disco 300 sub
- Thread starter daza
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James
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You need to conect the line out of the Head unit to the input of the amp behind the speakers
bustersbus
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Shout DIVE, DIVE,DIVEanyone know how i can get the sub working in the back door of my disco,
the wires from the amp come in from the door and behind the side pannel - but then they stop-not connected to anything. its an after market stereo thats in now.
wallbanger
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As they leak so much are they realy any good as sub,s
gluggythedisco
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If you look behind the stereo you should find a red plug dangling about there with a red and black wire connected to it. This is the + and - speaker feeds that go into the amp so you could just cut the red connector off and solder a phono connector on to go into the back of your stereo.
BUT we have found the sound signal to be very quiet - I think the original stereos had a higher output level to the amp as using the standard phono outputs you can barely hear it!
BUT we have found the sound signal to be very quiet - I think the original stereos had a higher output level to the amp as using the standard phono outputs you can barely hear it!
James
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Gluggythedisco, it is the read and black cables as you say but they are left and right not + - they are both the positive, the Negative is done via the common earth on the vehicle.
The reason you are experiancing very low signals is because you are running them out of phase from each other so canceling themselves out.
Having said all that, they are not vey loud anyway but do add a little extra fullness at the bottom end.
The reason you are experiancing very low signals is because you are running them out of phase from each other so canceling themselves out.
Having said all that, they are not vey loud anyway but do add a little extra fullness at the bottom end.
gluggythedisco
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Thanks James, that would explain things
I assumed that as they were only 2 wires, that it was a mono amp...I had always thought the speaker - connections were seperate from the vehicle earth.
I assumed that as they were only 2 wires, that it was a mono amp...I had always thought the speaker - connections were seperate from the vehicle earth.
James
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The amp is a 2 channel amp behins the speakers, one for each, not realy stereo because you cant hear the difference.
The speaker connections are seperate from the car, the feed to the sub is a line level feed into an amp.
The speaker connections are seperate from the car, the feed to the sub is a line level feed into an amp.
gluggythedisco
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For 'speaker' connectios I should have said 'audio' connections - I realise the speakers are wired seperately...just thought previously that all car audio applications used a seperate floating ground. Thanks for the info.
I re-wired ours this evening - can't hear anything from the rear door speakers so I think the last month or so with it incorrectly wired has buggered the amp.
Anyone got a spare they want to sell???
I re-wired ours this evening - can't hear anything from the rear door speakers so I think the last month or so with it incorrectly wired has buggered the amp.
Anyone got a spare they want to sell???
James
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It would not have broken it by wiring it wrong as long as you did not connect the input of the amp to a speaker out on the head unit.
gluggythedisco
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I did do that (briefly) when I was first testing the wires from the red connector. With it being so quiet using the phono (RCA) outputs I thought the amp must have high level (speaker) inputs. Using the speaker outputst made it slightly louder but not enough to hear it from the front so I left it connected to the phono sockets on the head unit, meaning to replace the amp with a standard one.Down to the scrapyard for me then...
Why is there no smiley for 'feeling slightly foolish'?
James
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You still may not have broken the amp, check the speakers are ok first, gently push the cone evenly all round at the same time with your fingers. You should be able to gently move the cone in and out. if it does not move at all then the speakers themselves are knackered then that is your problem. This was the problem with mine when I got the Disco.
Both of my subs were knackered, i replaced them with some 6.5 inch Kenwood 'subwoofers' from ebay (about £20 the pair). They sound fantastic. I just need to sound deaden the tailgate now.
Due to the depth of the new subs i did have to angle grind a small amount of the door structure to fit them and remount the amp inside the door rather than to the speakers.
Regarding the stereo output, i put the 2 wires directly onto one of the pre-outs (one positive, the other ground - can't remember which way round though), this was the best volume level and sound output i could achieve.
Due to the depth of the new subs i did have to angle grind a small amount of the door structure to fit them and remount the amp inside the door rather than to the speakers.
Regarding the stereo output, i put the 2 wires directly onto one of the pre-outs (one positive, the other ground - can't remember which way round though), this was the best volume level and sound output i could achieve.
gluggythedisco
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Well, I have checked the cones and they are seized solid. But I have some fairly decent 6.5" full range speakers that I will connect up, will see whether the amp is working.
