getting around premium sound?

Topic: getting around premium sound? (Read 3213 times) previous topic - next topic

getting around premium sound?

September 19, 2007, 08:53:11 PM

I need to be able to listen to my cds. I don't mind the premium sound, but I don't want cables going all over the place for a portable cd player. Would it be better to put in a cd player in place of the factory radio, or should I find a cd changer? I like being able to change the cds from my seat, but depending on how hard it is to put in an aftermarket cd player, it will make my decision a bit easier. I don't want to have to rewire the whole car, but don't mind changing speakers because at least one rattles when I turn up the bass.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #1 – September 20, 2007, 01:48:45 AM

so you want to keep the premium sound with an aftermarket cd player? you can do that with a line level converter, or use a fm modulator to run a portable cd player through the factory radio's radio frequency.

personally, id rip all the factory shiznit out, and run new wires/amps/speakers. the factory stuff is old technology, and just "old" period.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #2 – September 20, 2007, 02:23:00 AM

Just throw in a head unit and bypass the amp if its there. My car as far as I know had premium sound with no eq, amp, or door speakers. In fact the only thing that tells me it did have premium sound is the door speaker grills. Im pretty sure those are the original grills.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #3 – September 20, 2007, 02:31:08 AM

My car didn't have anything showing it had preimun, yet I had all 6 speakers ( dash/door/trunk) and an amp under the dash pad. I ended up ripping out all the factory stuff and just running new wires for everything

getting around premium sound?

Reply #4 – September 20, 2007, 09:16:00 AM

It's fairly easy to bypass premium sound while using stock wiring. If your car is premium sound, simply look around in the "hole" where the stereo came out of, and around the glove box area (behind it - lower the glove box by squeezing the tabs on the sides together). You should find a speaker wire harness with a plug on the end of it just like the plug that was already in your stock stereo, taped up and not being used. Bring that plug up to the stereo location and there's your speaker inputs which can be connected directly to the aftermarket head unit's speaker outputs. I recommend getting a connector kit, which makes identifying wires that much easier and eliminates your having to cut any factory wires.

If you do this you absolutely, positively MUST unplug the factory premium sound amplifier (85-88 cars it's in the trunk, kinda football shaped, mounted to a sheet metal bracket behind the rear seat back). If you don't unplug it you could damage your head unit, the factory amp, or most likely, both.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #5 – September 20, 2007, 09:38:21 AM

Fila I know that in 84 if you have Prem sound you have a Switch under the radio to turn it on and off. Right in between the Power antenna switch and the Cig lighter. Also in my T-bird the amp was under the rear deck still football shaped. Not 100% but I think the Prem sound grills came in cars with out the prem sound pacage. If your got prem sound you got the upgraded door panel. If you got certain options you got the upgraded door panel. I do believe it worked that way.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #6 – September 20, 2007, 09:47:06 AM

Thanks Ipds, I forgot about the switch. Mine was deffinatly under the dash ( the amp that is). I don't have any speaker grills at all in mine, besides the "grills" in the dash

getting around premium sound?

Reply #7 – September 23, 2007, 07:48:44 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;177406

If you do this you absolutely, positively MUST unplug the factory premium sound amplifier (85-88 cars it's in the trunk, kinda football shaped, mounted to a sheet metal bracket behind the rear seat back). If you don't unplug it you could damage your head unit, the factory amp, or most likely, both.

The stock premium sound amp will defiantly smoke, don't ask how I know...

getting around premium sound?

Reply #8 – September 24, 2007, 10:19:47 PM

i got my whole car ripped apart which was easy, running new speaker wire and putting 3 amps with 8 speakers and 3 sub-woofers :D.

I know if you don't have the pre sound u can just switch the head unit get the adapter to go from old connecters to new and u r fine and its easy.. but with amp I don't know if thats how it would work..

getting around premium sound?

Reply #9 – September 25, 2007, 05:52:48 PM

It works just as how thunderchicken said it would. Took me about two hours(because the install kit I bought sucked) and I found the extra plug behind the radio and unplugged the three plugs on the factory amp and works perfect. Now it just needs the right ohm load speakers installed. I'm also going to get a different radio because the silver one I put in doesn't look right in there. Needs to be black

getting around premium sound?

Reply #10 – October 03, 2007, 11:49:38 PM

i have premium sound in mine with 6 speakers but the two in the dash werent wired from the factory.

i bought the adaptor kit for the black and grey plugs, the radio works but no sound

my solution?

my jvc radio has rac output for front and rear (and subs, but i think they are stupid) so that has 4 rca wires going to the trunk. while i ran that i went head and bought 20 ft of 8 ga. power wire, new battery terminal, and a inline fuse holder. in the trunk, i mounted a 600watt 4 channel amp to the back of the metal pan (with the keyless system and old amp on the back). i wanted to do this without cutting anything, so i went to a junkyard and cut 2 plugs off a football amp so i could just unplug my aftermarket amp and plug the old one right back in. (i like the ability to return to completely stock). i wired the yellow wire from the one harness for my amp turn on, the rest are taped up. then the other plug, i chased down the wire colors to each speaker, then figured out the + side is the one with a bigger pr0ng on the speaker ( i know i probably should have known that but ohwell) then i wired my junkyard plug into my amp, then plugged into my existing harness.

we now have sound! yay

lol, just figured id put that up here in case someone was in the same situation i was in.

getting around premium sound?

Reply #11 – October 05, 2007, 03:40:50 PM

does anyone have a schematic for the wiring to the factory amp? i want to take it out and use the stock power wires, but i'm not sure which is which. also, which is the easiest pathway to run the new wires? down the side, or the middle?

getting around premium sound?

Reply #12 – October 05, 2007, 06:29:49 PM

Wiring diagrams:
http://www.foxthundercats.com/tech/wiringdiagrams.htm

How I installed the stereo in my car (this is outdated, but tells you how to use the factory wiring back at the amp):
http://www.foxthundercats.com/tcstereo.htm
Down the side is easier for running the wires, but if you install large harnesses (big amp power wire, etc) you might end up with the carpeting pulling away from the door sills. Down the middle prevents that, but involves more work.