Ok guys I have been doing some research between two TSX forums and can not seem to find the best way to a run a system, while integrating the stock head unit. There seems to be two main ways though: running signal before the stock and amp, and running it after the amp. This may be an issue of whatever floats your boat, or people being biased towards the decision they choose for installing a system.
As far as running signal before the amp, the main way I have seen is either using mercman's harness or cutting it yourself and running them into balanced cables to the after market amplifiers. I also noticed that only certain high end amps which I cannot afford will support differential or balanced signal. I then learned about a balun, which will transform that signal into an unbalanced signal. The only place I know where to get one of these is from mercman, but I don't think he makes these any more. I then saw this thread http://*.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370359&page=3. This opened a new option of using the audiocontrol four.1. It is sort of pricey though.

Then I found another thread bashing the above install method, saying no matter how you do it, you will get lots of noise and problems such as popping and distortion. They said they got better results re-installing the stock amp and using LOCs to send signal after the stock amp into their aftermarket amps. I also hear all the time people bashing LOCs saying that they cause noise as well and are low quality. I then decided to call audiocontrol and asked a very friendly representative on the phone what he suggested. And here is what he told me: Its better to keep the stock amp and grab the signal after it. He said using a device such as the lc8i or lc6i would be great as they will sum together the separate tweeter and woofers from the front and level off the eq from the head unit. Also they have line drivers in them that will boost the appropriate signal to the aftermarket amplifiers. You could also go with the four.1 or 3 sets of overdrives, but the other way seems more economical and better.

As for as I go, I am undecided on which way will be better or what equipment to get. The good news is my dad sells high end home theater equipment, so he gets wholesale on audiocontrol, which I never knew until tonight, and he also gets wholesale on alpine. I think he is also about to get a connect with JL but even on wholesale their stuff is to expensive for me. I also saw this thread Alpine h650 initial impressions - DIY Mobile Audio, which looked pretty awesome at first and it was alpine. Then I read he had problems with using the head unit volume control and having to do some trickery which lost some point in my book. Devices like this and audiocontrol DQL-8 seem sort of like a more complex version of cleansweep. I heard a lot of bashing on the cleansweep saying it doesn't do anything. Why is this? When asking the guy from audiocontrol he said they do things completely differently from JL and agrees it was pointless, but I forgot to ask him why.
Anyways I would appreaciate to get some input on what you guys have done with you systems and what works. Especially those who do not use a balun or high end amp as those seem out of the question for now. Also I would like to get input from those who have tried both routes. Let me know what equipment you guys have tried and what works and doesn't work. Thanks in advance.

 

I am no audio guy by any means. I installed the REQ-5 sound restorer from the factory amp to aftermarket amps. I would be curious what other have done.