What are these?

[andyborris]

Just brought a Touring and found these in the back.[]


I know they're stereo bits, but want do they do exactly? And how do I wire them to a normal radio/CD player?

Thanks

Andy[/img]

[m3ben05]

They are crossovers for component speakers mate. They connect the midrange speaker to the tweeter

[andyborris]

So are they the things which get these to work? []

and will I need a amp? It hasn't got a head unit/radio at the moment, what should I look for?

Andy

[m3ben05]

yes, they are the tweeters. They will connect to the boxes in your 1st post. Any amp will power crossovers but buy the best you can afford. JL audio, Genesis, phoenix gold, alpine are some good makes to get you started.

As far as a head unit goes, alpine, nakamichi, clarion. The Head unit you choose should have enough preouts to accomodate anything you want to connect to it. (amps etc)

HTH

Ben

[andyborris]

Thanks for the info, I'll be back with more question tho.......

Andy

[andyborris]

OK, as promised, more questions!

I've got a new Pioneer [DEH-4700http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp ... _id=25-121] sitting in the garage, but it's only got one RCA pre-out on it, any use or down the car boot sale with it?

How many outputs on the head unit do I need with these crossovers and how many channels on the amp?

Am I right in thinking that the head unit connects to the amp via the speaker connects? And the speakers connect to the amp via the crossovers?

Does this look any good?

This ice stuff is all a mystery to me, so any & all help is very gratefully accepted![/url]

[andyborris]

And bu**ger it, how do I get a link to work?



Andy

[andyborris]

Figured it out (the posting of links, not how to install a stereo) and here is the link http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_det ... _id=25-121

And while I'm at it, is this any good?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1



Andy

[Cloggy Saint]

If you're after ICE these guys are worth checking out. They're very cheap!

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/produc ... d-mp3.html

[andyborris]

Thanks, think I may have brought from them in the past. I need to know what I'm doing first before I go hitting the Visa!

Because, at the moment, I'm just confused.

Andy

[cliffybabe]

were abous in kent r ya mate i might be able to give u a hand if u need it

[andyborris]

Hero, I'm in Whitstable.

Not planning on touching the car for a week or 2, got a busted back (and front) so bending is on the "computer say no" list!

At the mo, just trying to get my head around what I've got and what I'll need to get some music.

[cliffybabe]

i have a caravan in manston know whistable well, im guessing these were either amped or wired directly intot he back of the head unit. Is there a HU in the car at the moment

[andyborris]

No HU or amp. I'm pretty sure the speakers have been uprated?

Was more concerned with the mechanics of the car when I was buying and didn't pay much attention to what the seller was saying, plus I'm old and forgetful.

I've got a new Pioneer HU that I brought to go into a MG V8, never fitted it because I realised I'd never hear it above the engine noise, guess it's less then a year old. I'd like to re-use it if I can, rather save my money for ARBs!

Andy

[bmwe30mtech]

datourer - looking on that website, and at the ipod stuff, which seems not to be cheap. Am i the only person who simply plugs their ipod into the back of the standard unit and have the wire coming out of one of the blanking pannles next to the hazard switch?! It costs nothing and works perfectly!

[m3ben05]

Ok, if you havent figured it out yet here goes -

The head unit connects to the amp via the RCA. The problem with only having one RCA out is that you are then limited to one amp (if this a problem)

The crossovers connect to the amp just like any other speakers. The purpose of the crossover boxes is basically to distribute the sound between the midrange and the trebble. Both speakers connect to the box, then the box connects to the amp.

To summarise, if you only want 1 amp the head unit you have is fine. For the crossovers you will only need a 2ch amp. If you also want to add a sub you will need a 3 channel amp or a dedicated mono amp just for the sub, but then you would need a head unit with 2 RCA's ( for the 2 amps)

HTH mate

[dark_sounds]

heres a basic wiring diagram for a headunit to one amp running front components, (the rca doing to the front channal of the headunit output)



you can in theory run them from the heaunit,, though mb quartz dont make too shabby components ;) so recommend amping them. a cheapish old skool alpine amp should do the trick 2 channal as m3ben says,,

second hand headunits worth a look at, save a bit of money, and try and possibly get something with 2-3 outputs should you choose to expand the system alturnativly, if you choose the 1 preout, and want to expand later could always get a dedicated active cross over. then no need for them little boxes either.. but anyway,, going abit far now lol

if willing to travel, im on summer hols, so by all means, welcome to come to me, (shirley, croydon)

[andyborris]

Thanks.

Think I'm up to speed now.

I've 2 twin RCA leads running from dash to rear, so does that mean the cars wired for two amps? Can't find any x-over boxes at the front, so would the 2 at the back run F&R speakers at the same time?

