General Car Audio FAQs

Do u have a diagram on the wires for installing a double din head unit? i just want to know how to wire it ( i am using the schoshe adapter)

 

I have been looking into the Alpine CDA 105 from crutchfield and they list it as an option for my 2005 TRD sport but upon adding the single din surround the fine print states that a fold down face plate will not fit inside my vehicle. Anyone have a fold down face plate and have it working properly? Or does anyone have any insight? I had the same unit in my camry but unfortunately had to give it up with the car when I traded up to the taco.

 

Ok guys so here it is! I know there are I am sure is a few threads about this but I can't seem to find them! So here is the question my buddy said this is what I need to hook my iPod/iPad up to my jbl system yes? He was saying that its like a 7th cd when its hooked up if that makes sence? Because i dont have a aux button? If so is this a good price or is there a better one? Also I am wondering if this will charge the iPad also I am thinking no? Any help from you audio smart guys would be amazing!

http://www.amazon.com/USA-SPEC-PA15-TOY-vehicle-interface/dp/B000NVCJMS

 

question: Installed aftermarket speakers and an amp with the factory headunit. Have really bad feedback from the speakers at and static, kind of like battery noise. Stereo shop that installed it said the only way to get rid of it, is with an aftermarket head unit. Is that true?? Or is he trying to up sell me?? How else can I fix that?

thanks

 

Just wanted to clarify a few comments about alternator whine/noise that were posted earlier. It is entirely possible for a DC system to induce EMF (Noise) on a signal (Your RCAs or Speaker wire) The EMF is produced by a collapsing or expanding electromagnetic feild. The strength or size of an electromagnetic feild is determined by the amount of current flowing through a conductor,. The amount of EMF it induces in its atmosphere is determined by this magnetic strength and the rate at which if fluxuates, or frequency (Hz). If the DC system had a constant draw that never changed, it would not induce any EMF on nearby conductors. Think about how your stereo system must draw power; It is not drawing a constant/steady flow of current by any means. And on a 12 volt system, every 12W of power is equal to 1 amp. Every stereo system i have installed has a main fuse of at least 100A! (im not saying it will draw close to this, just an eye opener to the amount of power in these set-ups) I cannot be specific in regards to how much a stereo system might draw from one moment to the next, so I wont post specific numbers. That being said, a subwoofer runs between 15Hz and 300Hz.A Woofer runs between 100 Hz and 5KHz., A tweeter from 2KHz to 20 KHz. 1 Hz is equal to 1 pulse/second. These frequencies, quite frankly, are freaking insane. The amount of current, and the frequency at which this current is fluxuating, compound eachother, creating harsh magnetic fields. The AC wires that were mentioned on the first page by the OP run at a frequency of 60HZ, and beleive it or not, run at a significantly lower current draw (120V in the home, 12V in the car means that current draw for same power in a vehicle would be 10X greater). Hopefully some people who are subscribed to this forum understand what I am getting at. Wouldn't this mean, then, that a vehicle is an extremely harsh environment for EMF? Especially considering the components are inside a tin can, which readily carries eddy currents and magnetic interference?

My point is that even though the signal wires arent near an AC source, the collpsing/expanding feilds (Changes in current draw) happen in such frequency and magnitude to put any average AC environment to shame. This combined with the fact that the conductors are ran inside of ferrous metal raceways ALSO compounds the magnetic effects.

Keep in mind that if the positive conductor of a DC system is ran next to the Negative conductor of a DC system, the feilds will largely cancel eachother out (Not the case with a chassis ground, but a good example would be a speaker/sub wire, where the current in each adjacent wire would be equal at any given time)

Anyone who disagrees with this please post whatever your opinions are, without sugar coating it. I have based these opinions solely on my physics education, and have abided by them with every install i have done as to avoid any issues. If some of my statements were vague, i would be happy to explain them more clearly.

 

I am new to this forum and didn't see any posts related to this. I have a 2010 Doublecab TRD sport, I am looking at replacing my OEM headunit with a doubledin nav unit. I understand there is an factory amp integration harness that have 4 RCA inputs for LF, RF, RR, and LR. there isn't a connection for the factory sub. does it get signal from the rear channels? Has anybody used this while keeping all speakers/factory sub stock?

