Car Stereos: Line Output Converter, max sauer, rca cables

Question
I have an audiopipe line output converter that is quite low end. it has left and right speaker inputs, a ground, and rca outputs in a compact unit. I hooked it up to my 2008 grand prix with a monsoon system to get rca outputs for my two 10 inch subs and i noticed that i am getting poor sound quality with my subs. it is hooked up to the power leading from the factory amp to the subwoofer speakers on the rear deck. i have played around attempting to tune the system as a whole and am getting nowhere near the bass i want. (i had the same subs and amp hooked up in my old car, but using rca cables from the aftermarket stereo, this had 100 times more bass then i am getting now.) I can not remove the stereo and put an aftermarket stereo in due to the loss of functionality (computer functions, etc...) So my question is, do i need to purchase a higher quality loc? one that caught my eye is the AudioControl LC2 which is supposed to have accubass to provide good bass output and a remote wire output to name a few. Or is there a different way for me to hook up the LOC that i already have installed? any advice would be great.
Thank you,
Max Sauer

Answer
Hi Max,

Whether or not a better line out converter will do what you want is anyone's guess.

There are a number of issues that could be at play here.

First, I usually suggest connecting the LOC as close to the factory headunit as possible.  You might even find that the factory headunit has the equivalent of low-level outputs on some of those wires running into the factory amp.

Next, make sure the ground wire is cleanly, and well connected to the chassis -- the low level wire ground is chassis ground, not the speaker ground, so a bad ground will make your audio useless.

Finally, make sure the gain settings on your amp are adequate.

If all of that checks out, then maybe a better quality line out converter is in your future.  (An amplifier that accepts high level inputs is also a good option.)

Justin