Audio Systems: installing a cassette player, subaru legacy outback, pioneer stereo

Question
Hi Tom.  I just bought a 2004 Subaru legacy outback that comes with a factory installed am/fm stereo/CD player.  I have a Pioneer am/fm stereo cassette deck that I bought after-market and was using in my old car.  The dealer said they would try to hook it up so I could use both machines in my new car.  They have installed the cassette deck in the car above the CD player.  The guy said we just need a "piggyback connector" and we'd be able to  use either stereo. He didn't happen to have one.  The first car audio place I went to said there is no connector that would allow me to use both.  I just have to choose one or the other.  Do you know whether it's possible to do what I'd like to do?

Answer
mary,
You cannot piggy back both stereos to the same speakers, doing so would damage both audio output sections in the stereos. However it is possible that the 2004 stereo has an auxilary input on the rear of it, most newer stereos have them. With the proper adapters you may be able to send the audio output from the Pioneer stereo to the 2004 stereo by using a special high level to low level adapter. A second way that you could use either stereo on the same speakers would be to have a stereo repair shop wire up a relay setup using several relays to switch the audio output from either stereo to the speakers.By far the best way to have a cassette player would be to have installed a new after market stereo with internal cassette player and trunk mounted CD changer. You may also want to check out the combo cassette and CD player stereos.


TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net