93 Stock JBL sound system help

[KingJacobo]

So I'm tackling different problem areas of the new Mark, and I'm pretty sure the factory amp is toast. I just want all the speakers to work and sound decent for my daily commute.

Local store has an aftermarket JVC headunit for sale for $40, pretty sure it's the same one already in my other car. It's a 50x4, nothing fancy.

I really just want to do this the cheapest way possible. Would it be cheaper to just buy a new amp and stick all the wires into it and be done with it? Or buy an aftermarket head unit and unplug the amp? I know most people rewire and replace speakers, but like I said, I just want decent sound. I have spent too much on speakers already in my lifetime haha, I don't want to buy another set for this car and I'd like to avoid a rewire if possible.

Is what I'm saying possible and realistic? I've heard the amps are 6 channel. Would a 4 channel aftermarket be "plug n play" or would I need to cut and splice a few wires, or is it another pretty big project I wouldn't want to deal with? Sale on the head unit is only for today I think.

Thanks!

 

[GMAN]

Or, you can buy a replacement amp from me and be done with it.

 

[KingJacobo]

Not unless it's dirt cheap. How much do you want for it?

 

[the1andonlyGR81]

the factory amp isnt just an amp, its got built in crossovers 6 front speakers 4 rear i believe. i left all mine in added 4 mre on my 50x4 plus the subs and 1600 rms 2000 peak amp for the kickers.i cant remember the ohm ratings on the speakers, but they're run off the ohm ratings from the crossovers. if your capable of doing it yourself you could run the speakers off the internal amp in the stereo, but remember your 50x4 rating is probably peak, not rms. if hes reasonable for the stock one, get it.i looked around and online couldnt tell you how many channels they are, but they are dirt cheap.

 

[the1andonlyGR81]

how do i delete threads?

 

[NoLimit95]

Some factory amps in the Mark were only for 4 speakers, such as the one I pulled from my 95. It didn't come with the premium sound system but either way, there isn't anything premium about it when it's over 15 years old. In my case, mine is 17 years old now but I done a complete rewire and replaced everything.

 

[NoLimit95]

how do i delete threads?

You ask a mod in a PM to delete and if they find it is worthy of deletion, it will be deleted.

 

[KingJacobo]

how do i delete threads?

I did a search and all the previous relevant threads have bits of information that help me piece together a little bit of how the system works. If there is a magic thread that explains the entire system, I'm all ears. I'm not new to car forums but clearly I'm new to the Mark world. Just trying to learn more.

Thanks for all the constructive replies thus far.

 

[Sapperfire]

To delete a thread, use the Joey button

 

[chris2523]

the factory system is complex. its an awkward 6 channel system with 8 speakers.
as mentioned, the complexity lies in the fact that the amp is also a crossover that sets up the factory mids and tweeters.
easiest is to get a new amp from GMAN. dealt with him before, good guy.
you can put in a new headunit, BUT you still need a working rear amp.
best, in my opinion, is to rewire the whole thing. i did, alpine head unit and alpine 4 channel amp mounted in the trunk and never looked back.

now what you should do, is get another amp or two to replace your blown one.

 

[97 Octane]

Factory amp going bad seems to be a common problem with our cars.


If your factory amp is really toast, It would be cheapest to replace the amp with one from Gman.

A JVC KD-SX980 or any similar JVC headunit is rated at Max output (200W, 50w X 4) so its real world output is probably around 10 watts per channel, 13wrms at the most.

If you want to use an aftermarket HU using the factory speakers, you are going to need two hi/lo stereo frequency dividing network crossed at around 200hz, a wire harness for the am-hu power, 30ft of 16ga or larger speaker wires and crimp connectors. I prefer to solder all my wires finished with shrink tubes.

To wire the speakers, you need to home-run FR,FL,RR and RL speaker wires from the am-hu to the factory amp rack. This will be a good location to mount your dividing networks then tap the factory speakers from there.

FYI : The front and rear 5x7 are factory wired in parallel. The rear channel frequency dividing network only needs to be hooked-up to the hi speakers.

That is just a general installation description of what you may expect from this type of budget mod and still be able to use the fader function. Like as mentioned
above by chris2523, adding an am-amp would be an improvement.

- Ren