I'm starting to build up a car audio system, with minimal to 0 knowledge in car audio's;head unit, tweeter's , amp's, sub's et cetera.

I kinda know it's real rude for me to ask something so generic, but i'd try to put in a better scope of what i'm trying to achieve, and if any of you will be so kind as to assist me, i'd truly appreciate.

The current ICE i have are the stock ones. No CD player, no modified speaks, no nothing.

I really love good sound, but i wouldn't go all the way out throwing thousands away at this stage simply because i know little and would like to start slow.

That being said, i'm really eager to start trying.

I've actually spent a couple of days doing a research on car audio but sad to say, most were too advanced to jump. There were a few forums for sound system i know i should have tried but because i thought this is a universal place for me to start because i'm on a magna, and i've seen some of you guys with a wicked set up and all with brilliant advices given.

Sticking with the topic, this are just some of the things i'm hoping to achieve


Clean vocal sound
Stage sounding
Decent bass, but not overpowering



Probably there are some audiophiles here, so probably i'll throw in a reference. I've got a Grado SR125 and Alessandro MS-1 and i totally love those two head sets. It's bright but not overglaring, perfect mid and sensitive bass.

So FINALLY that being said, i'm actually OFF to get a HEAD UNIT #1

NUMERO UNO is the HEAD UNIT. But the reason i'm making this much fuss is because i've got to make sure that the heart of the system is capable.

And because i suck so badly in not knowing all this things, i do not know what's the right price for something that i need. But i'm willing to spend anywhere between 100-200 for the head unit. Like i say, it's just the start, and it might not be a heck load of money, but i think for something decent, i reckon it should be alright. I don't think that money can get me an Alpine. (Mates used to own Nakamichi and another top italian HU set but it costs about 3 grand..so...i ain't going there...yet)

But for starters, i'm heading out to JB tomorrow and see if i can seek for a decent HU. Unlike headphones, there are just too much variety for HU's, so i thought if you guys could give me a head start and throw in some suggestions for HU within that price region that'd be great. It doesn't have to be all pretty design wise, just a decent sound that'd be great. And is it worth it to grab it from JB's or is there some where else i can look online (eBay..etc etc).

welcome to late night amc lol

but yeah hu prices are dropping sharply what with the digital stuffs speculation... so yeah pretty ideal time to pick one up i think

im not the smartest at components, but what you want for everything is nice chunky cables and good clean short earths. get them sorted and all thats left is for the rest of the guys to fill in with their recommendations i spose.

at the moment, because i'm just on HU, i won't worry about cables. In fact, i try to stay away from cables because i spent too much the last time around on my headphone cables, so i know how much i might pour into the car audio ones.

For that kinda cash try and find a unit with:

- At least 2 sets of pre outs ( front and rear or front and sub )
- And as above, Sub control
- 3 band parametric EQ
- USB or Ipod control
- Possibly inbuilt HPF for the front / rear

Not a big list but with the cash you have allocated I would try and get as much of that as possible. Don't just think of Alpine, you may find something from Pioneer, Eclipse, Kenwood etc that fits the bill.

ok so your going the same route i went so i can advise you dont need to spend alot of money for a good system, i paid around 150 i think for my head unit its a kenwood kdc-mp343 http://http://www.ryda.com.au/Kenwood-KDC-MP343-Car-CD-Tuner-p/kdcmp343.htm its a good cheap head unit it has aux point on the front for ipod connection it has a remote, cd player, radio, sub woofer controll ,low, mid, hi controll pre set eq or custom,and its cheap as chips. you dont need a fancy head unit or whole system infact when your just starting, and if you do alot of the work yourself you learn alot along the way. not only about audio stuff, but about your own car, and once you do it the first time the second time is only easyer. i hope this helps.

i bought the best audio head unit i could afford at the time, i did buy it second hand though which made it half price, its an alpine 9887 which is the best non dvd you can get, has alot of features you will never use really such as imprint.

Given all you've gone on about, you really should be increasing your budget for the headunit, $200 isn't going to get you anything brilliant unless your lucky enough to score something good 2nd hand, it'll just be the bottleneck of your entire stereo once you start to build up with amps and better speakers which will result in you having to replace the headunit down the track.