Ritch
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I have just done this with my new chrimbo pressie. It is possible to get a plug in connector off a guy on ebay but he wants £12 or so and I am far too tight for that.
You need to connect the line out or sub out connection from your new head unit to the red and black wires as stated in earlier posts.
You need to either purchase an rca plug or butcher an old cable you may have laying around. Trim off the block connector which plugs into the back of the standard stereo which has the red and black wires only!
Now you need to connect the RED wire to the core of your new rca plug and the BLACK wire to the outer or sheath or whatever you want to call it. I tried some in car soldering but i am pretty atrocious at it so after a serious burn to my little finger and almost setting fire to the car I decided on a different approach. To the kitchen table......I soldered two extensions of wire to the rca plug so I had a good length which I could now scotchblock to the car/sub loom.
Because I have stereo female line outs from my new stereo I sourced a y splitter off ebay with two males to one female. This then completed the connection and I have as much if not more Bass power as before.
It is a joyous experience trying to get all the wires tucked in behind, especially with third degree burns running the length of your pinkie.
Long noddy post purely because I searched for ages for this info so trying to bung it in a single post.
Oh and if you go the same way as me don't bother searching around for ages for a male to female splitter cause bleedin halfords do em for a couple of quid.
HTH
Ritchie
You need to connect the line out or sub out connection from your new head unit to the red and black wires as stated in earlier posts.
You need to either purchase an rca plug or butcher an old cable you may have laying around. Trim off the block connector which plugs into the back of the standard stereo which has the red and black wires only!
Now you need to connect the RED wire to the core of your new rca plug and the BLACK wire to the outer or sheath or whatever you want to call it. I tried some in car soldering but i am pretty atrocious at it so after a serious burn to my little finger and almost setting fire to the car I decided on a different approach. To the kitchen table......I soldered two extensions of wire to the rca plug so I had a good length which I could now scotchblock to the car/sub loom.
Because I have stereo female line outs from my new stereo I sourced a y splitter off ebay with two males to one female. This then completed the connection and I have as much if not more Bass power as before.
It is a joyous experience trying to get all the wires tucked in behind, especially with third degree burns running the length of your pinkie.
Long noddy post purely because I searched for ages for this info so trying to bung it in a single post.
Oh and if you go the same way as me don't bother searching around for ages for a male to female splitter cause bleedin halfords do em for a couple of quid.
HTH
Ritchie
revjames
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Thanks for the post - good info. I have been wondering how you do this and like you baulk at the prospect of £12 + postage for the plug off Ebay.
So the Y piece joins the 2 outputs on the back of the new stereo? Pretty sure there are 2 outputs. Then the single cable from the splitter needs to be connected red to core and black to sheath - that simple eh? I have to fix my rear door lock first and put the door card back on before I can re connect the sub.
gluggythedisco
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Update:
Just replaced the speakers and got some sound!!! But not a lot, more than before but not exactly brilliant. However, when I unplugged one of the phono plugs the sound got a LOT better.
Hmmmm, strange. (This is with the centre pin of the red phono connector connected to the red wire (right) and the centre pin of the black connector connected to the black wire (left) as James has suggested. Even wire just one phono plug in the back of the head unit both speakers were moving so I figured that the red wire was in fact positive not right, hence when the black wire was connected to the left channel the amplifier was just amplfying the difference between left and right channels and putting it through 2 speakers as a mono signal.
I then joined the wires from the 2 phono centre pins together to the red wire, and both outers to the black wire, and have now got a really good sound.
So it looks like there are 2 different ways of wiring things!!! Hopefully all the above makes some kind of sense!
Just replaced the speakers and got some sound!!! But not a lot, more than before but not exactly brilliant. However, when I unplugged one of the phono plugs the sound got a LOT better.
Hmmmm, strange. (This is with the centre pin of the red phono connector connected to the red wire (right) and the centre pin of the black connector connected to the black wire (left) as James has suggested. Even wire just one phono plug in the back of the head unit both speakers were moving so I figured that the red wire was in fact positive not right, hence when the black wire was connected to the left channel the amplifier was just amplfying the difference between left and right channels and putting it through 2 speakers as a mono signal.
I then joined the wires from the 2 phono centre pins together to the red wire, and both outers to the black wire, and have now got a really good sound.
So it looks like there are 2 different ways of wiring things!!! Hopefully all the above makes some kind of sense!
