After market audio amplifier install

[Ron C]

So I decided to go with the aftermarket install, and forgo the rear audio. It can be done but one needs to replace the complete instrument cluster harness (pretty much all wiring under the dash). There are no guarantees,a LOT of work etc.

So I bought this "AOEM-GM1416 Audio Amplifier Interface" and figured out where the "front" goes. The female connectors connect to the car's instrument cluster harness and the black male connectors go into the conversion harness. (see pic below)

Now the fun part is, the red/white RCA connectors go into the amps input. the blue wire seems to be sort of an on/off thing. Now I have seen some amplifiers, question is... How does one hook the outputs up, so they go into the harness again, so the speakers are powered?

Does anyone have a writeup? some pictures maybe?

thanks,

Ron

 

[iamdub]

So I decided to go with the aftermarket install, and forgo the rear audio. It can be done but one needs to replace the complete instrument cluster harness (pretty much all wiring under the dash). There are no guarantees,a LOT of work etc.

So I bought this "AOEM-GM1416 Audio Amplifier Interface" and figured out where the "front" goes. The female connectors connect to the car's instrument cluster harness and the black male connectors go into the conversion harness. (see pic below)

Now the fun part is, the red/white RCA connectors go into the amps input. the blue wire seems to be sort of an on/off thing. Now I have seen some amplifiers, question is... How does one hook the outputs up, so they go into the harness again, so the speakers are powered?

Does anyone have a writeup? some pictures maybe?

thanks,

Ron

View attachment 193763

You mean the outputs from the amp(s)? You can run wires from the amp's output terminals to the speakers in the doors or to the factory wires in the dash that go to the doors and cut/splice them there. I'd avoid cutting any factory wiring and run wires to the doors.

 

[Ron C]

You mean the outputs from the amp(s)? You can run wires from the amp's output terminals to the speakers in the doors or to the factory wires in the dash that go to the doors and cut/splice them there. I'd avoid cutting any factory wiring and run wires to the doors.

*frown* that doesn't sound like plug and play

Ron

 

[Rocket Man]

If you're running speakers off an aftermarket amp the simplest way is just run new wires to the speakers.

 

[Ron C]

If you're running speakers off an aftermarket amp the simplest way is just run new wires to the speakers.

There is a company called MVI that claims to have an inline amplifier, that goes between the car harness and the radio that works, plug and play and no splicing if you just want to use the factory speakers., and that's what I want

Checking that out and see where it goes.

Ron

 

[Rocket Man]

There is a company called MVI that claims to have an inline amplifier, that goes between the car harness and the radio that works, plug and play and no splicing if you just want to use the factory speakers., and that's what I want

Checking that out and see where it goes.

Ron

I looked at their stuff and don't see anything that would do that. I could be wrong, but I've never heard of a harness or amp that does what you want. If you want to just bypass the factory amp and run off the amp in the head unit there's some of those types of adapters out there. idatalink makes a Maestro that's pretty sweet for that. Let us know what you find.

 

[Ron C]

I looked at their stuff and don't see anything that would do that. I could be wrong, but I've never heard of a harness or amp that does what you want. If you want to just bypass the factory amp and run off the amp in the head unit there's some of those types of adapters out there. idatalink makes a Maestro that's pretty sweet for that. Let us know what you find.

I was surprised too.. somewhere on their site it says "click on the tab for our plug and play amp" I didn't see anything. So I called... if it gets the sound back to normal levels with chimes, I am happy. If it also does the steering wheel controls I am really happy.

I'll keep this updated.

Ron

edit: If you think about it, it doesn't have to be too difficult to make a harness that connects to the car's harness, sends all signals to the radio, a "sound signal" comes out of the radio, sends it to the amplifier, the amplified signal comes out and is fed back in the harness.

At least, that's my wishful thinking. I was already told, you can't add anything like a sub-woofer, or make the rear audio work. But any aftermarket solution won't make the rear "audio center" work

 

[Kenny D]

I am interested. I just googled the model number of the unit and if it is the same one, your rear audio system will still work and be put through the rear channel of the outputs. I am not sure if it is the same unit, do you have a link to the one you purchased?

 

[Rocket Man]

I was surprised too.. somewhere on their site it says "click on the tab for our plug and play amp" I didn't see anything. So I called... if it gets the sound back to normal levels with chimes, I am happy. If it also does the steering wheel controls I am really happy.

I'll keep this updated.

Ron

edit: If you think about it, it doesn't have to be too difficult to make a harness that connects to the car's harness, sends all signals to the radio, a "sound signal" comes out of the radio, sends it to the amplifier, the amplified signal comes out and is fed back in the harness.

At least, that's my wishful thinking. I was already told, you can't add anything like a sub-woofer, or make the rear audio work. But any aftermarket solution won't make the rear "audio center" work

Signals go to the radio? What? No, signals cone FROM the radio.into the harness. Then that signal normally goes to the factory amp and then from the amp to the speakers. If you add an amp in between the radio and stock amp, you don't have access to the speaker wires because they're attached to the stock amp. So your signal can go back into the harness but that harness goes to the factory amp, not directly to the speakers.

 

[Kenny D]

Signals go to the radio? What? No, signals cone FROM the radio.into the harness. Then that signal normally goes to the factory amp and then from the amp to the speakers. If you add an amp in between the radio and stock amp, you don't have access to the speaker wires because they're attached to the stock amp. So your signal can go back into the harness but that harness goes to the factory amp, not directly to the speakers.

