I have a basic 2 speaker stereo in my PU truck, I wish to add some rear speaker boxes, I understand a little about ohms and daisy chaining the speakers, but can I add a fader control between F and R speakers ? There is no fader built into the stereo.
Basic car stereo question
- Thread starter Spitty
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Sure, go ahead!
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
the issue you will run into is final impedance. your radio may not like the final reading. if the speakers are in parallel, the final ohm reading will be half of the sum of resistances. for example, two 4ohm speakers wired in parallel will come out to a 2ohm load. for series, the final impedance will be the sum. two 4ohm speakers in series come out to 8ohms. most car stereos will not accept lower than a 4ohm load.
What year and make of truck is it? It has been a very long time since aftermarket faders were available, I found this NOS one on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255797683084?hash=item3b8ebae38c:g:XKUAAOSwvchjWtkJ&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4NTVHGvHQICmo+C57cyoVlRHZ5UtJF9syTzUP6Yd3tPmelN1FNb5JGxShtmtZSmLLfAApDdTxLAzZ5fEFaILJFF0l9jv53wX8cRALAxEagKFXDiNmlb+4kDsk1Fc4MolTfB7Rz581qM+BlepJivmayszs42eF2SOUbasu8SnjzmcXYuGQU8KG88t1E3YsVpIiPu0Q0xGLwbk7cBiyZmkaNi7Y38Fupa9FG1DDj/ahhB1jzDNMJ9xCIgxnbj0g/iEwvPvyQ8vcsoRh43PcTW2N/y7s9BD13KQu1n2c17+GYss|tkp:Bk9SR4KOztygYw
Ebay is probably your best bet for a fader. Places like Crutchfield, Sonic Electronix, Best Buy, etc don't sell them because they are pretty much just not needed nowadays so no one makes them any more.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255797683084?hash=item3b8ebae38c:g:XKUAAOSwvchjWtkJ&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4NTVHGvHQICmo+C57cyoVlRHZ5UtJF9syTzUP6Yd3tPmelN1FNb5JGxShtmtZSmLLfAApDdTxLAzZ5fEFaILJFF0l9jv53wX8cRALAxEagKFXDiNmlb+4kDsk1Fc4MolTfB7Rz581qM+BlepJivmayszs42eF2SOUbasu8SnjzmcXYuGQU8KG88t1E3YsVpIiPu0Q0xGLwbk7cBiyZmkaNi7Y38Fupa9FG1DDj/ahhB1jzDNMJ9xCIgxnbj0g/iEwvPvyQ8vcsoRh43PcTW2N/y7s9BD13KQu1n2c17+GYss|tkp:Bk9SR4KOztygYw
Ebay is probably your best bet for a fader. Places like Crutchfield, Sonic Electronix, Best Buy, etc don't sell them because they are pretty much just not needed nowadays so no one makes them any more.
I looked after seeing this thread and didn't find any in a quick search.
The truck is an 84 Toyota, the radio may not be original but it only has L and R output (no fader) .
Output is 4 ohms per channel speakers installed are 4 ohm, I wish to add rear L and R 4 ohm speakers.
Not sure how a fader works ? Is it a rheostat.?
Output is 4 ohms per channel speakers installed are 4 ohm, I wish to add rear L and R 4 ohm speakers.
Not sure how a fader works ? Is it a rheostat.?
What are you trying to achieve? If it is better sound this will not help.
A fader is more of a potentiometer than a rheostat. It will have left and right inputs, you wire those to the left and right speaker leads from the radio, and it will have 4 outputs for the speakers, a positive and negative for each speaker. You don't really need to worry about the resistance of the radio outputs or the speakers that you connect the fader to. 4 ohm speakers will work fine. 8 ohm speakers would work also, but would not be quite as loud as a 4 ohm.
What brand of radio is it? Can you post a picture of the radio?
What brand of radio is it? Can you post a picture of the radio?
Change the radio to something with 4 channel output. Crutchfield has them for as low as $50 depending on features you want. You won't get Apple Carplay or Android auto for that but it will work with BlueTooth if you have music on your phone as well as hands free calling.
Kenwood KDC-BT782HD I have an older Kenwood like this in my daughters CRV. It's at least 7 years old now between vehicles it was in. No carplay distractions, phone works great, streams all her music. I added a small amplifier and a small powered Bazooka Subwoofer.
Kenwood KDC-BT782HD I have an older Kenwood like this in my daughters CRV. It's at least 7 years old now between vehicles it was in. No carplay distractions, phone works great, streams all her music. I added a small amplifier and a small powered Bazooka Subwoofer.
look for a cheap amplifier with high level inputs and 4 channel output. You can likely set the fader on the amp and it shouldn't require any meddling after initial setup anyway. Or get a head unit with 4 outputs.
If you add speakers in series, the power output will drop significantly (potentially down to 1/4 of the 2 speaker output power, but you have twice the speaker volume so effectively half the sound pressure) and if you put them in series you can burn up the amp in the head unit very easily.
If you add speakers in series, the power output will drop significantly (potentially down to 1/4 of the 2 speaker output power, but you have twice the speaker volume so effectively half the sound pressure) and if you put them in series you can burn up the amp in the head unit very easily.
Thank you. The Radio/cassette is branded as a Toyota model (I will try to get a picture, but it is darn cold out :-( )
I changed the original 40 year old front speakers and the sound is much better. A friend gave me some nice additional speakers in mounting boxes that will mount perfectly on the extra cab rear shelf, they sound very good also.
I was thinking of using them in combination with the OE front location.
I changed the original 40 year old front speakers and the sound is much better. A friend gave me some nice additional speakers in mounting boxes that will mount perfectly on the extra cab rear shelf, they sound very good also.
I was thinking of using them in combination with the OE front location.
why not just wire them up and see if it sounds decent? Doubt you really need a fader.
Wire the front and rear in parallel. The sound level between front and rear will probably be acceptable
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Yes, I would simply wire them up in parallel. In a single cab truck its doubtful you really need a fader, especially with a factory AM/FM Radio. Your going to half the impedance, which in theory could overload your amp, but since its a factory radio I can't imagine it having enough power for that problem, especially if your not turning it way up.
Try it. Add later if it doesn't work for you. I think you could solder in a resistor to the speakers you wanted to make quieter - how many ohms exactly I don't know.
Try it. Add later if it doesn't work for you. I think you could solder in a resistor to the speakers you wanted to make quieter - how many ohms exactly I don't know.
I’d opt to change it out for a 4 channel radio Walmart has a selection.
Do you even use the cassette anymore? Wouldn't you rather have something that has USB, SD card, MP3, sound equalization, aux input, and bluetooth capabilities? Cheap Chinese stereos with these features, a 4 channel amplifier with 4 separate speaker outputs, and a fader can be purchased for incredibly cheap money on Amazon, like this one...
Add a mounting kit and plug & play wiring harness adapter (you can find them on Crutchfield) and you are in for under $50!
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