Line to RCA conversion

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=27825
Printed Date: June 16, 2024 at 4:32 PM

Topic: Line to RCA conversion

Posted By: mark97213
Subject: Line to RCA conversion
Date Posted: March 06, 2004 at 12:57 PM

I am about to install a DELCO (GM - non Bose unit)) CD player into my car but.... hooked it up, sounded good but it lacked power... SO, I had planned on running the output wiring thru my 2 amplifiers by converting the 8 wire speaker leads (+ and - for 4 speakers) to some RCA Conectors which allow me to plug the lines directly into my amps. ... and using the power anntena lead of the DELCO unit to remotely turn on my two amps, etc.... SO, I bought some "Phono Plugs" at Radio Shack, soldered the positives to the center pin's of the Phono connectors and the negatives to the outter portion of the phono plugs, sealed them up and was about to install this unit. However, I got to thinking... it may not be that easy. Terms starting coming into my head such as "Low Level", "High Level", impedence, ohm, ... could I be screwing up my unit by thinking it was that simple and pluging it in and powering it all up

Replies:

Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: March 06, 2004 at 1:15 PM

You cannot just plug a speaker level signal into a low-level input. You need a "line-out converter" like this (or similar):

https://www.audiooutfitter.com/cgi-bin/store/LOC80.html

Posted By: mark97213
Date Posted: March 06, 2004 at 2:01 PM

ahhhh.... geez.... I KNEW I was doing something wrong... something told it couldn't be that simple. THANK YOU DYohn for setting me straight. Anything else I should know... any noise generation rom a converter like that? I guess I've always just taken those inputs for granted without really knowing how they function.

Posted By: 00neon
Date Posted: March 06, 2004 at 5:05 PM

the only amps that i know of that you can just splice RCA's into your speaker wire is the JL amps. correct me if im wrong, thats how my cousin has his JL and the guy at the shop said.

-------------
1 JL 12 w3 D4
1 MTX 421 D Monoblock
1 Sony Xplod 75x4
Front: Alpine SPX-177A
Rear: JL audio VR690-CXI

Posted By: Chad7n7
Date Posted: March 10, 2004 at 10:32 PM

You can wire any amplifier with a Line Output Converter, you should be able to pick it up at any stereo shop for around 20 bucks, I would recommend an aftermarket deck, because you don't get a strong signal with these converters, and they are prong to carrying a noise tendency with them, and with that, you are trying to send signal to two amps, which further cuts your signal quality, and I don't know what kind of car this is but I wouldn't use antenna power for remote, some vehicles only send +12V to antenna with FM/AM on, when you play a CD, power cuts off.

-------------