Another JBL bypass question

Curious as I've just recently upgraded my head unit and used the same Metra Bypass harness, is there a need for the second connector to remain plugged into the factory amp? I considered taping it off since i assumed there would be no need for the amp anymore?

 

Since that S23 connector pin 12(gray) has 12vdc when key is in ACC position and onward, I chose to unplug it since it indeed is not used any longer.

 

No donation required, it's fun rooting thru this stuff and saving people $$ going to a pro. Rather than spending $$ donating beer to my dadbod, why not kick $10 to something worthwhile?

I've been meaning for the last couple of years to setup something non-personalized to allow donations to WWP here on the forum. My personal info is tied to the donator link I typically use with friends/family/community purposes, so not as friendly for 'internet stranger' usage.

That's a good org, being in a mil family, I've been supporting them the better part of the last 20yrs when I can. They're doing good stuff to fill in the blanks where the talking heads up in DC fail to come through.

 

Let’s hope WWP has actually learned from “the 2016 event” !

 

Yup. But action was taken, the execs involved got shitcanned, sometimes we all gotta fall on our face to get back on the right path. Lord knows I've needed it a couple times in my life.

 

Excellent! Much appreciated

 

Just as a FYI, removed my OEM amp and sold it a few months ago for right around $150, so might as well do some weight reduction

 

Perfect idea. Money much better spent than on beer. It’s actually fitting to donate to wwp; I was listening to a Vietnam vet autobiography while I was working on the install.

For anyone looking at this in the future: find a way to grab component speakers so you have tweeters. I ended up using the kicker 6.5s so I had some sound while waiting to pull the trigger on the jbl club components, and man, the drop off in quality from having highs up high pointed at you is significant. I need much more volume to compensate. Just spend the extra money and save yourself the headache from dealing with returns.

I ended up pulling my factory amp out. Everything works great. Too bad my aftermarket JBL AMP is a smidge to big to fit there. I think I’m gonna end up putting the amp under the drivers seat or the jack storage compartment. Just don’t know where to relocate the bottle jack.

 

Yeah, the challenges of sound staging without having something bright up high (even when it’s so far from the mid) is real. Even putting a multi-axial speaker down low wouldn’t sound as good as having a tweeter in the sail panel triangle, or the a-pillar.

RE: bottle jack. You can get a block of closed-cell foam, and use it to cut a custom foam holder for the jack and even the tools, and drop it into another cubby. Worth noting also, there are several companies that sell compact amps similar size as (some larger, some smaller than) the OEM JBL amp.

If I had a DC, with JBL, I’d probably try to source a 5- or 7-channel compact amp to bolt in the OEM amp location. Then all you need to do is run 3 sets of quality shielded RCAs from the head unit to the amp, and you can truncate the Metra adapter to 6ish inches of cable, and ferrule those to the amp terminals. Reduces the distance of cable from source to speaker by at least 40%, would give you less loss (but would probably be imperceptible)

So many choices you can make. I’d love to find the time to write out a big, “shit you should consider when upgrading 1st gen audio”, but there’s so many friggin variables. Amp, no amp. 4, 6, and 8 speaker. JBL and non-JBL. CD changer, no CD changer. Audio jacks for the SES (entertainment system, double cab). There’s even an OEM nav/touchscreen unit that’s plug and play, with a version for JBL and non-JBL.

Too many variables. And I really wish I could tell you why that woofer channel isn’t working. Super weird.