Date: 2016-01-29
Often, during the design of the speaker system, not all the technical characteristics of the car radio are taken into account. Indeed, often users simply do not imagine whether they will install additional components. And at a certain stage it turns out that the car radio is simply not equipped with linear outputs. How to proceed?
In order to obtain the required linear signal, you can use the following methods:
· Solder the line output directly on the radio.
· Use the appropriate prefixes in order to achieve the desired signal.
· Soldering using an additional preamplifier. So, it will be possible to significantly increase the signal level.
· The use of an amp that has a high-level input.
Based on the available options, they can conditionally be divided into groups. In the first case, no additional actions are performed with respect to the radio, in the second, direct intervention is required. But do not forget that as soon as the integrity of the main equipment is violated, you will not be able to use the warranty. Therefore, we choose the first option.
Soldering from the radio linear output
In order to succeed in this case, you need to have a certain attentiveness, as well as hands. Be sure to select a microchip. About what she looks like, you can understand from the image. By the way, it is connected directly to a large radiator.
As soon as the circuit is found, you need to set the marking. After that, you need to find a datasheet in order to determine the acceptable wiring of the conclusions available on the circuit. It is from this input that the incoming signal is taken.
Undoubtedly, a prefix can also be used, with the help of which the signal level will be reduced. Now such equipment is actively going on sale. And they have no special design features. And in the event that there is a need, then you can personally prepare it using the schemes.
Often, owners of modern cars want to improve the music in their car without changing the head unit. The matter is not always limited to replacing speakers; for the best effect, an amplifier is installed on acoustics and an active or passive subwoofer with an amplifier. This raises the question - how to connect the amplifier to the head unit if it does not have line outputs? We have an answer!
If you decide to improve the sound in your car without changing the standard head unit, then you will definitely encounter the problem that the head unit does not have a line output for connecting an external amplifier. The line output is the so-called "bells" or "tulips", which are customary to see on any of the simplest car radios, like these:
So - they will not be on the head unit, since the automaker did not mean that the user would independently expand the audio system.
Amplifier manufacturers have thought about this, and in a fairly large number of amplifiers, in addition to the standard linear input, there is a so-called high-level input that allows you to take the signal from the outputs to the speakers. These inputs look something like this:
When connecting to such inputs, ordinary acoustic wires (without a screen) are used. The most important thing is not to confuse the polarity (plus with minus) and of course the left channel with the right one.
What if your amplifier or active subwoofer does not have such an input? There is a solution - this is (signal level converters), for example, or. You connect such a converter to the output "to the speakers" from the radio, from the adapter you get a linear output to the amplifier.
Some adapters have the ability to adjust the signal level, this is sometimes necessary if the signal to the acoustics is too high (for example, you connect an amplifier to a car where there is already a standard amplifier), you can adjust the signal level so that there is no distortion.
Another problem that may arise when connecting an amplifier to a standard "head" is the lack of a control signal from the radio to turn on the amplifier.
Consider a common example - Skoda A5 or VW Golf. You will not find the "ACC" signal to turn on the radio, since the radio is switched on via the CAN bus. There is also no output to turn on the amplifier (as well as a line output). What to do? (I saw options when people got out of the situation by setting the switch (!) To control the amplifier - turned on the radio, then the switch - the subwoofer worked. Turned off the radio - turned off the subwoofer. A matter of habit :))
In fact, there is a simple and elegant solution to two problems at once - a line output and a signal to turn on the amplifier. These are active adapters that generate a voltage to turn on the amplifier when a signal appears at the high level input. For example . It also allows you to adjust the level of the signal at the line output and has two pairs of outputs (parallel). Here is the diagram of its connection:
We hope that a large selection of adapters that you can purchase from us will allow you to solve a variety of problems when connecting an audio system.