The best piece of advice I could give, is do it once, and do it properly. I know people usually don't listen to people telling them that, because its exactly what was said to me and I didn't the first time, and wasted a fair amount of money. If you know your going to want a higher end stereo down the track, don't stuff around with cheap entry level stuff you'll have to go out and replace in the near future, just save up and slowly if necessary buy the good quality gear you can keep, you'll actually end up saving yourself money in the long run.

go into jb today, ask the guys there what you want. 30% all car audio (ends today)

If you can hold off buying from JB today go into Freeway car audio during the week and let them know what you're after and give them a budget. And trust me when I say you'll get a far better sounding and setup system from them than from JB.

i bought the best audio head unit i could afford at the time, i did buy it second hand though which made it half price, its an alpine 9887 which is the best non dvd you can get, has alot of features you will never use really such as imprint.

Clarion HX-D2, Nakamichi CD700 II, Eclipse CD7200 II to name a few are around to take that crown off Alpine.

If you miss the JB sale, everyone will have another one soon for the financial year so don't stress.

I agree with Lugo, its worth getting it right the first time. Im not saying you cant get a good head unit for $100-200 (i reckon you can), but if you plan on upgrading it in the future, your better off just buying the good one now. I was lookin at $200 head units, but ended up getting a $400 one. Havnt looked back since. Also if you buy one now and upgrade later, to me, its just a waste of money and time installing.

other advice:

may not be in your budget, but if you buy the whole system at once (or most of it) you can get a pretty good discount at lots of shops, especiialy JB. I got over $100 off when i bought some of my stuff there. and always ask "is that the best price you can give me?"

also, ive seen recently in JB and other stores that some head units come prepackaged with speakers in a box really cheaply., this may be worth lookin into. although im guessing they probably are not that good...but worth checking all the same

If you can hold off buying from JB today go into Freeway car audio during the week and let them know what you're after and give them a budget. And trust me when I say you'll get a far better sounding and setup system from them than from JB.
Thats entirely dependent on how much you spend. I could for instance send you to the best car audio shop in the state but if you only want to spend $200 you won't get any better from them than JB or Strathfield.

Freeway (along with other car audio places like Stylyn, Gary's Car Audio, Bundoora Street Sound and Vision etc) will be good if your looking for higher level brands like Soundstream, Focal, Digital Designs, Rockford Fosgate etc along with a bit of the Alpine, Pioneer etc stuff but nothing there will be as cheap as the mainstream stores if you really just want cheap entry level gear to start with.

Try and come down to one of our weekly meets on the thursday arvo's and have a listen to a few of the systems in members cars. Between the regular group of us there's a fair few different headunits you can have a play with to get an idea of what brand you fancy, and the same deal with speakers, subs and so on. Might help you judge a little on how particular you are with the sound from the stereo, and what sort of level gear you need to achieve such a result.

Clarion HX-D2, Nakamichi CD700 II, Eclipse CD7200 II to name a few are around to take that crown off Alpine.

If you miss the JB sale, everyone will have another one soon for the financial year so don't stress.

yeah sorry i wrote it wrong, i meant to say the best alpine :P

nakamichi isnt exactly the same league!

lol I was just messing with you. Who really cares, everyone is allowed to have an opinion.

Those decks are also twice the price of the Alpine new, a different kind of good.

lol I was just messing with you. Who really cares, everyone is allowed to have an opinion.

Those decks are also twice the price of the Alpine new, a different kind of good.

haha yeah a ridiculous good :)

but yeah for $350 i thought i got a good buy.


For ~200 id be looking at JVC

Clarion HX-D2, Nakamichi CD700 II, Eclipse CD7200 II to name a few are around to take that crown off Alpine.

If you miss the JB sale, everyone will have another one soon for the financial year so don't stress.

