Stereo Question: Not the Typical.

[Sstupid]

OK, so I've been assuming that I have an amp and subwoofer in the boot of my car, underneath the cover. Well, I pulled it down today and had nothing except an XM unit. So, does the amplified power for my car come from the radio deck/CD player unit, itself? This completely changes the way I'm going to have to install the line level converter and run wiring. Anyone know? This is an '07 M45 sport without the Bose option, even though the tweeters say Bose on them. I have the component set in the front doors and I'm guessing some two-ways in the rear doors. There is nothing in the package dash.

Thanks!

[Sstupid]

Ok. Found that my "base" system "audio unit" powers the speakers. My question has now changed to where is the "audio unit?" I think it's the CD player unit but I'm not sure.

[Ilya]

Yes, I believe it is the CD unit. That's the only other A/V related pieces other than the stuff in the trunk or in the glovebox (if you have the DVD player option which you don't).

[Sstupid]

Cool. I'll go from there. It was going to be so easy to tap into the amp output in the trunk, if there was one. Now I have to put the line converter and possibly the amplifier for my door speakers, somewhere in the cabin. Ugh.

[TDot]

Before you do that, take a pic of the trunk with the cover removed and post it.

[Sstupid]

I'll do that later today.

[Sstupid]

Alright, sorry about the night-shot, but I just got back home.



If you need any other photos, let me know. There definitely is not any piece of equipment other than the SAT radio module under the package dash.

Here is my driver-door panel after the crossover install and some light Dynamatting, though. I'm going to keep the matting down to a minimum until I get everything hooked up and can actually hear the rattling. I might just start a build thread for this. I'm currently in phase I, which is Focal PS165s in the front doors, Focal 165A1 SGs in the rear doors, an LCQ6i line converter, and a PPI Phantom Series 900.4 amp to run them.



I'm cutting out speaker adapters, tomorrow.

[Sstupid]

I had some time to look at this yesterday. I'm an electronic technician, so this shouldn't be a problem, right?

The audio unit for a "Base System" car like mine is indeed the CD player unit. If there is an amplifier, it is not listed on the schematic. The thing is, the wire color does change from the door to the plug at the back of the audio unit. Here is the part of the schematic for any of you "Base System" peeps out there, like me, in case you want it.



And here is the connector at the back of the audio unit:



I didn't have time this morning, but I'll list the "+" and "-" wires and their colors at the door and at the connector when I get some time. I'm going to splice in right behind the audio unit, for my source lines to my line output converter. I hate to hack up my wiring, but I don't want to run all the way from each door to the converter, just so I can run more wiring from the amp right back to the door.

[Sstupid]

Point of no return. This is the good part about having an old car: you can cut it up to suit your needs.

Back door:


Front tweet pod: I just hate fiberglass and bondo, so I wasn't about to try making my own tweeter pods. It doesn't look awesome but it'll do. It took some creative xacto-knifing.




I still have a lot to do. Going to finish up the door mid adapters, today. It's freaking hot in Texas, right now.

[Sstupid]

So now I understand why only an insane person would attempt to install new speaker wiring in an M45. They are built like tanks. Very impenetrable tanks. I finally get around to evaluating a plan to get new speaker wire into the doors, and here is what I'm met with:



Now I am forced to abandon new speaker wire, which means I have to sacrifice more sound quality as I had to by using the stock head unit for a signal. I should have just bought some regular old coaxials because this is a waste of Focals. The only choice would be to actually drill a hole through the frame in the door jamb and the door. Not sure, even though this car is old, that I want to do that.

[EdBwoy]

...

Now I am forced to abandon new speaker wire, which means I have to sacrifice more sound quality as I had to by using the stock head unit for a signal. I should have just bought some regular old coaxials because this is a waste of Focals. The only choice would be to actually drill a hole through the frame in the door jamb and the door. Not sure, even though this car is old, that I want to do that.

I've had to make it work.on my 03 for 16Ga wiring for a different purpose. Working backwards, I punctured a small hole in that plastic/rubber sheath for the harness and snaked the wire until it popped out in the cabin. Then I just forced this wire to squeeze in the same hole that your plug goes to in the door - it took a little effort, but I ensured nothing was pinching even 2 years later.
On the other hand, if you know how to build harnesses, you could get the pins and use that same plug because I don't think all the holes are used. I didn't have the time or space when I didnthis, but for my next project M45 I will build up the harnesses with a few extra wires through the doors.

