Soundsystem?

[MartyMcFly]

Which "not"-stock soundsystem are you using in your SVX?
I am planing to buy a new one, because my stock cd-changer doesn't work anymore.
I am thinking of an CD/MP3-Player.
Are there any problems with compatibility?

thanx in adavance for any information

mfg hrc

[kuoh]

Compatibility problems? None as far as we know, unless you get one that's bigger than a double DIN or more than 7.5" deep. Your biggest challenge will be to find someone competent enough to take out the old radio and install the new one without damaging anything. Oh, and they will also have to cut off the OEM harness and splice in the new harness. There had been talk of an aftermarket plug in harness for the SVX, but so far no one has been able to offer any real proof of its existance.

KuoH

[svx1999]

There has been some talk of an aftermarket harness for the SVX. Yet it has proven to be a very hard to find item as none of the large stereo retailers DO NOT carry it.
Yup that means Crutchfeild and Radio shack, Circut city. just to name a few.
I did see a post on the Yahoo site not long ago that somone had found and aftermarket harness in JC whitney Mags.

This post was fairly recent, but I have no idea if Whitney still has it or if it was exactly what is needed..
I"ll see if I can dig around and find the post..

Still it seems the only way to install a different radio is Snip the old harness and pray who ever installs it doesn't breeak anything.
heard a few horror stories on that one..

GOod luck
SVX1999

[Landshark]

when i bought my new CD player, i was offered a free install at Best Buy. i declined. they said they had a harness for the car (looked at it - not even close) and told me the SVX has a remote-mounted factory amplifier buried under the dash that i would need to bypass before installing my radio. i cringe to think what they would have done to my car!!!! DO IT YOURSELF AND SAVE YOURSELF ALOT OF WORRYING!

Alan

[svx1999]

see what I mean...
The best question to ask anyone... show them the car and ask'em " what's that" or give them the model, leave out Subaru. Ask them what it is... Bet you get ablank stare....
I got an idea of what they would have done to your dash and other stuff. afterall, the insides of the dash are like the rest of the workings of the car... Cramped....... Pre amp my eye.. burried in the dash.... blah blah blah.. Most OEM preamps get thrown in the trucks of cars..
just my laughter... SO glad you didn't let them work on your radio..
SVX1999

[kuoh]

The SVX does not have anything external to the radio, unless you count the speakers. Sounds like they were looking to charge you a few more bucks for a "special" install.

KuoH

[Landshark]

they weren't trying to get more money - the kid mentioned this to me as i was buying an antenna cable extension from the installation dept. he said the new radio wouldn't work until i bypassed the factory amp. i smiled and said "thanks for the tip." FWIW, putting a new radio in was easier than putting on the FACTORY sunroof deflector! the clips that came with it would never hold that thing down agaisnst the roof. i made my own with some modified cable clamps.

Alan

I just installed a Kenwood KDC 419 two days ago. I had never installed a car radio before and was amazed at how easy it was. I too passed on Best Buys "free" installation. Look in SVXENO's locker for pics and instructions. They were VERY helpful. You will need a list of which wires do what (for both the car and the new radio.....SVXENO has the factory wiring breakdown and your new radio should come with a list or diagram of its wires). However, what I didn't know was that you will not use all of your car's wires........I think two or three aren't even mentioned in the factory diagram and my new radio didn't have anything extra to connect them to anyway.....so I just kept them in the original harness Also, when I was trying to pull the unit out it kept getting caught on a loose piece of padding that lines the sides of the radio housing.....so watch out for that. Anyway, cut and strip one wire at a time from the factory harness and then crimp it to the corresponding wire for the new radio using butt connectors. You most likely will also need to buy an anntenna extension cable, as the anntenna cable on my new radio was too short to connect to the car's anntenna cable. All told, I did my first radio installation in about 3 hours. And everything works!! WOOHOOO!!!!!!!

David

[BLKSVX92]

I have had an eXcelon 811 ('99 model year cd), eXcelon KMD-X92 ('00 Minidisc), and now have the eXcelon X959 ('02 cd/mp3/wma)

All sound amazing, what i like about the 959 is that they have midrange frequency adjustments also

Are you just planning on changing the headunit, or are you going to do the speakers as well, with the addition of a possible sub ??

I've been looking into replacing my stereo, and was actually very surprised when the guy at Best Buy told me they wouldn't touch the SVX. He said something about the electrical system was too crazy. I was kind of disappointed that I may have some trouble getting someone to install, but very relieved that they are atleast honest (and smart) enough to tell the customer when they don't have the expertise to get the job done responsibly.

I'm going to get into contact with the dealership and see if they'll do the install. And if they will not, or if they want a crazy amount of cash to do it, I may just have to print out everyone's 'how tos' on the subject and attempt it myself.

[kuoh]

Lol...that's Best Buy droid talk for "We don't have a wiring harness for your car, so I don't know how to hook it up." The SVX's electrical system and stereo is just like that of any other car in the US. No external amp. No security system interface. No nothing, except for a second antenna connector that can be ignored.

KuoH

Originally posted by punisher
I've been looking into replacing my stereo, and was actually very surprised when the guy at Best Buy told me they wouldn't touch the SVX. He said something about the electrical system was too crazy.

[glide]

I have replaced every factory peice of stereo that comes with the car, boy was it fun.

I put in a Kenwood unit, quite similar the DPX-6020. It's DD size and the face folds down. Don't get one where the face folds down. It looks and works great, but the factory radio door doesn't work. I had to take a plastic shield off the back of the door that covers the button. Doesn't look the best, but if you didn't know it was there, then you wouldn't notice. Also be careful with the screws on the face of the factory mount, they strip very easily.

I managed not to break anything, but I did scratch the panel right next to the ash tray.

I also replaced all of the speakers and the tweeters with MB Quart components. WOW, it sounds awesome. The back speakers are a pain to get to, you have to remove the rear seat. Just do a search in the forum and you can find an article on exactly how to do it.

The tweeters are easy, just pop out the old ones, and set the new ones in. The doors can be tricky. There isn't a lot of depth in the doors, so they have the factory's mounted in en external bracket that extends from the door. The bracket appears to be part of the speaker, just drill out the spot welds. Of course after I did this, the speaker was bigger than the bracket, so I had to grind out the inside of the bracket. Which was extremely fun, considering it was 11:00 PM at this point.

Anyway, it all went in without any damage, and sounds incredible. Well worth the time and money.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Ian

Hi folks

I bought last year a new Radio/CD-Changer combination from Sony and brought the car to Subaru Switzerland and they did the job very well.

I don't know if this help for build in, but I saw on the bill that they use a radio wire from the Subaru Justy.

Because most car radio manufacturer use for the version in Europe the DIN plugs, put in is not a proplem. If not, there are always adapter available.

Greetings

Kusi