I actually did miss the sale. I came back from a party at 8 a.m in the morning, and as they say, the rest was history. (Woke up at about 6 p.m and went to Hogs Breath for breakfast! :eeek:)


I agree with Lugo, its worth getting it right the first time. Im not saying you cant get a good head unit for $100-200 (i reckon you can), but if you plan on upgrading it in the future, your better off just buying the good one now. I was lookin at $200 head units, but ended up getting a $400 one. Havnt looked back since. Also if you buy one now and upgrade later, to me, its just a waste of money and time installing.

other advice:

may not be in your budget, but if you buy the whole system at once (or most of it) you can get a pretty good discount at lots of shops, especiialy JB. I got over $100 off when i bought some of my stuff there. and always ask "is that the best price you can give me?"

also, ive seen recently in JB and other stores that some head units come prepackaged with speakers in a box really cheaply., this may be worth lookin into. although im guessing they probably are not that good...but worth checking all the same


Thats entirely dependent on how much you spend. I could for instance send you to the best car audio shop in the state but if you only want to spend $200 you won't get any better from them than JB or Strathfield.

Freeway (along with other car audio places like Stylyn, Gary's Car Audio, Bundoora Street Sound and Vision etc) will be good if your looking for higher level brands like Soundstream, Focal, Digital Designs, Rockford Fosgate etc along with a bit of the Alpine, Pioneer etc stuff but nothing there will be as cheap as the mainstream stores if you really just want cheap entry level gear to start with.

Try and come down to one of our weekly meets on the thursday arvo's and have a listen to a few of the systems in members cars. Between the regular group of us there's a fair few different headunits you can have a play with to get an idea of what brand you fancy, and the same deal with speakers, subs and so on. Might help you judge a little on how particular you are with the sound from the stereo, and what sort of level gear you need to achieve such a result.

I totally agree with what Lugo has mentioned. But i need a decent sound system for now, that could last me for a year or two. I just need to stay within budget during this time.

I reckon what you said it's true, those car audio places are best if you are going after high end audio. That being said, any other recommendations on HU's? I don't mind going to car audio shops after work to check out some..

If you can wait a week - I will have my current HU for sale, Pioneer DEH-P8950BT (im tired, had a big weekend and yeah)....2 years old.

4V preouts (perhaps 4.5....cant remember)
Ipod connection (with cable)
Bluetooth
MP3, WMA, CD, CD-R, CD-RW
5 Band EQ

Condition is pretty good, there may be a couple scuff marks on the face itself.

$40 + postage should do it.....

http://www.sfxcaraudio.com/images/products/deh-p8950bt.jpg

It is indeed a good handset. Is it just minor scuff marks? What'd you guys think of the price + year usage

It is indeed a good handset. Is it just minor scuff marks? What'd you guys think of the price + year usage
Bargain.

I'll see if I cant take some pics of the face etc - might even come with a plug/play loom...

Hell if I can find it will even come with the manuals lol (sorry, car audio has been piling up in my room and things are just starting to get thrown out....)

Btw - incase you're wondering about the price itself, the original unit set me back $600 and its done what I've needed for now, upgrading to a more dedicated SQ HU.

looks like a bargain to me, if u dont want it, im sure someone else will :D i think its safe to say for $40 you wont do better ;)

Well give me till the end of the week till its out, just waiting on new HU to turn up.

I'll even do a 30 day money back guarantee/waranty. Yes the face has scuff marks - probably should have used that HU case thing more often but hey.

It is indeed a good handset. Is it just minor scuff marks? What'd you guys think of the price + year usage

Handset..ffs...

I'll see if I cant take some pics of the face etc - might even come with a plug/play loom...

Hell if I can find it will even come with the manuals lol (sorry, car audio has been piling up in my room and things are just starting to get thrown out....)

Btw - incase you're wondering about the price itself, the original unit set me back $600 and its done what I've needed for now, upgrading to a more dedicated SQ HU.

Don't fret with the manuals mate, internet's been my guru.
Yea i was searching through the net and noticed the price.


Well give me till the end of the week till its out, just waiting on new HU to turn up.

I'll even do a 30 day money back guarantee/waranty. Yes the face has scuff marks - probably should have used that HU case thing more often but hey.

Sound > Design mate, no worries if it's minor scuffs..2 years..what'd ya expect. Keep me updated with it mate, i'll consider HU part of my initial start up marked off...so i'll next move to amps and speakers...and woof's.