From what I have been reading in the reviews of this item, it does nothing to your factory door speakers if you install the way they say, this just puts outputs to an additional amp if you were to add additional speakers powered by the amp. If you wanted to power your aftermarket speakers in the factory locations, you would need to run speaker wire to those speakers directly from the amp. Then basically you would just need to buy a line level adapter instead of this and run your radio output into it and then onto your amp to your new speakers.

 

[Ron C]

From what I have been reading in the reviews of this item, it does nothing to your factory door speakers if you install the way they say, this just puts outputs to an additional amp if you were to add additional speakers powered by the amp. If you wanted to power your aftermarket speakers in the factory locations, you would need to run speaker wire to those speakers directly from the amp. Then basically you would just need to buy a line level adapter instead of this and run your radio output into it and then onto your amp to your new speakers.

correct, that is true. but the GM OEM HDD Navigation radio, is a so calle "Bose radio" and needs an amp. If you install it without that, it works, but the volume is kind of low, and you cannot (or barely hear the chimes, navigation voice etc.). That plug and play thing does nothing more than getting the volume level up again."

That's pretty much all I wanted,if that works I am happy. (I was promised the volume and chimes would work like they're supposed to). If it also keeps the steering wheel controls working (I am planning on a steering wheel upgrade) I'd be really happy. (and it works with a factory backup camera too I was told).

Ron

 

[Kenny D]

But how does an aftermarket amp hooked to the RCA jacks feed back into the factory harness, to me this box just looks like a splice that draws the signal from the factory harness and feeds the inputs on the amp. Where does the outputs of the amp go to?

 

[Rocket Man]

If you're having problems with your factory amp why aren't you troubleshooting the factory amp? I thought you were trying to bypass it and run an aftermarket amp.

 

[kbuskill]

If you're having problems with your factory amp why aren't you troubleshooting the factory amp? I thought you were trying to bypass it and run an aftermarket amp.

He has a PPV so there is no factory amp and he cannot hook up the harness from the center console without changing the main harness in the dash.

 

[Rocket Man]

He has a PPV so there is no factory amp and he cannot hook up the harness from the center console without changing the main harness in the dash.

Oh. In that case I'd just replace the whole thing, new amp and new speaker wires.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

Oh. In that case I'd just replace the whole thing, new amp and new speaker wires.

He just paid a shit ton of Money for the Nav radio. and it appears to be useless without changing out the entire dash harness and wiring up a Bose amp. I'm glad I didn't get interested in the Nav radio.

 

[kbuskill]

He just paid a shit ton of Money for the Nav radio. and it appears to be useless without changing out the entire dash harness and wiring up a Bose amp. I'm glad I didn't get interested in the Nav radio.

Not useless just needs an amp, not necessarily the Bose amp. He is just trying to keep from having to run his own wires from the amp to the speakers.

 

[Ron C]

But how does an aftermarket amp hooked to the RCA jacks feed back into the factory harness, to me this box just looks like a splice that draws the signal from the factory harness and feeds the inputs on the amp. Where does the outputs of the amp go to?

Right, that is what I was thinking too.. apparently one has to run wires from that to every speaker... eehhhh.... There is one in each door, then there are the tweeters up front, and the ones in the C-pillar. So that means, taking all door panels off, trim off the A-pillars and the C-pillars... That is a lot more work than i was looking for ... hence the other "plug and play" solution, but no "rear passenger audio center'. But than again, I never sit in the rear seat anyway.

The new 'solution' I found, uses the existing car harness, hooks up the head unit to an amp (that suspiciously looks like a factory Bose amp (but the nicer one). That one seems to send the signals back in the harness.. so should be easy.

Ron

 

[Ron C]

If you're having problems with your factory amp why aren't you troubleshooting the factory amp? I thought you were trying to bypass it and run an aftermarket amp.

Well the most 'intriguing' option was, let's see if I can make the rear audio work (even though some here discouraged that). Now I see why. In order to do that, you need a different instrument cluster harness. They are approx $300, and you have to pretty much take the whole dash apart and replace each and every 'thing' that uses wires in the dash. It also means you have to replacethe climate controls and the thingy below it (cigarette lighter, traction control, backup assist and pedal adjustment buttons.) The harness and the AC control and the thing below ads up to approx $700 (ouch) and if you mess it up, it's a problem. Also, the cars computer needs programming.

Then there are the "add an amp" interface kits, those are cheap ($30) hook into the car's harness and the Nav radio and connect easily to an amp, BUT behind the amp, you have to run complete new cabling, or run some cabling and start splicing into the cars harness.. (yay.. we all love that.)

The easier solution I found, using the existing speaker/wires, is that plug and play kit that goes between the car's harness and the radio, and has a 'branch' that goes to an amp. The amps outputs feed back into the harness again.. to the speakers. Since I wanted to use the existing speakers, I think it is the easiest solution (probably also the less expensive one. For $225 you get an amp, and the harness and have to just plug it in... no splicing etc.

Ron

 

[Ron C]

He has a PPV so there is no factory amp and he cannot hook up the harness from the center console without changing the main harness in the dash.

Yup that is exactly right, well it's an SSV, but the same thing. I thought that the console I bought, with a GM Bose amp, could be used, but yes as Ken said, it needs a different dash harness. The reason why is that it is pretty much what Ken mentioned, it is the 'only way' to extend the car's harness to plug in the center console harness.

Ron