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Audio upgrade without touching the factory head and wiring.

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    #1

    Audio upgrade without touching the factory head and wiring.

    I have now owned my 89 marquis for a little over 14 hours and it is time to start planning the stereo system. The stock head must have never been used because the volume has a dead spot right off of zero; you either get nothing or full volume. It's easy to upgrade the head in these cars but all I ever listen to is either my phone or tablet, I never use the radio and haven't touched a CD in years. There is also 6 speakers in these things!!! 8 if you add a set of tweeters or subs! So I decided to see what was available for Bluetooth enabled amps and came across the RockVille RXM series which has a 6 and 8 channel option with Bluetooth onboard. I would like to have more control over the channels than these offer, they have just two sets of adjustments controlling 4 channels each on the 8 channel model but they are incredibly versatile. They are also pretty new and there does not seem to be much in the way of reviews on them; however Rockville amps do get favorable marks from what I can see.

    Has anyone done a similar build, leaving the stock system in place and just throwing in a BT amp and some new speakers? On the speaker side I am considering trying out CT Sounds though they only go to 5.25 inch for their smallest speaker.


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    #2
    Tape adapter is the usual minimal modification way to get aux input on one of these. Trying to find a spot to mount another set of speakers is not exactly an easy proposition, and trying to interface the stock stereo with some other amp also isn't super easy if its the old football amp design.
    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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      #3
      It's way easier to put in an aftermarket head than to dick with the wiring and mounting an amp in the middle. And the head will have to come out anyhow to do that. If you need to know what adapter kit to use, we can point you in the right direction.

      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
      rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

      Originally posted by gadget73
      ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

      Originally posted by dmccaig
      Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

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        #4
        If its the square amp, it doesn't need new wiring. The football POS does. Only from the head unit to the amplifier though. You can actually re-use the wiring from the amplifier output to the speakers, they weren't common grounded like the input side is.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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          #5
          My idea would completely go around the stock system and I was just going to put the amp in the trunk. My rambling my have missed the point, I do that...a lot.


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            #6
            Audio upgrade without touching the factory head and wiring.

            Oh and I don't appear to have premium sound, thought I did but no door speakers and I am assuming the rears are there ; the grills are.


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              #7
              See if there is an amp in the trunk. If there isn't one, a straight head unit swap is a lot easier actually. That would make it a non-premium sound system.
              86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
              5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

              91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

              1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

              Originally posted by phayzer5
              I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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                #8
                You are better off going to a car stereo store and talk to the sales techs they can be very knowlegeable in this area I did when my amp started to go kaput. I was told if you change the head unit with a new one you may end up trashing the speakers. The amp if new will help with the sound when you install new speakers if you get a 4 channel amp, if you wish to add base speakers you will need a sub amp to drive the base speakers. So as my opinion you will also need the proper wires like I have in my car.

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                  #9
                  Speaker upgrades are a must, regardless of whether you're keeping the factory radio or going aftermarket. And yes a new more powerful head unit will eventually kill the factory speakers if you listen to it at high volumes.

                  So lemme get this straight, you wanna use the BT amp as a receiver for the music streamed from your mobile device, and have said amp drive the speakers directly - essentially the factory radio is at that point simply plugging the hole in the dash, correct? Well if the BT amp can generate its own signal (as opposed to needing actual physical electric inputs from the radio or something else) then yeah I don't see why you can't do it. The question becomes why do you want to go that way, as opposed to the standard setup with an aftermarket unit and a conventional amp? I mean are you trying to save money, or you need the space occupied by the factory radio for something else, or what? Just curious is all, as I never knew BT amps even existed since I never even considered running without a head unit (I like to listen to the radio).
                  The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                  The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

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                    #10
                    I feel like your either not reading my post or assuming my knowledge of Car audio is limited. I was just curious if anyone had done a similar build and if so what they used. I do all of my own installs and have since the late 90s.


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                      #11
                      Eh, don't get upset - that's the standard response some people have, "talk to the pros". It never even occurs to them that some of us here ARE said pros
                      The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                      The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

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                        #12
                        Not mad, just surprised considering the more welcoming response I have gotten in every other sub forum on this site! And I don't want to imply that the responses were unwelcoming... words are hard.

                        Certainly not a pro on the audio stuff but it is old hat for me. 0ga power and ground to a disto block with a 4ga to the amp (because that the size of the terminals on the amp) and all new 12ga speaker wire to each door. The upside to this is if and when I trade the car off the next owner could put a head in if they want.


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                          #13
                          I don't do wiring or anything like that, usually just go to the car stereo place and tell them what I want, but this seems like a lot of extra trouble to go to, which I think is what the others are getting at. Not pooping your idea, just trying to make sense of it.

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                            #14
                            I think we have a difference of interest then, that's the stuff I like to do.


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                              #15
                              Knucklehead, it's really no extra work tho - if he doesn't have speakers in the doors, and he wants them, he'll be running wires regardless of what he does with the head unit. If he had premium sound with door speakers in already then yeah you can say he's going a bit overkill, but he's speakerless right now, so wires will need run regardless. Also with a full BT input amp he won't have to mess with wring the inputs from the head unit to the amp, so that's actually LESS wiring there.

                              Adam, you still didn't answer if I understood your plan correct or not?
                              The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                              The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

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