Funnily enough I have spare amps aswell......hahaha

2 Clarion amps, one 2 channel (90wrms x 2 IIRC) and one 4 channel (4 x 90wrms)....

Wait just checked, I have 3 spare amps LOL add a sony XM-1S to that list. 500wrms @ 20hm

Think I may have 2 spare subwoofers, set of front speakers, distribution blocks (I *think*)

LOL

Are you starting your own Autobarn franchise mate :D

I'm on a Magna TE, so i reckon, after HU, i'll need an amp, one sub, pair of tweeter, and pair of whatever you call it the thing you put it at the back

Nah just on my 3rd build in my TE....

So have a fair few 'spares' hanging around....only original thing left is the sound deadening and 0AWG cable hahaha

wow $40 total bargain! i'd take it for my girlfriend's corolla if you dont want it jono :P

Hey Ers, where in NSW are you? Im interested in the sony amp and a sub for it if you wanna part with them:P

This has turned out to be a sales sub thread indeed haha
twl mate, i'm already getting the HU. Wouldn't have mind letting you have it if i've got a CD player, but having those radio's just won't do haha

I'd need to get some subs, speakers and amps..not really sure of the pricing around the block for a decent one, but i guess $500 should do the trick..no?

This has turned out to be a sales sub thread indeed haha
twl mate, i'm already getting the HU. Wouldn't have mind letting you have it if i've got a CD player, but having those radio's just won't do haha

I'd need to get some subs, speakers and amps..not really sure of the pricing around the block for a decent one, but i guess $500 should do the trick..no?

mate honestly the best thing is to have a budget. I know alot say buy quality 1st time...and in terms of HU thats true becoz of everything that will probably last the longest! With sound its true with the saying the more you pay the better you get! Hell if you have the money you can buy front stage speakers and crossovers for $1000+!! If you looking for something for your daily driver with decent doof doof and sound so you can hear all the hi's mid's and lows jb isnt too bad AS LONG as a) you have a rough idea about what you want/uses, b) know the REAL price of equipment and c) can haggle like a champ! Like lugo said come down to a meet thursday nite..give you a chance to play around, listen and ask whateva the hell you like! lol

and yes $500 can get you an amp, 6x9 speakers for the rear and a sub!

Come have a listen to my subs and amp even thursday, there for sale atm and they pump :P

appreciate the answer mate. I used to have a Soundstream set of speakers with crossover (except sub) installed on my Volkswagen Beetle 4 years ago. It was the one with spider grills, which i got for $150, but that was yonks ago.
And the fact that i don't have a "boot" in the beetle, kinda stopped me from getting subs and the complete set.

Back to reality, i don't know how much to really spend, but i know what to expect. So i reckon the best bet would be to join you guys in the meet every thursday. Would love to escape work early one day and just drive up. Coming from Eastern suburbs, the traffic does take the fun away.

that being said, truly appreciate if you guys can throw in some suggestions so i can at least do some additional research to what i'm doing. Google can only take me that far with one search term :ninja:

Appreciate the comments so far though..really do

dude sweeet bug! my old man woulda loved it...wants to buy one..again! lol Aye soundstream are really good priced quality eqipment. Well now you have a boot so go sub crazy hey!

Haha want me to set you up with homework now ay? lol.

dude sweeet bug! my old man woulda loved it...wants to buy one..again! lol Aye soundstream are really good priced quality eqipment. Well now you have a boot so go sub crazy hey!

Haha want me to set you up with homework now ay? lol.

You don't have to put it so harshhhh.....

Let's just say, you guys are giving me reference, and i build up my own report and answers....not too shabby i reckon

To give you a rough dollar value, headunit aside for a decent system I'd estimate $200-300 for your front splits, $100-150 on rear 6x9's or 6's, $300-400 on a 4ch amp, $300-500 on a sub/subs in prefab box and another $300-400 on a mono. Then $300 odd for a Dynamat Bulk Kit, and $200-300 for necessary wiring, distro block, fuses etc.

That's all on the presumption that you'd buy decent gear straight up and not the cheapest stuff you could find with a known badge on it from JB or Autobarn. So whats that $1700-$2350. This is why usually people do it step by step and not in one hit. 2nd hand is a good option if you want to save some $$$, theres a lot of good quality equipment out there cheap from people who upgrade purely because they want to. Somewhere like mobile electronics australia forums are a good start if you want to have a look at some 2nd hand gear.