For many motorists who do not have the necessary skills and special technical education, connecting an amplifier in a car using bells (tulips) often causes fear. For some, this may simply be a difficult task due to the lack of practical knowledge in the specifics of the connection. At this stage, the question involuntarily arises, how to deal with tulips for connecting to the radio? And most importantly, how to do it right?
In the first and second cases, motorists turn to craftsmen or car services in order to install and connect good sound equipment in the car. Agree, the desire to feel comfortable in your favorite car, enjoy the excellent sound of audio equipment is not the dream of every modern car enthusiast. So where do you start? Let's take a look at this situation one by one.
The purpose of the amplifier
At the initial stage, it is necessary to decide what the motorist wants to get in the end. Usually, when installing a car amplifier in a car, two goals are pursued:
- improving the quality of the audio signal output from the car's speakers;
- increase the overall volume of music tracks.
A car amplifier is a versatile device that allows you to increase the output level. In everyday life, many people use home theater equipment which includes an amplifier. But appliances tend to use a 220 volt power source, while automotive systems are powered by the on-board 12 volt power supply. Therefore, such amplifiers are called automobile.
What is Line Out
In order to connect the amplifier to the car radio, the presence of linear outputs on the rear wall of the player is necessary. Another name for such connectors is RCA outputs. To connect to audio equipment, a special cable is used, equipped at the ends with special plugs, popularly referred to as tulips or bells.
There can be several outputs of tulips on the radio, from one pair to three. There are advanced players that have more than three pairs of line outputs. You can find out the number of them by looking at the technical characteristics of your radio.
line out Connecting to the radio via tulips using linear outputs is considered very reliable, since the connecting parts fit very tightly to each other. But when choosing a cable with tulips, it is worth remembering that a high-quality cable will not be cheap.
Important to remember! Do not take Chinese cheap stampings, they will not last long. When buying, consider the length of the cable, it should be with a margin when connecting devices.
Functions of outlets for tulips
Oddly enough, but everything depends on the cost of equipment. The more expensive the radio, the richer its functionality. Accordingly, the number of RCA connectors will be higher for expensive models. Consider the appointments of different configurations of outputs for tulips:
- a pair. It is practically present in all inexpensive players and is very convenient for connecting a subwoofer.
- two pairs. With two pairs of line outputs, you can build a system of rear and front outputs. Such radios have an average price range. There is a possibility that they have subwoofer settings with an HPF filter to adjust low frequencies.
- three couples. This is the best option. With this configuration, you can connect a complete set with an amplifier on all channels to the car radio. And if the radio has a built-in processor, then you can create a completely fancy audio system. But such a car radio will cost serious costs.
So, if it makes sense to change the head unit to a more advanced one, you should first decide what tasks it will have to face in the future.
Connection with tulips
To properly connect the wires to the RCA connectors, you need to pull the radio out of the panel in the car and find the block of linear outputs on the back wall. It is usually labeled Line Out. Jacks for tulips are marked SUB, Front and Rear and are designed to connect an amplifier, subwoofer and various acoustic systems. The probability of finding at least two pairs of outputs for bells on regular radio tape recorders is not great. And many have to part with standard models, replacing them with newer and more advanced ones.
But what if the car enthusiast does not have the funds to buy a more advanced model with the required number of outputs, or the radio tape recorder is too expensive for the owner, and he does not want to part with it? What to do if there are not enough RCA outputs? Let's say the connection to the amplifier for one pair of speakers has already been made, and the desire to connect another subwoofer is getting stronger every day.
In this case, there are two solutions to this problem:
- Output another pair of line outputs with the help of additional equipment.
- Use the so-called "Y" splitter or adapter.
With the help of the latter, you can compensate for the lack of linear outputs on the car radio.
From the above, it becomes clear that connecting tulips to the radio, to solve acoustic problems in the cabin of your favorite car, is not a very difficult task. The main thing is to understand what value this or that connection has. Assess the importance and purpose of the connected equipment. And it doesn’t even matter what radio is installed in your car, an old Pioneer or a modern system with a four-core processor. In the modern world, you can solve any problem of connecting speaker systems in a car.
