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As far as chimes go, there is an interface that goes from the stock wiring to an aftermarket radio, with the purpose of retaining the chimes (and OnStar, if desired) The OnStar thing is handy, even if you don't subscribe, as the phone will always dial 911.
And I don't know about a 2014, but stoopid stuff also is routed through the drivers door speaker. In my 2016, there is no turn signal relay, and a fake "clicking', simulating that relay is piped through that speaker.
I wouldn't try those circuits MountainJoe linked. The output of today's car stereos don't use a "common ground", and those circuits do. Grounding the negative side of the audio outputs will blow the output amps of a radio or separate amplifier.
In my opinion those after market chime modules are nothing but overpriced GARBAGE. A person is better to buy a used radio and pull the main board out putting it in a smaller box or completely wrapping it in rubber/tape. One speaker hooked into the main board and it's done better and cheaper. I want GM Chimes. Factory Chimes.
Are you sure modern electronics do not ground their leads? I pulled a cover off an older amp today just to take a peak inside while thinking about putting the contents into a smaller more workable box (with new heat sinks)... the connections are all grounded. That amp is less than 10 years old. I am sure with my newer amps too.. otherwise they would use Balance Connectors or something right? I am probably going to build my own RCA type connections anyways using shielded two conductor cable like GM does only better. Ground the shield at the source running an included drain wire but leave it all disconnected at the destination. This is what GM does. The ground still actually grounds as per the circuit I believe. I actually tried to find a similar tape to what GM uses for theirs but I couldn't find it and pre-made is cheaper and better anyways. $.30/per foot. The idea I believe is to catch electromagnetic / electrostatic radiation like an antenna would and disperse it by earthing it to the vehicle body rather than having it interfere with the signal wire.
Anyways, the sound really pumps now. Currently I am feeding 150w to each Tweeter, 150w to each Mid-Range and 200w to each Woofer. Now it's just tweaking. It sounds good. I will add a sub or two just to give it that extra kick.
Last edited by dberladyn; November 29th, 2018 at 8:32 PM.
Positive. It's just the audio output to the speakers, but factory radios gave up common ground output so they could offer higher wattage. The first stereo radios started out as 3 to 5 watts, but aftermarket offered higher wattage (12 to 15 watts), but to do so, they couldn't have common ground. Power and low level inputs (RCA) are still common ground. Factory "floating ground" units came out in the late 70s.
You won't see amplifiers use a common ground either.
I hesitate to burst your bubble, but in an effort to educate....
I just looked up the specs for the HDP4, and the 150 watt figure is a maximum, at a Total Harmonic Distortion level of 1%. They are not required to give the complete "sentence" that tells the story, but if it did, it would be something like "50 watts at 40 to 18,00 hertz, at .08% THD". This phrase gives the 3D picture of the specs. And again, the law doesn't require them to tell you in this manner. But without it, you don't get the whole picture. So, your amp touts a 0.08 THD, but at an unspecified wattage or frequency range, but says at 150 watts (X4) it's 1% THD. My guess is that at 0.08% THD, you're probably at 50 or 60 watts. Still significant, and still sounds great. Most people get caught up in big numbers, but don't realize how good it sounds at realistic numbers with low THD. Trust me, you wouldn't like 1% THD.
Back in the late 70s, Pioneer and Sony car stereo divisions, as well as a couple more, formed an Ad Hoc Committee (now part of the Electronics Industries Assn.) to standardize specs to use this phrase. It was purely voluntary. It was an attempt to weed out those who abuse "big numbers" with high distortion rates. I'm not sure how Alpine survived, as all their early units had a whopping 8% THD (makes 1% look good). Some amp makers touted 1000 watts, in a box the size of a couple packs of cigarettes (totally impossible, today or back then). I'd hate to think of what that THD was.
