming from the amp that go to the sub, either by soldering to them or using t-taps, etc. the picture you have found of the loc-80 is an older one, they have adopted the EIA/CEA color standards now (white, white/black, etc) as seen in the one below. you could also go to walmart and pickup the scosche one they have there that is 4 channel (and just use 2 of the 4 channels) for 18 bucks.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c275/autoware302/misc/loc80.jpg

Thank you, it is clear now, I'm over thinking. Just have to get up to speed with what the terms mean. My amp has a speaker level input, but I don't have the plug. I'll see if a local shop has the plug and some t taps. Tap the spkr lvl wires to amps sub outputs and my audio connection is done!!

what type/model amp do you have. i might have something laying around the shop that could work.

and dont forget about the remote turn on wire while you are there at the factory amp...

I have a Coustic 161se (2channel 160watt) and a JL W0 8" 4ohm already in a box I removed from my last truck, I did not grab any of the install hardware, just unplugged and unscrewed these 2 items from that vehicle.

look something like this?

thank you very much, it has 6pins, the store where I bought it years ago had plenty from their installs they sold me one for 10bucks:roll:
I also bought their cheapest amp wiring kit for 40bucks, I do try to support my local guys

i hear you. my guys used to do that crap too. if i caught them doing it it went right into the register though. made them a little more inclined to give it to the customer that needed it the next time for free, or "remember" to give it to the customer who's amp install they didnt need it on in the first place.

Any suggestions on a solid reference book for all things car audio, My amp wiring kit has no instructions,and the amp manual is vague. I get the jist, but would like a solid step by step,nothing left out kinda tutorial.

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/education/index.cfm

mitek makes the coustic stuff, so the mtx diagrams will be pretty similar to yours amp, plus they have some good/basic information about hooking things up. also the MECP study guides are excellent for those that want to get a little more into it and know why things do what they do and not just how to hook stuff up.

www.mecp.com

Just finished my install as per this thread. First, thank you everyone sincerely.
I have never done anything electrical in my life, zero experience w/car stereo.
Everything is here on the forum, just have to use the search button up. Here's my experience.....I installed a JL 8" (W0) sub already in an enclosure and a 160watt coustic amp. I had these installed and purchased at a local shop in my previous vehicle. When I traded the truck in for the E, I just pulled the amp and sub enclosure out, and payed no attention to how it was hooked up. I did have to buy an amp wiring kit ($40) and some t-caps, butt connectors,and electrical wire cutter($5..they were crap but I'm only using em once). The power cable routing was the hardest thing by far, tried different suggestions found here on the forum but THIS (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29117&highlight=power+cable+route)worked best for me, and it was indeed easy. I also referred to THis (http://www.caraudiohelp.com/how_to_install_a_car_amp/how_to_install_a_car_amp.htm). Previous experience pulling the front plastic off also helps with your confidence. I cut the power wire and installed a fuse holder 4" from the positive terminal. Now removing the kick panel was a pain but no big deal. The wiring diagram in yoda's earlier post is great. Print it out. The question I came to was, the amp has all the wires but only 2 connections. A green harness and a grey one. After counting pins and referring to diagram I found the green is the input and the gray harness output. My wires matched but were not in the correct numbered pins...no problem hold your breathe and crimp a t-clamps to the wires. 5 in total (4sub outs, 1 remote amp power on)
I used 18guage wires to connect to my speaker level harness from the t-taps. I grounded the amp at the passenger seat bolt. Loomed my cables, and hooked the speaker wires from my sub to the amp. Check everything, Reconnect your car's battery ground, Check again, start the car, enter the radio code and adjust your gain on the amp to match it to your factory sub. I enjoyed this experience so much, Thanks EOC you made me a car and forum junkie at the same time!!!:razz::-D:razz:
Try this for glossary (http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/car_stereo/glossary.html)

glad you got it all done

assuming you are hooking the amp up to only the sub, grab the sub output from the factory amp in the passenger kickpanel. hook the gray and gray/black & the white and white/black of a line output converter (LOC) to the sub output in the diagram below and hook your rcas into it. or if your amp has highlevel inputs you can tap into those wires and hook them to the highlevel inputs of your amp. then hook your remote turn on for the amp up to the yellow/green wire in plug b pin number 1 at the factory amp. run power and ground to the new amp and you are done.

