@researcherI know im "crossing over" now haha. I am trying my VERY best to keep the factory radio.. BUT! There is only so much I can do with the peaks and valleys of the factory output, and that will be the issue in making this sound the best - I believe because the signal that amp ect is receiving is not all that "clean"? / or has cut frequencies or boosted frequencies, etc...
I spent some serious time on google and trying to make a base plan on my next steps. I want to keep it financially "reasonable", and do not have problem doing things in steps to get the best outcome.
I purposely stayed away from the fine tune adjustments on the subwoofer amp for simplicity, but know I would need to get "serious" if I were to amp up the infinity in car speakers.
Spent over a hour removing all connections on battery, terminals, grounds, and power wires plus upgraded the main negative chassis ground from battery. These are the results!.
Car not running both times, key acc position with radio playing.
BEFORE:
View attachment 136118
AFTER:
View attachment 136117
I "gained" almost 1/2 volt stationary..
The lights at idle with the subwoofer at full tilt and cleaning all connections / ground upgrades... I do not get even the slightest dim or voltage drop anywhere on any light that I can see visually... The capacitor reads 14.5 volts at engine idle even while drawing some watts..
View attachment 136119
It's has a brand new 890 CCA battery with the factory 110 amp alternator.
As I now I have NO plans on adding any more draw or powerful amps ect, so it would only be the JL audio 360/4 to power the interior speakers and the 500/1000 pioneer amp for the 12 inch subwoofer. I know I would be asking alot of the factory alternator lol.
I was also looking at sound processors.. as another band aid to keep the factory head unit but looks like if I were to jl audio amp the infinity speakers, I "SHOULD" get a processor to clean up the signal the amp receives.
So where I am at currently. STUDYING.
Save some money for hearing aids.
Good aftermarket speakers - 6.5 inch using factory headunit?
- Thread starter 1 SX
- Start date
Okay some thoughts an update @researcher & others
I installed the kicker line out converter and ran brand new shielded/twisted RCA cables.. give it a test run - sounded very satisfactory.. buttoned up and put everything away thinking that’s that.
Wrong, I went out a few hours later - it was dark out started up the car and as soon as I turned on the lights, I hear it….. that same initial white noise / static I had a few post back.. I ran the rca signal wires identically. BUT while checking over the amp I noticed the RCA input shield color is missing and is looking like this:
Is that shield a major component and is that a source of my static as soon as I turn on the lights running or not running - no difference nor does sound change in intensity with RPMs same as before.
Personally where I am at with this install:
- It seems as the factory head unit is a a HUGE fight to keep. I am only keeping it for looks and well I don't think I am going to be able to get this sound any better without SERIOUS equipment if I keep using the factory head unit such as a digital sound processor, so I am thinking doing what I should of done first lol... and getting rid of it for a navi / carPlay / backup cam ect... unit that has pre outs already.
- The shield on the 4 chan. amp if the issue of my static then I probably should replace the whole 4 channel amp? for how long, and where that shield went I could not tell you. maybe that was my source of noise this whole time... ugh.
- I would also like to dynamat... basically everything doors rear panels ect.
- I am not crazy about the new "speaker wire" I used to go from amp to all speakers.
- Upgrade the capacitor from a 2 to 3.5.
I am really thinking about redoing the whole setup now I have a very good understanding of what I am looking for.... Yes, I'm doing the job twice but the way I look at it the first time was a learning experience and getting my feet wet ect.
So my plan is for right now is:
maybe buy a new four channel amplifier if my current one is actually shot and the source of static.
then "pause" for a few weeks..... buy a item or two a week for the next few weeks until I have everything. (new headunit, all the necessary adapters to keep the steering wheel controls, install kits, thicker speaker wire, dynamat ect)
And then I'm gonna dedicate a solid weekend install..
This is probably how I should've handled this initially, but I never seen this getting so involved...
How does this new plan "sound"
I installed the kicker line out converter and ran brand new shielded/twisted RCA cables.. give it a test run - sounded very satisfactory.. buttoned up and put everything away thinking that’s that.
Wrong, I went out a few hours later - it was dark out started up the car and as soon as I turned on the lights, I hear it….. that same initial white noise / static I had a few post back.. I ran the rca signal wires identically. BUT while checking over the amp I noticed the RCA input shield color is missing and is looking like this:
Is that shield a major component and is that a source of my static as soon as I turn on the lights running or not running - no difference nor does sound change in intensity with RPMs same as before.
