Redo entire audio system in my SC300?
 

Well I bought a double din for my SC300 and planned on it being an easy install as the rest of my double dins have.. I was wrong. The harness that was recommended to me seemed to be the wrong one, there weren't enough wires basically. The guy at Best Buy also was telling me about running wires to each and every speaker.. etc etc etc.. I'm new to this whole thing and I honestly didn't really understand it...

Is installing this thing easier then what I'm thinking it is or should I just redo the entire audio system in the car?

Has the stock Nakamichi system in it but it isn't working for ****. So I was thinking about getting all new door speakers, amp and a sub to replace the factory one. Would I be missing anything?

I'm just looking to update the system and have a nice, clean, crisp sound system. Nothing stupid loud.

Shane

The reason there weren't enough wires is because you have the upgraded amplified system (i.e. Nakamichi). If you don't care about retaining the factory subwoofer, then you can just hardwire the power for the radio at the factory harness and then do an amp bypass to power the speakers off the aftermarket head unit. Technically you can integrate the sub this way from the RCA outputs on the head unit but it's a little more complicated and not recommended. You should NOT have to run new lines to all the speakers; the factory output lines at the amplifier should be all with which you need to interface for speaker integration.

Personally, I would replace the whole system anyway. You'll get greater satisfaction from a full aftermarket set of equipment. One thing though: it's not absolutely required that you get a 4-channel amp to basically replace the factory one and power your door speakers, but it does usually make a huge difference. You have to weigh cost vs. benefits, however, as going that route can get pretty expensive very quickly when combined with your proposed changes.

There use to be an aftermarket system in my car before I owned it. The wire kit and everything is still in the car. The trouble is, my stock radio/amp/sub either don't work or hardly work at all... So I have NO CLUE what has been unplugged and messed with.. Kind of annoying driving in silence everywhere. I have a thread up on here somewhere with my issue.

Time to break out the meter, get your power, acc, ground, antenna, and RTO figured out, then add what you need. I would not reuse old wiring for the simple fact that if they were that careless taking it out, you have no idea whether or not they left something shorted out. Not worth the risk. I would ensure that any power cables that were previously run have been cut completely and crimp a cap on them to ensure they can never get energized, or better yet, take them out when you run the new ones (the better solution).

It's some work, but it's worth it. If you've done this before, take a weekend or two and you won't be rolling in the quiet for long. You'll spend less time rewiring than you will troubleshooting if you tackle it with the assumption that everything previous is wrong.

Big Mack

So should I just buy myself 4 new speakers for the doors and rear.. Maybe 4" all around?

Buy a new sub? Should I just go aftermarket and put it in my trunk, or will a bigger one fit in the factory location?

And of course, buy a new amp for everything? I read something about getting 2 amps, 1 for the sub and the other for the door speakers?

Then buy TONS of wiring for it all?

This way I could rip out the audio wiring for basically everything and just start fresh?

Yes - although there are adapters that allow for larger speakers. I would use some mat type sound deadening on the doors as well.

Yes - trunk. Take out the factory one. IB is tough to pull off, and a box is not hard to build if you take your time.

Yes. 2 amps will have two power supplies. You don't need to go insane, as you said you want sound, not boom. A quality four channel and a sub amp shouldn't kill a modest budget given the cost per watt these days. Remember that 50 watts is plenty for interior speakers, and even 200 watts to a sub is more than enough for most listeners.

Yes. Maybe not tons, but all applicable. Amp kits are cheap, mang. Make sure you get OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) and not CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum), as the latter is a significantly less efficient transmitter of power.

Yes, now you see the value in it. :)

Big Mack