drfsrich

Hi All, new to the forum and Lexus ownership, I've just picked up a '94 LS 400 in Silver/Black with ~66k original miles. I absolutely love it so far and have been taking care of a few minor maintenance items (new front brakes replacing the original rotors/pads!), replacements for broken seat belts, headlight bulbs, etc.

I'm looking to upgrade the stock audio system. I have the non-Nakamichi setup and while I'm pleased with the overall sound quality/performance, the tape deck/trunk-mounted changer is a little too last-century for me.

I'm looking at the JVC KW-NT3HDT double-din Nav/Satellite Radio/MP3/DVD/Kitchen Sink and am a bit confused about how it interfaces with the rest of the stock system (which I'd prefer to leave alone).

As I understand it, if I wish to use the new head unit and retain the stock sub/amp, I'll need to purchase the BeatSonic adapter kit. Is this true? Is there an option to hard-wire the new stereo in and utilize the stock sub/amp without having to shell out $250 for the adapter?

I know at least one forum member has relocated the climate control unit to below the stereo for better screen placement. I'm interested in this as well, has anyone else done this?

So far I'm finding this to be a really great community with a ton of insight, and I'm loving the Lexus!

fatcat2

the beatsonic has a little module that lets you use the stock amp, basically it makes your aftermarket system have pre-amp sound. it is very simple to hook up the cd player if you know what you are doing with minimal cutting of the stock harness. behind the cdplayer all you need to tap into is the 12v+, 12+ constant, find a ground. for the speakers, i'm not sure if your amp is under your seat or in your trunk. either way your going to have to do some wire tracking. do some searching to figure out which wire's are for which door. How i did it this last time was just bought some speaker wire, ran it from the deck under the carpet to the amp under the seat. and just bypassed the amp. it was very simple.

Now unless you buy the beatsonic you will loose your stock sub. But im sure you knew this from searching...

I didnt try the ac/cd swap, i like it down lower so its not beaming in my eyes while im driving at night.

If your not good at wiring the beatsonic is the way to go. went to a local stereo install shop and they quoted me nearly the same amount that the beatsonic cost to hard wire it, and i would have lost my sub...