Volvo install pics - DONE (but not perfect yet)

Hey folks, I just shelled out the cash to get my double-din empeg + cd/radio + amp + source switcher install done. Yeah, it was an expensive install, but it's physically done. Attached are some pics. The empeg looks BEAUTIFUL in the dash. Too bad all CD players are so gaudy. Even the childish, technotronic, useless LED using, dashboard wart of an Alpine CD player I bought was the most toned down thing I could find. Well, it really has all the features I want though, so no complaints.

The damn thing has furious alternator whine and the source switcher doesn't work as I'd planned. Too bad I couldn't get the Sony XA-39 series. I ended up with a PIE (Precision Instrument Electronics) MPSS-4. Turns out, it completely cuts the power to the secondary device when signal comes from the primary. It leaves the primary on at all times though.

The installers set the empeg as the primary, which is good, I guess. Saves it from hard powering up and down all the time. Though, I didn't think the switcher would completely cut the power... I'll try to mess with it myself for a while.

Here are the pics. Yes, notice the purposely obtrusive stick shift in the pictures. I'm damn proud of my manual Volvo wagon as they seem to be pretty rare.

PS, since I don't want to post this question in its own topic, how DO you pronounce "empeg"?

PS, since I don't want to post this question in its own topic, how DO you pronounce "empeg"?

It is pronounced like it looks with two syllables.
"em-peg" not "E-M-peg"

Greetings!

Very nice looking install!!! Pity about the noise, though. You might want to check for the usual ground loops, etc. I agree with the Alpine - it is still way too flashy looking, but there is little better out there.

I ended up with a PIE (Precision Instrument Electronics) MPSS-4. Turns out, it completely cuts the power to the secondary device when signal comes from the primary. It leaves the primary on at all times though.

Well, it seems that you could change it so that the secondary device is connected directly to the power instead of to this device, and the line that's currently cutting off its power cuold be used to control a relay inserted in the audio output line. Maybe? Just an idea.

Also, I'm thinking about a new car and thought I might be interested in a S60R (if and when they become available) or an S60 T5. Looks like yours is a much different model, but what is it, and what lengths did you go to to do the install? I think that the S60's dash looks even harder to deal with.

Nice pictures thanks! I agree about CD players and car stereos in general. Like shoes they are getting crazier and crazier. I thought about using one of those black face stereo's with my Empeg, but will wait til I get my new car to decide.

Hm, yeah, those black face / touch screen units would look nice if you're doing a dual head unit install... Too bad I spent so much on the empeg I didn't have much left for one of those.

Problem with my install now is that when the empeg is out, there is a massive, gaping, silver, theif's eye catching hole in my dash. I'm going to try to find some plastic which matches my dash texture and fabricate a DIN sized cover for the empty sled. I REALLY have to get that done. Any ideas where I can find some sheet plastic which may just happen to have a slight arch to it?

Check with your dealer - most cars have a DIN slot cover to be used when there's no stereo mounted in the car. If not, then maybe they have pocket meant to go into the DIN space. I know Volkswagen has both that fits my Polo; when everthing but the pocket was trimmed away it fits perfectly into the MkII sled.

/Michael

when the empeg is out, there is a massive, gaping, silver, theif's eye catching hole in my dash

FireFox, you did see this, didn't you?

Yes, I did see your cover. I just hope Volvo isn't to snobby to have one of those things. I'm nervous about asking for one at the dealership because they'll give me the line about "oh, you can't install a new head unit into this Volvo blah blah blah." Haha, I'll keep yours in mind if I get one (or have to make one). Thanks.

I just hope Volvo isn't to snobby to have one of those things. I'm nervous about asking for one at the dealership

Don't worry about that. It can never hurt to ask. Now, my Honda dealership was unhelpful in finding that part and I had to resort to ordering it online. But because they were snobby, because they had tunnel vision regarding the year/model of my car.

