Line level converter (Can they sound good?)

[Fishx65 10+ year member]

Thinking about digging into my 2011 Ford Edge which has the basic radio. It does not have a DIN opening so I'm gonna keep the factory radio. I've always done complete systems so I'm a little worried that I won't be able to get decent sound out of the factory radio. For now I just want to add one of my 2 channel amps to power a front component set. Is it possible to get good clean sound using a line level converter? If so, which converter would be a good one?

I'll be using an old small Hafler amp(no speaker level inputs) and a Boston component set. Might add an Orion amp, Audio Control 2XS and a single 10 later.

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[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

The JL Audio clean sweep would suggest that you can. I have used them in the past on installs and my woman has one in her car. I can tell you that it was marginally better then a basic LLC from walmart but if your into SQ I would suggest it. If not then I would move on to something a bit cheaper as most of everyone is on a very tight budget.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

you need to determine if your factory system has active crossovers or not. if it does, then you need an OEM interface with a summing input (JL Audio, Audio Control, etc.) so that you get full frequency response.

if your factory system has bass reduction in the volume control (bass EQ is automatically adjusted with higher volumes) then getting an OEM interface can help get around that. these interfaces usually require the loss of the factory volume knob and provide a new volume knob - so you have to leave the factory volume fixed. this can be undesirable if you have integrated features and steering wheel controls.

for a LOC - David Navone Engineering has the best in the business. Very well made and using very good parts. They have two and four channel versions.

I commend you for starting with front components. Good choice. Note that you'll need to run new wires for the tweeters, but reusing door wiring is an option to save hassle and time. of course, the quality of the speaker installation (good seals throughout) will determine performance.

Alpine, JBL, Audio Control, Audison, and several others have OEM interface processors that offer many more features such as EQ's, T/A, Crossovers, etc with interface features that get the best possible sound out of the factory HU. and for the best sound, you could have a fiber optic output added to the factory radio and run a processor that has a fiber optic input option.

 

[Fishx65 10+ year member]

Thanks for the responses but I guess my question is: will a simple line level converter sound decent or am I gonna hear a lot of noise out of the fronts. Again, I've installed some really nice systems in my vehicles over the years but never used a line level converter.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

depends if your factory system has active crossovers or not. if your tweeters and woofers are powered by separate factory amp channels - then you need an OEM summing interface instead of a simple LOC if you don't have a full range signal available.

if the factory tweeters have simple capacitor filters on them, then the outputs are likely to be full range, and then yes, a LOC will be fine.

any distortion or noise you'll hear will be from the factory amplifier, not the LOC. the LOC will not generate a lot of noise itself, it's job is to make the signal lower.

HU distortion will be your enemy. really, your question is if you can get good sound using a factory HU as a source. the answer is maybe - it depends on what volume you are at and what your gain structure is like. for really good sound, an OEM interface is designed to get the best possible sound quality from a factory source, and part of that is replacing the volume control and leaving the HU volume fixed.

 

[Fishx65 10+ year member]

Thanks Keep. No active X-overs in the factory system but it does have bass reduction. I was thinking that the bass reduction feature would only be a problem if I ever decided to add a sub. I've got an old Audio Link LOC which I will give a try. I don't wanna get crazy like I usually do but a decent front stage would make my long drives a lot shorter.

 

[OldSchoolRF 10+ year member]

A fosgate 360.1 or .2 would be something to look into as well. You can find them cheap on eBay sometimes.

 

[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

I had an 09 Ford Edge for a while I ended up using a LOC and adding a 10" sub

I found the front stage was decent - it was really the bass that was missing.

It sounded pretty good.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

They seem adequate for sub duty. I've never tried one for highs. They're only like 20$ so that and some T-taps you're not out a lot to try it and report back to us.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i never use t-taps. i always solder my wire taps.