JBL Amp and Clarion CD

[FarmerPug]

I was wondering is there any executives with a JBL amp that came with a clarion radio with the cd in them, ive fitted noise supressors to my radio which wasnt from an exec and its lowered the volume but the purity of the sound that i got from the original radio never seems the same.

[FarmerPug]

Unawnsered post here, come on just a yes or a no will do, then we can use it to start talking about something different.

[mjb]

My understanding is that all of the head units had two variants - one with speaker outputs, and one for the JBL kit which outputs at line level

[FarmerPug]

is there any of the latter ones (ie jbl line level) available with a cd player, and what model number is it so i can start tracking it down. Also could you explain line level, is that just a signal that goes to the amp as opposed to the speakers.

[Gary406]

the line level is whats sent through the rca signal leads, the higher the better,

most car audio equipment is 2volt ,

mine is 4 volt,

i think 5v is max , you can get drivers that do 13v but amps cant support 13v

[FarmerPug]

and whats the rca leads, are they the leads going to the amp so it can turn electrical signals into sound signals? or something else?
now that im thinking about it, coupes did they benefit from both a clarion cd player, and a jbl amp could i look on ebay for a coupe cd player. Is there any difference in a coupe jbl system and a saloon jbl system.

[highlander]

My Coupe has the tape deck on the console and the 6 CD changer in the boot.

[FarmerPug]

any coupes out there with jbl, cd changer and cd player. Is there an executive trim on the coupe.

[FarmerPug]

how many people own a coupe, even owned a coupe and possibly know.

[highlander]

You could ask over at the Coupe Club forums ...

http://www.peugeot406coupe.com/phpBB3

However, I'd go after-market if you want a head-unit with a CD player in it. The stock Clarion head-units are pretty poor, to be honest, though the JBL amp does make up for it a bit. Make sure whichever head-unit you buy has line-outs to feed non-amplified signals to the JBL amp in your boot, and if possible, get one that can be used with the CD changer in your boot.

Maybe nip into Halfords and ask them to see if they've got a HU that will work well in your car; they'll even fit it for you (for free, if you buy an expensive enough HU). You could get one with BlueTooth hands-free or even DAB digital radio. You won't get any of that with the stock HU.

[mjb]

Also could you explain line level, is that just a signal that goes to the amp as opposed to the speakers.

Normally stereos push out enough power to drive speakers, but the ones designed for the JBL systems put out a tiny fraction of that power as the speaker cable is attached to an amp, not speakers.

Put one of these stereos designed for the JBL system into a non-JBL car and you might just about hear something if you put the volume to full and stick your head next to a speaker. Put a normal stereo in a JBL kitted car and it'll be WAY too loud on minimum volume setting...

However, I'd go after-market if you want a head-unit with a CD player in it. The stock Clarion head-units are pretty poor, to be honest, though the JBL amp does make up for it a bit. Make sure whichever head-unit you buy has line-outs to feed non-amplified signals to the JBL amp in your boot,

Do that and the chances are you'll get loud buzzing, interference, distortion and a loud bang every time you change tracks or sources... I completely failed to get a decent sound from line outputs on a couple of head units, with the only acceptable solution being to use my JVC AVX33's settings to output line-level sound over the speaker connection. It still clicks a bit and there's some interference but it's the only thing I've managed to get a decent sound out of (apart from the stock head unit)

[FarmerPug]

The problem i have with an aftermarket stereo and dont take it the wrong way but its not designed to blend in with the dash even with a facia adapter it just doesnt sit flat with the rest of the dash or even have the same design layout or buttons as the rest of the dash plus the issues with the mfd, cd changer, stalks it wouldnt even be worth doing it i like the clarion because its simple to use and theres no flashing lights. Ill ask the coupe owners as this seems the most likely place to get a jbl compatible clarion cd player, but before i do that does anyone know the model number of it.

[highlander]

However, I'd go after-market if you want a head-unit with a CD player in it. The stock Clarion head-units are pretty poor, to be honest, though the JBL amp does make up for it a bit. Make sure whichever head-unit you buy has line-outs to feed non-amplified signals to the JBL amp in your boot,

Do that and the chances are you'll get loud buzzing, interference, distortion and a loud bang every time you change tracks or sources... I completely failed to get a decent sound from line outputs on a couple of head units, with the only acceptable solution being to use my JVC AVX33's settings to output line-level sound over the speaker connection. It still clicks a bit and there's some interference but it's the only thing I've managed to get a decent sound out of (apart from the stock head unit)

Oh crap. So this is what I've got to look forward to getting my Sony HU to work

Is it easy (or even possible!) to get my Sony HU to play directly through the Coupe's speaker system without the JBL amp?

Is there a good (read: cheap) amp I could buy to replace the JBL unit that might work more easily with the Sony HU?

Bear in mind: I'm crap with cars and wiring - I guess I'm not a very practical person. In fact, I'm also struggling with putting new brighter headlamp bulbs into my Coupe Computers and networking, gadgetry, TVs, no sweat. Putting up shelves or installing any kind of wiring... call someone and pay them loads of money for doing it, or it'll end up a bloody mess

[mjb]

Oh crap. So this is what I've got to look forward to getting my Sony HU to work

Maybe. There's a different amp and wiring used in later D9s, which may be less fussy than mine... Also the Sony unit may play better with the JBL than mine

Is it easy (or even possible!) to get my Sony HU to play directly through the Coupe's speaker system without the JBL amp?

Easy, no. Possible, yes. The easiest way (I keep meaning to do this to mine...) is to cut the plugs off the amp in the boot and wire the inputs straight to the outputs. Actually, thinking about it there's an easier way (if you're handy with a soldering iron). Get a spare amp, kill the fuse (if there is one), then use a load of short wires to join the input socket pins to the output socket pins. It's easier because you can do all the work in the house out of the cold, and can just plonk the original HU and amp back in if you come to sell it

Is there a good (read: cheap) amp I could buy to replace the JBL unit that might work more easily with the Sony HU?

The issue is with the wiring - the JBL amp has specific connectors, not the RCAs that aftermarket components use, so you'll need to cut at least the 16 speaker wires from the output connector and fit RCA plugs to them, and that's if you run new RCA wires to the HU. If using the existing wiring you'll need to cut the 8 input wires. Oh, and you'll be wanting to buy 4 crossovers too...

Pain in the backside, this JBL lark...

[FarmerPug]

It does sound good