I'm sure this has been said many times but hearing is believing.

Originally, the route I took was to keep the stock head unit, replace the front speakers and add an amp and subwoofer. Although the sound improved significantly over stock, there were still some weaknesses. I finally got tired of some of these weaknesses and decided to look into what I could do.

To make a long story short, I decided to upgrade the head unit and give up the console controls for now. If I find I miss them too much, I will install the PAC unit.

I think I can unequivocally say the following:

If you want to add an external amp and a subwoofer, YOU GOTTA UPGRADE THE HEAD UNIT! You really need a head unit with pre-outs to get the best sound from an amp/subwoofer upgrade. It is unbelievable how much better the sound is now.

 

I just got my JVC SH99 installed last night, and let me say, even without an amp & sub, it makes a huge difference! I suppose it should be obvious that going from 19 watts per channel to 50 would help, but man oh man, I wasn't prepared for how much it helped! I can listen to MP3s at 90MPH top down, and that's only with 1621s in the front. I can't wait until I save the $$ to put the amps, sub, rear speakers, and new fronts (the 1621 were definately just a temporary solution) in...

 

i've the same system.. JVC sh99 and songy 1621.........it's awesome!!!...the improvement is very noticable...probably because of the beautiful motorized face plate

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rocketman
[B]I think I can unequivocally say the following:

If you want to add an external amp and a subwoofer, YOU GOTTA UPGRADE THE HEAD UNIT!

 

Hey Pinky,

Do you sell the JVC SH99 with your dash control harness??
Also, I just ordered Lucids Polk rear panel mod and I was wondering if the mute button will work for the rears also with your setup?
I'm getting Lucid's "Mute/Off" button harness with the Polk rears, but if I decide to upgrade to an aftermarket head unit in the future, I want to make sure that I can mute the rear speakers also with the "Pinky mod"... Let me know, thanks!

 

Esu,

While Pinky's mod includes the relay for the mute function, it's a separate piece from the PAC unit. Therefore, if his mod doesn't quite fit the bill, you can leave his relay unconnected and keep what you have from Lucid. To see what I mean about the two pieces being separate, see my webpage.

 

What ever!

 

Did I miss something?

 

If you do go with Pinky's mod, yes. It will work off the new headunits mute function. If the speakers are already wired, no extra work is required.

What MacGyver is saying is that he has a wiring diagram if you want to tinker. For a novice, I would go with Pinky's setup. It is a straight forward installation process.

There is someone working on a dash control unit for the Sonys, but since you have a JVC...

 

Does putting an new head unit require any head unit install kits, or does it just goes in nicely. Also, where is a good place to put the little crossover box for components speakers in the front?