Obviously if you wanted to you could go to strath field and buy all Sony or something if you want and have a 4 speaker system and sub all amp'ed for $650 or something, but your quite obviously not going to get the same sort of sound as a result.

Given you've had a stereo of sorts in a previous car I presume your not a complete novice as to whats what, as far as knowing what features you need from the amplifiers and such (eg, low pass/high pass filters, gains etc) so it shouldn't be too tricky for you to find what your after at a decent price. Just from past research though, Soundstream aren't what they used to be especially with their amps, so don't lean towards them just because of your past experience with their products, but definitely have a look at what they have to offer along with all the other competing brands.

Hope I haven't scared you too much with some of the above figures lol

To give you a rough dollar value, headunit aside for a decent system I'd estimate $200-300 for your front splits, $100-150 on rear 6x9's or 6's, $300-400 on a 4ch amp, $300-500 on a sub/subs in prefab box and another $300-400 on a mono. Then $300 odd for a Dynamat Bulk Kit, and $200-300 for necessary wiring, distro block, fuses etc.

That's all on the presumption that you'd buy decent gear straight up and not the cheapest stuff you could find with a known badge on it from JB or Autobarn. So whats that $1700-$2350. This is why usually people do it step by step and not in one hit. 2nd hand is a good option if you want to save some $$$, theres a lot of good quality equipment out there cheap from people who upgrade purely because they want to. Somewhere like mobile electronics australia forums are a good start if you want to have a look at some 2nd hand gear.

Obviously if you wanted to you could go to strath field and buy all Sony or something if you want and have a 4 speaker system and sub all amp'ed for $650 or something, but your quite obviously not going to get the same sort of sound as a result.

Given you've had a stereo of sorts in a previous car I presume your not a complete novice as to whats what, as far as knowing what features you need from the amplifiers and such (eg, low pass/high pass filters, gains etc) so it shouldn't be too tricky for you to find what your after at a decent price. Just from past research though, Soundstream aren't what they used to be especially with their amps, so don't lean towards them just because of your past experience with their products, but definitely have a look at what they have to offer along with all the other competing brands.

Hope I haven't scared you too much with some of the above figures lol

You didn't just scared me, i think you pretty much deterred me from upgrading the speakers at all.
But in all honesty, that gives me pretty much a longer span time of upgrade (not at one go). So i reckon i'll just go month by month. Probably i'll start with an amp, then subs

Yea..i think amps first

There's nothing wrong with doing the stereo bit by bit - just find what you want, and save....

Check out Jaycar range, always rate very well for amps/speakers for a decent price - better than entry level 'name brand' gear.

If I had to build a stereo on a budget, I'd stick with Jaycar for everything.

To give you a rough dollar value, headunit aside for a decent system I'd estimate $200-300 for your front splits, $100-150 on rear 6x9's or 6's, $300-400 on a 4ch amp, $300-500 on a sub/subs in prefab box and another $300-400 on a mono. Then $300 odd for a Dynamat Bulk Kit, and $200-300 for necessary wiring, distro block, fuses etc.

That's all on the presumption that you'd buy decent gear straight up and not the cheapest stuff you could find with a known badge on it from JB or Autobarn. So whats that $1700-$2350. This is why usually people do it step by step and not in one hit. 2nd hand is a good option if you want to save some $$$, theres a lot of good quality equipment out there cheap from people who upgrade purely because they want to. Somewhere like mobile electronics australia forums are a good start if you want to have a look at some 2nd hand gear.

Obviously if you wanted to you could go to strath field and buy all Sony or something if you want and have a 4 speaker system and sub all amp'ed for $650 or something, but your quite obviously not going to get the same sort of sound as a result.

Given you've had a stereo of sorts in a previous car I presume your not a complete novice as to whats what, as far as knowing what features you need from the amplifiers and such (eg, low pass/high pass filters, gains etc) so it shouldn't be too tricky for you to find what your after at a decent price. Just from past research though, Soundstream aren't what they used to be especially with their amps, so don't lean towards them just because of your past experience with their products, but definitely have a look at what they have to offer along with all the other competing brands.

Hope I haven't scared you too much with some of the above figures lol

I missed the part where you "assumed" that i know the features i need from amp, cos i don't. I'm an audiophile, mainly into headphones, so our amps don't usually have the features that car amps uses. I've got a few mates working as mechanics, car accessory owners, and i just went with their recommendation.

