Car Audio Gurus....help please....

[Techie333]

Do stock car radio generally come with at least one free RCA output?
I have a 1996 Camry w/ 4 speakers and I want to put a sub in it. Can I just hook the RCA input on the sub w/ built in amp to the RCA output or do I HAVE to get a receiver with a RCA subwoofer output?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Evadman]

I have never seen a stock radio with an RCA out. It is possable, as I have not seen your specific radio, but I highly doubt it.

<edit>
You can just hook the amp up to your speakers, and use that as an imput, but it can distort the sound. For a sub, I think it would be ok, expecialy since your trunk would absorb most of the interference sound.

 

[MorphineChild]

No your radio does not have an RCA output on it. However if you want to avoid purchasing a new head unit you can always buy a line out converter. This converts the signal from your speaker wires into RCA type so you can plug that into an amp. This will require some modification to your stock wiring though. Best bet is if you want to add speakers or subs or anything to your stereo it is usually best to get an aftermarket unit. Buying an aftermarket unit will allow you to controll your stereo better, especially if it has a subwoofer controll on it. It also lets you keep your stock wiring untouched. Sound quality is usually better, depending on what you do to the signal after you converted it to RCA, using an aftermarked with higher voltage RCA outputs. Hope this helps you some.

 

[Techie333]

ok I don't want to mess with the stock wiring so I guess I'll just get a new receiver/head unit. I don't have an amp I can hook it up to; it is just a subwoofer with a built-in amp which I guess is the same thing. Anyway, if I have a built-in amp, does my cd receiver have to have a subwoofer RCA output or can I just use a regular pre-amp output. Also how do I do the wiring from the back of the receiver to my trunk?

 

[Techie333]

bbbbuuuuuuummmmmmpppppppp!

 

[stev0]

first timer at this? maybe want to take it to a pro...

anyway, no you don't necessarly need to have a sub preamp output, just hook it up to the front or rear output if the aftermarket deck you decide to buy dosen't have a sub out.

the wiring is fairly simple, you will need to purchase a amp wiring kit, rated on the size of your amp. Hook the power cable to your battery and run it though the firewall somewhere, under the kicker plates or the carpet to the back of your car. On the opposite side of your car, which ever side dosne't have the power wire running through it your going to have to run your rca cables and the remote amp turn on. The remote amp turn on is usually spliced into your antenna turn on cable (usually blue on aftermarket wiring harnesses) or just some sort of power cable from your deck that turns on when your deck turns on and is turned off when the deck is turned off. You will also need to have a ground cable from the amp to some place in the truck. Usually under a bolt, the pain needs to be removed around the area where you plan to ground the amp, to ensure proper grounding.

if you haven't done this before, and don't want to risk shorting something out, or destroying your car in the process, i would check out a car audio install place, normally they would charge 20-40 bucks to hook up that amp for you, and if you bought the aftermarked deck from them and were going to have them install it, they would probably cut you some sort of deal.

 

[Techie333]

actually i dont need to do the power wiring because its a home theater sub and i have a 350 watt cont/600 watt peak power inverter that converts the lighter output to a household socket output. so i guess I can try hooking up the RCA input into the preamp output in back of deck.....only prob is when I called the company for the sub, he said he wasnt so sure and if i were to try it, the impedance would have to be 8 ohms and preamp out has to be .8V or less. Now does this really matter or is it some BS they make up to save their ass from warranty problems......(one of my friends told me impedance won't really matter).....cause no aftermarket cd receiver has .8V or less for preamp out!!!

 

[Spendthrift]

if you buy a nicer head unit the preamp outs will be 4v (most likely) otherwise theyll probably be 2v. so it shouldnt be much of a concern.

so let me get this straight, youre powering the amp through your lighter socket?!?

interesting. dont know how the sound is going to be. your home theater sub was made for a room, but youre throwing it in a 4x3x2ft space (guessing trunk dimensions).

acoustically the sub wasnt designed for it. car subs are designed for smaller spaces as are the boxes that are built for them. thats why car subs sound crappy on your home theater system. just my opinion.

 

[Lucky]

bad idea.

 

[Techie333]

its a sub, not an amp......it just has a built-in amp........so are you saying that although the specs say .8V or less........it wont matter if i hook it up to a 2V or something like tht.............

 

[Lucky]

no i think we are just saying that putting a self-powered home theater sub into your car via a cigarette lighter is a bad idea.

 

[Techie333]

it is a 350watt continuous power supply and the aiwa customer support guy said that according to the specifications, the sub consumes 41 watts......and that this should be MORE than enough.....remember it is 600 watts peak....which is what other manufactures rate at.......

Still think it is a bad idea?

 

[Viperoni]

<< your home theater sub was made for a room, but youre throwing it in a 4x3x2ft space (guessing trunk dimensions).

acoustically the sub wasnt designed for it. car subs are designed for smaller spaces as are the boxes that are built for them. thats why car subs sound crappy on your home theater system. just my opinion. >>



He'd get more lower end bass is all. Car subs are designed to work with the cars bass boost...home theatre subs are designed to produce that low bass all by themselves.

