I was just wondering for sound quality would it make a difference if i just use the high level inputs on my amp, or should i go out and get a linelevel convertor and use rca's to hook up to an amp?
i am keeping the stock head unit.
thanks
ankur

 

Excellent question. I too plan to keep the stock head unit and would like to know which approach is better.

To state the obvious, a high to low converter will allow you to choose almost any amp you want since most have RCA inputs. The drawback is having yet another device in the signal path.

Although not many amps offer them, speaker level inputs do avoid this drawback but there is a question of parts quality, especially when compared to dedicated converters. In general, the more expensive the amp, the less likely it is to have speaker level inputs. They seem to be more of an afterthought for convenience and compatibility rather than an engineering highlight. In any case, it's something I wish the magazines would test but they don't.

Thanks for starting this topic. I'll be interested to learn how you decide to proceed.