Despite the fact that modern auto players today simply amaze with their versatility, this can only be said about individual, expensive models. They can be installed and counted accordingly, as an additional option, when buying a car from a manufacturer's dealer. Regular car radios, unfortunately, are deprived of many functions and electronic equipment. Such as USB connector, AUX connection, line output and the like. What to do when there is no money to buy a new radio tape recorder with additional software, but you want to listen to high-quality music, we will briefly describe in this article.
Amplifier without radio
Connecting the speakers (speakers) of the amplifier to the head unit of the car is carried out according to the standard scheme, through the line output. With simultaneous connection of the positive wire from the car ignition system to the REM terminal of the amplifier. In order to save battery power, it is recommended to insert a toggle switch or button into the circuit that breaks the contact. By connecting the amplifier in this way, you can listen to music from any medium (iPhone, tablet, etc.).
Amplifier without line output
Connecting an amplifier to a radio without a line output is also not difficult. To do this, you need a special adapter, which you can buy at any auto parts store. A standard signal level converter (adapter) has four contact wires that are connected to the wires going to the speakers from the car player and to two output plugs - a tulip.
Speakers without amplifier
You can connect speakers to the radio without an amplifier yourself. The main thing is to distinguish how the type of subwoofer is included in the work, active or passive. Because it is impossible to connect a passive subwoofer to a radio without an amplifier. And to activate it, you will have to use a sound amplification device.
An active subwoofer is called a subwoofer with a built-in power amplifier, which allows you to remove the load from low frequencies from the standard amplifier of the radio. And also having an active crossover for filtering high-frequency sounds, with your own hands.
A passive subwoofer is a device not equipped with a power amplifier, and connected only in a parallel way with respect to the main speakers, or even to a separate channel. The main disadvantage of connecting a passive subwoofer is that during operation an additional load is generated on the output amplifiers of the stereo channels.
Instructions on how to connect an active subwoofer to a radio without an amplifier
Before we start connecting an active subwoofer, on the back of the car radio panel, we find two input ports and connect them via a linear wire to the input on the subwoofer.
We connect the power supply through the wire from the positive terminal of the battery to the subwoofer.
Negative wire, on the same principle, the battery is a subwoofer.
We install a mandatory and very important part in this kind of installation near the battery - a fuse.
Since, when the amplifier reproduces low-frequency sounds, the consumption of electrical power increases (significantly) and, as a result, the load on the entire electrical network of the car, a capacitor is mounted in the power subwoofer circuit, which ensures safety in case of overloads.
The next step after connecting the subwoofer to a regular auto player is to set the upper limit of the low frequencies of the speaker and the desired phase of the speaker oscillation.
Step-by-step video guide on how to connect a sub to the radio without an amplifier.
/2011), we figured out the types of power amplifiers and decided on what adjustments they should have. Now is the time to look at how they can be connected at all. It turns out that there are many nuances here too.
METHOD FIRST. SIMPLE
At first glance, there is nothing complicated in connecting a car amplifier - we take an interconnect cable and connect it to the linear outputs of the head unit with the linear inputs of the amplifier. Both those and others are made in the form of RCA connectors (well, or in common parlance "tulips").
Everything seems to be simple. But suppose you are going to connect a 4-channel amplifier to the head unit. It has two pairs of line inputs, and in the general case, to connect, you will need to send signals from the head unit to both of these pairs. And so you take your radio, and it has ... not two, but only one pair of outputs. What to do?
The most common way to connect amplifiers is with line inputs.
A PAIR OF MORE WAYS. FOUR TO TWO
When choosing the right 4-channel amplifier for this situation, the first thing to notice is the presence of a small switch called the input selector. It allows you to switch the linear inputs of the amplifier from the usual mode (when each pair of channels works from its own pair of inputs) to a mode in which both pairs of channels will work from only one pair of inputs. If there is such a switch, then everything, the problem is solved.
