94 JBL system

[Tony91Sport]

Hey guys, Im looking into a 94 Explorer with the JBL system, unfortunately it has a tape deck. Id like to put an OEM cd player in, but im sure it would be expensive (unless someone knows where i can get one ) I have a Sony 40x4 cd player laying around, but im afraid it will do the same thing it did to my Explorer, make it sound like crap. Does the JBL even sound good? (I didnt want to crank it with the salesman riding shotgun) IF anyone has hooked up an aftermarket head unit to the JBL system please tell me how it sounds. Thanks for the help.

 

[JTang]

Try http://www.radiosandmore.com or EBAY, or the sales boards here for CD players.

One problem many people experience with aftermarket head units is that they forget to bypass the amp. I just put in a new head unit, and it sounded fine, because my RMS power in the head is really weak, so it sounded okay. Perhaps your problem is that the Sony's tend to be powerful, with high RMS wattage values. This means that if you didn't bypass the stock amp, that the signal sent to the amp is too great, consequently creating distortion at high or even moderate levels. If you do get the adapter for your Explorer, make sure it also comes with the amp bypass. That's the only reason I could figure it sounds bad, barring a messed up piece of electronics or head unit.

You shouldn't be worried about playing and testing the speakers too loud in a store. That's what they're there for. Now, if it's because it's disturbing the other customers, that's a different story, but if they're worried you'll blow them, then they're not the speakers for you, because they won't perform as much as you demand. You should bring in your own CDs too to test. You'll be stuck with the speakers for quite a while, you deserve to make a sound decision on your terms.

Take it easy,

Jon

 

[Tony91Sport]

I installed an sony head unit in my moms tbird, and as warned by the audio guy at a local best buy, i bypassed the amp. One night i decided to borrow my moms plug to see if it would fit in my car, because i knew i had an amp, and where it was. well after damn near getting my arm cut off by interior, i got the plug in. Happy with my success of installing the plug i immediatley fired up the radio with no sound. What the hell is this? Im confused. I want to bypass my factory amp, but when i do i get no sound.

 

[JTang]

Heh heh... So, it's not really crappy sound, it's no sound! So you're getting NO sound when you bypass the amp, but you ARE getting sound when it goes through the amp or no? Make sure that the harness that was used on your moms car is actually made to fit the Explorer as well. Although the clip in harness may fit together, that's no guarantee that the pins connected are going to the right wires in the adapter. The Explorer harness comes with two adapter plugs so just make sure that they're connected/spliced correctly from the aftermarket wiring to the adapter. If you're sure that you did it correctly, then make sure you got the right Ford Explorer harness so that when connected, the pins are going to the right wires.

Good luck,

Jon