New head unit install with existing HK amp...

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#21

04-12-2020 | 07:09 AM

Moparnocar71

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Joined: Apr 2020

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Any recommendations on an amplifier? How many channels for the amp? No sub woofer planned so is a 4 channel good? Do you bridge the dash speakers and door tweeters with the front speakers?

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#22

04-12-2020 | 02:37 PM

2003XKR

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Joined: Nov 2015

Posts: 11

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From: Bradenton

If you are going to use the factory speakers, the built in amp of any decent head unit will power the speakers just fine. If you do want to use an aftermarket amp with an aftermarket amp, any 4x50W(RMS) amp will would work great. The front speakers tweeters have a built in physical resistor cross over. When wiring an aftermarket head unit in place of the OEM unit, I believe I had to splice the data cable in the trunk at the OEM amp and run speaker wire from the splice to the speaker line outs of the aftermarket unit. If you want to use an aftermarket amp you can just place the aftermarket amp in place of the OEM amp and run speaker wire from the aftermarket head unit to the aftermarket amp and then splice the oem speaker wires into the output areas of the aftermarket amp.

If you plan on completely upgrading the whole audio system I would recommend at least a 4x100(W)RMS amp. I would replace both the front and rear speakers with component speakers. I know the rears would require an 8" woofer component system and the front speakers would require either a 6" or 5 1/4" component system for the fronts. The component speakers will include their own physical crossovers in them so there is not need to use a crossover setting on the amp.

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#23

06-28-2023 | 05:51 PM

Robert Michael Purington

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Joined: Mar 2019

Posts: 10

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From: Benson, AZ

Wiring Diagram shows DIGITAL between head and HK Amp

Quote:

Originally Posted by sg18438

With the expertise of my installer (Autopsec Mobile Electronics, Hawley PA) we have successfully completed the install of an Alpine CDE SXM145BT head unit in my '98 XK8 coupe. This particular install utilized the existing Harmon Kardon amplifier and speakers. This car has the Premium Audio System.
After reading the many negative threads on retaining the HK amp, I was pretty wary of what I would end up with. My installer tested the output of the amp and it was excellent. I can unequivocally state that the output and quality of sound from this system is very, very good and exceeds my expectations. Perhaps it's because my car is a coupe...anyway, I am very satisfied with the result and I now have Sirius XM, iPod & iPhone, MP3, CD and am/fm radio capabilities.
The only real technical challenge to the installation was properly modifying the connection(s) between the amp and the radio's pre-amp inputs. The HK amp has a six (6) pin round male connector...that connector is cut-off and the six (6) colored component shielded cables are exposed:Orange- 12v remote turn on amp, Blue-lft rear, Red-rt rear, Black-rt front, Yellow-lft front . The four speaker wires were spliced to connectors and plugged into the new radio's pre-amp. Green is the common ground.
Power was a straight forward single wire and ground. (no addt'l harness necessary). The handling/adapting of the 6 component wires from the HK connector requires expertise because of the fragile nature of the wire.
We did utilize an early Jaguar XJ sub-frame LJA6318AB (about $55.) and the Facia Adapter FP-14-00 ($15.) and an AWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Harness (thanks smoggyx100). The Alpine CDE SXM145BT head unit was about $150. The installation does require the removal of the center console.
Total install time 4-5 hrs., parts about $300.
Sorry for the giant pic...how do I adjust?

New Alpine CDE SXM145BT Head Unit in'98 XK8 Coupe

DEAR OP,
Your post indicates you connected low-level head unit outputs to the HK inputs.
Your post says it worked!

The wiring diagram for 1996 diagram shows those as digital 0-30mV signals. The Alpine does not output digital signals.

So either the wiring diagram is wrong or... Because my HK also has 4 channels plus ground coming from head unit to amp. But format of wires makes sense for an analog signal but digital would be S/PDIF via CoAx or TosLInk. This has been driving me up the wall for several days. No one can answer the question. So I will back research your head unit and see if you have low-level preamp outputs then find a similar one. Thanks.

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