I'm diggin' the H8 processor. Are you going to use the PC to adjust it? I'd be curious how well that goes. Either way, here's a link to help you get it perfect;
In regards to the Head Unit outputs it's a mute point. Whatever Head Unit I am using 'permanently' will be set up to bypass the internal built in amps and it will connect to my amplifiers 'low level' (RCA). On the GM Radio's you can have the internal amplifiers turned on or turned off (GM Bose). The only problem is that you need a Dealership to do so otherwise I would turn off the internal amplifiers for a cleaner signal right now. Why create the signal, amplify it, then send it, then de-amplify it just to re-amplify it again? Remember, (reluctantly) I am taking my factory Head Unit out and putting a Chinese Android Head Unit in for the full width button-less touch screen. Maybe I will lose the Android an install a windows pc with high quality sound components but that's another project. The key is I will be installing an after market Head Unit and bypassing it's internal amplifiers. Maybe you are right about the grounds I do not know. All I know is anything metal on the chassis of any electrical device is ground. Signals? Maybe not I do not know to be absolutely sure.
Yes, perhaps I should have said that each Tweeter and Mid-Range is feed by it's own individual marketed, over-hyped, over-rated and claimed sales-pitch rated 150W amplifier. That 200w one I have running to the Woofers gets really hot, it's huge too. I am aware of the things you are telling me. It's all nothing new. I am just not as well treaded in these affairs I suppose. Home Theater used to be a hobby. I would spend thousands on equipment and upgrading equipment. At the end of the day, it was all the same thing. They add a bit of flash, but it's all over-rated junk. I tended to by DENON too. Their higher end stuff. Or at least the top end of their lines, just a notch down from their really insane top end. A total waste of money. Nice stuff in comparison to others in it's day, but go grab something ten years old and it's all over-priced junk. Separates are the way to go. Just change your processors for the newest greatest fad.
Thanks for the link I am going read it. I just was out in the truck like I am all the time with it running and the stereo on. I probably look like a teenager to the neighbours. The DSP is great. At first it seemed too complicated. Then after grasping everything it does it left me wanting. It doesn't mix drinks, make coffee or cook dinner. Yup, I just had the laptop plugged in and I was playing with all the settings. What is really really really great is that I can troubleshoot so easily. With the click of a mouse all the speakers are off except for the one that I want to listen to. It is so easy to check if everything is hooked up right or how any individual or group of speakers sounds in it's assigned task. I can play an audio test file at whatever hertz I choose and sent it to which ever speaker I choose. It is really cool.
I either have a problem with the HDP4 or with the RCA's connecting it. I keep losing one set of Right and Left Channels. It was doing this before with a much different and simpler set up too. I know the speakers are good. I know the speaker wire is good. I can rule out the DSP because it did this before it was added to the System. I am too cheap to buy a test set of RCA cable's at the moment and I am looking for other solutions. I suspect the RCA cable because of Murphy's Law. This one just happens to run underneath the rubber floor and underneath the bolted in seats and it may even be taped in. It came my cousins junk stuff when I revised his crappy set up. I never even knew if it was any good to begin with.
If it is not the RCA cable something is not right in the amp. Either a setting switch or a pot has bad contacts. Or worse, there is cracked or broken solder joints. I almost have to remove the seat to really work with it. It's just the way I have it installed for the time being. Wouldn't you know I took the seat out today? It was working... then it wasn't after I really got into the DSP. I would like to completely remove it and bring it inside for disassembly and inspection. Of course, I don't even have am Ohm-meter at the moment so.. I keep looking for other problems that I do not find. It's either the Amp or the RCA cable. Cheapest thing is to buy a ten dollar cable.. I just.. blah. I would rather put ten bucks to something permanent.
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EDIT: It's not the RCA cable, I just want it to be. It's the amp. I never used this cable last time. Something is wrong with the amp. No big deal. There's lots on Craiglist. I'll pick up another one or take this one apart and see if I cannot find the problem.
By the way, at first I wanted this DSP but after much reading I decided there are better ones out there. Including ones that work with bluetooth over on Android devices. I picked it this up new for less than half the price I could find anywhere else. It matched my existing equipment and the deal was just too good to say no. I could probably sell it on Ebay and make money.
Last edited by dberladyn; November 30th, 2018 at 12:29 AM.
Yeah, it's rare that RCAs are intermittent, unless it's vibration related.
So, that DSP has test freqs built in? Wicked! That link I posted will seem out dated, but built in freqs will make it a breeze. The link will tell you what to do with those freqs. But you'll need a DVM. Even if it's just a cheap one.
November 29th, 2018, 5:24 PM
