treminaor

Hey guys,

I've been wanting to put a custom radio in my 98 RL for a few years now but have held off on it due to the only available options being
1) Salvage a radio from the junkyard and cut a hole through it to fit an aftermarket headunit,
2) buy the $300 Beatsonic dash kit HSA-11

Both of these solutions are undesirable to me for various reasons.

I believe Metra just came out with their own dash kit for RLs in April 2014:
To my knowledge this dash kit was not available before.

I'm about to buy this kit and a new headunit but before I jump the gun I have some questions about the Bose system in my RL:

1) I believe the car has 6 speakers (1 in each door + 2 under the rear window) + a rear sub and factory amplifier between the back seat and the trunk. Are normal aftermarket head units compatible with this type of 6.1 setup?

2) I've read in some threads that the factory bose amp will not work without an "OEM interface" between the aftermarket head unit and the speaker connections. Is this true? Which one should I buy?

3) I've read in some theads that the factory speakers only sound correct when used in combination with the factory head unit. To get around this issue you need to buy something referred to as an "audio cleaner" that removes the built-in EQ on the output to the speakers. Is this true? Which one would I need?

I love the bose system in this car and I do not want to end up putting in something that turns out worse than the factory setup. I also do not want to rip up the car to rewire anything or put in aftermarket speakers/amplifiers. My main goal here is just to get BT Handsfree audio/calling + the usual Pandora/HD Radio/etc features that newer cars come stock with. I already have a working AUX input which replaces the rear CD Changer so I've been surviving off that for over a year now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

treminaor

Also, which Metra harness would I need? Metra pairs the Acura RSX 70-1725 harness with their 99-7806B RL Dash Kit...

3.5RLv-tec?

iTrader: (2)

Yea, that kit is new from Metra, you should get it. Your first step is to determine if your car is a base or premium. You will need a difference harness for the premium. I have a base model and I redid the whole stereo system. After you install an aftermarket HU the rear door speakers will not work, in my case I don't know about the premium.

treminaor

I believe I have the premium non-nav version (leather seats, Bose system, 6 CD Changer, TCS). Which harness is the one I should use? Also do you have any knowledge of the OEM Interface or "audio cleaner" stuff?

3.5RLv-tec?

iTrader: (2)

I believe I still have the harness (new). Just google RL premium oem aftermarket harness, or something like that. I don't know about the OEM route, but replace the whole setup is around $500, good sound quality, and easy to install.
Reusing your old speakers are ok, but u have to consider that the aftermarket produced more power so I really don't know how long is going to last. Does your speaker grill have "Bose" on it, check your trunk behide the seat for an big amplifier= premium.

treminaor

I really want to stay away from buying a new amp and running wire through the car etc, etc. The stock Bose system in this car is excellent already, I can't imagine doing any better for less than $1000 with a professional installation.

I've seen threads of people using the stock Bose equipment with an aftermarket HU so I know it's possible, I'm just unsure of which harness I need and if I need an interface on the harness to fix the sound volume/quality going into the Bose system.

I know for sure the car has the premium Bose system and an amp in the trunk. It sounds amazing.

OhaiOh

I have an aftermarket headunit tied into the rest of stock bose system but the previous owner had it installed, not me. Its not unheard of. Its starting to cause me a lot of issues though. Ive blown one of the stock amps already, and now my audio is getting really screwy again, I dont know if its the headunit or the amp again.

To answer your questions as best I can though:

1. Yes. My headunit has a 4 channel output, but there are adapters and ways of making it work with over 4 speakers. I get audio through all 8 (4 in the doors, 2 on the back shelf, two tweeters in the front doors) with full use of the balance and fade features.

2. I dont know of any OEM interface in my car, but the OEM amp still powers my speakers and Im pretty sure theres a special harness installed at the very least. I wish I could be of more help on this one. Ive never removed the headunit to have a look, honestly im kind of scared to see who did what in my dash.

3. My factory speakers sound wonderful with my headunit, and its a pretty average headunit. Theres no audio cleaner that I know of installed, that sounds like a farce. I use all of the EQ settings on my headunit with no problem.

treminaor

Do you think the blown amp was because of having line-level audio coming out of the HU instead of the below line-level that the OEM HU outputs? I've seen a few people mention that the HU needs to have low-level outputs.

OhaiOh

Its what ive suspected for a while now, because im fairly certain the amp in the headunit is sending full power into the OEM amp

treminaor

So can anyone confirm what parts I need to make this happen? To connect an aftermarket HU to the factory bose speakers and amp?

OhaiOh

Honestly youd probably be better off and safer calling up a local car stereo place with good reviews and getting their input because im sure theyve had to do something similar at some point. Another resource is crutchfield, they have an option on their site to chat with a "technician" who may also have some answers.

I wish I could be of more help, as Id really like to know what the situation is in these cars

3.5RLv-tec?

iTrader: (2)

There are only two different aftermarket radio harnesses for these car. The basic model only requires a basic harness which you match all the colors on the harness to the harness on the back of the aftermarket HU. For the premium model, I believe the harness come with a little box and extra harness that is not find on the basic harness.

Hint* Again, I did mention that I still have the harness(new) for the premium model, but I need to find it first.

02tlwhite

Im about to attempt this in a few days in my 02. I have the same metra harness, ill let you know how it goes.