Personally where I am at with this install:
- It seems as the factory head unit is a a HUGE fight to keep. I am only keeping it for looks and well I don't think I am going to be able to get this sound any better without SERIOUS equipment if I keep using the factory head unit such as a digital sound processor, so I am thinking doing what I should of done first lol... and getting rid of it for a navi / carPlay / backup cam ect... unit that has pre outs already.
- The shield on the 4 chan. amp if the issue of my static then I probably should replace the whole 4 channel amp? for how long, and where that shield went I could not tell you. maybe that was my source of noise this whole time... ugh.
- I would also like to dynamat... basically everything doors rear panels ect.
- I am not crazy about the new "speaker wire" I used to go from amp to all speakers.
- Upgrade the capacitor from a 2 to 3.5.
I am really thinking about redoing the whole setup now I have a very good understanding of what I am looking for.... Yes, I'm doing the job twice but the way I look at it the first time was a learning experience and getting my feet wet ect.
So my plan is for right now is:
maybe buy a new four channel amplifier if my current one is actually shot and the source of static.
then "pause" for a few weeks..... buy a item or two a week for the next few weeks until I have everything. (new headunit, all the necessary adapters to keep the steering wheel controls, install kits, thicker speaker wire, dynamat ect)
And then I'm gonna dedicate a solid weekend install..
This is probably how I should've handled this initially, but I never seen this getting so involved...
How does this new plan "sound"
hey @1 SX .. You're 100% correct that the hum/static noise is definitely from that amp. It doesn't hurt to have the line out converters, but if I had seen that I wouldn't have recommended the loc's.. That part that's missing is the negative connection to the rca plug! The center tip is the positive and the outside is the negative. No wonder you have noise, it's an incomplete signal/circuit. The one way you could test it out is to run the signal to the subwoofer amp instead and re-wire the speakers to that amp. I assume you can run the subwoofer amp x2 channels? That way you could make sure that the wiring is correct, noise free.Okay some thoughts an update @researcher & others
I installed the kicker line out converter and ran brand new shielded/twisted RCA cables.. give it a test run - sounded very satisfactory.. buttoned up and put everything away thinking that’s that.
Wrong, I went out a few hours later - it was dark out started up the car and as soon as I turned on the lights, I hear it….. that same initial white noise / static I had a few post back.. I ran the rca signal wires identically. BUT while checking over the amp I noticed the RCA input shield color is missing and is looking like this:
View attachment 140114
Is that shield a major component and is that a source of my static as soon as I turn on the lights running or not running - no difference nor does sound change in intensity with RPMs same as before.
Personally where I am at with this install:
- It seems as the factory head unit is a a HUGE fight to keep. I am only keeping it for looks and well I don't think I am going to be able to get this sound any better without SERIOUS equipment if I keep using the factory head unit such as a digital sound processor, so I am thinking doing what I should of done first lol... and getting rid of it for a navi / carPlay / backup cam ect... unit that has pre outs already.
- The shield on the 4 chan. amp if the issue of my static then I probably should replace the whole 4 channel amp? for how long, and where that shield went I could not tell you. maybe that was my source of noise this whole time... ugh.
- I would also like to dynamat... basically everything doors rear panels ect.
- I am not crazy about the new "speaker wire" I used to go from amp to all speakers.
- Upgrade the capacitor from a 2 to 3.5.
I am really thinking about redoing the whole setup now I have a very good understanding of what I am looking for.... Yes, I'm doing the job twice but the way I look at it the first time was a learning experience and getting my feet wet ect.
So my plan is for right now is:
maybe buy a new four channel amplifier if my current one is actually shot and the source of static.
then "pause" for a few weeks..... buy a item or two a week for the next few weeks until I have everything. (new headunit, all the necessary adapters to keep the steering wheel controls, install kits, thicker speaker wire, dynamat ect)
And then I'm gonna dedicate a solid weekend install..
This is probably how I should've handled this initially, but I never seen this getting so involved...
How does this new plan "sound"
I'm beating a dead horse here, but see what I meant about the rabbit hole? I am not making fun at all, just showing how detailed and involved car audio really is. It's not bad, just it takes a lot of time and work especially when you run into technical problems like you have.
