Hiya,

Do any reasonably affordable head units having integrated amps provide
for the possibility of using the internal amp as part of a multi-band
setup? E.g. providing both preamp out and power amp input jacks
(a.k.a. send/return) suitable for patching in an external crossover?

I'm going along as technical consultant in a couple of days when a
young friend goes shopping for a system for his truck. My fundamentals
are good, but I'm a little out of date on current product offerings.
For example, I just discovered that 12AX7's and spring reverbs are
hardly never used no more. ;-) We're an hour away from a town that's
even big enough to have multiple vendors, and I'm not counting on
finding expert sales assistance.

Trying to keep costs reasonable (total, CDN$500 tops). Topology will
be a basic biamped arrangement with a pair of speakers in the doors
for mid/highs and a sub behind the seat. I have a decent little 2-way
crossover and a Sony power amp I'm not using anymore, to get him
started on driving the sub.

I just thought it would be nice if we didn't have to go the route of
ampless head unit + seperate amp for mid/highs. One less piece of gear
to mount and maybe a bit cheaper that way. Plus we don't exactly need
something to drown out passing jetliners, just overcome (gravel) road
noise out here in the boonies.

But maybe the idea of mainstream consumer deck having an external loop
is a pipe dream?

TIA,
-=s

you sound like a guitar player.... 12AX7/AU7/AT7 s are still being used
in many circuits. Digital modeling hasn't completely revolutionized
things. There are still (a lot of) traditionalists who wouldn't trade
their tubes/analog circiuts nad accusonics reverbs for the world.

Ive never seen an effects loop on a head unit. Usually (but not always)
if anything theres line level inputs for a second source. But I am not
up on the latest either...
Garrett


Scott Willing wrote:

Hiya,

Do any reasonably affordable head units having integrated amps provide
for the possibility of using the internal amp as part of a multi-band
setup? E.g. providing both preamp out and power amp input jacks
(a.k.a. send/return) suitable for patching in an external crossover?

I'm going along as technical consultant in a couple of days when a
young friend goes shopping for a system for his truck. My fundamentals
are good, but I'm a little out of date on current product offerings.
For example, I just discovered that 12AX7's and spring reverbs are
hardly never used no more. ;-) We're an hour away from a town that's
even big enough to have multiple vendors, and I'm not counting on
finding expert sales assistance.

Trying to keep costs reasonable (total, CDN$500 tops). Topology will
be a basic biamped arrangement with a pair of speakers in the doors
for mid/highs and a sub behind the seat. I have a decent little 2-way
crossover and a Sony power amp I'm not using anymore, to get him
started on driving the sub.

I just thought it would be nice if we didn't have to go the route of
ampless head unit + seperate amp for mid/highs. One less piece of gear
to mount and maybe a bit cheaper that way. Plus we don't exactly need
something to drown out passing jetliners, just overcome (gravel) road
noise out here in the boonies.

But maybe the idea of mainstream consumer deck having an external loop
is a pipe dream?

TIA,
-=s

Scott Willing wrote
Trying to keep costs reasonable (total, CDN$500 tops). Topology will
be a basic biamped arrangement with a pair of speakers in the doors
for mid/highs and a sub behind the seat. I have a decent little 2-way
crossover and a Sony power amp I'm not using anymore, to get him
started on driving the sub.

Where are you at? You will probably be looking at ~$200 for a deck, $50 - 75
for the coax speakers, $100 for the sub and ~$60 for the wiring. Are you
building the sub enclosure yourselves?


I just thought it would be nice if we didn't have to go the route of
ampless head unit + seperate amp for mid/highs. One less piece of gear
to mount and maybe a bit cheaper that way. Plus we don't exactly need
something to drown out passing jetliners, just overcome (gravel) road
noise out here in the boonies.

I don't know if any of the low-end head units (the ones in your price range)
have this option, but lately the better head units have highpass filters
built in for the front and rear channels. Chances are it would be cheaper to
get a second amp and run it off the less expensive head unit. If you pick up
a small used 2 channel amp to run the front speakers you don't have to get a
ampless head unit (they are normally top-of-the-line and quite expensive).

But maybe the idea of mainstream consumer deck having an external loop
is a pipe dream?

Now that filters are available built-in, I would say it is a pipe dream.

--
Regards,
Dan Snooks

Daniel Snooks wrote:
*Scott Willing wrote
Trying to keep costs reasonable (total, CDN$500 tops). Topology
will
be a basic biamped arrangement with a pair of speakers in the
doors
for mid/highs and a sub behind the seat. I have a decent little
2-way
crossover and a Sony power amp I'm not using anymore, to get him
started on driving the sub.

Where are you at? You will probably be looking at ~$200 for a deck,
$50 - 75
for the coax speakers, $100 for the sub and ~$60 for the wiring. Are
you
building the sub enclosure yourselves?


I just thought it would be nice if we didn't have to go the route
of
ampless head unit + seperate amp for mid/highs. One less piece of
gear
to mount and maybe a bit cheaper that way. Plus we don't exactly
need
something to drown out passing jetliners, just overcome (gravel)
road
noise out here in the boonies.

I don't know if any of the low-end head units (the ones in your price
range)
have this option, but lately the better head units have highpass
filters
built in for the front and rear channels. Chances are it would be
cheaper to
get a second amp and run it off the less expensive head unit. If you
pick up
a small used 2 channel amp to run the front speakers you don't have to
get a
ampless head unit (they are normally top-of-the-line and quite
expensive).

But maybe the idea of mainstream consumer deck having an external
loop
is a pipe dream?

Now that filters are available built-in, I would say it is a pipe
dream.

--
Regards,
Dan Snooks


*

the Pioneer DEH-5500 is about the cheapest direction to go in.

It has only 2 pre-outs. Front and rear/sub (I think you can switch
between it being rear output or sub output).

You can highpass the speakeroutputs, and run the sub-out to the amp (it
can even parallel its internal rear amps for running a 2 ohm sub with
40Wrms!!!!!)

Now comes the wine part: I wanted this deck with my 'new' car, but the
person who sold it to me (who sells JVC caraudio and has 'friends'who
could get Pioneer) claims he buys deck JVC XXX-3101 for 350 euro's from
JVC Netherlands (COST-PRICE, EXCL. TAX !!!!!!) when it retails on-line
in Germany for 280 euro's (incl. tax!). So I wound up with a cheap a$$
cd-receiver with one pre-out. (That's what he promissed to give for
free, but I wanted to have a better deck and pay the difference. But
when I heard his prices, I obviously stopped this plan...)

Sorry, had to get this off my chest.
--
R-P
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