Has anyone been able to keep the mute working when adding rear speakers? Where is this secret compartment I keep hearing about? I may have to take a gander about the car!

 

I've got a "rear mute" idea that I going to try when I do my install. All I need to do is decide on a pair of speakers. Stock headunit. I probably going to go with the Sony XS-V1631 up front, and debating on the following for the rears:

JBL Decade DS345 ($39)
Kenwood KFC-1068S ($49)
Sony XS-F1021 ($54)
Kenwood KFC-1077 ($59)
Infinity Reference 452i ($79)
Infinity Kappa 42.3i ($119)
Kenwood eXcelon KFC-Xr400 ($129)


Any comments, suggestions?

 

I am very curious about the Mute and rear speaker question that Johev has raised.

Can anyone offer more insight?

 

Basically, the mute button left of the steering wheel will only mute the front amplifier. Therefore, if you have installed rear speaker ala Lucid, when you press the mute button, only the fronts will mute. The rear will not!

 

Correct unless you upgrade your head unit. I have a biamp system, front and rear speakers and sub, PAC SW1-3 adaptor, and the mute function works perfectly.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dbkelly
[B]Basically, the mute button left of the steering wheel will only mute the front amplifier.

 

A rear mute is possible but it takes an external circuit. Email me and I'll explain the options or Look in the electronics forum (so don't put the general talk people to sleep).

 

I did this install last weekend and I, too, was amazed at the difference that it made. I never would have tried if I hadn't heard the kudos on this board.

I wanted to keep the stock radio because I like the "plain" looks. Too many of the aftermarket radios B]look[/B] like aftermarket radios, and I'm not fond of that kind of add-on appearance. The first addition right after I bought the car was a swap out of the main speakers with Kenwood 1687's and this was a vast improvement. I was satisfied with around-town driving, but couldn't obtain distortion free volume for top-down high speed driving.

My second step was to add a Phase Linear PL200 amp under the passenger seat. I used a very scientific approach to selecting an amp: one that would fit under the seat. I don't think this made any difference at all, possibly due to the quality of the converter that takes the line level speaker outputs from the stock head unit.

Finally, last weekend I added Alpine A402 speakers in the rear, with 400 hz bass blockers to make sure I didn't overdrive them. I'm driving them from the same amp, so I'm running at 2 ohms (which the amp is rated for) and getting the corresponding increase in power output. Now, the amp that originally didn't provide me with any true benefit is getting a workout.

I'm completely satisfied with the current set-up. I get the volume I need for distortion-free top down highway driving; I get a nice feel in my back, even with the bass blockers in place; and the mute button...which I think is a very useful feature...still works. I don't have fade capabilities front to rear, but I haven't seen the need. The speaker addition provides great fill to the overall sound.

Thanks for the idea!