I just got my empeg unit and am having a little trouble figuring out how I'm going to connect it to my factory radio. I have a 2001 VW Passat which comes with an open din in the dashboard which is perfect to put the empeg in. I wanted to connect the empeg to the factory unit so that I could keep the factory radio (a. since it's display nicely matches the rest of the car's illumination, b. so I could use its built in amplifier to power the car speakers, c. and so I coulod have fm and am access).

I would like to avoid an fm modulator so I don't lose sound quality.

I've thought of two things: 1) A piece that will connect to the car's factory radio cd changer output and have rca connections on the other end. 2) A cassette adapter that will go into the factory radio's cassette player and will have a wire comming from the cassette that will have rca connections.

Does anybody know any if the items 1 and 2 above actually exist for a panosonic factory radio that I would be able to use to connect the empeg using its rca outputs.

I would really appreciate any advice I could get.

I don't know about the Panasonic factory inputs (these are most often proprietary) but you can easily use a cassette adapter with decent results. This is what I do when I use my wife's car and want to bring the empeg along. All you really need is an RCA patch cable (probably a 1' or 3' will do, get a good one, preferably shielded). One end of this is going to go to the empeg line outs on the back of your sled. The other end is going to be somewhere under you dash. At this end you'll fit an RCA to 1/8" phono (stereo) converter. Connect this to said RCA cable. On the 1/8" male phono plug you're going to put a female-female stereo converter. With this setup you can plug in most any cassette adapter and off you go. If you're clever about the cable routing it won't even look too bad. You might have to switch the RCA adapter's left and right channels to get the correct balance.

Mind you that a lot of people on this bbs (myself included) are of the mind that having the factory system as slave & using aftermarket amps, speakers is really the way to go if you have the coin after sinking 1 large + into your empeg. Components make nice Christmas, Chanukah & Kwanzaa presents! The sound quality can often vastly improve on factory.

Anyway, the RCA cord & two adapters will run you $20 max. I don't know what the casette adapters go for.

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Ok.. I'm not sure where you got the idea that the factory deck is panasonic, from my understanding, it's a monsoon system. if that's made by panasonic, i don't know.

but as far as actualy doing what you are talking about.. see my thread on the subject.. (2000 Jetta install)

or you can just email me personaly. (btw.. install questions should go in the install forum ;)

12gig red mk2 -- 080000125

Thanks for your input. Actually I don't have the upgraded monsoon system. I got the idea that my factory radio is a panosonic from visiting other webistes looking for an auxillary adapter for the cd changer. I found a number of websites that confirmed that the factory radio made for the 2001 passat is a panosonic.

I'm starting to think that a cd changer converter to an auxillary input for panosonic does not exist. It exists for other brands of radios, but I have been unsuccesful in finding one for Panosonic.

I'm going to probably have to use the cassette adapter connection strategy.

I'm already using the other rca output of the empeg to connect to an amp that will be powering my subwoofer in the trunk.

Mario
Empeg Blue 12 GB

Interesting.. I'll have too look around at panasonic info.. there are 2 sets of outputs from the empeg.. I use one for my sub channel in my amp.. and the other for the stereo output of the 4 main channels.. (amp has internal splitter for 2-4 channel conversion)


12gig red mk2 -- 080000125