tapping into factory amp, help quick please!

[whitemdx 10+ year member]

Hi,

I have a 2003 Acura MDX with a factory bose system that have a low-level output from the HU to the factory amp. I decided to use one pair of RCA and cut off one end of it to tap into the low signal from the factory HU to factory AMP. Here is the wiring diagram of the factory AMP:



Let say I want to tap into the Audio Unit front set:

a) Do i tap into Audio unit right front + (cavity 21 on the connector above) into the R of the RCA and Audio unit right front - (cavity 8) into the L of the RCA?

OR

b) tap into Audio unit right + (cavity 21) into R of the RCA and Audio Unit left front + (cavity 23) into the L of the RCA?

I hope I've made my question clear. I've ran all of the wires already, just wanted to make sure before I start tapping into the factory connector. Thanks!

Click to read more...

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

From what Im gathering you want to Tap into your exsisting wiring from the Factory HU to the Factory bose amp with an RCA cable right? and Im guessing you want to do this because you need the RCA cable to send a signal to an amplifier. My sugestion is not to tap into anything, and just buy a LOC.

 

[whitemdx 10+ year member]

Chevyaudio,

I originally planned on buying the David Novone (sp?) LOC, but from the acuramdx.org forum, a member install an LOC and the system didn't turn out right, because the level output by the HU to the factory amp is already a low-signal, so using and LOC will further attenuate an already low-signal. Does that make sense?

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

I havent had an acura MDX come through my shop yet, so honestly I dont know. But im sure someone here has worked on one.

 

[whitemdx 10+ year member]

after digging a little further, I think I found the answer to my question.

The RCA have 2 connector, R and L. Each connector suppose to have two wires, + and -, with the + usually on the other shell and the - on the inner shell. I

bought an amp kit for knukonceptz and this is how their RCA look like (wish my camera was still working!) The outer most shell is plastic insulation or whatever the material is, then what I think is the + wire is copper braided and wrap around what seem to thin foil, inside the thin foil is another plastic type which wrap around more copper wires, which I think is the -.

I will hook it up tomorrow and update on the progress. Or else, I just buy the Xtant HLA speaker to RCA adapter. I can sleep now:crazy:

 

[project f-150 10+ year member]

after digging a little further, I think I found the answer to my question.
The RCA have 2 connector, R and L. Each connector suppose to have two wires, + and -, with the + usually on the other shell and the - on the inner shell. I

bought an amp kit for knukonceptz and this is how their RCA look like (wish my camera was still working!) The outer most shell is plastic insulation or whatever the material is, then what I think is the + wire is copper braided and wrap around what seem to thin foil, inside the thin foil is another plastic type which wrap around more copper wires, which I think is the -.

I will hook it up tomorrow and update on the progress. Or else, I just buy the Xtant HLA speaker to RCA adapter. I can sleep now:crazy:

ALMOST... the very center conductor is the + the outter around that is the neg. and I didnt look at the diagram but splicing an rca cable in on that system pre-amp should yield the signal you are looking for!!

 

[whitemdx 10+ year member]

ALMOST... the very center conductor is the + the outter around that is the neg. and I didnt look at the diagram but splicing an rca cable in on that system pre-amp should yield the signal you are looking for!!

Hmm, i am finding contradiction info, but I think it will be fine if I just stay consistence with the connection. Since the out wire is almost twice as thick as the inner, I will use the outer for + and the inner for -, we'll see how it turns out. Finally borrow a friend's camera, here a pick of the spliced RCA:

 

[project f-150 10+ year member]

As long as you are consistant and don't wire them out of phase it really shouldn't matter which one you use for + or -.

 

[whitemdx 10+ year member]

I am really having a hard time getting a clean signal from tapping into the factory Hu outputs.

my amp (kicker zx700.5) will go in and out of protection...is it because it don't have differential inputs? I can get one of the 2 channel on the RCA to work. For example only the R or the L ch works. But when both are connected, the amp goes into protection.

Well, the last resort is to buy a David Navone:

TWO CHANNEL HIGH QUALITY LINE DRIVE ADAPTER

NE-7V

http://www.davidnavone.com/images/products/NE7V/NE7Va.jpg

This will solve my problems right!!! (I hope so)

Any thoughts on tapping into the supposely 'low-level' output from the factory HU to factory amp.

 

[Curel 10+ year member]

radio output should be low level. Have you considered a amplifier with high level inputs?