Weird car audio idea...with no head unit. tell me what you think

[Figit090]

I've been having some issues getting my stock-look stereo wired properly (1986.5 wiring is giving me hell) and with the recent thread on the Ipod Classic, i got this thought....

Why not just buy a nice MP3 player, run it to my kenwood amp's RCA inputs via a headphone-to-RCA conversion cable, and then power the amp and run it to my speakers? Then put some kind of storage in my dash where the stereo is and never even have a head unit, just my MP3 player.

is that dumb? A zune does have FM.... i'm not sure i'd like it as much as a stock head unit or even that i would do it, i just want to know what you all think. Plus i dont know if a zune can get good reception while on the move, my portable CD player sure doesn't.

 

[Jayhall]

To clarify, your going to run all 4 speakers off a 4 channel amp, and give the amp a signal from the ipod? I dont see why that wouldnt work. just make sure you give the amp a proper signal for the remote wire, so it turns off and on with the ignition. Postive from the battery (w/ inline fuse) and ground, you should be off to the races.

If you go through with it and need to empty slots to fill the old deck hole with, let me know, ill grab a couple from work and ship them for you. Just pay shipping parts will be free

 

[AF1JZ]

Interesting...I'm curious if the rca to headphone jack will give the audio to the amp. Worst case if you could just relocate the headunit to the glovebox and only have the iPod out. Just have to make sure the headunit has RCA inputs obviously.

 

[Jayhall]

Interesting...I'm curious if the rca to headphone jack will give the audio to the amp.

I think it would. The ipod only needs to send the amp a signal. From there the amp takes that signal, gives it volume and splits it between the 4 channels.

The only issues i could see it possible volume, but that SHOULD work off the ipod, same way the headphones do. That and balance of sound. I could see you not being able to send more or less sound to the front, rear, left or right. But depending on the amp, that issue may be addressed.

 

[shaeff]

it should work fine, providing you have a decent amp. (options)

a buddy of mine did it with his iriver- he just put a piece of velcro on the back, slaps it on the dash, and plugs in the wire.

sounds decent, too.

 

[Figit090]

cool! I have a kenwood kac-746 which puts out 35watts/channel in 4 channel mode, and if the balance become an issue with the rears being too powerful I will probably just eliminate them. to get all four to run i'd have to run the headphone to RCA cable to an RCA splitter because the amp has four RCA inputs, FR, RL, RR, RL.
it says my amp will do 100watts per channel in 2-channel mode... will that blow the speakers? fronts are tiny JBL 2-ways and the rears are pioneer 2-ways. i dont know common wattage ratings of auto speakers.

jayhall - thanks a lot! I'm going to try and sort out my stock wiring system and if i ultimately fail, i'll install this setup...unless i decide to sell my car. if i do go through with it i'll let ya know damn noises in the engine bay keep worrying me and it seemed and felt worse today i havent driven her for a week though so maybe i'm imagining things. still wasn't good though.

 

[speed]

should work just fine, however you might need a line driver to boost the output signal. You want at LEAST 3v going to the amp (coming out of the mp3 player or whatev), if its under that, get a line driver.

 

[j3pz]

wow this is an awesome idea. looks like i just found space to put gauges