I agree with your plan to get rid of that factory headunit/radio and get a good aftermarket. Personally.. Maybe a kenwood or pioneer? I'm not to happy with the direction Alpine has taken in the recent past, not the Alpine of the 90s that's to say the least! But that's something to look at in the future.. But..To fix that amp would require an electronics technician to remove that rca port from the circuit board, solder in a new one, then verify that it's grounded properly inside the circuit board.. If this were my project I'd just get a new amp and be done with that other one. Who knows what the previous owners did to that thing and who wants to spend their life thinking "oh this fix will make it work perfectly.." and it might not..
Dynamat is good but expensive. What I did (totally poor man approach) was I got some denim based house insulation and stuffed that into the panels and floor of the trunk (around the spare tire). Was cheap too, not fiberglass so doesn't need a mask (for your lungs, glass particles) and it's fire resistant. That way you can experiment on where to put the dynamat. Just a thought. I did it on the civic and never put dynamat in at all! lol.. like a limo quiet in there now. And when I say denim, yes they took jeans, shredded them finely and made insulation batting out of them! very cool.. Hey I was broke, I had to do something.. Plus it's warmer in the car too! really!
What I also mean about the denim insulation is you can experiment with it to see where you might have to put dynamat. Notice that the factory only puts it in certain places? Yes that could be to save money, it also could be that it's breaking up the resonant frequencies created by road noise/tire vibration, etc.. And if you put dynamat everywhere it could result in no noise savings.. People might argue with me, but I think a little experimentation with cheaper denim insulation (that you don't have to glue down) might help show where the noise issues are coming from.. I just like cheap priced fixes..
What's wrong with the speaker wire? What makes you think it's not good? I've used 14 gauge wiring for the speakers in past builds, what gauge is the wire you're using?
Again, no need to beat yourself up, you've run into problems here on two fronts.. the ability of the headunit to meet your needs and the components you used (the amp) had damage that didn't help. All you really need to do now is make sure that the rest of the system is ok, which you can do by substituting the sub amp as the regular speaker's amp to test the wiring, make sure you don't have any other electrical noise. Also turn off any filtering that was keeping only the bass frequencies sent to the sub. Turn that off and run it as a normal x2 amp full signal to the regular speakers.. This way you can eliminate that before you throw any more equipment at it.. Let's make sure the fundamentals are solid.. (no noise from the car's electrical system, etc..) If that passes the noise test, meaning no noise, etc.. then you know it's that other amp. Yes I believe it is, but cheaper to just swap some wires around and find out 100%.
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@researcher thank you very much for all of that.
I had a feeling you were going to say that. I went to the electronics store and I picked out a pioneer gm series four channel amplifier. Spec wise it says it’s 1200 watts
the real numbers for what I’m gonna be using it for at four ohms are 125 watt peak x 4, 75 watts rms x 4 so a little upgrade, in terms of wattage output.
an hour later, the Pioneer 4 channel was installed. I had to use the preout on the subwoofer amp and run rca into the input on the four channel amp for the rear infinity speakers. The front infinity speakers are hooked up using the line out converter then RCA cables into the four channel amplifier input for the front channels.
The good news is, I have no more hum, buzz static whatever you wanna call it with the lights on.. the shield ground on the RCA input was definitely the issue in terms of that
..
But I still feel like something is not quite right. When I gave it a test run, I left the pioneer four channel amplifier at the factory “normal” range gain and there was a ton of white noise before I even started playing anything. Also the volume on the radio head unit became like a light switch… number 1 was loud 2 was pretty uncomfortable and 3 I had to back off … keep in mind this over a 30 number scale .Why is it so amplified with the input gain on the normal range and using a loc?
So I had to turn the gain down on the 4 ch to 5%… so now I can use the volume on the head unit normal -ish. Even at 5% gain it’s probably almost double the loudness of factory at any given volume number, but I don’t hear any white noise in the seat (but it’s there there if I get a few inches from speaker)
The white noise I am talking about is identical to…. too much gain but how is it to much gain when I am at 5% the higher the gain, the more intense the white noise. radio on or off makes no difference as soon as the 4 ch amp is powered on is audible.
In regards to the speaker wire, I believe I already had it and I said “good enough”
it is 18 gauge on a 100 foot roll for under $15. I do not feel great about the long-term outlook on that speaker wire.
