Rear Speaker Deck Removal and Amp Install

[ThirtyThreePointThree]

Good question. I only know of the high level outputs coming out of the factory amp, and I knew I would be guaranteed to retain MFT/Sync functionality with them. I haven't looked into the area directly behind the premium's touchscreen, so I don't know if there are truly RCA low-level outputs to tap into there or not. If there really are RCA low-level outputs on the back of the touchscreen, please let me know!!! I will rewire my ms-8 input

So, I tested the auxiliary input straight to the ms-8 as opposed to the high-level speaker outputs, and there was no audible noise I could hear when using auxiliary! I have always been told high level speaker inputs can cause noise, and now I've heard the difference. Also, there was more noise with the car turned on. I didn't have any audible noise introduced turning the car on with auxiliary plugged in. Bad ground for the factory amp??

Had to turn up the MS-8 volume a little more when using the auxiliary input, and tweaked some other settings. Sounds a little clearer now and a little less, well, noisy lol.

Bass response sounds a little more even as well. I wonder if the factory amp is doing some EQ outside of the controls in the Settings on the MFT to compensate for the stock speakers? I am using the front speaker outputs for my ms-8 input.

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[Heinoceros]

Good question. I only know of the high level outputs coming out of the factory amp, and I knew I would be guaranteed to retain MFT/Sync functionality with them. I haven't looked into the area directly behind the premium's touchscreen, so I don't know if there are truly RCA low-level outputs to tap into there or not. If there really are RCA low-level outputs on the back of the touchscreen, please let me know!!! I will rewire my ms-8 input

So, I tested the auxiliary input straight to the ms-8 as opposed to the high-level speaker outputs, and there was no audible noise I could hear when using auxiliary! I have always been told high level speaker inputs can cause noise, and now I've heard the difference. Also, there was more noise with the car turned on. I didn't have any audible noise introduced turning the car on with auxiliary plugged in. Bad ground for the factory amp??

Had to turn up the MS-8 volume a little more when using the auxiliary input, and tweaked some other settings. Sounds a little clearer now and a little less, well, noisy lol.

Bass response sounds a little more even as well. I wonder if the factory amp is doing some EQ outside of the controls in the Settings on the MFT to compensate for the stock speakers? I am using the front speaker outputs for my ms-8 input.

the wiring diagram shows a set of wires going into the amp from the head unit, 4 sets total. These should be the equivalent to rca inputs as far as we know. i included pictures from the wiring diagram earlier in the thread for the amp, so you dont have to go into the center console or mess with the head unit, you should be able to tap into those signals right at the amp, which is easy to get to behind the left kick panel in front of the drivers seat. I think you want to use the front channel still, unless you have a 4 channel amp, in which case you could use all 4.

i would expect those inputs to give you a clearer sound, but i think there is a good chance those inputs could still have the same bass roll off as you are seeing now. I tried dropping the bottom two frequencies on my EQ from my dac source, and that sounded pretty much exactly like what the stock head unit was doing. I was just hoping the premium unit was not doing that.

you may want to look around and see if anyone else has done this. I think the earlier model cars had a similar system, so someone may have tried it on a S197. They are definitely low level inputs to the amp, so there is no danger, but if someone else has tried it and knows you lose volume control or something, it could save you the time trying it.

 

[Bryman]

I was inspired by 33.3's setup and have a ms-8 waiting to be installed. I thought it was believed that we have to take signal from the output of the factory amp to keep full functionality. Can we completely bypass the amp outputs and grab signal directly from the head unit and everything will still work?

 

[SSLByron]

is there head unit functionality you lose if you use the low level inputs?

I don't know why there would be. If anything, the factory amp might do some additional signal filtering that would be detrimental in the long run.

 

[Heinoceros]

I don't know why there would be. If anything, the factory amp might do some additional signal filtering that would be detrimental in the long run.

yea, i just cant imagine how you could lose head functionality, but its easy for me to say, since i have the base model

and getting low level inputs is in general such a better plan, i think it would be crazy not to try that first. especially since the three folks in the thread that have gone into the amps with some sort of auxilliary system have had better quality than the same system using high level converters.

 

[ThirtyThreePointThree]

I indeed used the wiring diagram you provided in this thread with success to do my set-up, so I can confirm everything regarding speaker output was correct.

I'll look around on some s197 forums about this to see what people have done.