Andy

[dark_sounds]

yeah prob had two amps in the back,,, tbh im guessing one for the sub, and one for the fronts,

x over boxes can be placed absolutly anyware, its a cross over PER side,,, so drivers side has one,, and passenger side has one,,
mostl likely just for the fronts,

[andyborris]

Thanks for all the help, when I can bend I'll start going over the circuits with a meter, that'll get them fixed in my head.

But I'll be back......

Andy

[placey]

andy

rca is the red and white plugged wires if that helps. it is a low level signal output i.e. un-amplified meant to go straight into an amplifier (or other signal level device.)

head unit speaker outputs are amplified inside the head unit. as a general rule head unit amplifiers are not powerful (most are plain rubbish in fact and are incuded just to get mr and mrs average going with some sound) because decent power requires components that cannot be fitted inside a head unit along with a cd (or tape) transport and radio receiver chip. but modern head units (including yours) can claim to have a 4-channel amp built in. (50watts per channel for your pioneer - 200 watts? yeah right. believe that and i'll pay for you to come to my house and listen to some business ventures you might like to invest in. they all add up.....)

so to answer one of your earlier questions - if you join one pair of speaker wires from your head unit (say rear left) to the pair of terminals labelled 'input' or 'signal' or whatever on your crossovers, then join the pair of terminals labelled 'tweeter' or 'high' or whatever to your tweeters you should have high pitched sound.

you have found mb quart crossovers and tweeters - these are decent kit. when your back is better i'd suggest you hunt around for the mb quart mid-range drivers that i'd bet are located behind your grills. these connected to the terminals labelled 'mid' or 'low' or whatever on your crossover will see you flooded with blissful music! i'd also suggest un-mounting your tweeters and playing with some different locations for them - you'll be surprised at how different a set of speakers will sound. once you've found where they sound best (unlikely to be on the grill directly in front of the mids) you can mount them more permanantly.

so long as a head unit has an rca out you're in business. some multi-channel amps will drive all channels from a single rca input (check before buying.) if not then rca 'y' cables can be purchased cheaply to split the signal for multiple channels. better still (but more expensive) an active crossover or line driver will take an rca signal and split it into component parts and/or boost it's voltage level along the way before being amplified, thus taking your single rca and driving as many channels as you see fit. (this is how multi-amp competition systems are set up.)

for now your pioneer head unit will run your mbq components. it'll do until you source an amp. i've a spare alpine mrv-t407 right now that might be available in the next few days - depends if missus wants it installed in her car or not.

hope this helps - paul

[andyborris]

Thanks Paul, yes it all helps and I'll be interested in the amp.

I've got MB Quart tweeters at the front too and I'm pretty sure something was said about "how hard it was" to change the front speakers, so I guess they've been improved too.

My next question is "where do I put all this stuff"? I brought a touring 'cos I need the load space for dogs and kids, I'm pretty sure wet & muddy dogs, dirty football kit, etc., won't do much for the long life of amps and x-over boxes (the boxes just lie in the load space at the mo.).

So any suggestions, The battery lives in the O/S rear hatch behind the rear wheel. Will I be able to fit a amp and the x-boxes in the jack space?

Andy

[dark_sounds]

under passenger/.drivers seat...

if your only amping the fronts, and nothing else,,, then a nice smallish amp under the seat will do fine.
check out genesis profile series they tiny!! under an inch thick! and very good ampifiers! (dont let new prices disuade you,, bargins to be had on ebay;) ) or even old skool alpine/rockford fosgate and more old skool goodness!

[Steviec]

If you are after a fairly cheap but good amp, you can do far worse than Maystar QX series, I had a pair of them for about 3 years and never managed to blow one up!

There is a shop in Harlow, Essex called Just ICE, ive used them alot and therre are deals to be had. They deal with all the main brands and also some of the cheaper ones, however, they do like to explain things in a technical manner so if you want to go there, let me know and ill go with you to make sure they are not selling you stuff you dont need.

When you come round to buying/fitting your ICE, if you want to let me know, ill be more more than happy to help you (I used to compete in car audio comps, so I know what im doing).

[cliffybabe]

Ali did u draw that urself, with the crayons we got u

[andyborris]

Shirley he used a Etch-a-sketch?

But thanks to everyone who offered advice, I now have a vague idea of what to do and at least I won't sound like a complete numptie when I buy stuff!

Andy

[cliffybabe]

Shirley he used a Etch-a-sketch?

Ali we love ya really

[andyborris]

Actually, I shouldn't poke fun at the drawing, it was just the right tech level for me and explained the wiring perfectly!

Andy