I’m telling you this is not easy
I had a feeling you were going to say that. I went to the electronics store and I picked out a pioneer gm series four channel amplifier. Spec wise it says it’s 1200 watts
the real numbers for what I’m gonna be using it for at four ohms are 125 watt peak x 4, 75 watts rms x 4 so a little upgrade, in terms of wattage output. an hour later, the Pioneer 4 channel was installed. I had to use the preout on the subwoofer amp and run rca into the input on the four channel amp for the rear infinity speakers. The front infinity speakers are hooked up using the line out converter then RCA cables into the four channel amplifier input for the front channels.
The good news is, I have no more hum, buzz static whatever you wanna call it with the lights on.. the shield ground on the RCA input was definitely the issue in terms of that
..
But I still feel like something is not quite right. When I gave it a test run, I left the pioneer four channel amplifier at the factory “normal” range gain and there was a ton of white noise before I even started playing anything. Also the volume on the radio head unit became like a light switch… number 1 was loud 2 was pretty uncomfortable and 3 I had to back off … keep in mind this over a 30 number scale .Why is it so amplified with the input gain on the normal range and using a loc?
So I had to turn the gain down on the 4 ch to 5%… so now I can use the volume on the head unit normal -ish. Even at 5% gain it’s probably almost double the loudness of factory at any given volume number, but I don’t hear any white noise in the seat (but it’s there there if I get a few inches from speaker)
The white noise I am talking about is identical to…. too much gain but how is it to much gain when I am at 5%
the higher the gain, the more intense the white noise. radio on or off makes no difference as soon as the 4 ch amp is powered on is audible. In regards to the speaker wire, I believe I already had it and I said “good enough”
it is 18 gauge on a 100 foot roll for under $15. I do not feel great about the long-term outlook on that speaker wire. I’m telling you this is not easy
I put that speaker wire in the Festiva 20 years ago. No high watts but it's still holding up just some fading where the sun hits it.
@researcher thank you very much for all of that.
I had a feeling you were going to say that. I went to the electronics store and I picked out a pioneer gm series four channel amplifier. Spec wise it says it’s 1200 watts
an hour later, the Pioneer 4 channel was installed. I had to use the preout on the subwoofer amp and run rca into the input on the four channel amp for the rear infinity speakers. The front infinity speakers are hooked up using the line out converter then RCA cables into the four channel amplifier input for the front channels.
The good news is, I have no more hum, buzz static whatever you wanna call it with the lights on.. the shield ground on the RCA input was definitely the issue in terms of that
View attachment 140272
..
But I still feel like something is not quite right. When I gave it a test run, I left the pioneer four channel amplifier at the factory “normal” range gain and there was a ton of white noise before I even started playing anything. Also the volume on the radio head unit became like a light switch… number 1 was loud 2 was pretty uncomfortable and 3 I had to back off … keep in mind this over a 30 number scale .Why is it so amplified with the input gain on the normal range and using a loc?
So I had to turn the gain down on the 4 ch to 5%… so now I can use the volume on the head unit normal -ish. Even at 5% gain it’s probably almost double the loudness of factory at any given volume number, but I don’t hear any white noise in the seat (but it’s there there if I get a few inches from speaker)
The white noise I am talking about is identical to…. too much gain but how is it to much gain when I am at 5%
In regards to the speaker wire, I believe I already had it and I said “good enough”
I’m telling you this is not easy
nope it's not easy, but feels so good win you get done, really get done, and smile at the results..
ok the noise, have you adjusted the gains of the loc's? not only are there gain controls on the amp but also on the loc.
one more thing.. why are you using the pre-out on the sub amp? Try plugging just the output of the loc into the 4-chan amp, even it's just two channels, see if you get the white noise that way.
That speaker wire should be ok.. I know back in the day I used some flat 14 gauge wiring I picked up from crutchfield, nice oxygen free copper stranded wire. Crimped on some nice quick connect ends no issues. I wish I remembered the name of that wire. Like @Eric Smith said, long term it was fine, but with the wattage you're running I'd upgrade to a 14 gauge wire. That is for later..
The biggest problem right now would be check the gains on the LOC's and turn them down, see if that helps with the white noise hiss.