 

[Techie333]

so it will work and IMPEDANCE and VOLTS won't matter....? Also the frequency response is 35Hz - 200Hz......will this be a prob......will i need to get an amp.....or a cd receiver deck with a RCA preamp out will handle it?

will i need a crossover to convert the speaker frequency from cd receiver RCA preamp out into a lower frequency for the sub........boy im so confused.......

 

[Viperoni]

ok, what kinda sub is this to begin with?

 

[Spendthrift]

i dont know if he .8v or less is going to matter, but i do know that headunit preamp outs are going to be higher than .8v. as for impedance, youll have to check but i believe that most headunits are intended for 4ohm loads. however, because the amp and sub are already wired together, the sub should already be providing an 8ohm load on the amp. at least if im understanding what you have correctly.

viperoni - i dont know as much as you about the physics behind acoustics, but will standing waves be a concern? i know they are in home theater design.

 

[Techie333]

<< ok, what kinda sub is this to begin with? >>



Viperoni, this is an Aiwa TS-W35, it is a boxed unit w/ built-in amp.

The specs on the sub are as follows:
Input terminals: INPUT jack
Input sensitivity/impedance: INPUT: .8 V/50 kilo ohms
Power output: |FTC RULE|| 50 watts, Min. RMS at 8 ohms, from 45 Hz to 150 Hz, with no more than 1 % Total Harmonic Distortion || 50W (8 ohms, T.H.D. 1% at 60 Hz) || 60W (8 ohms, T.H.D. 10% at 60Hz)||
Frequency respons: 35 Hz - 200 Hz
Speaker type: Bass reflex type
Speaker unit: 20cm (8in.) (Magnetically shielded type)
Power consumption: 41 W
Supplied accessories: Connecting cord with RCA phone plugs (1)
then it give dimensions and weight

 

[Viperoni]

<< viperoni - i dont know as much as you about the physics behind acoustics, but will standing waves be a concern? i know they are in home theater design. >>



Usually not in a car. Cars are nice because they're parallel walls are neither very straight, nor sturdy, nor big.
Plus the amount of bass boost they give is pretty big as well, so even a 5h!tty sub can get loud.


Techie, that sub probably wont even sound good in a car.
My advice to you is to get a decent 50-100watt RMS amp ($50) with high level (signal from the speaker wires) inputs, a decent sub driver (many good ones can be found for $50, a 15inch Dayton Thruster is ~$60) and you'll be miles further ahead than using your aiwa + power convertor.

Dayton Thruster 15inch sub (250watts RMS, high sensitivity, and I believe a 5 year warranty too)
This Ultimate 50x2/165x1 watt RMS amp would be more than enough to drive that 15 well enough.

For $140 + sub box + wiring kit + installation(not hard to do it yourself), you'd have a nice new amp + sub, that would probably be pretty loud in your small car (120db shouldn't be a problem).

 

[Spendthrift]

lol, i have one of those aiwa subs. i think my brother may be using it. definitely wouldnt want one in my car. 8 in driver and supposedly 35 watts. follow viperonis advice. youll like the sound a lot better, although id say its worth a new head unit instead of buying a line converter. depends on how strapped for cash you are.

 

[stev0]

eerrr... leme get this straight, your going to take a powered home audio sub and put it in your car... **sigh** if your going to do that don't even bother. there are reasons why mobile audio subs have a max for 4ohms, otherwise they take too much power from your car. if you did hook it up i would expect to see some lights dimming when that sub kicks hard, besides that your going to have to unplug the converter everytime that you turn off your car, unless it is one of those smart converters that automatically shuts itself down, or your going to drain the battery in your car really quick.

if your so confused... no offence, then don't be a fool. buy a sub made for cars, buy an amp to match. doing what your planning on doing is going to have atleast one problem if not more, and im sure you won't be happy with the sound, unless all your looking for is something to make your trunk rattle.

 

[Lucky]

Techie, that sub probably wont even sound good in a car.



Which is what I said a while back.

 

[Viperoni]

<< eerrr... leme get this straight, your going to take a powered home audio sub and put it in your car... **sigh** if your going to do that don't even bother. there are reasons why mobile audio subs have a max for 4ohms, otherwise they take too much power from your car >>



His Aiwa is an ACTIVE sub, which means all he needs to do is give it a music signal and 120v power.
And the lower the impedance the more power they draw from the amp.


Luckster,

Best put down ~$200 total now, and have a pretty good foundation to expand on later.

Just as an example, here's a decent wiring kit for $30 off eBay: Link

 

[Nefrodite]

hm, well i'd say u might as well try. i'm assuming you still have the crap ass factory speakers installed, with those things setting your quality standard it doesn't really matter what kinda sub u have

 

[Techie333]

alright guys, you've made your point, looks like the best idea is to try it out and see the effects and how I like it. See, I have $$ to blow on my audio, but I would rather first get a new cd receiver and speakers to upgrade from stock radio and speakers then get a new sub..(when I have more money).......the reason i wanted to use the aiwa sub is so that i won't have to blow any more $$$. I mean it is better than NO sub..........CORRECT?

 

[stev0]

unless you have gone and blown up your factory speakers, i would do those after you get your sub. your going to have to be a real audiophile to tell the differance between factory speakers and aftermarket speakers. wait till there is a sale at best buy, get a cd player there and do it when they have one of those free installation days, then go and get yourself a sub and amp, and you can make your own box for fairly cheap (cheaper than buying one premade)