Scorpnstail

Hey everyone ... got a question here regarding how to tap into the stock setup of my car. I tried to do a search , but I did not come up with any definitive anwsers.

I drive a 2001 Mustang with the premium audio system , this includes 2 stock amps in the trunk area. Now the current sound comming off the system with the stock mach head unit suits my needs just great. What I would like to do is drop the headunit and connect my PC to these stock amps in hope that it will sound the same.

Is this possible ? if it is .... how?

Thanks in advance for any help that can be offered

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sfay93

One of thses should do it for ya:
http://logjamelectronics.com/auxford.html

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Scorpnstail

how should I go about hooking this up from my PC to the stock amps ??

sfay93

You won't need to hook into the amps with one of these. This hooks behind your stereo and will output your carputer sound through your factory system. All you need is a Y adapter 1/8" to RCA to hook into your adapter and the sound card on your carputer.

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Scorpnstail

I am pretty much going to have to get rid of the headunit.

I had a link to this : http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piefrdnaux.html
which would be the one for my car.

The only way I would be able to keep the head unit would be to move it to another location such as in the area under the dash passenger side. If I were to do this then are there any guides out there for relocating the whole unit?

thanks

Scorp

WhiteRabbit

why would you relocate the entire unit? the CD player is attached through a very short coord, so if you move the CD player, youll have to move teh radio as well. the cable is like one foot long between the two.

again, why move either one?

WhiteRabbit

man, going over your dash layout, I dont see any way you can move the radio. your passenger has no legroom as it is, the map pockets are subject to too much vibration, the center console is too small, the dash is cramped and filled with unmovable lines.

I have no idea where you are putting your TV screen.

but if you are keeping the stock radio, why move it?

Scorpnstail

True .. good point. I did not know the cables were so short. I guess I will ditch the whole thing then. The reason I am doing this is that I would like to put my monitor in that location, since there is no room anywhere else in the entire vehicle.

This brings me back to the origional question, Is there a way to connect the PC to the stock amps without the headunit? I have started to wonder if the quality of the sound is really because of the Mach headunit or the stock amps.

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Scorpnstail

*Strike the comment that was here * I will continue the Post here so I dont wind up Hijacking the persons post

Scorp

Scorpnstail

ok .. here is the info I have so far on dropping the 460 headunit and interfacing a computer into the stock sound system.

__________________________________________________ ______________

Ford Premium systems use a low-level differential type audio signal, between the radio and the amplifier, to minimize noise. Connecting speaker leads from a new radio to the factory amplifier can damage the new radio, and possibly the factory amplifier.
__________________________________________________ _____________

And my thanks to pyros for pointing out this article - http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=482713

So from my understanding with this article to do this I would need to get a few things


1. METRA 70-5519 Harness - $18
- To plug into the existing amps
2. Low-pass crossover for speakers other then tweeters - Not sure really how I would use this
3. High-Pass corssover for your tweeters - again not sure on how this would work

That is about all i have for the moment ... It seems like this is quite a bit of work to get this done.

tmar89

I'll repost what I mentioned in the other thread here for reference:

Here's the setup I'm thinking of for connecting a PC directly to the Mach460 system:

Computer Speaker Out -> 1/8" to dual stereo RCA cables.

1/8'----|====< RCA1 and RCA2

Split RCA1 to Left +/- and Right +/- and connect those directly to the tweeter LF+/-,LR+/-,RF+/-,RR+/- (using high pass filters) on the Metra Harness since it is an amplified signal from the computer.

Plug RCA2 into a Hi-Lo Line Out converter (such as) then into the RCA inputs of the Metra Harness (using low pass filters).

Make sense?

Scorpnstail

Yea .. I understand what you are saying now to put a concept into reality .. I am going to have to talk to a installer around town as I dont have the skills required to do this install

tmar89

i'll let you know if I go ahead and try it.

WhiteRabbit

I might consider using the computer as a sole source, in this instance. there is a fundamental problem with fords using an aftermarket stereo with the tock amplifier and stock speakers.

using speaker level outputs into the inputs of the amplifiers, they get overdriven way too quick, and clip at low volumes.

there is an adapter you can get that lets you plug in your aftermarket radio RCA outputs into the amplifeir inputs. but the voltage seems to be a bit low, weve had problems getting it loud.

if you decide to use an aftermarket radio in conjunction with your computer, I would suggest you attenuate the speaekr level outs and use those as teh inputs to the amplifiers.

Or, you can use the computer as a source, and see if the output voltage is high enough to drive the amplifiers.

Or, you can bypass the stock amplifiers (we ended up doing this) and rerun wires directly to the speakers.

Or, you can just change out everything.....

man, I hate the mach stereo system.

If you do decide to junk all the stock source units and run off the computer directly, you can get a universal CD pocket. Metra makes a pretty solid one. I dont know if it fits in the upper din area, but I would be surprised if it didnt. It definitely fits in the lower area where your CD player is, we got one to fit in there pretty well.

that would let you run your screen and a CD pocket.

tmar89

OK, It's been a while but I have wonderful news! IT WORKED! I now have my computer plugged directly into my mach460 harnesses and no radio is needed. Here's the setup:

Computer Speaker Out -> 1/8" to stereo RCA cables.

2 Female-to-Dual Male RCA adapters. Now have RCA1 and RCA2.

Run RCA1 (tweeters) into a 200W or so 2 channel AMP. If your AMP has high pass filters, great! If not, use the high pass filters (link in thread) and connect directly to the tweeter LF+/-,LR+/-,RF+/-,RR+/- on the Metra Harness since it is an amplified signal from the computer. (I used the high pass filters)

Plug RCA2 (subs) into a Hi-Lo Line Out converter (link in thread) then into the RCA inputs of the Metra Harness using low pass filters (link in thread). You may need to do some stereo back to RCA wiring depending on the Hi-Lo Line Out converter.

At this point you can directly plug in the Metra Harness to your radio and you should be set. I have a very clean sound and I love it! No more Radio!! The next step is to mount my LCD screen in that spot. I need ideas!

Useful links:

Hi-Lo Converters (I used the first one) http://www.installer.com/hilo/

METRA 70-5519 Harness - $18
Metra Harness

Low-pass crossover for your subs
Go to Parts Express and search for “FMOD”. I used 50Hz ones.

Bass Blockers for your tweeters (not needed if your amp has a high-pass crossover built in)
Bass Blockers
I used the 600Hz model. They seem to work ok for me. If I did it again, I would allow a little more low frequency into my highs and go with a 300Hz or 400Hz

I'm not audio expert so choose the frequencies you desire.

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