installing new headset and multi-cd player

hello everyone.

Ok i'm stuck!! I have a Sony Head unit and Sony multicd changer. How do i get the sub to work? I current have 2 wires which i assume is from the sub (red and black). Currently have the red plugged using a phono plug to the line out which allows the sub to work when the radio is on.
When i play cd's or have mp3 player via the tape, the sub doesn't work. How do i sort this out??

Please help

Stu

got it earthed properly?

sorry not really thinking properly at the minute so let me try and get my head around it. have you got an amp in the system?
bascially your head unit should have the changer cable to the changer.
phono is a bit crude, not sure how it'll affect your sub's activity but i normally only use RCA style cables. i'm no audio boffin though.

nope no amp! When i took out the land rover original radio, it had 3 ISO lead sockets, two of them fit fine in the Sony radio. The third one (pink socket) with two wires (red and black). CD player has a BUS Lead and two phono plugs which all connect to back of head unit. Basically what do i really need to do with the red and black wire.

p.s i'm not the technological person so go easy with techno gargon

to be honest i'm really not sure now. what size sub are we talking? anything with the slightest bit of power to it is going to struggle being powered by a head unit.
i'd bank on you having a far easier time of it if you bought yourself a cheap amp to throw into the install. can get them for next to feck all, especially second hand. means the wiring is a lot easier too

thought that was going to be the thing to do. The sub is the standard one in the tailgate. (disco 1997 300)

ahh righty with you now.
erm, should be able to butcher the standard amp up a bit and get that to work in that case. i'll have a looksy for a wiring diagram for the connectors and see if i can fathom a way to chop em up and make em work
any guesses as to what the subs rating is? never taken mine out so i've no idea

rating?? no idea.

Just to back peddle a bit, The sub I believe requires 2 positive and a ground (Iam talking about the audio) So if you are only conecting one of the red or black cables to the sub you will not be getting a complete circuit as you need a live and common to alow the audio to work.

You may be finding that the radio is working because there is some majical earthing thing going on because it is using the arial to recieve the RF sygnal. So it is only by coinsidence that the sub works.

Does this help, I am just about to go and look at mine to understand what is happening with the wireing.......

Hi, Got the same problem fitting a sony - the pink ISO is the power supply to the CD changer - but there is an additional white block connector - is this for the sub? Just got the disco but no manuals ...and even less patience I want my music and I want it now !

you need a + 12 volt called a remote line, this turn the amp on and off with the cd palyer, or have i totally missed the point

the white socket thingy is for the remote, i think. Gonna have another bash, been told that there is a way either using the aerial lead or linking up to the ignition switch. If all else fails a halfords trip it is. If anyone knows where you can get hold of wiring diagrams for the Disco, ideally internet pages then please help.

yes just connect the red to live black to earth thats it done just done mine at the weekend thats the 2 wires in the pink block

The standard sub in the tailgate has a little amp built into it and just needs its two cables (in the pink block) attached to a "line out".

If you connect the sub's cables to standard speaker outs (left/right front/rear) you risk overloading the amp when you turn the volume up [ to 11 ]

Sub's amp already has its own 12v power supply live with the ignition (hold your mobile next to it and give it a call, clickety-clickety buzzzz)

The white block is the remote/satellite controls on the steering/dash.

I simply used a couple of spade connectors and held them in the pink with insulating tape. Not audiophile interconnects but then it's just a car...

Happy listening...
Tana.

Hi ive noticed on ebay someone selling some extra piece of wiring harness that you need to put in when changing from lr radio to after market radio this might cure your prob if you type this into ebay i think this is it 4610772319 good luck gary its only got 4days to go

NOt trying to be negative but the stabdard adaptors tend to carry call the mains in and then 4 speaker outs front left, right, rear left, right. The sub needs to be run from the evtra outputs on the head unit which is line level coming out on Phono connectors. The adaptor you are talking about would not acomadate this extra connections

had the same s*** with mine could not get a simple solution except a £60 rewire then if i came to put the disco stereo back in the wiring would need altering again so i opted for a JBL bass cannon with 2 10" subs and built in amp from new image hifi well cheap and sounds great with my jvc head unit

Had same prob.

I have an Alpine and Multi Changer.

I cannot now recal the wire colours, but what i was told to do...Cut the phono wire that is you stereo sub connector and strip the wires. Find the Sub wires from the rear (in my case the only 2 left over!) strip them..one is live..one isn't..touch test the connection..when it works you have it. Connect the wires to the stripped phono wires.Bingo. This was told me by a pro radio fitter..by the way.

A year down the line i've never had a problem.

Only to add, my head unit doesn't have a seperate sub volume level..it's just related to the BASS setting.

Good luck.

I did much the same as Aweegin, but instead of stripping both sets of wires I used a spare phono lead I had and stripped that. I then bared back the wires on the long thin connector, after confirming the wires then soldered the other end onto the long thin conector. Up to now all works fine, but cannot verify this with the multichanger as this was not changed.

Hope this helps

Why does the multi changer matter? Cannot speak for OE unit but my Alpine changer just plugs into the back of the head unit..it's the head unit that does all the graft.

My only gripe was my old Alpine dunt support the dash buttons..but then..an old Alpine aint as desireable as a new one! It aint as if the stereo is a big stretch away in a 300 either.



Hmmm Ok, after a re-read...

When i play cd's or have mp3 player via the tape, the sub doesn't work. How do i sort this out??

Click to expand...

It may sound obvious... but when you switch ya unit to the Tape/CD mode..does each have a seperate setting for turning on the sub..or adjusting its level? I know mine will save the treble/bass settings for each seperate mode of the head unit. Mine uses the standard rear door setup (though i put in after market speakers). Literally all i did was remove the OE unit..and wire in my own as detailed above. At the time several folk said the rear door setup would need a total rewire and new seperate amp -blah blah blah cost lots of cash, not worth the effort- but after a bit of searching and question asking, it was all humbug (unless you wanna install some serious hardware?!).

Again..good luck.

Hi Aweegin,

As you say it doesn't make any difference, I suppose I was pre empting the next question.

I installed a pioneer unit which controls the sub, but didn't change any of the speakers. (Down to cash at the time).