So.....haha..that means i'm trying to learn the terms, and the things i need....i don't mind doing research, but i don't usually have search terms. "Car amp" gives me tons of reply in google..thats why i need a little direction..and thanks for the pricing as well...it helps me wake up to reality

There's nothing wrong with doing the stereo bit by bit - just find what you want, and save....

Check out Jaycar range, always rate very well for amps/speakers for a decent price - better than entry level 'name brand' gear.

If I had to build a stereo on a budget, I'd stick with Jaycar for everything.

:ninja:

another tip, as im sure you are aware, research and taking your time is the key

i went down to the local park one night with 4-5 of my friends each with their own sound system, and they all spent at least $500 more then me on theirs, and mine was both louder and clearer then any of theirs.

I got:
JVC Head Unit Top of the range for its time RRP $500 aprox (i got it for $400 approx)
Alpine (i think) Top of the range 6inch RRP $110 (i got for about $80)
JVC Middle of the Range 6x9's RRP $100 (i got for about $80)
Second hand amp off ebay for $40
An top of the range wireing kit RRP $100+ (at cost price to JB approx $70)
Non-brand name sub off ebay for $40 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-MaxTurbo-Car-Enclosure-With-Subwoofer-Sub-Woofer_W0QQitemZ270401520913QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_ Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item3ef52fc511&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

All that comes to around $800, and as i said, it was better quality and volume then a lot of my friends who spent up to $1600 on theirs

So yeah, do a bit of reasearch, because you can get a pretty good system at the right price, especially if u know people who work at the shop, or if you buy secondhand. You can spend twice as much to buy the same thing somewhere else.

Anyone's got spare pioneer connector that i can buy off from?

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68722

Pretty much lost

i swear to you guys installing this HU is a total pain. I haven't even gotten to the wiring phase. It took me a grand total of 1 and half hours removing the cosmetics, with much displeasure. Not to mention ripping it off and dismantling it without prior knowledge did wreck a few things up.

When I got to finally have a glimpse at the original HU casing, it was then to unbolt it. And that’s where I’m stuck at now. It was bolted so hard in, I think I’ll need an electrical screwdriver to remove it..
What a start

Try doing that 3 times in 1 sitting......

It is a pain, I can do it blind folded now, but still a pain in a Magna.

Dude, you should've asked B4 you started installing, plenty of experienced people on here.
Magna's are a dream to do an install on IMO. You wanna try a VT/VX or a EF/EL. Now thats a pain in the ass, the fords especially, if you dont have the correct bit for the nut heads. Even worse!!!

haha keep at it. feels good once it goes back in and looks like a real car again. so is it just the screws holding the hu in thats giving dramas?

Do you need help mate? Where abouts are you in Vic?

Try doing that 3 times in 1 sitting......

It is a pain, I can do it blind folded now, but still a pain in a Magna.

Well if you are just removing the cosmetics once, it shouldn't be an issue.


Dude, you should've asked B4 you started installing, plenty of experienced people on here.
Magna's are a dream to do an install on IMO. You wanna try a VT/VX or a EF/EL. Now thats a pain in the ass, the fords especially, if you dont have the correct bit for the nut heads. Even worse!!!

I found the console removal guide through the search function here mate, which i thought had enough data in it. I just wasn't accounting for the "trouble" and flipped up manner in which it has to be executed. I certainly did not expect the bolts that holds the HU to be unscrewable (if that word exists).


haha keep at it. feels good once it goes back in and looks like a real car again. so is it just the screws holding the hu in thats giving dramas?

At the moment, yes. But i anticipate the next phase of problem to be the wiring. When i pulled the wiring's out, i saw two wires going into the existing HU. One power, and the other with a harness etc. Not sure if that's the same one with the one i'm putting in (You can probably clear me up on this Ers lol)


Do you need help mate? Where abouts are you in Vic?
Thanks for even offering Rhys. I'll try to work on it on the weekend again. I'll probably put some photo's up so as to get a headstart. Garage is so dim i can't work after hours.

