Installed PAC kit and Ken wood unit... - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 10:16 AM

Had a full day yesterday put aside to do the install. Went great (I think) , I really like the look of everything and the Ken wood head unit really is such an improvement over stock.

Thing is that it almost sounds like the entire system got much quieter?

I have to blast the head unit all the way to max to barely get half of what the stock BA system was getting before.

Is this cause the speakers are garbage or because of some limits of the factory amp or something ?

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yzark99 · 03-18-2017, 10:23 AM

I believe the factory HU has high output levels to the amp, and your Kenwood may not be outputting the same amount. Is there a setting on the Kenwood to boost the pre-amp signal?

Where's the video link to your install?

Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 10:24 AM

Thanks for the insight. I'm running the hu off the stock BA amp. I guess nothing can be done but next project which would be add an amp and speakers ?

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yzark99 · 03-18-2017, 11:31 AM

Yes. That would improve the sound quality and loudness. The stock speakers and amp are junk. Even using the amp in your receiver would probably run the stock speakers better than the factory one.

Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 11:32 AM

Hmmmm I wonder if the stock amp could be easily bypassed and do just like u just said

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BAD DAB · 03-18-2017, 08:24 PM

Could you post some pics of the install?

Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 08:29 PM

Yes I will. Not the best pics as I will be honest I was more nervous of messing anything up then taking pics hahaha

I am willing and def will help anyone doing this install.

It's not super plug n play like it states but it's not as scary as it first looks when you open the box haha.

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Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 08:31 PM

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Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 08:41 PM

i have a few videos showing the unboxing as well..

A few things that gave me some confusion were as follows:

although the instructions are fairly well written.... There are a few times where I was left scratching my head...

First off the wires that are included.... were not so clear to me which ones I needed to use.. being that i had a factory BA system with no my link... there was a few extra things that I didn't need..

The Cable that has the RCA plug on the end was not needed... also I was a little confused about the huge antenna with the blue Wire... I ended up Just wrapping it around The tube like thing that it was attached to and didn't Hook it up... Everything still works fine..

The Two biggest things that were a pain in the ass were Trying to fit the Gauges back under the new PAC dash kit when i was done... Seems like its a lot tighter then the stock one was...

also Finding space inside the dash proved to be a little hard... but I was able to stuff all of it on the left side and some on the right side along with the big main harness up above under the vents...

I added a Amazon Fire stick and Hard wired it to where the lighter jack wires were..works great.

At first when i was going to do this I decided to get a head unit that I had seen on here... it had buttons on the side.... when I went to Purchase the head unit at best buy i decided on getting one that was all screen with the buttons on the bottom..

im glad I made this choice as it fits and looks awesome... not sure i would have liked a unit with the knob on it...

Also be sure that you plug in the Harness to the Right location on the box that comes with the Pac unit... Cause there is a Slot for Cars with BA factory amp and Cars with no Factory amp...

Right now it Looks and works awesome.. even sounds better as the stock sub seems to be hitting harder lol and now I have control To my aftermarket SubWoofer that I installed a few weeks ago... but.....

Now it sounds not loud at all and I have to crank the Head unit almost to max to get decent sound.. I guess this is cause the speakers are 2 ohms and the head unit is 4? (maybe i have that backwards not sure lol)

So it looks like my next mod will be adding another amp with real Speakers... Shame cause I thought this would have sounded better.. again doesn't sound bad.. just sounds like there isnt much punch >>

I can't express this enough.. BE CAREFUL when taking off the knobs and Putting them on the new unit... The metal contacts bend VERY easy... when installing them do not push them in all the way... just slightly and turn them till you feel the holes line up... then push in...

BAD DAB · 03-18-2017, 08:53 PM

Looks great! Bout' to make me spend some money.

Vintendo · 03-18-2017, 08:58 PM

thanks , the head unit was at sale at best buy for 599. and worth Every penny if you ask me lol.

I will try and get some pics of it all done, cleaned up and put together heh

Was having too much fun driving around after to take pics LOL

Bennieficial · 03-19-2017, 09:28 PM

I also just installed my PAC dash kit yesterday, except I went with a Pioneer 4200NEX headunit. I am also running into the same issue as you, with the speakers sounding much quieter than when I had the stock headunit. I also have to crank it up to almost max volume to have them sound decent. Even at max volume it's still pretty quiet and the speakers get distorted. I have a set of aftermarket Alpine Type R's, so i also believe the amp is why everything sounds like crap. Already bought a new amp, just need to get around to installing it after I find some good tutorials.

