I posted the other day and got great advice from you guys. im just trying to get my ducks in a row before i start the project on my 2002 outback.

Now ive decided to go with the option of using an amp and passing my stock HU through the empeg. i think that is the best solution plus i get to amp my stock unit which will hopefully help its sound a little. (not that its bad to begin with)

i still have a couple of question though.

i have no idea what are good amps, what i should be looking for, i have a cd/radio in the car now that will plug into it, and i think atleast 6 speakers (tweeters in the front and door speakers in front and rear). I dont want anything real fancy just something that will produce a nice sound at a decent level. im not a big bass fan or bleeding ear fan. any suggestions here??

i read the faq and saw the info about the iso wiring harnesses. it is my understanding than that this is what will plug into the car to drive the power and such. is this correct? does this cover the ground and all others as well?? trying to get straight what all aspects on the wiring will be involved. if that were the case it would seem like i would just need to connect that harness either via plug style or sauder and then connect the rca outs to the amp. is this totally off??

what other crazy things might i need to know outside of this faqs listing?

btw, i was told to get all the doucentation i can about wiring and such for this unit by the guy who is planning on helping me with the install. any source for this type of info? dev section?

thanks for all your help.

Kevin (totally new)

The ISO harness carries the wires for
constant +12V (input)
switched +12V (aka as accessory) (input)
ground (input)
amp remote turn on (output)
phone mute (input)
dimmer (input)

Since you want to keep your stock HU, you need to identify the wires in your cars harness (likely not to have amp remote and phone mute, as they normally go to aftermarket accessories [amp and handsfree phone kit] not normally present) and splice the ISO connector into those wires. I'd recommend soldering and shrink tubing.
You'll need to run a new wire from the amp remote turn on on the ISO harness to where your amp will be located - can be routed along with the RCAs. Even if you don't have a handsfree kit or mobile phone it might be a good idea to extend the phone mute wire to someplace easily accessible if you ever would install a kit (or use the phone mute for something else, like making a radar detector hush the empeg...)

Then there's the question of if the power and ground wires are good enough to handle both HUs at once - I'd try it out before running new wires though, but if you get problems with ground loops/alternator whine, consider upgrading those wires.

You'll also need to run power to your amp - that'll require much thicker wires than the ones that go to your HU. Exact requirements depends on what wattage your amp is, but I wouldn't go with less than 8 awg. You'll need a fuse holder close to the battery for this wire. Ground the amp to a good ground and make sure there's no paint between the ring connector and the metal of the car.

This site has a wealth of basic information regarding car audio and car electrics.

/Michael

Im not a big bass fan or bleeding ear fan. any suggestions here??

It is unlikely that anything I say here will change your mind... but probably the single most important thing you can do (after adding the amplifier, of course) for improving your sound quality and the enjoyment of your in-car sound system is to add a subwoofer.

I'm not talking about filling the whole back end of your car with gigantic boxes full of 12" subs, cranked by a 1000 watt amplifier and annoying the neighbors two blocks away. I'm talking about a single 10" subwoofer in a sealed enclosure, properly crossed over and with adequate power to get a clean, crisp sound. 100 watts will run a 10" subwoofer very nicely. 200 watts will run it even better.

As counter-intuitive as it might seem, the more power you have, the quieter you can play your stereo and still have it sound good. It takes "head room" (i.e., not running the amplifier just as hard as it will go, but leaving a reserve for when you need it) to produce a full, rich, clean signal at low volume.

Until you have heard the difference a subwoofer will make to your system, no amount of prosyletizing on my part will convince you. Just take my word for it (and, I suspect, the word of a few other people who will jump in here and validate what I am saying) and prepare to enjoy your new system.

tanstaafl.

Doug, when you make these statements, it might be useful to mention the type of music you listen to. I think that that would make folks take your suggestion more seriously.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this Sony Amplifier from Crutchfield seems to be a pretty good deal for driving factory speakers and a single subwoofer.

Yea, that looks good. im just not sure how much Watts i need or anything like that. ive always liked sony stuff so i might be leaning toward that amp. i like the idea of having a crossover built in too. will this fit under the seat though?

i was looking into http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=SRV303 for the sub under the other seat. any opinions?? basically im trying to go low profile since subarus dont have trunks.

also, what equipement will i need in terms of cables and such. basically im looking to buy it all online soon and i dont want to miss anything when i bring it over to where im going to get help installing it.

i understand i need something that converts my stock HU to rca for the input of the empeg. how many of these converters do i need. whats with this rear and front rca plugs if the empeg only has one set of inputs. how is that handled? it outputs in these 4 correct?

thanks for your help.

what equipement will i need in terms of cables and such. basically im looking to buy it all online soon

Call Crutchfield (CALL CALL CALL, do not poke around on the web site) and have them get you an amplifier wiring kit with the amp. It will all come with all the stuff you need including a booklet showing you all you need to know. And if you run into trouble, you can call them for help.

Remember that your amplifier will be wired directly to the car battery, and run through the firewall and under the carpet. There will need to be a weatherproof fuse block in the engine compartment, as close to the battery as possible.

You will need a soldering iron and shrink tubing and the knowledge/skill to use them.

If any of that makes you uncomfortable, hire a professional to do the job instead.

how many of these converters do i need. whats with this rear and front rca plugs if the empeg only has one set of inputs. how is that handled?

The front and rear outputs of most car stereos are the same. You only need one pair. Just use either the front output or the rear output.

My opinion, though:

Dump the existing stereo and install ONLY the empeg. You will not miss the existing stereo, TRUST ME. It will simplify the installation immensely, reduce the chances for a ground loop, etc.

i understand i need something that converts my stock HU to rca for the input of the empeg. how many of these converters do i need. whats with this rear and front rca plugs if the empeg only has one set of inputs. how is that handled? it outputs in these 4 correct?

You only need one of these converters. They come in 2 or 4 channel varieties, but since (as you pointed out) there is only a two channel input on the empeg, you only need the two channel version. Just set your fade to 0 on your head unit and then pick either the front or rear pair of outputs from your head unit and cap off the other pair. Then connect the right positive and negative and the left positive and nevative to the correct wires in the adapter (they should be clearly labeled.)

The Empeg does have 4 outputs but the output is still stereo, not 4 discreet channels. The four outputs just allow you to adjust the front/rear fade.

Something I didn't think of earlier is to check to make sure your car doesn't have an OEM external amp (some include them from the factory, esp. with premium sound systems). If it does, then you won't want to use a line-out converter.

Edit: The bot beat me to it ...some of this info is duplicated...

Dump the existing stereo and install ONLY the empeg.

After seeing a pic of the dash in question, I don't blame him for keeping the existing, if not only for aesthetic reasons. There's a big hole to fill if it is removed. Plus he'll lose his AM/FM and Weatherband radio.

bossdj: If you use that subwoofer you linked, you'll only need a 4 channel amp instead of a 5.

Tony is right though...call Crutchfield. It's some of the best free advice you'll ever get. Plus they can tell you exactly what you need to fit your car.

yea, to see exactly what my dash looks like goto:

http://www.subaru.com/llbeanoutback/

then to interior and then weatherband stereo. i plan to strip the bottom 6-disc out.

Just an idea...when you take the 6-disc changer out, you might want to toss around the idea of moving the existing head unit down to were it was and putting the empeg on top. The less you have to drop your eyes to see the display, the safer it will be.