They would only start the part-lookup process by beginning at the top of the tree with my "2000 Accord SE 4dr" model as the starting point. And the problem is that the 2000 SE comes with a stereo for all models, so that cover is not available for mine.

Instead, I had to get advice on this BBS about an older model Honda (a Civic, even, I believe) that came with one of those covers, and then begin my own parts search starting with that one as a base.

Ugh, so I "solved" the empeg noise problem by having my installer put some filters/supressors on all the RCA outs of the sled. Here I spent hours searching the BBS and compiling ground loop information, compiled it into a 3 page document, and the installer wasn't interested in looking at it. Guess they wanted a quick score off the filters.

So, purists, what DO these evil filters do to harm my audio? Hey, ALL the whine and noise is gone, so I'm happy, but what am I loosing? Are these cruel little black boxes striping certain frequencies from all the audio that leaves the empeg? That would be a bad bad thing. Well, I'll save audio quality for a seperate thread (and plenty of searches for "eq settings" on the faq and bbs).

Are these cruel little black boxes striping certain frequencies from all the audio that leaves the empeg?

Depends on what they installed. Do you have details of the brand that they installed?

They're supposedly ripping the bass out of the spectrum by force. (why you remove the bass to get at a high pitched whine is a question for an electrical engineer). I've had some on for six months as a "temporary fix" because I've been too lazy to actually find the real problem with my install.

Filters on the RCA's aren't a good thing, and if you can avoid them you should... You might do well asking your installer to actually troubleshoot the system, or switching to an installer who will...

Matthew

They're supposedly ripping the bass out of the spectrum by force. (why you remove the bass to get at a high pitched whine is a question for an electrical engineer).

It's not that they're ripping the bass out of the spectrum on purpose, it's just that the cheap ones (like the Radio Shack ones) don't have very good overall frequency response. I would like to see references to other brands that might have better frequency response.

The reason it happens is because they're simply induction coils. (I used to think they were optical isolators, but I've been told otherwise.) Their job is not to pinpoint and eliminate a specific whine. Instead, they fix the ground loop by breaking the connection; physically separating the audio connection so that there's no electrical ground path between the audio source and the amplifier. The lack of full-spectrum frequency response is an unwanted side effect of the components used, but it has nothing to do with the noise removal.

(As I understand it. I could be wrong.)

If he used the term "filter" advisedly then that's a different thing to a ground loop isolator, which you described. A filter would likely contain an array of capacitors and inductors to pass or block specific parts of the audio spectrum.

It could be that they fitted isolators, though.

Rob

If he used the term "filter" advisedly then that's a different thing to a ground loop isolator,

True. But I've heard ground loop isolaters called "noise filters" very often, even though it's a misnomer. So I think it's safe to assume that they were talking about ground loop isolators.

As I understand, they break the ground loop just like you described. I was told "they pull the AC out of the RCA's" (I think).

Sorry, I don't have the brand. I should have got it before they put the sled back in. Maybe I can call and ask.

As of yet, I haven't noticed any degraded sound. Well, that could also be because my EQ settings are still not right. Other than that, the whine is gone. I have some other whine thoughts which I may post in another thread if they haven't been said before.

The isolators are basically transformers, which only pass AC. Due to the size & impedance of these transformers, there's a low frequency rolloff (as well as a high frequency one, but that's generally way out of audible range).

It will affect a sub if you're feeding one from one of these signals; I currently have an isolator in my Civic because I've not got time to fix it properly... I used one pair (through the isolator) to feed front/rear speakers, and the rear empeg out with no isolator to feed the sub - as the sub has a low-pass on the amp input, you don't hear any whine from it anyway.

Hugo

Thanks for the idea. I'll ground my empeg properly some day to ensure that I give it the full-spectrum respect it deserves. Subs are my next project, if I can afford it after my recent install. Thanks again.

Now, off to sleep to dream of the empeg video output board that's been stuck in my head for the past few days. Why WOULD someone want that?