New "Bluetooth only" stereo install

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glenn340

glenn340

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Location
Ontario, Canada
I got tired of trying to listening to an AM radio. No good music stations in my area. I like the factory looking interior so I didn't want to replace the AM radio. Also didn't want to go the underdash/glovebox mount idea either.
Radio.jpg


Not looking for concert sound system, just looking to play some tunes off my phone as I rumble along. I often go to cruise nights an hour away so for me it is nice to listen to music while I drive.

Decided I would try a cheap 12 volt bluetooth amplifier off of Amazon. My thought was to pair it with an efficient set of speakers.

This is what I ordered...

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B087FG37Z7/?tag=fabo03-20
Stereo.png


https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07B6FP8PW/?tag=fabo03-20
Speakers.png


Yes this amplifier only has 2 speaker output so again, just looking for decent sound without modifying the car. Am radio still works.

I have a console so I thought I would mount the receiver under the console with a small hole for the volume control visible inside the console. Speakers were bolted in under the parcel tray and wires run under the carpet to the console. Power wire was run and tapped into the existing radio 12 volt wire. Knob is an on off switch/volume control.
Console.jpg


I was surprised by the sound quality. I had my reservations, seeing as it has no base or treble control but it really does sound good. Easy to pair to my phone, and I can control the volume with the knob or with the bluetooth volume on my phone.

Might not be for everyone, but I thought I would share my experience.
 
Nice clean install! How the bass response from those speakers? I went with a set of Alpines and there is less bass than I was expecting. I'm not looking for much, but more than my phone puts out would be nice. Lol.
 
Nice! Well done. We are looking to do the same on our 67. Already have speakers ready, just need to decide on head unit. I've got lots of cds that I would like to listen to, as well as paired to my phone/bluetooth and head unit needs to be hidden.
 
72Duster440 said:
Nice clean install! How the bass response from those speakers? I went with a set of Alpines and there is less bass than I was expecting. I'm not looking for much, but more than my phone puts out would be nice. Lol.
Click to expand...

Bass is good. The trick is to match the stereo output to the speaker. My guess is with 4 ohm speakers this amplifier might be around 20 watts a side. The speakers have a small magnet (10 OZ) and are rated at 45 watts. Speakers with large magnets and 100 - 200 watt ratings would not sound good at all. I used to work installing stereos back in the early '80's. We would always play Prince... "Purple Rain" to showcase a customers stereo. That song sounded good on just about anything.

SPKR.jpg
 
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4spdragtop said:
Nice! Well done. We are looking to do the same on our 67. Already have speakers ready, just need to decide on head unit. I've got lots of cds that I would like to listen to, as well as paired to my phone/bluetooth and head unit needs to be hidden.
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. I also looked at modifying my existing radio to AM/FM and bluetooth but just couldn't justify the cost. $$$
Good luck with your tunes...
 
glenn340 said:
Bass is good. The trick is to match the stereo output to the speaker. My guess is with 4 ohm speakers this amplifier might be around 20 watts a side. The speakers have a small magnet (10 OZ) and are rated at 45 watts. Speakers with large magnets and 100 - 200 watt ratings would not sound good at all. I used to work installing stereos back in the early '80's. We would always play Prince... "Purple Rain" to showcase a customers stereo. That song sounded good on just about anything.

View attachment 1715990537
Click to expand...

Thanks, I might look into those. I have the Alpine power-packed too, so it's pushing 50 watts x 4 channels, I had a buddy that works at Alpine in speaker development spec all the components and speakers for me, but I'm underwhelmed with the 6x9s.
 
72Duster440 said:
Thanks, I might look into those. I have the Alpine power-packed too, so it's pushing 50 watts x 4 channels, I had a buddy that works at Alpine in speaker development spec all the components and speakers for me, but I'm underwhelmed with the 6x9s.
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50 watts RMS x 4 if I remember correctly which should push most speakers just fine. Before getting into the actual speaker install, try re-tuning your audio(if you have the ability to do so). Instead of increasing bass, zero everything out then reduce mid and treble equally until bass starts to shine. If you have a modern stereo head unit there are more options to explore.
 
Does it make any sounds on start up?
 
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I recently bought a blue tooth unit for an older car in my shop that has a factory radio. It was 35$ from best buy. It connects to your phone and you set it to a radio station that just has static and it plays through there. Does music, GPS, phone calls etc.

As far as bass etc. Most people don't put out enough wattage to power their speakers. For instance, they have a 50wx4 RMS stereo, no amp and speakers that are 100w RMS. You'll never get quality sounds out of a speaker if you aren't driving them.
 
72Duster440 said:
Nice clean install! How the bass response from those speakers? I went with a set of Alpines and there is less bass than I was expecting. I'm not looking for much, but more than my phone puts out would be nice. Lol.
Click to expand...
1, You are correct, Alpines don't really emphasize bass, they generally are best paired with a subwoofer for more accurate sound.
2, As with any speaker, it is best to have the surface they are mounted to sealed from front to back so the sound wave from the back doesn't cancel out the sound wave from the front.
3, Make sure you are wired in-phase. The positives and negatives are correct from the amp to the speaker and make sure any splices don't get you crossed. (I've even found speakers wired incorrectly out of the box) As a test, hook up one speaker backwards and see if you have more bass, if you do, something is wrong somewhere. You can leave it as is, or go through and find where it's crossed and fix it.
 
roccodart440 said:
I recently bought a blue tooth unit for an older car in my shop that has a factory radio. It was 35$ from best buy. It connects to your phone and you set it to a radio station that just has static and it plays through there. Does music, GPS, phone calls etc.

As far as bass etc. Most people don't put out enough wattage to power their speakers. For instance, they have a 50wx4 RMS stereo, no amp and speakers that are 100w RMS. You'll never get quality sounds out of a speaker if you aren't driving them.
Click to expand...
Theres also a HUGE difference between a stereo head unit with 50X4 peak power at 1kHz tested with one channel driven, vs an amp with 50 w continuous at 20-20K with all channels driven.
Thats like towing a trailer (speaker load) and comparing a 4 cyl engine (amplifier) that makes 350 hp (watts) with a torque curve (amperage) that looks like the Matterhorn at 6K (1 kilohertz), vs a Cummins making 350 hp, but with a Tq curve that looks like Kansas from 1300 to 5K (20hz-20kHz-generally the range of human hearing) .

I'll take a real 20w amplifier over a 50w head unit. In my DD, I'm Currently running a 4 X 40, though I do have a separate subwoofer and its own amp. Plenty of volume when it's time to give it a rip.
 
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