I'm glad that the static is gone from the bad amplifier.. that's good news and progress!
oh and that picture of the bad amp.. there isn't even a connection on that rca port! That's just the holder, wow..
EDIT: was looking for some 14ga ofc (oxygen free copper) wiring.. found some amazon basics branded wire that looks like the reviewers have tested out to prove it really is 14ga. Sad that some of the sellers are lying about ofc or the gauge of the wiring! I know I've bought other cables from amazon basics (data and charging cables) and they've been excellent.. here's a link
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...SSF2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1
also you'll need some quick connects for the blade speaker connectors. I know they come in different sizes on my speakers the negative and positive are different widths.. I found the 0.25" tycos at home depot here, nice stuff.. the gardner bender ones I've found are kinda thin when you crimp them. so I go with the tyco's brand now
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-El...ct-Fully-Insulated-Nylon-EB0280-000/202204295
EDIT: was looking for some 14ga ofc (oxygen free copper) wiring.. found some amazon basics branded wire that looks like the reviewers have tested out to prove it really is 14ga. Sad that some of the sellers are lying about ofc or the gauge of the wiring! I know I've bought other cables from amazon basics (data and charging cables) and they've been excellent.. here's a link
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...SSF2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1
also you'll need some quick connects for the blade speaker connectors. I know they come in different sizes on my speakers the negative and positive are different widths.. I found the 0.25" tycos at home depot here, nice stuff.. the gardner bender ones I've found are kinda thin when you crimp them. so I go with the tyco's brand now
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-El...ct-Fully-Insulated-Nylon-EB0280-000/202204295
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@researcher Sorry for the delayed response. okay. again this appears user error...
I ordered the kicker LOC 2, (KISLOC2)
thinking that was the new and improved upgraded fantastic spectacular version.
and not the kicker 46KISLOC
I honestly thought those two holes in the top were just screws holding the kicker LOC together and not adjustments.
I know the white noise is there. No one else can hear it unless I point it out so..
I kind of want to just live with it for a little while until I'm ready to do this overhaul.. As a whole the infinity stereo system with the subwoofer does sound very nice and pleasant enough to the untrained and some trained ears
I think it is that time though to look at aftermarket head units, 0 / 2 powers and grounds, factory adapters to keep steering wheel controls etc, some sort of sound dampening material, about 100 brand new clips also and when I remove all the panels I'm going to replace all the clips, upgraded 12 or 14g shielded speaker wire, 3.5 capacitor and mis other things I would need to complete this.
Can you point me in the the right direction in terms of what im looking for?:
Apple car play, dash can accept a 2 din but non flip out please, a cd player, navi, back up cam, adjustable Eq? pre-outs, bluetooth, keep the factory steering wheel controls, and voice activation system for phone?
I am not brand specific and have an open mind, im just not sure I would go with a wm dual brand or something like that.
I ordered the kicker LOC 2, (KISLOC2)
thinking that was the new and improved upgraded fantastic spectacular version.
and not the kicker 46KISLOC
I honestly thought those two holes in the top were just screws holding the kicker LOC together and not adjustments.
I know the white noise is there. No one else can hear it unless I point it out so..
I kind of want to just live with it for a little while until I'm ready to do this overhaul.. As a whole the infinity stereo system with the subwoofer does sound very nice and pleasant enough to the untrained and some trained ears
I think it is that time though to look at aftermarket head units, 0 / 2 powers and grounds, factory adapters to keep steering wheel controls etc, some sort of sound dampening material, about 100 brand new clips also and when I remove all the panels I'm going to replace all the clips, upgraded 12 or 14g shielded speaker wire, 3.5 capacitor and mis other things I would need to complete this.
Can you point me in the the right direction in terms of what im looking for?:
Apple car play, dash can accept a 2 din but non flip out please, a cd player, navi, back up cam, adjustable Eq? pre-outs, bluetooth, keep the factory steering wheel controls, and voice activation system for phone?
I am not brand specific and have an open mind, im just not sure I would go with a wm dual brand or something like that.
Working on the RV and putting a decent headunit and speakers in somehow I got to thinking about this thread last night. I'm hearing something odd at times and couldn't place it until I read your posts, sure seems like white noise. I can't place if it's a certain speaker for just how my ears are catching certain speakers. The headunit is a Boss BE7ACP-CFT and Rockford Fosgate's RX165x3.. so nothing fancy like your setup. I know for a fact I can hear it during carplay, I didn't run just regular radio long enough to comment. Guess I'll see how bad it is this weekend since we're going on a quick trip. We might be the same boat as being over perceptive ... things that bug me my wife never notices!
