After much appreciated guidance from some of you on this forum, I have finally stepped out and purchased what will be the first step in my audio upgrade process. I will hopefully be doing a self-install of the CDT HD62 6.5" component set up front and powering that with an Orion XTR 375 amp. (thezeb.com has a killer deal on these )

I am fairly comfortable with the speaker install thanks to the great DIY reference Espresso provided previously, but does anyone know where a description or diagram of how to run the power cable from the battery to the amp would be? The article under the FAQ/DIY section is dead so that did not do me any good. Any info on where how it is easiest to run this cabling for an '05 sedan?

 

I have the howto thread that works bookmarked on my machine at home. I'll post it here when I get home from work (whenever that will be, ugh). Expect it around 9ish EST if no one else has posted it by then.

 

Take a look at this picture.

If you remove the battery cover completely and the plastic piece that rest on the windshield, you will see this rubber grommet. You can run the power cable through there and it will come out right under the glove box of course you might need to remove the glove box to clear the path. From there, remove the door stills and undo the clips that holds the carpet down. There should be plenty of room to run a power cable from the passenger side all the way to the trunk under the carpet. I'm not sure about the sedans but for the coupes, you don't really have to remove the rear seats to get the cable into the trunk although it does make the install easier. By folding down the rear seat, you can get the cable into the trunk. To hide the power cable in the rear seats, just slip the power cable between the seat cushion and rear panel and push it as far down as possible so it's out of the way.

 

Thanks for the pic Espresso. Doesn't look like it should be too difficult. Do you know if there is any difference in the SQ in running the leads straight from the HU into the amp or throwing an LC6 or comparable between the 2? Just want to make sure I do this install right.

 

Several have skipped using a LOC and said it worked fine. That being said, I used a PAC Audio AOEM-NIS2 to provide line level outputs without splicing...

 

As rcdash has mentioned, both methods have been used. Try without a LOC with your amp and if it sounds really bad, use a LOC. Since the Bose HU doesn't actually have an amplifier built in, I don't see how that is speaker level signals so a LOC shouldn't be needed. If you have a non-Bose HU though, I can see why you need a LOC since the HU itself would be powering the speakers without an external amp.

 

Nice choice on the speakers. CDT makes a really nice line. VERY natural sounding. Take a look at their ambient tweeter set...it can really help with imaging. Not sure if they still are, but I know they were offering the ambient set with the purchase of the HD line.

 

What is this PAC Audio AOEM-NIS2 people speak of? Whaa whaa whaaaaa?

 

This is an adapter that runs between your headunit and your aftermarket amp that makes it easier/cleaner to run RCAs to your new amp. You don't need this to complete the project, but it probably makes it alot easier as I am probably about to find out this weekend. You can find info at www.pac-audio.com.

 

You do need to take the head unit out to plug it in though - just keep that in mind - it is a PITA to remove the stock HU just to plug this thing in... but the sound is very clean (I have it set to max gain)