Anyone replaced the factory head unit? I am thinking about upgrading my head unit but I see I need a PAC module to integrate it with the factory amp and sub.

Has anyone done this? The module I need Pac-Audio.com Product Details | iPod Integration for your car and More by Pac-Audio - Connecting you to the future

says you lose fader control. Is this true and how has the module worked out?

 

I have been doing a lot of research on this topic. I haven't had my 07 exp for long, however I'm floored that there is no way to add an aftermarket bluetooth and siriusXM unit to the factory headunit; I have the factory nav system, dvd player and powered sub.

Through lots and lots of reading on crutchfield and stopping at every stereo shop in town, I've concluded that the factory nav can be replaced but that you lose the ability to play a dvd in the rear and hear sound over the car audio. However, a DVD could be played in the front and linked to the rear dvd unit via the RCA inputs, so everyone can see - front and rear passengers, and then the sound can be played in the car.

If you change the head unit you can still operate the dvd player with a disc in the rear, but you can only hear sound thru either wired, wireless, or both, headphones.

As for the PAC unit, the one you referenced can be bought from crutchfield for $74.99 when you buy a head unit from them. It will allow you to maintain steering wheel controls, keep the factory sub and integrate with the rest of the vehicle electronics. Further, if you want to be able to override all of the safety features, i.e., playing a video while the car is moving, etc, you need a PAC TR7 module, which is a remote trigger. Thing is... I have no idea how to wire this little booger in to place.

I'm looking at a Pioneer headunit that is a high-quality DVD and audio unit and ditching the nav features; I use my gs3 for most nav.

I would love to hear some other feedback before launching into this project. I'm determined to do this myself as all of the supplies from crutchfield total $550 vs quotes of $950-$1300 from stereo shops.

 

mhopton, i'm in the same boat as you. although i don't have nav, would like to update my head unit to get gps and get a back up camera hooked up. i chatted with crutchfield about it, they showed me some adpaters to retain steering wheel controls and the RES, but never mentioned anything about losing dvd audio through speakers. berry, that link you posted states "Factory amplified Systems will not fade as neither the aftermarket radio or the RP interface have the ability to control the amplifier’s fader." that statement is a little confusing, what are they referring to "factory amplified systems"? it would seem as if you are replacing the head unit, you are therefore replacing the factory amplifier (for all the speakers - not the sub). or am i missing something?

 

Bunky, as I understand it, the only system that is amplified completely is the THX system in the Lincoln navigators. Otherwise, only the sub is amplified in the Fords and the speakers rely on the wattage provided by the headunit to power them.

I sent a follow-up question to Crutchfield on this matter and will report back.

 

Ok. I've only had our expy(2007) a few weeks and actually haven't used the res. We also didn't get headphones with it either. But I was thinking, why would you want to listen to the dvd's audio in the rear while driving? At least with our young kids, dont want kids shows blaring in the rear. Better to get some headphones and do it that way. Or is there something else I'm missing?

 

You are exactly right - at least how I see it. We have 5 kids and went on ebay and bought 5 new headphones with the A/B channel so that they could watch a movie w/out us having to listen to it. Now, we can listen to the radio and talk while they watch star wars for the umpteenth trillion time....

That said, with a new dvd headunit, we could run an output RCA cable from the new headunit to the RCA inputs on the RES and then play the movie in the front so that my wife could watch it and the kids could see the same movie in the rear. At that point, we could listen to the sound over the radio if we chose to hear it that way. However....to do that, you have to install the Pac audio TR7 remote trigger module to override all of the safety features.

More reading to do...

 

The Eddie Bauer and up models have amplified speakers and sub. The amp for the sub is on the sub enclosure. The 6 disc head unit in these models powers the front and rear speakers.

It doesn't makes sense why if they made the adapter to feed the factory amps front left and right channels from the new head units front left and right RCA outs, that they couldn't do the same for the rear right and left channels.

The reason this is important to me is I am replacing the stock unit with a head unit that has time correction-it delays signals based on each speaker distance. It is similar to selecting 'Driver Seat' but better. For this to work each speaker needs it's own channel. With this, feeding the back speakers the same signal as the front will really screw up the sound stage.

I guess the other option is to use the adapter, but wire the front and rear speakers separately from the new head unit(disconnecting stock speaker wires). That way the sub will work and I will have fader and or control over each speakers settings.

 

Berry, what head unit you looking at?

 

Berry, what head unit you looking at? Also I was unaware that the amp in the sub enclosure powered the rest of the speakers, I figured the head unit powered the door speakers. Mhopton, how do you plan to run that RCA to the RES? Hook it up as needed or run it above the headliner somehow?

 

Berry,

That's good to know - I thought the amplifier only powered the sub. I'm familiar with timing and that is one of the key items the alpine 535 has to offer.

Bunky,

I would run the rcs cable up the A-pillar and asking the edge of the headliner. The RES inputs are in the left side of the RES unit.

 

That will look nice mhopton. I am looking at an alpine INE-S920HD. Alpine also makes an add on 45*4 amp that you can add onto the head unit with supplied wire harness which is quite appealing to me. But berry if you say speakers are powered through amp in sub area, then what does that amp do with aftermarket head unit/built in amp?

 

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.

This one or a used 7894. I have to have time correction, love it!

 

or a guy could go all in and buy the head unit, adapter for the res, and a mono block for the sub and you would be good to go. well, maybe.

 

That's true. I don't have any rear dvd players and no one uses the rear seat controls.

 

Soooo many options....