... things that bug me my wife never notices!hey @1 SX I'll do some research and get back to you about what brands out there I'd recommend. The no-names out there, I know you don't want to experiment with them. And I'm not one that would pay thousands for a headunit. Just something that is a decent price, reliable with excellent performance. and if you want to keep the system where it is currently, it's probably best to stop here and then go with a better headunit, would remove all these issues instantly. so I'll do some research and get back here in a couple days.. no problem!@researcher Sorry for the delayed response. okay. again this appears user error...
I ordered the kicker LOC 2, (KISLOC2)
View attachment 140781
thinking that was the new and improved upgraded fantastic spectacular version.
and not the kicker 46KISLOC
View attachment 140782
I honestly thought those two holes in the top were just screws holding the kicker LOC together and not adjustments.
I know the white noise is there. No one else can hear it unless I point it out so..
I kind of want to just live with it for a little while until I'm ready to do this overhaul.. As a whole the infinity stereo system with the subwoofer does sound very nice and pleasant enough to the untrained and some trained ears
I think it is that time though to look at aftermarket head units, 0 / 2 powers and grounds, factory adapters to keep steering wheel controls etc, some sort of sound dampening material, about 100 brand new clips also and when I remove all the panels I'm going to replace all the clips, upgraded 12 or 14g shielded speaker wire, 3.5 capacitor and mis other things I would need to complete this.
Can you point me in the the right direction in terms of what im looking for?:
Apple car play, dash can accept a 2 din but non flip out please, a cd player, navi, back up cam, adjustable Eq? pre-outs, bluetooth, keep the factory steering wheel controls, and voice activation system for phone?
I am not brand specific and have an open mind, im just not sure I would go with a wm dual brand or something like that.
oh and glad the sub sounds good!! I knew that was a nice one you got!
I'm wondering if it's a ground loop noise..lots of things like wiring can introduce new noise..but since you do not have an amplifier (separate). It would only be coming in on the headunit.. so yes.. see on what sources you can hear the noise (radio, aux in, etc)..Working on the RV and putting a decent headunit and speakers in somehow I got to thinking about this thread last night. I'm hearing something odd at times and couldn't place it until I read your posts, sure seems like white noise. I can't place if it's a certain speaker for just how my ears are catching certain speakers. The headunit is a Boss BE7ACP-CFT and Rockford Fosgate's RX165x3.. so nothing fancy like your setup. I know for a fact I can hear it during carplay, I didn't run just regular radio long enough to comment. Guess I'll see how bad it is this weekend since we're going on a quick trip. We might be the same boat as being over perceptive
6 months later still rocking out.
Zero issues and sounds great now that everything is broken in.
The "White noise" I mentioned earlier in thread is also pretty much fixed as when I removed the front bumper I there was a 7 or 8 wire ground and a single ground on the left side, and another 5 or so wire ground on the right side behind the bumper and splash shields so decided to clean and sand them. While I was feeling frisky i dremel tool the tweeter openings to give a brighter sound, as the factory tweeter covers were blocking some brightness.
Zero issues and sounds great now that everything is broken in.
The "White noise" I mentioned earlier in thread is also pretty much fixed as when I removed the front bumper I there was a 7 or 8 wire ground and a single ground on the left side, and another 5 or so wire ground on the right side behind the bumper and splash shields so decided to clean and sand them. While I was feeling frisky i dremel tool the tweeter openings to give a brighter sound, as the factory tweeter covers were blocking some brightness.
Well. unexpected update..
The Kia now has CarPlay. I was picking up a data cable in the WM electronic section and as I am checking out, I catch a glimpse behind the register... a on clearance, beat up box but still "new" apple CarPlay head unit. The price was beyond reasonable at 60% off, and could return it, so I did something out of my norm and bought it on the spot.
The install was pretty straight forward, while still retaining the factory gloss black surround.. Gray/silver/flat black aftermarket dash install kits are plentiful, but gloss black is alot harder to find with multiple out of stock websites so I decided to make the factory surround work.