 

HELP ME DECIDE. Don't forget to read my first post:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/207656-stereo-get.html

 

It is not so much too much power that can "Fry" a speaker, but often times it's too little power. Let me explain this. Power amplifiers typically will reach their rated output well before the volume control is at maximum setting. In theory, depending upon the rated efficiency level of a particular speaker, that level may be at 10 o'clock on the dial. Hopefully, you all know what I mean when I use this reference? So, yes the volume will increase as one continues to turn the volume control up, but what is now happening is, as the amplifier has reached it's rated output at that rated distortion level, the distortion is now increasing, and THAT is what typically will "Blow" a speaker, and usually the tweeter will go first. Do not get caught up in all the hype regarding power output levels and power handling capabilities. I can use an amplifier rated at 200 watts with a speaker thats rated to handle only 10 watts, all day long. If it's good clean power, it will do no damage. The secret is in how clean the power is, and has very little to do with the so called "Handling Capacity" of a speaker. The simple truth is this: "A speaker rated at 200watts rms can very easily be blown by an amplifier thats only rated at 10watts output". I have been in the loudspeaker industry for almost 40 years and this is a known fact. As I said before, do not let yourself get caught up in all the marketing propaganda. If you find that difficult to understand, do your research on acoustics, loudspeakers and amplifiers. There are many unbiased reports out there that will substantiate this. It's not Rocket Science, but rather just common sense.

 

Can a moderator please delete the above misinformation before people start believing it and blowing up speakers. For those that have already read it please read post 15 and 16 on the first page of this thread for the correct info.

 

Agreed on the removal of the post.


I thought I would seek out some reputable sources on the topic to get a more solid answer than just "Mr Marv said so". no offense to you Marv, but obviously people don't get it.

I found this in a post on the12volt.com:

"ADDED BY MOD: Link to great discussion on this topic from some respected industry experts, including people like Manville Smith of JL Audio, Mark Eldridge of JL Audio and multi IASCA world champion, and Andy Wehmeyer of Harman Kardon. LINK"


Edit: I just saw the post on the first page with info from the same post, but thats where it was originally posted!

 

I think Audiodog1 has bits and pieces of his info that aren't all there or are misrepresented. What he's referencing (whether he knows it or not) is clipping. I wrote a little piece on clipping for the audio section a while back. Here's a link and quoted below. Everything in my post is true to the best of my knowledge. I've even re-read it and made sure everything is worded correctly.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/43104-clipping-underpowering-explained.html#post731460

 

Hopefully that clears things up. And yes I'd recommend deleting Audiodog1's post. Kinda sucks I know since it's his first one but I like to protect the integrity of the information thrown around here. Makes me seem like a dick sometimes but I don't mind.

 

It is too bad that it was his first post, but when he was posting his argument without any sources and a simple google search has reputable sources stating that he is not correct within all of the top posts..

 

If you go back to post 15 and 16 on page 1 of this thread you will see that I quoted quite a bit of information from Manville Smith as well as other experts on the subject to back up my original comments. And to reiterate what has already been posted several times, the only thing that blows speakers (sans a defective speaker) is feeding it more power than it can handle thermally or mechanically whether clipped or not.

 

My apologies if I sounded harsh as that was not my intention. This subject has been debated forever on car audio forums and I am sure some truly believe other than what the facts state as a wise man once said..

"a strong enough belief system will overpower scientific proof every time!"

 

Yep, agree 100%.

 

So I recently installed a jvc head unite with Bluetooth and a mic for phone calls but everytime I call some one or they call me I can never hear them. It sounds like they are getting cut off like their phones have no signal and they say that they can not hear me very good. I am positive its not he phone because when i switch the call to my phkne headset it immediately sounds perfect.Any idea on what might be the problem?

 

So, i wanna switch out my rear factory 5.5 speakers and install 6x9's. I know they won't fit w/out modification. i don't want them sticking out from the speaker grills and do not want to cut the grills and wrap the speakers in mesh. i want it to look exactly the way it does now. can this be done? Thanx!

 

1. why?
2. anything can be done with the right amount of money

 

why...because i want a lil more thump w/out a sub.
money...i only wanna spend money on the speakers. i can do the work myself but would like to know if it is possible. i can't be the only guy who has done this to his 1st Gen. b4.