I'm very curious about the 4 sets of wires. It does seem like they would correspond to Front-Left, Front-Right, Rear-Left, Rear-Right full range channels. Why would you say they are low level inputs though? As far as I understand, low-level means RCA, one channel one wire. High level means you have 2 normal copper wires per channel, one positive one negative. If anything, I would think these are still high level inputs going into the amplifier, then getting amplified before going to the speakers. Makes me worry they would still have noise associated with them :shrug:

 

[TheColorRed]

I indeed used the wiring diagram you provided in this thread with success to do my set-up, so I can confirm everything regarding speaker output was correct.

I'll look around on some s197 forums about this to see what people have done.

I'm very curious about the 4 sets of wires. It does seem like they would correspond to Front-Left, Front-Right, Rear-Left, Rear-Right full range channels. Why would you say they are low level inputs though? As far as I understand, low-level means RCA, one channel one wire. High level means you have 2 normal copper wires per channel, one positive one negative. If anything, I would think these are still high level inputs going into the amplifier, then getting amplified before going to the speakers. Makes me worry they would still have noise associated with them :shrug:

arent RCA just the same + and - wire cept that it is twisted to cancel out noise?

 

[ThirtyThreePointThree]

Never spliced one open to verify, but I'm pretty sure if you break it down, it's a twisted pair inside of some form of shielding, and then the exposed tip on the RCA connector would be the + and the outside shell is the -.

The ford wires are probably all twisted pairs if I had to guess, but they won't be shielded.

I guess the better question regarding the wires going in to the factory amp would be what is the voltage range of the signals being passed through these wires?

Would love to see results of someone grabbing from those wires instead. I personally don't feel like doing some rewiring just for testing when my aux input is perfectly clean at the moment(layyyyzeeee). Besides, it's quick and easy to switch back over to factory input if I wanna do BT calls which was the big deal with tying into the factory system for me anyway :-)

 

[SSLByron]

If I can get some snow melt to happen tomorrow, I may take a crack at tapping the front signal and hooking up my amp and subs.

Will let you guys know what I find out, if I do find anything out.

 

[SSLByron]

Didn't get to it today and I'm out of town for work for the next couple weeks.

If anybody else figures out anything new, speak up.

 

[SSLByron]

Started on my amp/sub install today. I decided to tap the front speaker signal from the passenger side kick panel. I grabbed the speaker-out side of the harness rather than the stereo side just because I couldn't tell which set of wires came from the HU and which went to the tweeter. I suppose it makes zero difference, but hey, whatever.

Routing the power wire WAS easy. I was able to pull the fender liner away from the well with the wheels on and the car on the ground by cranking the wheel all the way to the right. Made a gap in that nipple and fed the cord through easily enough. I need to chafe-proof it, but I figured I'd wait until I got everything else done and made sure I had enough run.

Got the LOC installed under the kick panel and closed that up. Ran the power and RCA cable under the sill trim and have them running loose into the trunk right now. Buttoned up for the night and will try to finish in the morning.

Here's a question: For anybody who has installed an amp in the trunk, where did you ground? Rear seat bolts, or is there something better under the carpet there?

 

[draco24433]

Rear center seat bolt!

 

[Bryman]

Started on my amp/sub install today. I decided to tap the front speaker signal from the passenger side kick panel. I grabbed the speaker-out side of the harness rather than the stereo side just because I couldn't tell which set of wires came from the HU and which went to the tweeter. I suppose it makes zero difference, but hey, whatever.

Routing the power wire WAS easy. I was able to pull the fender liner away from the well with the wheels on and the car on the ground by cranking the wheel all the way to the right. Made a gap in that nipple and fed the cord through easily enough. I need to chafe-proof it, but I figured I'd wait until I got everything else done and made sure I had enough run.

Got the LOC installed under the kick panel and closed that up. Ran the power and RCA cable under the sill trim and have them running loose into the trunk right now. Buttoned up for the night and will try to finish in the morning.

Here's a question: For anybody who has installed an amp in the trunk, where did you ground? Rear seat bolts, or is there something better under the carpet there?

Pics pretty please!

 

[SSLByron]

Pics pretty please!

I used Heinoceros's pictures from pages 1 and 3 as a guide. Haven't really blazed any new trails yet. I can snap a pic of the location I used to tap the signal when I go back in there to adjust the gain on the LOC when everything is ready to test.

 

[Dat Boi Kumar]

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