I removed the factory radio out of the surround, then dremel tool the opening on the factory gloss black surround to accept a 7 inch double din unit. Also reused the factory mounting brackets from the OEM radio to secure the aftermarket head unit. For a first time go, it did come really well, not perfect, but imho better than all silver surround.
For the connections I used the aftermarket wire harness and soldered every single connection. To finish the install off, I needed to find a PAC SWI-RC-1 for the steering wheel control buttons.... and I did - brand new in box and local for a 20 spot off marketplace.
The SWI-RC-1 install is NOT for the faint of heart.. The install directions website are all but useless, and google had one video of a SWI install in a kia that was relevant... BUT That video was the winner as it showed me the correct dip-switch settings and using the factory service manual wire diagrams was able to hook into the SWI. After hours messing with the SWI, on this kia it is a honest 2 wire connection. You tap the GREEN wire (white with red wire from SWI unit) to the factory GREEN INPUT SWI control wire (Pin C 2-5) then ground wire (next pin to the green wire on factory harness pin C 2-6) a switched ignition source (12V) and another independent ground.
My initial thoughts on this head unit is: even if I paid full price for it I would still be thrilled. It has multiple RCA outputs for the amps, rearview camera, CarPlay, adjustable EQ ect. Decent quality screen and sound output... this unit checks all the right boxes while not including all the extra fluff.. It is basic with some adjustability but modern and refreshing to use..
The "only" thing that slightly bothers me is the blue buttons. I am half tempted to take the buttons off and see if I can switch out the blue leds for red.
The Kia now has CarPlay. I was picking up a data cable in the WM electronic section and as I am checking out, I catch a glimpse behind the register... a on clearance, beat up box but still "new" apple CarPlay head unit. The price was beyond reasonable at 60% off, and could return it, so I did something out of my norm and bought it on the spot.
The install was pretty straight forward, while still retaining the factory gloss black surround.. Gray/silver/flat black aftermarket dash install kits are plentiful, but gloss black is alot harder to find with multiple out of stock websites so I decided to make the factory surround work.
I removed the factory radio out of the surround, then dremel tool the opening on the factory gloss black surround to accept a 7 inch double din unit. Also reused the factory mounting brackets from the OEM radio to secure the aftermarket head unit. For a first time go, it did come really well, not perfect, but imho better than all silver surround.
For the connections I used the aftermarket wire harness and soldered every single connection. To finish the install off, I needed to find a PAC SWI-RC-1 for the steering wheel control buttons.... and I did - brand new in box and local for a 20 spot off marketplace.
The SWI-RC-1 install is NOT for the faint of heart.. The install directions website are all but useless, and google had one video of a SWI install in a kia that was relevant... BUT That video was the winner as it showed me the correct dip-switch settings and using the factory service manual wire diagrams was able to hook into the SWI. After hours messing with the SWI, on this kia it is a honest 2 wire connection. You tap the GREEN wire (white with red wire from SWI unit) to the factory GREEN INPUT SWI control wire (Pin C 2-5) then ground wire (next pin to the green wire on factory harness pin C 2-6) a switched ignition source (12V) and another independent ground.
My initial thoughts on this head unit is: even if I paid full price for it I would still be thrilled. It has multiple RCA outputs for the amps, rearview camera, CarPlay, adjustable EQ ect. Decent quality screen and sound output... this unit checks all the right boxes while not including all the extra fluff.. It is basic with some adjustability but modern and refreshing to use..
The "only" thing that slightly bothers me is the blue buttons. I am half tempted to take the buttons off and see if I can switch out the blue leds for red.
A sad update.
After installing the Apple CarPlay head unit, I "noticed" as I was trying to tune everything (this was probably going on for a little while) both front Infinity door speakers and esp drivers side had low output.... basically only the tweeter was operational on the driver side infinity speaker, and the passenger side had lower output but again the tweeter was fine.
I "thought" somehow either the RCA wires were bad, or the signal wires were bad, so I took everything apart to verify... Results: there was no cracks or chafe marks, or anything that would affect the output or input on any of the wires... Last resort I pulled off the front door panels, while the exterior of speakers looked mint, once I removed the speaker did it go south real quick.
both of these beautiful speakers were actually dripping water FROM THE CONNECTIONS!!
and by the rust marks makes me believe it did not happen yesterday.
