New Stereo install problems

I bought a new Kenwood stereo at Best Buy with Sirrius (I travel alot) I brought it in to be installed by thier installers, and when I went back to pick it up 6 hours later, they told me I needed some sort of adapter for the stereo and they couldnt do it without it I asked around and was told that if the stock system is amplified that it would need to be rewired. I am about to return the stereo and get my money back and go to Good Guys, Thye have free install. Any thoughts?????

[mbtoloczko]

Originally posted by ilsegretosvx
I bought a new Kenwood stereo at Best Buy with Sirrius (I travel alot) I brought it in to be installed by thier installers, and when I went back to pick it up 6 hours later, they told me I needed some sort of adapter for the stereo and they couldnt do it without it I asked around and was told that if the stock system is amplified that it would need to be rewired. I am about to return the stereo and get my money back and go to Good Guys, Thye have free install. Any thoughts?????

Not sure what they mean by "amplified". The amp is built into the headunit as with many other car stereos. My advice would be to do it yourself. Its not hard. Here are the instructions:

http://www.geocities.com/svxdc/AudioInstall.htm

Its easier than what it sounds in the instructions. Total R&R time for me was about 2.5 hrs and that includes the hour spent stripping and soldering the adaptor that allows any stereo to plug directly into the SVX wiring harness (without hacking on the SVX wiring harness itself). BTW, for the antenna extension 18" is long enough.

Here is the link to the harness adaptor:

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...&threadid=6530

thanks for the info....the other part of the install that I didnt mention was the Sirrius/Kenwood amp/reciever and the Sirrius antenna, had anyone tried it?

Sounds like you need the stock wiring to aftermarket stereo wiring harness/ adapter (I think it's a $10 part). I forgot who sells them in here but I'm sure someone will ring in and provide the info. I would think any Aftermarket car stereo would work. I would do the job yourself! The installers at Best Buy act like a bunch of blinded moneys when it comes to the SVX audio!

Here! Fish in this pond for your answer! :
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...ht=stereo+plug

[Aredubjay]

Try e-mailing svxdc. He builds the harnesses:

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/user.php?SVXdc|4614

Click on "SVX Radio"


Oh, and if you go to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. You "may" get your dash bits broken. Their R/R book has them taking out most of the dash. That's NOT necessary (as seen in David's How-To). It's actually very simple. The hardest part is yanking the antenna leads loose from their moorings.

nobody has installed the Sirrius antenna or amp(for the satilite signal)?

[Seraph]

Not till I can hack it.

[nysvx10]

I have installed an XM sattelite radio antenna and signal converter in my car. Nice clean install. Real easy to do. Let me know if you have any ?'s, as I assume that the XM and Sirius installs are very similar.
Caleb

[want-a-fast-svx]

I have xm as well just ask here if you have any questions...

[UberRoo]

Depending on your natural mechanical inclination, your best bet at getting this done right is by doing it yourself. It's hard to find a shop that can get things done right, and even then, not all installers know what they're doing. Most of those big chains are pretty bottom-line oriented. Sure, every shop is out to make a profit, but good installers are few and far between - the talented ones won't be found working at Best Buy.

The more complicated modern cars get, the more prevalent these hack-job installs become. To avoid that, the big chains just don't touch anything out of the ordinary or if they do, often they'll use a lousy generic method of hooking it up. Getting Sirius installed on your car should be pretty straightforward. Subarus are a little different, but nothing they shouldn't have seen a hundred times before. If they can't do a simple XM install because they don't have a matching plug, run away. That's a lame excuse. My hamster can install a stereo with the adapter plug. Trained monkeys can do it the good ol' fashioned way; cutting and splicing wires.

I'm a little biased because I have friends who do car audio exclusively and I've seen the magic they work and other shop's junk they fix. I would recommend returning the product and finding a specialty shop that doesn't focus on flash and sparkle and does focus on quality. Sometimes a free install isn't such a bargain.

Hmmmm, looks like Ill have to do this myself, which is not a prob I can completely tear down and rebuild any Subaru (worked for Subaru for many years) I just dont like the electrical parts. I would like to see any Xm installs or the process. I think that the Sirrius is the same. So does the SVX have a seperate amp or do I just need the adapter? I did go return the headunit but kept the antenna and amp/reciever. Now Im going to buy one that can play MP3s.

i hate an aftermarket stereo shop hardwire the radio in.. took 2 hours.

[nysvx10]

ilsegretosvx:

First, yes do the install yourself. Don't tear the dash apart, and route the wires nicely. You are goin to have to buy svxdc's radio harness. You will also need a 18" motorola style antenna extension (available at crutchfield.com for a few bucks). Since the stock SVX radio/CD is a double DIN setup, you will need to buy a pocket to fill the void created by your new headunit. You can either install the HU on the top or bottom DIN, but I would recomend it in the top DIN with the pocket under it. Any questions on this?

Secondly, Sirius Install. You need (3) things for XM, so Sirius should be the same. First you need a Sirius Ready HU, an antenna, and a signal converter box. The antenna collects the signal so it needs to be high and visible,(best place is on back of the roof before glass, and then route the wires around each side of the glass under the weather stripping using screwdrivers to pry back the stripping and pushing the wire in. Next you need your signal coverter box, which converts the sattelite signal into the music that you will hear. I put mine in the trunk. Next run the cable from the box to the your Sirius Ready HU under the center console. You must have a Sirius Ready HU to be able to control everything, and it has the correct plugs. You said that your returned your HU? Your going to have to get another one. Before you buy anything look on ebay.com first, because i saved over 50% on everything that I bought. Any questions on this?

Now to address your amp question, the part I'm not the most sure about. The stock SVX stereo does have an internal amp, I'm not sure what the rating is though. It is something xW x 4. The stock speakers are only like 15W a piece. Your new HU will have an internal amp most likely rated at 50W x 4. This will not actually be what is heard unless you upgrade your speakers. Im not wuite sure what you are referring to when you say"amp/converter", but they are two different things in this case if you are talking about a regular amp and Sirius converter box. Any questions on this?

My car is in shop now, getting tranny rebuilt, but I should have it monday. I will take pictures and put them in my locker.

Caleb

[UberRoo]

Maybe I'm just a cocky bastard, but without even looking I'm confident enough to say the factory radio does not have an external amplifier. It's almost certainly internal and probably pretty small. (Anybody care to correct me?)

Don't worry about what the deck amplifier is rated to - those numbers are all lies anyway. It might as well be labeled 4x1000w - the only difference is that they'd sell a few more units. Also, if you’re just powering your factory speakers directly off the deck, the install is kept simple - don't give wattage ratings a second thought.

If you're adding an external amplifier, but leaving the factory speakers, just don't crank the volume up too loud. Even the factory speakers will sound much better with an aftermarket amplifier. If you upgrade the speakers but don’t add an amplifier, you're probably wasting your money. Paper-cone speakers actually sound pretty nice, they just can't handle much power so keep it down, eh?

As for getting the "right" connector, I recommend it. It makes things easier, and looks clean. ...but, if on the other hand you just want to get it done now, cut the wires and pair them up to the new deck with butt connectors. That’s how I’d do it.