Crazy Idea - Direct connection to Amp (no Head-Unit) - Will it work?!?

navin · 20th September 2007, 15:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by chirantanaranya

Do ye folks still remember the antique Pioneer KEH-P2035 (cassette player/FM HU)? Well I had that yanked along with Blaupunkt x4 speakers off of my M800 into the newer vehicle (I had no fund left to buy a 'new gen' ICE). Now I am wondering if I can plug a Panasonic discman (plays MP3 powered by 2 AA batteries) to the HU.

yes you can using a EP to cassette adapter. I did the same in 1987 using a Sony D160 discman.

vebmetal · 25th September 2007, 01:16

From what all I have read, this following setup should be possible for an ICE system without a head-unit. I would really really appreciate suggestions on which brand/model to go for as to each part.

#1) An Amp
#2) Four Coaxial speakers
#3) A 3.5mm to RCA cable to connect my mp3 player to the Amp directly.

My budget is Rs. 10,000 (non-negotiable ) as I will also have to plan to upgrade my 4 year old mp3 player. And ideally I would like to go with B&W.

vebmetal · 25th September 2007, 01:25

Hmmm... one complication - This picture of the Blaupunkt GTA 4 amp shows that there are two sets of RCA inputs - Front and Rear. How could I work that with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter for my mp3 player? Does this mean that I have to restrict myself to amps like Blaupunkt GTA 480 that have a built in Aux-In jack (I don't think there are many)?

navin · 25th September 2007, 10:59

you can make a EP to RCA connector where the front and rear channels get the same feed. or you can attach a female to male RCA to RCA Y connector to your existing EP to RCA connector and feed both the front and rear channels the same feed. Use the amp gain to set relative Front-Rear levels.

Sam Kapasi · 25th September 2007, 11:13

No complication. You need 2 of these.

Only issue is that your fader won't work, everything will work well.

This should cost you about 800 or 850 bucks for 2 pcs if you go in for the one above (Connection Audison).

d.kiran · 25th September 2007, 11:52

Sounds Good. I am also thinking of going for a similar setup. The only problem seems to be how to control the iPod. One solution is this Griffin Technology: AirClick - Remote for iPod but that has been discontinued. The other obviously is HK Drive and Play.

I have a JBL Onstage2 which has a similar RF remote, but obviously we can't use the remote alone :-). Sam, I hope you tell me that I am wrong.

The reason why I am looking for a RF remote is that then we can leave the iPod in the boot right next to the amp. so that the noise does not get into the RCA cables (or so I think). For me, that would be OK, cos I listen to playlists alone and I am very very familiar with the Onstage's remote to select the proper playlists without looking at the screen.

Do tell us how your install goes.

Edit: I just noticed that you just said MP3 player and NOT iPod. I was assuming you had an iPod. My bad.

Sam Kapasi · 25th September 2007, 16:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

I have a JBL Onstage2 which has a similar RF remote, but obviously we can't use the remote alone :-). Sam, I hope you tell me that I am wrong.

To use the JBL RF remote on your iPod, it needs to be docked in the JBL OnStageII.

vebmetal · 25th September 2007, 20:22

Ok, so if I get this right, what I need is two Y-cables converting 2 male RCA ends to one female RCA end. And after that I use a RCA to 3.5mm cable connecting the two female ends? Is there any drawback to doing this, or is it practically as good as using an amp with an Aux-In?

Went to the Blaupunkt showroom today, and the guy was apprehensive about this setup. One thing he insisted was that my mp3 player should have an output of at least 2 Volts. But he said there is no guarantee as to whether the sound is good or not. Another store I went to seem very confident, claiming they had done this setup in many cars - including a Getz (he seemed a little too confident though). This guy said that it can be hooked up so that the amp comes on with the car, or even with an external switch, but he seemed to prefer the former.

Setup#1
These are the prices Blaupunkt quoted (with B&W). Seems a little excessive to me:

GTA 480 Amp - Rs. 10,000 (Has Aux-In)
GTA 4 Special MKII Amp - Rs. 6,350 (Will need this Y-cable Jugaad)
GTx 173 6" Speakers - Rs. 2,450 per pair
THx 172 6" Speakers - Rs. 3,750 per pair

Setup#2
These are the prices that another store quoted (probably without B&W)

Kenwood KAC 8401 Amp - Rs. 6,400 (Will need the Y-cable Jugaad)
Coustic Cx-653 - Rs. 3,800 per pair

So what do you guys think?

