Car Stereos: factory radio, line output converters, rca cables

Question
I know nothing about car stereos but i wanted to know if its possible to hook up an amp and a sub woofer to my factory deck in my 1998 dodge status.

Answer
Hi Taylor,

You can connect an after-market amplifier and subwoofer to just about any factory radio.  There are two ways to do this:

1.  Some amplifiers come with a "high-level" or "speaker-level" input plug.  If your amp is equipped with this plug, then you can connect it directly to your factory speaker wiring.  The amplifier will take the audio signal from the stock speaker wires and use it for the audio input.

2.  If your amplifier doesn't come with the high-level input, you can buy a device called a line output converter.  This works the same way: you'll connect it to the factory speaker wires, and it will convert the audio signal to a low-level output that can  be connected to any amplifier using standard RCA cables.  Line output converters can be purchased at just about any store that sells car audio equipment.

You can make the high-level input or line output converter connections at the back of the factory head unit, using the speaker wires in the radio plug; or you can connect it to the rear speaker wiring in the trunk.  Either way, you don't need to disconnect the factory speakers; they won't be affected by the amplifier connections.

In addition to the LOC or high-level input connections, your amplifier will need power wiring to connect directly to the battery.  This part of the installation is the same whether you're using a factory radio or after-market head unit.

Hope this helps!

Brian