[TDot]

What EdBwoy said, there's no reason you cant just snake it through. I would just drill a whole in an empty portion of the harness and fish it through. I dont think you even need to puncture the sheath.

Beyond that though, if you are running a sub, there is no reason for you to run lower gauge wire for the door...if you are tuning your speakers at least...my opinion.

Either way, good luck.

[Sstupid]

TDot, I will be running a 12" Sundown, like you, with a 1200D RF, at 2ohms. I'm going to try it without running wire, first, then decide if I feel like it's good enough. Thanks, guys.

[Sstupid]

After 22 days of on-and-off work (probably like 30-40 man-hours,) the system is in. Does is sound competition? No. Does is sound freakin' awesome? YES! Very satisfied. I had the base system, so I had to hack into the wiring harness right behind the audio unit to get to the R/L speaker outputs. I basically cut them and ran an 8-conductor wire to the line level converter (Audio Control LC6i), then ran the 8 speaker wires from the amp, through the center console, and to the other side of the harness that I hacked into. The wire in the harness is small-gauge, but TDOT was right: I am using the high-pass crossover that the amp provides (Precision Power 900.4) to cut out anything below 100HZ, so no need for thicker gauge wire.
I have a Rockford Fosgate 1200.1 running one 12" Sundown SA-12, running 2-ohms. That gives me roughly 800 watts to a 600-700 watt RMS speaker, so I have to watch out, but it sounds amazing. I fired it up in the garage and my wife thought there was a thunderstorm coming.
Issues I do have:
1) The amps get pretty hot when the trunk liner is closed over them. I may have to cut huge holes in the liner or wire in some fans.
2) The box slides. Need to secure it.
3) My neighbors hate me.
This is a pic before the lines was put on and before I got another 3-ft RCA for the RF amp, but you get the idea.


Difficulty of this job: 9/10. I have a lot of tools and this was a giant PITA.

Cost:
1) PPI 900.4 - $153.00 Amazon
2) Rockford Fosgate 1200.1 - $248.00 Amazon
3) Audio Control LC6i - $68.00 Amazon
4) Focal PS165 - $250.00 cash deal for NIB old-stock from local stereo store. What a friggin' steal.
5) Focal 165A1SG - $238.00 Amazon
6) 100ft Monster XP speaker wire - $36.00 Amazon
7) 40ft 0-Gauge O2-free power wire - $40.00 local stereo shop
8) Amp add-on kit - $20.00 Walmart
9) Different connectors - ~$40.00 Home Depot, stereo shop, Walmart
10) Sheetmetal screws - $10.00 Home Depot. I tried a lot of different sizes.
11) Sundown SA-12 woofer - $250.00 Amazon
12) Q-Box 12" sub box - $36.00 Amazon. Best money ever spent.
13) 3, 3-ft RCA cables - $16.00 Amazon
Total: ~$1405.00

Yeah, it was expensive, but I am sooooooo excited about how good it sounds.

[TDot]

What 8 conductor wire did you run? I hope it wasn't cat5. If it is, my opinion is that's too small for the purpose and length that it's running. But if it is and you're happy with the sound that's all that matters I guess.

[Sstupid]

I "bought" a shielded 18-10 and used 8 of the wires. It was easier than bundling a bunch of wiring together. Don't tell anyone.....I stole it from work. O.O

[Sstupid]

Dammit! Blew the Sundown SA-12 sub. At least, it looks like one of the voice coils went. It is shorting out my amp at higher volumes. Nothing feels crunchy in the woofer movement but my resistance has changed from 1.9 ohms to 3.6 ohms. Oh well, gonna try the NDX equivalent with a higher RMS rating.

[Sstupid]

So, I'm an idiot. Of course I didnt blow the Sundown. That thing is a beast. I had the stupid AGP fuse issue that TDot actually talked about in this stereo install thread. Back to rocking the block with the SA-12. Can't beat it. Don't waste money on any other woofer. I bought the 1000W NVX because I thought I toasted the SA-12 and can tell you that it is nowhere near the woofer.