On a side note, I was wondering how you got your kit to fit in the dash? It's a very tight fit and I feel like I'm jamming my radio in to make it secure, and it's a ton of messy wires coming off of that interface. I'm thinking my issue is that I didn't cut out enough of the part of the dash that sticks out. It's a tight area, so what tool did you use to cut it? And where did you stash your PAC interface?

Black_SS10 · 03-19-2017, 10:00 PM

Is everyone with a BA system experiencing a volume loss with this setup?

Vintendo · 03-19-2017, 11:56 PM

I used a dremel to start the first cuts and then snip off the remaining pieces with some snippers.

Also I found that you can cut the bottom much more and it will not effect anything. Cutting a hole in the bottom part allows you to place tons more of stuff down there.

I also put stuff to the left and the right and the main harness on the top.

It's def tight though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 10:16 AM	#1
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	Installed PAC kit and Ken wood unit... Had a full day yesterday put aside to do the install. Went great (I think) , I really like the look of everything and the Ken wood head unit really is such an improvement over stock. Thing is that it almost sounds like the entire system got much quieter? I have to blast the head unit all the way to max to barely get half of what the stock BA system was getting before. Is this cause the speakers are garbage or because of some limits of the factory amp or something ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 10:23 AM	#2
yzark99 I run 2 catch cans... Drives: 2012 1LT SIM Auto Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: OR there Posts: 1,038 View My Garage	I believe the factory HU has high output levels to the amp, and your Kenwood may not be outputting the same amount. Is there a setting on the Kenwood to boost the pre-amp signal? Where's the video link to your install? __________________ Overkill tuned • Air Scoop • CAI • VMAX PTB • JacFab Laminator FX + Extendolator • SOLO Hi-Flo Cats + Cat-Back Exhaust View my top 3 LFX performance mods and more: .

03-18-2017, 11:31 AM	#4
yzark99 I run 2 catch cans... Drives: 2012 1LT SIM Auto Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: OR there Posts: 1,038 View My Garage	Yes. That would improve the sound quality and loudness. The stock speakers and amp are junk. Even using the amp in your receiver would probably run the stock speakers better than the factory one. __________________ Overkill tuned • Air Scoop • CAI • VMAX PTB • JacFab Laminator FX + Extendolator • SOLO Hi-Flo Cats + Cat-Back Exhaust View my top 3 LFX performance mods and more: .

03-18-2017, 08:24 PM	#6
BAD DAB Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS Black & Silver Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 8,228 View My Garage	Could you post some pics of the install? __________________ STAINLESS WORKS HEADERS-TUNED BY JANNETTY RACING-C.A.I. INTAKE-TAYLOR 409 WIRES-SOLO AXLE BACK EXHAUST-ELITE CATCH CAN

03-18-2017, 08:53 PM	#10
BAD DAB Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS Black & Silver Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 8,228 View My Garage	Looks great! Bout' to make me spend some money. __________________ STAINLESS WORKS HEADERS-TUNED BY JANNETTY RACING-C.A.I. INTAKE-TAYLOR 409 WIRES-SOLO AXLE BACK EXHAUST-ELITE CATCH CAN