Staying in Mulgrave mate, near to where Hawks are training :woot:

Harden up -Jono- lol

Hope you get it all sorted. :D

going in blindly again tomorrow morning. With no internet, i'll see how it goes

hit a snag this weekend. Got tanked big time

Was wondering if you guys can shed some light with my new found problems

#1 I still can't remove the bolts from my existing HU (stock HU) and the factory loom(IMG_0023)
#2 I know #1 means everything, but i just wanted to test the HU out, and it seemed to be that the existing HU has only two wires going in. One with lots of wires (harness), and a black long cable with a male plug. (Picture 001)
#3 Now the HU i've got (Ers you might want to help me out on this), it's got the pioneer to mitsubishi harness in, but apparently i have to connect the speakers as well (dOh?). But seeing how it worked with just the previous HU, i was just bamboozled (Picture 004). The picture shows apparently i need to have this connected to rear output and front output.
#4 To make it more interesting, when i plugged back my original HU, it no longer works. Now it's got this - - - on it...with no apparent reminisce of it's old functions.

Tanked...

I'm guessing those dashes are waiting for a security code - hopefully you've got the original car's manual and a little card with the chassis # and a PIN written on it - hopefully. That PIN should let you re-activate your factory head unit.

re: #2 - the long black cable will be the antenna connection.
The harness should have a number of wires - IIRC, there will be blue, orange, red + black which are all to do with power and then a set of 8? wires with green + grey colours - these are the speaker cables and if you're really lucky, the loom will take care of them for you. If you're a little bit lucky, there will be a sticker on the headunit to say what colour coded wire goes to witch speaker.

So if your harness plugs into the new headunit, or it has an adapting harness, then that should take care of your power and speaker wires.

The RCA connections are used to connect to an amplifier - when using external amplifier(s) the HU's internal amplifier can be turned off. If ERS had a fully active system, then he may have the internal amp switched off, and you'll have to go through the menu to re-enable it. Make sure the volume is set low when you do.

Practice helps! Since you're building your stereo slowly, you'll need to wire up that amplifier later, and you'll have to connect the RCA cables to the headunit - so you'll be pulling the dash facia off again :)

you most likely got it with the pin code. I've got the code's now, but it's still showing - - -. Does it mean i have to take the wiring's out and do it all over again? Or i have to keep the car on for an hour!!?
Once it's resetted, how do you actually manouevre around putting in the codes?


Now i can rid the cosmetics in half the time, in fact,a quarter. 10 mins i can remove everything and put it back in.

Ive just got to figure out why i can't get the stock speakers to work with the harness

and oh, the harness plugs in correctly, but i don't think the speakers still work

Here...an excellent car audio reference

http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm

well it seems to me that i've got two harness to be concerned about, and the harness that i've got from AERPRO doesn't have one harness that includes the speakers wiring. I can only plug one of the harness in, so does it mean iv'e got to rip off the wiring's for the brown harness and combine it with the black harness?

So finally, the hu is in. Gotta thank Ers for that awesome hu. It was great fun installing everything. It took quite awhile but I reckon it was worth it.
Now, to the next parts of the audio . I am not really sure with the current audio in the car. I reckon it's all stock. It has 2 6x9 on the front door panels, two big ones at
the back and another woofer, i think. .
Regardless, there's this small rattling ok the back speakers whenever a loud bass goes by. Seemed like the sound could be hitting the windows, or it could Be the wooden panel holding those speakers. Anyone's got a clue what I am rambling about or it's too vague? Dampening?

Stock system will be 6" coax's up front in the doors, and 6x9"s in the rear. The rattle your hearing is mostly like that of the edge of the parcel shelf tapping the back window. It can be fixed with a rubber stripping along the edge of the shelf pressing against the glass when the shelf is fitted.

You think its bad with stock speakers, wait till you put some speakers in with some punch, then all of a sudden everything starts rattling lol

Ah yeah.

Try 2 layers of Dynamat on the parcel shelf (one boot side, one interior side), 12mm Dynaliner between the parcel shelf trim and the parcel shelf - and still one or two rattles.

Next step - expanding foam hahaha

Those things..wow...not cheap

I am looking at ebay trying to get one in, too many variation.

I might as well solve the problem now seeing once i get those subs and amp the audio, it will get worst

What do i have to do again? lol.