For my 2004, Crutchfield shows 2 options : alpine, and non-alpine.

So if I understand correctly, the basic stereo in my 2004 is an Alpine. Did I get this right? Harman Kardon is the premium option?

Crutchfield shows the adapter for the Alpine radio having phono outputs, as if it has a separate amp. The adapter for non-alpine has wires, as if there is no separate amp.

The part I don't get is why the basic system has an amp, and the premium does not. Surely this is backwards?

Could someone explain?

Thanks!

 

I think the Harman Kardon has a built in amp and the Alpine does not thus it needs a bit more power to drive the speakers.

I replaced the factory radio with a Single din Pioneer with a face plate and the folks who replaced it actuality bypassed the amp as they said my face plate unit had more power than my amp.

 

The Harmon Kardon is the premium sound system and it has a decent amp under the drivers seat. The factory amps use a higher voltage input than most aftermarket head units so the sound may be a little quiet. You can also use the high level outputs with converters to get the correct setup.

 

On the S trim level there is no amp. If you look under your drivers seat you can see the bracket where the amp would be if you had one.

 

After a little investigation, it seems I have an Alpine head unit, AND an amp under the drivers seat.

I installed an old Blaupunkt head unit, so at least I have radio now (the oem unit is dead). The 2 land rover multiplugs plugged straight in (there's a third one that must be for the steering wheel controls and the CD changer)

It seems to work OK even though I am supplying an amp with the head unit's amplified output, which should be a no-no.

The only problem is a thump noise when you switch off the radio.

Looks like I need some kind of converter for my high-level outputs?

 

are you saying the plugs from the truck harness slipped right in to an old blaupunkt radio with out any type of 'converter' harness?

 

Yes that's right - looks like any modern stereo would plug right in.

 

Does your new radio have RCA outputs? If so you can find a land rover specific adapter cable that will adapt the RCA directly to the amp, no line level converter required.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...a-70-1786.html

 

Thanks, the new stereo (Blaupunkt Helsinki) will be here in a week, so I'll see how it works as is, and buy the phono adapter if necessary.

 

You can use the pre-amp outputs to feed your OEM amp, but many aftermarket head units have a very low voltage output on the pre-amp leads. The factory head unit has a higher voltage output so the volume out of the system may not be loud enough for your liking. I have an Alpine which is rated at 4v and seems to be pretty close to that but many aftermarket head units only have 2v preamp output or only seem to put out about that much regardless of their rating. My Alpine sounds pretty good through the factory amp. If you hook up the head unit using the preamp outputs and the volume is too low, then you can use line-level convertors to adjust the high level outputs to what you need to make the system work for you.