This is self induced I feel like... because recently-ish (I did it more then once this year) I got a little obsessive and cleaned the exit drip holes on the bottom of both doors.. basically blasted with the foam cannon, power washer.. AND garden hose (not at the same time haha) inside of the doors from the drain exits to "flush" out the inside bottoms of the doors to prevent rust ect... I did not think I went too crazy with it.... but these speakers say otherwise.
I had to make an emergency trip to BB and unfortunately they did not have the same infinity speakers but had relatively equivalent Pioneer 3 ways for a reasonable price to hold me over until I can get the actual infinity replacement speakers online. I will say though the pioneer speakers do not sound terrible, but a pretty sure if they were hooked up to just a radio without an amplifier and HP enabled they would not sound fantastic but with the amplifier and high pass enabled they sound respectably acceptable or even good.
Since the infinity speakers were shot I disassembled both of them to remove the functional tweeters, then installed the tweeters on the rear deck where the child seat lock is (no children here!) to project the sound "up" and "forward." I did not want to Dremel tool the rear deck at the moment as they fit near perfectly in the latch opening. I just have to figure out a way to tidy up around the tweeters.... Any ideas?
So the moral of the story and another lesson learned is.. Do not power wash the inside of your car doors via the drain holes..
After installing the Apple CarPlay head unit, I "noticed" as I was trying to tune everything (this was probably going on for a little while) both front Infinity door speakers and esp drivers side had low output.... basically only the tweeter was operational on the driver side infinity speaker, and the passenger side had lower output but again the tweeter was fine.
I "thought" somehow either the RCA wires were bad, or the signal wires were bad, so I took everything apart to verify... Results: there was no cracks or chafe marks, or anything that would affect the output or input on any of the wires... Last resort I pulled off the front door panels, while the exterior of speakers looked mint, once I removed the speaker did it go south real quick.
both of these beautiful speakers were actually dripping water FROM THE CONNECTIONS!!
and by the rust marks makes me believe it did not happen yesterday.This is self induced I feel like... because recently-ish (I did it more then once this year) I got a little obsessive and cleaned the exit drip holes on the bottom of both doors.. basically blasted with the foam cannon, power washer.. AND garden hose (not at the same time haha) inside of the doors from the drain exits to "flush" out the inside bottoms of the doors to prevent rust ect... I did not think I went too crazy with it.... but these speakers say otherwise.
I had to make an emergency trip to BB and unfortunately they did not have the same infinity speakers but had relatively equivalent Pioneer 3 ways for a reasonable price to hold me over until I can get the actual infinity replacement speakers online. I will say though the pioneer speakers do not sound terrible, but a pretty sure if they were hooked up to just a radio without an amplifier and HP enabled they would not sound fantastic but with the amplifier and high pass enabled they sound respectably acceptable or even good.
Since the infinity speakers were shot I disassembled both of them to remove the functional tweeters, then installed the tweeters on the rear deck where the child seat lock is (no children here!) to project the sound "up" and "forward." I did not want to Dremel tool the rear deck at the moment as they fit near perfectly in the latch opening. I just have to figure out a way to tidy up around the tweeters.... Any ideas?
So the moral of the story and another lesson learned is.. Do not power wash the inside of your car doors via the drain holes..
- Joined
- May 16, 2021
- Messages
- 414
Installed 4 Infinity speakers and a new Kenwood head unit/CD player in my truck and it sounds fantastic. The Kenwood also has a place to plug in a USB flash drive.This is in the kia. I have no real complaints on the factory 6 speaker setup... its about 200 watts in laboratory conditions, probably much less in every day life
Anyways I want to keep the factory headunit just for the looks and functionality.... for time being. (I am thinking about a full touch screen navi setup down road).
I am looking for (4) 6.5 inch speakers that can run off the factory watts (and aftermarket headunit down road) and sound better then the worn out paper ones currently in the car.. I never max out the radio even at highway speeds with the windows down so "volume" is not a issue.
What's your recommendations on a decent 6.5 inch speaker that does not require hundreds of watts to sound good? Im flexible on price, but we will say $150 cap per pair. I also don't know about mounting depth, but when I had the door panel off there is some room to work with..
Thank you for the recommendations.
Just my 2 cents worth.
PS. Never owned any Infinity speakers before but I am well pleased with these.
