head unit replacing

[yay for cars]

ive read about this on this forum, but i just wanted to make sure ive got everything straight if i decide to change out my head unit for an aftermarket one myself. would all i need be the head, some sort of adaptor to make it fit in the bigger spot, and the new wiring harness? and how hard are the wiring harness and the adaptor to install? thanks.


EDIT: also, what are the downsides to 5 channel amps, if any? in a previous thread, it was mentioned that you were not able to adjust the subwoofer volume from the head unit with a 5 channel amp. was that due to the 5 channel amp or the fact that the stock HU was being used? thanks.

 

[Sir Nuke]

you can adjust the volume....just not INDEPENDANTLY of all the other speakers...thats all....when you adjust volume with your head unit....it adjusts ALL the speakers, including the sub

 

[yay for cars]

im sorry, what i meant was adjusting the sub independantly from the other speakers. can you do this from, say, and alpine head if you have the 5 channel amp? or is the 5 channel amp the reason that you cannot adjust it independantly?

 

[ZoomZoom]

im sorry, what i meant was adjusting the sub independantly from the other speakers. can you do this from, say, and alpine head if you have the 5 channel amp? or is the 5 channel amp the reason that you cannot adjust it independantly?

If you want total system control, you should buy a head unit that has front, rear and sub RCA pre-outs. Usually, this will allow you to control your fade front and rear and the level of the output of the sub RCA's all independantly. I am a control freak when it comes to system set-up and If I am not using a head unit that has this set-up then I use and EQ that has them, hehe.

peace
Griff

 

[yay for cars]

if i get a head unit with only 2 pre outs, can i set it up with one going to a 4 channel amp for my speakers, and the second going to my sub amp? im not too concerned about being able to adjust the rear and front speaker fade from the HU, as long as i can adjust it once and leave it. i am, however, concerned with being able to tweak with the sub from the head unit.

 

[ZoomZoom]

if i get a head unit with only 2 pre outs, can i set it up with one going to a 4 channel amp for my speakers, and the second going to my sub amp? im not too concerned about being able to adjust the rear and front speaker fade from the HU, as long as i can adjust it once and leave it. i am, however, concerned with being able to tweak with the sub from the head unit.

Yes, this will work...sort of. You can use one set of RCA's to drive a 4 CH. amp either using RCA Y-cables to provide an input for all 4 channels or the amp may have a switch to select 2 channel input. The other set of RCA outputs can be use to drive the sub-amp, the problem is a set of rear outputs usually does not have a level adjustment. So, the only way to vary the sub bass level compared to that of the 4 channel amp would be to use the fader. I am not sure what you are looking for as far as a heas unit goes, but Pioneer has the DEH-P6400, it is relatively cheap, has the OEL display, but most importantly it has a feature that will work well for what you want to do. On this unit, you can switch the rear pre-outs to be sub-outs. This will give you x-over and level control for the sub and will also provide a high pass filter on the fronts. When this feature is selected though, it also makes the rear speaker outputs put out sub-frequencies only, which will not matter for you since you would be using a four channel amp to power your 4 speakers driven by the front RCA outputs. Just a thought.

peace
Griff

 

[yay for cars]

all right, i checked it out and it looks like a sweet face. how would it compare to an alpine CDA-7892? this one has the three pre-outs, and is the same price as the pioneer one. im kind of leaning more towards this one just because the amps i will be using (most likely) will be alpine. also, if i have the three preouts, and i use a 4 channel amp and a subwoofer amp, would i just leave one of the preouts alone? thanks. and also, does anyone know the answer to my very first question about every necessary component for installing a head unit? thanks guys, sorry for my newbie-ness.

 

[ZoomZoom]

all right, i checked it out and it looks like a sweet face. how would it compare to an alpine CDA-7892? this one has the three pre-outs, and is the same price as the pioneer one. im kind of leaning more towards this one just because the amps i will be using (most likely) will be alpine. also, if i have the three preouts, and i use a 4 channel amp and a subwoofer amp, would i just leave one of the preouts alone? thanks. and also, does anyone know the answer to my very first question about every necessary component for installing a head unit? thanks guys, sorry for my newbie-ness.

Well, if the Alpine has three outputs, most likely one of them would be for a sub amp, so that should be fine?!?!?! As far as an install goes..you need the mounting kit, wiring harness adapter and two sets of radio removal tools to get the stock head unit out.

peace
Griff