Sam Kapasi · 25th September 2007, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by vebmetal

This guy said that it can be hooked up so that the amp comes on with the car, or even with an external switch, but he seemed to prefer the former.

I think the former is a terrible idea. Basically he will connect the amps trigger to your ignition, this means that the amp will turn on before the car is cranked.

And will stay on always.

No no what you need is a switch on the blue wire.

gopz · 25th September 2007, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by vebmetal

Setup#1
These are the prices Blaupunkt quoted (with B&W). Seems a little excessive to me:

GTA 480 Amp - Rs. 10,000 (Has Aux-In)
GTA 4 Special MKII Amp - Rs. 6,350 (Will need this Y-cable Jugaad)
GTx 173 6" Speakers - Rs. 2,450 per pair
THx 172 6" Speakers - Rs. 3,750 per pair

Setup#2
These are the prices that another store quoted (probably without B&W)

Kenwood KAC 8401 Amp - Rs. 6,400 (Will need the Y-cable Jugaad)
Coustic Cx-653 - Rs. 3,800 per pair

So what do you guys think?

Can we do this Y-cable Jugaad with any amp? JBL CS 60.4??

navin · 26th September 2007, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by gopz

Can we do this Y-cable Jugaad with any amp? JBL CS 60.4??

yes !

vebmetal · 28th September 2007, 11:24

How much does the 60.4 cost?

And what are my best options in the following ranges. And I want warranties as far as possible.

(Reminder: I drive myself 99.99% of the time, I listen to Metal, Electronic among pretty much all other kinds of music - I want good bass - a little 'thump' is good, but I don't want a sub in that I don't want to throw a party in my driveway, or on the road for that matter)

#1) An Amp in MAX Rs. 5,500.
#2) Front & Rear 6" Coaxials/ Triaxials: MAX Rs. 6,000 total for all 4.

Bass&Trouble · 28th September 2007, 11:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by vebmetal

#1) An Amp in MAX Rs. 5,500.

Extend it to 6k + change and get the Blau GT4 Special. Not so much of an amp, but at the budget and with bill/ warranty, I dont see a choice.

vebmetal · 28th September 2007, 16:06

^ I was quoted Rs. 6,350 at the Blaupunkt dealers in Delhi. I suppose I can bargain it down a little bit. But it sSucks, because you can get it online in the States for $90 (Rs. 3,600) + shipping = Roughly Rs. 4,500! Does anyone know of anywhere I can get a better price in Delhi?

Also, isn't the JBL CS 60.4 in the same price range?

vebmetal · 2nd October 2007, 00:27

Some things have changed since I last posted, and this is what I am looking at:

Kenwood KAC-8401 Amp (or maybe a 2Ch one)
Hertz Dieci DSK165 Components in the front.
No rear speakers (to be upgraded in the future maybe).
Tsunami Amp cables
Audison speaker cables
Turn On Switch for the amp so that it's not always on.

Question: The Kenwood KAC-8401 has an input sensitivity of 200mV to 5V. Is 200mV low enough to match the pre-out voltage from a mp3 player (or similar devices)? Or do I need to go for something even lower like the Blaupunkt GTA 4 Special Mk II which has a input sensitivity of 100mV to 8V?

25th September 2007, 01:16	#32
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	From what all I have read, this following setup should be possible for an ICE system without a head-unit. I would really really appreciate suggestions on which brand/model to go for as to each part. #1) An Amp #2) Four Coaxial speakers #3) A 3.5mm to RCA cable to connect my mp3 player to the Amp directly. My budget is Rs. 10,000 (non-negotiable ) as I will also have to plan to upgrade my 4 year old mp3 player. And ideally I would like to go with B&W.
	() Thanks

25th September 2007, 01:25	#33
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	Hmmm... one complication - This picture of the Blaupunkt GTA 4 amp shows that there are two sets of RCA inputs - Front and Rear. How could I work that with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter for my mp3 player? Does this mean that I have to restrict myself to amps like Blaupunkt GTA 480 that have a built in Aux-In jack (I don't think there are many)?
	() Thanks

25th September 2007, 10:59	#34
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,324 Thanked: 9,504 Times	you can make a EP to RCA connector where the front and rear channels get the same feed. or you can attach a female to male RCA to RCA Y connector to your existing EP to RCA connector and feed both the front and rear channels the same feed. Use the amp gain to set relative Front-Rear levels.
	() Thanks

