Non-BA Amp Install Questions

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Thanks for the offer, but my amp won't be here until Friday. I'm just planning everything out. Now, I don't even know if I'll do it this weekend, b/c Sonicelectronix took 3 days to process my order and it won't be here until Wed of next week.

I know how to wire the PAC, but my amp recommends that I not use a LOC. But I still plant to use the harness that was included with the PAC, so that I don't have to cut my factory wiring.

That's the primary reason I used the PAC, so I didn't have to cut the factory harness. I'd much rather cut and splice the PAC.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

That's the primary reason I used the PAC, so I didn't have to cut the factory harness. I'd much rather cut and splice the PAC.

I have zero intentions of cutting my factory wiring, and the only thing good about the PAC was the wiring harness. But I don't think I've been very clear in what I intend to do. So I went ahead and modified the PAC harness to show you what I am planning.

I connected this to my radio, before I cut the speaker wires, and hooked up my multi-meter to the remote amp line. Sure enough, when I turned on my radio the remote amp line indicated 12v. This to me is much better than using a cigarette lighter, because that amp will turn on when the radio is on and only when the radio is on. I occasionally listen to my radio without the keys in the ignition, and this will allow me to continue doing so.

This is all I plan to install in my car. The PAC module itself will not be used. I will feed the output of my amp's front speakers back into the wires you see still exposed (I kind of screwed myself and cut them too short).

[ecko04]

If you were going to do that, you could've saved yourself a few bucks and got a Scosche GM19B and GM19RB.

Using the ZISL crossed my mind but I decided against it as using the PAC would eliminate the need to run wires back up to the amp.

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

If you were going to do that, you could've saved yourself a few bucks and got a Scosche GM19B and GM19RB.

Using the ZISL crossed my mind but I decided against it as using the PAC would eliminate the need to run wires back up to the amp.

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

Originally I had planned to use the PAC LOC, but my amp recommends against using LOCs. Plus the PAC was $40 and the two Schosche harnesses are $20 each and would have to be spliced together.

How does using the PAC eliminate the need to run wires?

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

I'll have to test my remote wire again. I could've sworn it wasn't metering switched 12v.

I made a mistake, which may have actually been a good thing. I cut the wrong blue wire. I wound up cutting the wire that is annotated in blue in the documents below. I really meant to cut the wire annotated in yellow. All of my testing was with the blue wire, which seems to work as I would have hoped. Though, the real test will be tomorrow when I install my amp.

[robsls3]

When I did mine It all worked fine. I used the remote wire from the pac to my amp. No issues. No wire cutting of factory harness at all.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

Originally I had planned to use the PAC LOC, but my amp recommends against using LOCs. Plus the PAC was $40 and the two Schosche harnesses are $20 each and would have to be spliced together.

How does using the PAC eliminate the need to run wires?

The GM19B can get had for $7 from a variety of different sources. The GM19RB costs $20. That saves you roughly $13, which is negligible at best.

With the PAC, you only need to run speed wire and RCA's. There's no need to run anything from the amp, back up to the head unit. Everything is ran from the headunit back to the amp.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

The GM19B can get had for $7 from a variety of different sources. The GM19RB costs $20. That saves you roughly $13, which is negligible at best.

With the PAC, you only need to run speed wire and RCA's. There's no need to run anything from the amp, back up to the head unit. Everything is ran from the headunit back to the amp.

I give up on trying to explain my plans.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

I give up on trying to explain my plans.

You explained it fine. Use the PAC for the harness, use 2 ZISL as essentially line out converters, run speaker level up from the amp to the headunit. It isn't difficult to follow. It's just more effective ways to accomplish the same goal.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

You explained it fine. Use the PAC for the harness, use 2 ZISL as essentially line out converters, run speaker level up from the amp to the headunit. It isn't difficult to follow. It's just more effective ways to accomplish the same goal.

I disagree. My amp says not to use a LOC. The Scosche harnesses would have to be joined together, for my purposes and would save me less than $10 over the entire PAC kit.

So I'm not sure how I could get all four channels from my radio to my amp more effectively than I have, or less intrusively (i.e. not cutting the factory harness).

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

I disagree. My amp says not to use a LOC. The Scosche harnesses would have to be joined together, for my purposes and would save me less than $10 over the entire PAC kit.

So I'm not sure how I could get all four channels from my radio to my amp more effectively than I have, or less intrusively (i.e. not cutting the factory harness).

Yet using a ZISL is indeed a line ouput converter. You are taking high level to low level, you're converting whether you use the AA-GM44 or ZISL. What the documentation of your amp is asking for are RCA preouts, but there's no way of getting those without 1) changing the radio or 2) using some type of LOC.

I entirely understand what you're doing, but it's the exact same as the PAC without using the large box where you can adjust the levels. That's why I suggested using the two harnesses. I don't think anyone here would suggest cutting the factory wiring.

At the end of the day, there's more than one way to skin a cat...to each his/her own.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

Yet using a ZISL is indeed a line ouput converter. You are taking high level to low level, you're converting whether you use the AA-GM44 or ZISL. What the documentation of your amp is asking for are RCA preouts, but there's no way of getting those without 1) changing the radio or 2) using some type of LOC.

I entirely understand what you're doing, but it's the exact same as the PAC without using the large box where you can adjust the levels. That's why I suggested using the two harnesses. I don't think anyone here would suggest cutting the factory wiring.

At the end of the day, there's more than one way to skin a cat...to each his/her own.

The ZISL is not an LOC, it just changes the wires to RCA. I'm running speaker level over RCA.

My HD900/5 amp manual specifically says not to use an LOC but that you need to change wire type to RCA.

What I am doing is not exactly the same thing as using the PAC.

Originally Posted by HD900/5Manual

The

“High” position of the “Input Voltage”

switch selects an input sensitivity range between
800mV and 8V. This is for use with speaker-level
outputs from source units and small amplifiers
found in many OEM (factory-installed) systems.
To use speaker-level sources, splice the speaker
output wires of the source unit or small amplifier
onto a pair of RCA plugs for each input pair or use
the JL Audio ECS Speaker Wire to RCA adaptor
(XB-CLRAIC2-SW). It is not necessary (or
advisable) to use “Line Output Converters” with

your HD900/5.

[ecko04]

Dude even Kicker calls the ZISL a LOC! How do I know? We're their largest dealer in the country.

An adapter does what? CONVERT! It's as simple as that.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by ecko04

Dude even Kicker calls the ZISL a LOC! How do I know? We're their largest dealer in the country.

An adapter does what? CONVERT! It's as simple as that.

The ZISL only "converts" from a bi-wire (speaker wire) to a coaxial wire (RCA). It doesn't change the signal at all.

Originally Posted by Crutchfield

Overview: The Kicker speaker wire to RCA adapter (ZS-ZISL) allows high level speaker outputs to be connected via RCA plugs, ideal for use with amplifiers that have high-level input capability but no speaker wire input connections. The inputs are set screw terminals and will accept up to 14 gauge wire.