Connect new HU to McIntosh amp with balanced line adaptor?

[Stalker]

Hi guys.

Wanting to replace my headunit and have found as many have that an aftermerket HU will not connect to the McIntosh amp as headunits usually use unbalanced lines and the McIntosh amps use balanced lines.

Would it be possible however to connect it using a balanced line adapter like this?

http://www.audiocontrol.com/8131/28287/ ... D--10.html

or would my money be better spent on a cheap 4ch amp?

if i get a 4ch amp will the speakers etc have to be rewired or is the stock wiring ok?

[teflon]

There is a member on here SVXdc who I'm pretty sure could supply the adaptor for you to install your aftermarket headunit to the stock Mc amp... However, most would recommend just ditching the Mc amp and installing an aftermarket one... if you're on a budget then a second hand four channel amp to run the fronts and the sub would be sufficient (that's what I did - picked up an alpine MRP-F450 for $100). I just used the stock speaker wiring - the harness for this is next to the Mc amp which you might have discovered already... there should be a wiring diagram somewhere on these forums (if you can't find it I'll see if I can dig up one of the manuals that I've downloaded).

If you have a bit more to spend then let us know your budget and a few of the members can chime in with suggestions.

[Stalker]

Thanks for the input.

Well ideally I wanna keep it as cheap as possible. I went in to wow sight and sound and 4 channel amps they say start at around 150 (but I've bought enough there to know they can do it for less).

I think I will go the aftermarket amp route. Anyone know what kind of power the stock speakers can handle?

I don't need to power the sub. The sub was shot when I bought the car so I disconnected it. Get plenty of bass from the speakers for now and I have a 12" Polk to put in when I install the HU.

[teflon]

I don't need to power the sub. The sub was shot when I bought the car so I disconnected it. Get plenty of bass from the speakers for now and I have a 12" Polk to put in when I install the HU.

I'm running a 12 inch Polk sub as well (db1240)... pram still fits in the back but the box is big!

I assume you'll still need an amp to run the sub though? Or will you run the sub off your headunit?

Stalk overclockers and the MEA forums - should be able to find a cheap second hand amp... boost cruising also has some (surprisingly a lot in QLD! I assume you're in QLD from your mention of WOW) but I found you can run into the occasional dodgy seller on there.

Elite-electronics is an online Melbourne based store which sells audio gear very cheap too... see if there is something on there within your budget?

http://www.elite-electronics.com.au/ind ... ilter_id=2

[garbo41610]

The factory speakers can handle as much power as you can throw at them as long as the gains on the amp are set appropriately.

If you aren't going to run a sub, then you will want to invest in some dynamat to install on the front doors to and to build some proper mounts for the factory speakers. The more solidly you can make the front doors, the better the response you get out of your front stage. You will need to run the sub off an amp if you do end up installing it as you will need to utilise the lower pass filter on the amp so as not to send full range signals to the sub (i.e. your headunit won't have a low pass filter onboard).

As with anything related to car audio, you get what you pay for. You can get lucky on eBay for some cheap second hand amps (don't buy any new amps off there as you will most likely end up getting a fake and burn your car to the ground), better still, you will be able to source good quality cheap second hand amps through MEA and new amps through FHRX Studios here in Sydney (the also do free postage).

Take a look at FHRX Studios website, they are one of the top five (top two really) installers in the country. It will give you a good idea of how much you can spend to get a very good balanced car stereo. See if there are any car audio retailers around your area to listen to as many different speakers, amps, head units etc as you can. Peoples opinions are purely subjective. Something that sounds good to you may not sound any good to me. I personally have spent nearly $10k over the years on car audio and have spent similar amounts of money (using other peoples money) building car stereos for friends etc. If you can, try and buy locally on MEA or FHRX etc, the car audio industry in Australia is very small and getting smaller thanks to eBay etc so try and keep your $$$ in the country. You will also benefit from the warranty's if components fail. Most/all manufacturers will not honor warranty's through eBay sales.

[Stalker]

Yeah the db1240 is what I have. Along with a 250w rms fusion amp (to be upgraded in the future) which came out of my lancer. I have a small DNA box for mine which is great for space.

Yeah I live on the sunny coast. Prefer to buy new so will probs go with wow. I know people who work there and like to support them.

I'm thinking in the future I might upgrade my subs amp and get an 8" to put in the parcel shelf and power that from my current fusion.

Is there anything else I need to consider?

[Stalker]

Also my head unit has both a high and low pass filter. It is a pioneer AVH-P4350DVD.

[teflon]

Would definitely recommend the dynamat like Garbo has mentioned.

Chris Rogers from Audio Express (small business, audio installer, well respected amongst the MEA community) can get you dynamat for a good price - but he is at Herston (and I think currently in NSW doing a few jobs at the moment!) so depends if you want to make the trip... pretty sure he would organise delivery if needed as well.

Edit: If you do change to an 8 inch, Garbo/Mihai have found the vibe from FHRX a good 8 inch sub.

[garbo41610]

Is there anything else I need to consider?

Yep... Get rid of the Fusion amp LOL

[Stalker]

Haha yeah i want to get rid of the fusion but need to focus my money elsewhere right now to get the system in.

Well if I ran an 8" I would run the 12" as well and just use the 8" to fill in the mid range bass. Have the 12" focus on low end bass and the door speakers to do the high end bass, mid and treble. This might be overkill however or even have negative effects on the overall quality of the sound.

And yeah I have looked at dynamat before the the lancer but never got around to it. Perhaps when I have a bit of spare cash.

Thoughts?

[garbo41610]

Be very careful with your crossover points if you plan on running an 8'' "sub" for midbass, you can end up making the stereo sound pretty terrible overall if not done correctly. Your crossover points need to be very precise so you don't get any cancellations between the sub bass, mid bass and midrange frequencies.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it, a decent sub being fed good clean power, a correctly designed enclosure for the sub and decent front stage will be more than ample, you'll just be making the stereo more complicated than necesscary. By "correctly designed enclosure" I mean an enclosure designed specifically for the subs' T/S paramteres... remember every single sub is different and will sound different, either better or worse, in different enclosures

[Stalker]

yeah i dunno i'll see how it sounds with just the 12". packs a pretty good punch as it is and the door speakers are more than powerful enough to fill the rest of the range.

thanks