25th September 2007, 11:13	#35
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 7,000 Thanked: 2,451 Times View My Garage	No complication. You need 2 of these. Only issue is that your fader won't work, everything will work well. This should cost you about 800 or 850 bucks for 2 pcs if you go in for the one above (Connection Audison). Last edited by Sam Kapasi : 25th September 2007 at 11:28.
	() Thanks

25th September 2007, 11:52	#36
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	Sounds Good. I am also thinking of going for a similar setup. The only problem seems to be how to control the iPod. One solution is this Griffin Technology: AirClick - Remote for iPod but that has been discontinued. The other obviously is HK Drive and Play. I have a JBL Onstage2 which has a similar RF remote, but obviously we can't use the remote alone :-). Sam, I hope you tell me that I am wrong. The reason why I am looking for a RF remote is that then we can leave the iPod in the boot right next to the amp. so that the noise does not get into the RCA cables (or so I think). For me, that would be OK, cos I listen to playlists alone and I am very very familiar with the Onstage's remote to select the proper playlists without looking at the screen. Do tell us how your install goes. Edit: I just noticed that you just said MP3 player and NOT iPod. I was assuming you had an iPod. My bad. Last edited by d.kiran : 25th September 2007 at 11:53. Reason: Wrong assumption.
	() Thanks

25th September 2007, 20:22	#38
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	Ok, so if I get this right, what I need is two Y-cables converting 2 male RCA ends to one female RCA end. And after that I use a RCA to 3.5mm cable connecting the two female ends? Is there any drawback to doing this, or is it practically as good as using an amp with an Aux-In? Went to the Blaupunkt showroom today, and the guy was apprehensive about this setup. One thing he insisted was that my mp3 player should have an output of at least 2 Volts. But he said there is no guarantee as to whether the sound is good or not. Another store I went to seem very confident, claiming they had done this setup in many cars - including a Getz (he seemed a little too confident though). This guy said that it can be hooked up so that the amp comes on with the car, or even with an external switch, but he seemed to prefer the former. Setup#1 These are the prices Blaupunkt quoted (with B&W). Seems a little excessive to me: GTA 480 Amp - Rs. 10,000 (Has Aux-In) GTA 4 Special MKII Amp - Rs. 6,350 (Will need this Y-cable Jugaad) GTx 173 6" Speakers - Rs. 2,450 per pair THx 172 6" Speakers - Rs. 3,750 per pair Setup#2 These are the prices that another store quoted (probably without B&W) Kenwood KAC 8401 Amp - Rs. 6,400 (Will need the Y-cable Jugaad) Coustic Cx-653 - Rs. 3,800 per pair So what do you guys think?
	() Thanks

28th September 2007, 11:24	#42
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	How much does the 60.4 cost? And what are my best options in the following ranges. And I want warranties as far as possible. (Reminder: I drive myself 99.99% of the time, I listen to Metal, Electronic among pretty much all other kinds of music - I want good bass - a little 'thump' is good, but I don't want a sub in that I don't want to throw a party in my driveway, or on the road for that matter) #1) An Amp in MAX Rs. 5,500. #2) Front & Rear 6" Coaxials/ Triaxials: MAX Rs. 6,000 total for all 4.
	() Thanks

28th September 2007, 16:06	#44
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	^ I was quoted Rs. 6,350 at the Blaupunkt dealers in Delhi. I suppose I can bargain it down a little bit. But it sSucks, because you can get it online in the States for $90 (Rs. 3,600) + shipping = Roughly Rs. 4,500! Does anyone know of anywhere I can get a better price in Delhi? Also, isn't the JBL CS 60.4 in the same price range?
	() Thanks

2nd October 2007, 00:27	#45
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	Some things have changed since I last posted, and this is what I am looking at: Kenwood KAC-8401 Amp (or maybe a 2Ch one) Hertz Dieci DSK165 Components in the front. No rear speakers (to be upgraded in the future maybe). Tsunami Amp cables Audison speaker cables Turn On Switch for the amp so that it's not always on. Question: The Kenwood KAC-8401 has an input sensitivity of 200mV to 5V. Is 200mV low enough to match the pre-out voltage from a mp3 player (or similar devices)? Or do I need to go for something even lower like the Blaupunkt GTA 4 Special Mk II which has a input sensitivity of 100mV to 8V?
	() Thanks