03-18-2017, 10:24 AM	#3
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	Thanks for the insight. I'm running the hu off the stock BA amp. I guess nothing can be done but next project which would be add an amp and speakers ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 11:32 AM	#5
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	Hmmmm I wonder if the stock amp could be easily bypassed and do just like u just said Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 08:29 PM	#7
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	Yes I will. Not the best pics as I will be honest I was more nervous of messing anything up then taking pics hahaha I am willing and def will help anyone doing this install. It's not super plug n play like it states but it's not as scary as it first looks when you open the box haha. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 08:31 PM	#8
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-18-2017, 08:41 PM	#9
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	i have a few videos showing the unboxing as well.. A few things that gave me some confusion were as follows: although the instructions are fairly well written.... There are a few times where I was left scratching my head... First off the wires that are included.... were not so clear to me which ones I needed to use.. being that i had a factory BA system with no my link... there was a few extra things that I didn't need.. The Cable that has the RCA plug on the end was not needed... also I was a little confused about the huge antenna with the blue Wire... I ended up Just wrapping it around The tube like thing that it was attached to and didn't Hook it up... Everything still works fine.. The Two biggest things that were a pain in the ass were Trying to fit the Gauges back under the new PAC dash kit when i was done... Seems like its a lot tighter then the stock one was... also Finding space inside the dash proved to be a little hard... but I was able to stuff all of it on the left side and some on the right side along with the big main harness up above under the vents... I added a Amazon Fire stick and Hard wired it to where the lighter jack wires were..works great. At first when i was going to do this I decided to get a head unit that I had seen on here... it had buttons on the side.... when I went to Purchase the head unit at best buy i decided on getting one that was all screen with the buttons on the bottom.. im glad I made this choice as it fits and looks awesome... not sure i would have liked a unit with the knob on it... Also be sure that you plug in the Harness to the Right location on the box that comes with the Pac unit... Cause there is a Slot for Cars with BA factory amp and Cars with no Factory amp... Right now it Looks and works awesome.. even sounds better as the stock sub seems to be hitting harder lol and now I have control To my aftermarket SubWoofer that I installed a few weeks ago... but..... Now it sounds not loud at all and I have to crank the Head unit almost to max to get decent sound.. I guess this is cause the speakers are 2 ohms and the head unit is 4? (maybe i have that backwards not sure lol) So it looks like my next mod will be adding another amp with real Speakers... Shame cause I thought this would have sounded better.. again doesn't sound bad.. just sounds like there isnt much punch >> I can't express this enough.. BE CAREFUL when taking off the knobs and Putting them on the new unit... The metal contacts bend VERY easy... when installing them do not push them in all the way... just slightly and turn them till you feel the holes line up... then push in...

03-18-2017, 08:58 PM	#11
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	thanks , the head unit was at sale at best buy for 599. and worth Every penny if you ask me lol. I will try and get some pics of it all done, cleaned up and put together heh Was having too much fun driving around after to take pics LOL

03-19-2017, 09:28 PM	#12
Bennieficial Drives: 2011 Synergy Green Camaro SS Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Raleigh Posts: 55	I also just installed my PAC dash kit yesterday, except I went with a Pioneer 4200NEX headunit. I am also running into the same issue as you, with the speakers sounding much quieter than when I had the stock headunit. I also have to crank it up to almost max volume to have them sound decent. Even at max volume it's still pretty quiet and the speakers get distorted. I have a set of aftermarket Alpine Type R's, so i also believe the amp is why everything sounds like crap. Already bought a new amp, just need to get around to installing it after I find some good tutorials. On a side note, I was wondering how you got your kit to fit in the dash? It's a very tight fit and I feel like I'm jamming my radio in to make it secure, and it's a ton of messy wires coming off of that interface. I'm thinking my issue is that I didn't cut out enough of the part of the dash that sticks out. It's a tight area, so what tool did you use to cut it? And where did you stash your PAC interface?

03-19-2017, 10:00 PM	#13
Black_SS10 SomeguyK Drives: 2010 Black 2SS/RS Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: FL Posts: 1,947	Is everyone with a BA system experiencing a volume loss with this setup? __________________ TMS 427, Dart iron Block, Forged assembly, Frankenstien heads, AGP TT 62/62 BB turbo's, AGP/Fore triple fuel system, Tilton clutch, Holley 1 7/8 shorties, Technostalgia tail lights,Oracle, Aeroforce, MGW shifter,Flowmaster, Pegasus subframe bushings,BMR trailing & toe arms,Z28 UCA bushings,Zl1 rear sway bar,Prothane,BMR,Goodridge brake lines,Ridetech HQ coilovers,3.91,Trutrac,billet caps,DSS axles,HE offest,built TR6060,1LE diffuser,Havoc spoiler,SSclones,20in MRR 017, Pirelli P Zero, Nitto NT555RII More to come.

03-19-2017, 11:56 PM	#14
Vintendo Drives: 2012 Camaro SS Convert Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 198 View My Garage	I used a dremel to start the first cuts and then snip off the remaining pieces with some snippers. Also I found that you can cut the bottom much more and it will not effect anything. Cutting a hole in the bottom part allows you to place tons more of stuff down there. I also put stuff to the left and the right and the main harness on the top. It's def tight though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk