JBL MS-8 Stock Amplier Install

[jdfrank81]

I currently have a 2010 Evo X MR with the stock Rockford Fosgate Navigation unit and SSS package. This package has an external amp mounted under my drivers seat.

I am going to be upgrading all the components in the car and will keep the stock nav unit.

Below is a list of the items that I already have purchased:

Rockford Fosgate T0D410 10" Dual 4-Ohm Subwoofer

Kicker iX1000.5 Amplifier

JBL MS-8 In-Line Digital Signal Processor

Boston Acoustics SR60 6.5" Components Front and Rear

My question pertains to how to hookup the sound processor. I know some of the JL clean sweep products you remove the factory amp, but based on what I read on the JBL manual you wire the output of the factory amp to the processor. Is the signal from head unit strong enough for the input without the stock amplifier? If I keep the stock amplifier will I still retain speaker level control through the head unit?

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[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

Considering you have the manual, and it tells you what to do........why are you asking us....lol. Nobody here helped engineer the MS-8. If that is what they are telling you to do, then I would venture to guess that is what it was designed for.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

I don't have any experience with this particular unit, but it would seem kind of odd to me to have any amplifier before your signal processor. You'd basically be amplifying the signal, processing it, then amplifying it again before it goes to your speakers.

I'm running a Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2 and I have it wired up to the speaker outputs coming from the stock HU. If you want to avoid cutting the stock wires, try getting a reverse wiring harness for your car and a regular aftermarket harness (like you would use for installing an aftermarket HU). Wire the two up and splice your signal wires in between the harnesses. I tried this, but my stock HU has a secondary display that wouldn't light up because the aftermarket harness was missing that pin.

If you do cut the stock wires, just make sure you leave yourself some space to re-connect them if you ever need to take the processor out. I just wired up spade connectors on all of the wires I cut so that I can just plug them back in.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Mine was a pretty involved install, and I'd be happy to help you avoid some of the same hassles I went through.

 

[jdfrank81]

Thanks for the input.