I realize that this is an old post but I'm in need of an answer/clarification on a detail.

There are two positive and two negative wires (four total) on the high level input plug but there are only two wires on the stock harness for the sub (reb/blue + and red/white - ).

My question is, am I supposed to connect both of the positive wires from the high level plug to the red/blue wire, and both of the negative wires to the red/white? I just don't want to fry anything...

Is this what's referred to as "bridging" the amp? Or is that achieved on the output side?

The amp I'm using is the Sony xplod xm-1s.

Thanks.

I realize that this is an old post but I'm in need of an answer/clarification on a detail.

There are two positive and two negative wires (four total) on the high level input plug but there are only two wires on the stock harness for the sub (reb/blue + and red/white - ).

My question is, am I supposed to connect both of the positive wires from the high level plug to the red/blue wire, and both of the negative wires to the red/white? I just don't want to fry anything...

Is this what's referred to as "bridging" the amp? Or is that achieved on the output side?

The amp I'm using is the Sony xplod xm-1s.

Thanks.

are you looking at the sub connector behind the radio? to use your highlevel inputs you are gonna need to grab the sub output from the factory amp in the passenger kickpanel. it is a dual voice coil subwoofer so there will be 2 "+"s and 2 "-"s to grab.

are you looking at the sub connector behind the radio? to use your highlevel inputs you are gonna need to grab the sub output from the factory amp in the passenger kickpanel. it is a dual voice coil subwoofer so there will be 2 "+"s and 2 "-"s to grab.

I'm looking at the connections down at the passenger kick panel. There are two plugs, one grey and one green. I'm assuming that the green is "in" and the grey is "out" based upon the drawing I referenced in this thread.

I attached my high input leads to the two sub leads (+/-) on the green plug. I figured that since I'm adding an amp, I don't want to use an already amplified signal.

I fired it up last night and it's all working. I'm able to adjust the subwoofer via the radio (not that that's an indicator of anything...) but if it's going to cook something, please let me know so that I can re-do it.

(edit) And I installed a Kicker 6.5 inch subwoofer, too. So I'm not running the stock sub off of the new amp.
For clarity: stock head unit, kicker sub, sony amp.

I'm most grateful for your time.

I'm looking at the connections down at the passenger kick panel. There are two plugs, one grey and one green. I'm assuming that the green is "in" and the grey is "out" based upon the drawing I referenced in this thread.

I attached my high input leads to the two sub leads (+/-) on the green plug. I figured that since I'm adding an amp, I don't want to use an already amplified signal.

I fired it up last night and it's all working. I'm able to adjust the subwoofer via the radio (not that that's an indicator of anything...) but if it's going to cook something, please let me know so that I can re-do it.

(edit) And I installed a Kicker 6.5 inch subwoofer, too. So I'm not running the stock sub off of the new amp.
For clarity: stock head unit, kicker sub, sony amp.

I'm most grateful for your time.

if that is where you are grabbing it then hooking both positives to one + and both negatives to the one - is fine. you can actually do that with a cut off rca cable and go into the rca level inputs of you amp instead though as that is a low level (pre amplifier) signal. high level converter or high level inputs on the amp are only needed when taking speaker level outputs and using them for input. you may not be getting very much volume from the amp when you compare that with what you would get by using those wires for your rca level in, or grabbing the output side for your input to your highlevel of the amp

if that is where you are grabbing it then hooking both positives to one + and both negatives to the one - is fine. you can actually do that with a cut off rca cable and go into the rca level inputs of you amp instead though as that is a low level (pre amplifier) signal. high level converter or high level inputs on the amp are only needed when taking speaker level outputs and using them for input. you may not be getting very much volume from the amp when you compare that with what you would get by using those wires for your rca level in, or grabbing the output side for your input to your highlevel of the amp

Ok, so nothing's going to cook. That's a relief.

I'll switch to rca's coming off of the same wires.

thanks!