Hi all,

I know this has probably been brought up many times and i have gone through this forum and found some info on stereo options but thought id ask myself to get a more direct answer.

I want to upgrade the system in my 380 ie front and rear speakers sub and amps.
i already have the sub and amps (Kicker)

The thing that baffles me the most if the head unit.. being one complete inbuilt system (i must admit i hate this with new cars.. decks were so much better)

Ive been told and have red on here you can get these converters for it so that the sound can be sent to the amps.. this sound like bodgeyness to me and as ive red can cause noise issues.
Surely there's got to be a better way other then replacing the whole system with a deck which i do have and would like to do but believe itd make the dash look like sh*t and ofcourse make the installation cost more.

what have been peoples prices on installation for the 4 speakers and wiring (for me the subs are in a box and will just sit in the boot) as for the amps im not sure, that brings me to the next question wheres the best mounting place for them i did think under the seats but no room and i dont want to lose all the boot space.

thanks

Ive been told and have red on here you can get these converters for it so that the sound can be sent to the amps.. this sound like bodgeyness to me and as ive red can cause noise issues.
Surely there's got to be a better way other then replacing the whole system with a deck
What else have you got in mind? If a headunit only has speaker outputs, surely it'd be a fair assumption that you will have to use some sort of converter if you want to connect an amp?

Some amps offer speaker level inputs. Otherwise, you can get decent speaker to RCA converters - I'm not familiar with them, but I have heard good things about the Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty. I think some of the noise issues may be related to poor installs, or from the use of cheaper converters.

thanks for the reply..
i just looked up the Rockford fosgate 3sixty.. sounds like a really good unit to have but that definatly blows the budget.. $1149
guess ill have to do a bit more research

I used a high to low level converter in my 380 for a while (2 actually) with no problems. I found that you just had to have the gain turned down to avoid pink noise (hiss). So long as your cabling is done right you should be able to use normal converters. Just find the sweet spot between volume and hiss :)

The kicker amps probably have them built in, and going by Kifs 380, work a lot better than a LOC.

Well i finally went out today and purchased the front and rear speakers..
Decided on Pioneer, other choice was Kicker but local shops had limited range, mainly bottom end gear so yeh went for the Pioneers.

For fronts i went with the TS-D1720C splits (260W max 60W nominal)
and rears TS-A6964S (400w max 40W nominal)
must say im happy with the choice, the 6x9's i didn't go for the expensive type as they are going to be un-powered anyway.. for now.. might amp them up later down the track but really dont think its necessary.

As for amps i already have a Kicker 2 channel 120.2 and a Kicker 600.1 Sub amp to power the already owned Comp VR 10" x2
Going off what amps i have and the speakers i brought seems like the system wont be too bad.. im hoping the hi/lo converter doesn't ruin it because im still keeping the original 6 stacker system.

I popped the boot too and decided to suss out the stock 6x9's setup, what a weird system mitsy have here compare to the magna i used to have.. no wiring to the bottom of the speakers just a connection that plugs into the side of the speaker.. so im guessing i have to get the wiring redone to connect to the new speakers or extend whats there..

Do you think i should just get the car completely rewired?

thanks

At what point is it a good idea to add a capacitor to the system? or is it only necessary for vehicles having more then 2 subs or more amped speakers..

The optioned rockford fosgate system has a converter, this is how mine is set up

At what point is it a good idea to add a capacitor to the system? or is it only necessary for vehicles having more then 2 subs or more amped speakers..

Never... capacitor is band-aid solution to incorrect setup.

Make sure you've got a good battery, correct guage cable running to amps, and good earthing to chassis and battery. Having your stereo 'cranked' will put a lot of stress on your alternator. Might find it'll struggle to keep your battery charge (and you'll damage your ears over time too)

thanks for the replies..
so i guess ill be giving the hi/lo converter a go.. see how it goes
so they just connect to the speaker wires coming out of the 380's deck and rcas plug into it from there.. do they need tuning or setup?

The LOC i got from jaycar has a little dial on it to set the gains.. When I put mine in I had no idea if i needed to change it so I just left it as it was. But my understanding is it sets how much voltage is reduced from the speaker wire to rca (out of the pack I'm pretty sure its set at its highest reduction). Either way you shouldn't need to worry about it, just adjust the gains on your amp till you get it right. :)