If the head unit does not have enough linear outputs, then you can choose an amplifier that has an input selector.
But what if you just like the amplifier, but it doesn’t have an input selector? In this case, you can resort to another solution, technically not so beautiful, but quite entitled to exist and work properly - a Y-splitter, such a small cord with one input and two outputs. With it, you can send a signal from the head unit to two inputs at once. Well, since we are always dealing with pairs of channels, then to connect a 4-channel from one pair of linear outputs, you will need, respectively, two such splitters.
If the amplifier is not equipped with an input selector, you can use the simplest Y-splitters.
METHODS FOURTH AND FIFTH. WHAT IS HIGH LEVEL INPUT?
All these options are valid for those cases where the head unit has at least one pair of line outputs. But what if they don't exist at all? For example, they almost never happen in regular "heads". You can, of course, resort to the help of specialists who, using a soldering iron, will equip the standard GU with linear outputs, to which you can connect an amplifier using any of the methods described above. Or you can go the other way - choose an amplifier that has high level inputs (High Level Input).In this case, the amplifier is connected directly to the "speaker" outputs of the head unit. Roughly speaking, we cut off the wires going to the standard speakers and connect them to these same amplifier inputs.
And here, at first, doubts about the need for such an upgrade at all may creep in. Indeed, the standard system does not shine with audiophile sound anyway, right there, in addition to it, we just hang another amplifier. Meaning?
And the meaning, as practice shows, is. One of the bottlenecks of the standard system, which spoils the sound the most, is a dead low-power amplifier built into the head unit. In a stock system, it drives speakers that always have low impedance, typically 2 to 8 ohms.
Consequently, relatively decent currents flow in the output stages of the amplifier, we have already analyzed the principle of operation in the first article of the "series". If we disconnect the speakers from it and connect our new amplifier instead, the high-level (high level) inputs of which have a resistance of tens or even hundreds of ohms, then the output stages of the standard amplifier will work a little differently - much smaller currents will flow through them. Such a change in their mode of operation will also have a beneficial effect on the quality of the signal transmitted to them. Roughly speaking, if not speakers are connected to the output of the standard amplifier, but another amplifier, then, oddly enough, it will produce a better signal.
To connect an amplifier to a head unit without line outputs, you can use the high-level inputs, they are provided for many amplifiers.
But let's say you already have an amplifier that you want to add to your stock system, but it doesn't have high-level inputs. Can it be connected to speaker outputs? It turns out that this is also not a particular problem, you just have to buy a high-level signal converter to a linear one, it costs quite inexpensively.
However, the lack of line outputs is not the biggest problem that one has to face when upgrading standard systems. The real problem is when regular GUs are deprived not only of line outputs, but even of the Remote output, which would serve as a command to turn on the amplifier. In this case, one of the simplest and most convenient solutions is to choose an amplifier that has a turn-on function on the presence of a signal at high-level inputs.
An amplifier with this function itself determines when a signal begins to arrive at it, and automatically turns on. And as soon as you turn off the regular GU, the signal disappears, respectively, the amplifier also turns off. Many amplifiers equipped with high level inputs are equipped with such signal detection circuits, pay special attention to this when choosing a suitable model.
METHOD SIX. WHEN THERE ARE SEVERAL AMPLIFIERS.
Well, now we have in general terms figured out how one amplifier can be connected to the head unit. What if we want more? There are also options here. Pay attention to such a detail - some amplifiers contain not only linear inputs, but also linear outputs. What are they needed for? Let's explain with a specific example.
Suppose you have a head unit, but it only has one pair of line outputs, and you connect an amplifier to them, well, for example, for a subwoofer. Everything is just fine, but suppose, at one fine moment, you are tired of the modest sound of the main acoustics, and you decide to purchase another amplifier, already for it.
How to connect a second amp? You can, of course, use one of the methods described above, but if your subwoofer amplifier has line outputs, then it is more logical and easier to connect your new amplifier to them.