question...mp3 player, amp, no in dash receiver.

[yocky]

Hello, I am using my dads "backup" car while visiting for a few months. The in dash receiver was stolen out of it years ago. I want to have decent music in the car but want to do it the cheapest possible way. I know "cheap" is a relative term...so Im thinking about $30 or so.

I listen to most of my music with my smartphone and earbuds, and when I saw a used blaupunkt 60w amp (15w per channel) at a thrift store for $15 I thought that would be perfect for my situation. With a little bit of messing around I was able to connect my cell phones audio out to the amp, and the amp to the car speakers. Everything works but it sounds poorly. The signal has distortion and noise. I've messed around with the gain on the amp, the volume output on the phone, and even different speakers from the house stereo...and nothing seems to make a clean sound. The guy at the thrift store said I can take back the amp if it's no good...but I don't know if the amp is garbage, or if the smartphones audio signal is just not strong enough for the amp or what. In my car back home I have an aftermarket in dash receiver that has an aux input that I hook my phone up to with great results.

My question...are car amps designed to work with this setup? Or are they meant to receive a stronger signal from a regular in dash stereoor some kin of preamp. Or do you think my amp is simply no good and I will be better off trying to find a regular in dash stereo for cheap.

Any help appreciated.

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[Fiendstolemyamp 10+ year member]

How exactly did you connect it? If you're just using a miniplug to rca cable out of your phones headphone jack then yes the signal can be turned up loud enough to work fine. You actually shouldn't have to have the volume up that much on the phone.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Were you able to hook the amp up from the speakers to the high level inputs?/Rather than the RCA??You may have a switch to slide from low level ti high level also??Not sure what the phone v output is,but You should need about 2v for the signal I believe.You can swing by a car audio shop and see if they can test it for you,most wont charge you to do.I recommend buying a cheap radio w aux port and moving on!!! And your father will appreciate it as well.There are some for under 50.00 new /pyle or i think Naxxa??And free shipping!!

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

You you are doing High level input to the amp,and then to the low w the s phone? Dont believe that you can use both high and low level inputs at the same time on the amplifier of the same ch it will distort?? Where is the signal Going then???

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i know what you are doing. you are using the headphone 3.5mm output as an input to the low level inputs on the amp.

it sounds bad for two reasons.

1. you don't have enough signal strength out of the headphone output for the blau amp to cleanly amplify

2. the phone provides very low quality audio to begin with. the amp is taking the poor quality and amplifying everything (signal, distortion, noise).

find a cheap, used head unit with an aux input.