I have an HHR with the AM/FM stereo with CD/MP3 player sound system. This is not the Pioneer Premium 7 speaker sound system. I was wondering if anyone was able to put an aftermarket amplifier into the system utilizing the factory stereo. I don't want a flashy stereo that's only going to get the car broken into.
I week to keep the factory look but put better speakers in with some good power behind them. I have been looking for the wire harnesses for both the radio and vehicle wiring so I could make up a Amplifier T-Harness. No real luck. Any ideas how I can go about this without cutting my factory wires? Thanks.

 

I'm looking to do the same thing. Unfortunately I know ZIP about amps, and all the other mumbo jumbo regarding car stereos and such.

 

not going to make much of a difference unless you get a new HU as well. I had my stock radio running on a 4 channel amp and one sub amp and didnt get as much power until I replaced the stock with an aftermarket HU.

 

If you are going to use the factory HU then you will need a line driver to up the signal and clean it up .... http://www.mobileaudiocontrol.com/de...17612&l1=17612 Then you can add your amp and better speakers.


It still won't be as good as a new better quality HU, but it much markedly better then std.



Joe

 

I could be wrong, but I think that your door chimes/seatbelt warnings will get extremely loud when you add an aftermarket amp.

 

Here is the plan.

#1. Cut the wires going from the factory head unit to the front and rear speakers. Put an hi to low converter on the wires coming from the head unit and run RCA cables out of th high to low converter into an aftermarket 5 channel amplifer. Run wires for the front and rear channels back to the cut wires behind the head unit that run directly to the speakers. Install an subwoofer hooked directly to the aftermarket amplifier. Possibly run the remove subwoofer conrol from the amplifeir to somewhere on the dash board.

This will give me the ability to have a high-pass filter on the front and rear speakers given then higher power handling and run all the lower bass through the subwoofer.

#2. Find the wire harnesses for both the vehicle and the factory radio so I can make a T-harness and avoid cutting the factory wires. The rest would be the same.

Worst case worse I can go to the recyclers and cut an head unit connector out of a wrecked HHR.

Give me your comments...