After writing in another thread two weeks ago about my disappointing upgrade last summer with Alpine Amp and Boston speakers, I've decided to go back to using the factory amp for the eight speakers in the car (I'll put new speakers in the rear doors, too), and use the Alpine amp to power a yet-to-be-purchased subwoofer (using speaker wire inputs instead of splicing.)

After conducting several the tests suggested by contributors to that thread, I've determined that my connections spliced into the HU output are the likely source of my problems (though I do not know that for sure). And even if I fix those connections, I'm not crazy about spending another $300-$400 to buy another amp that will accept differential inputs.

Here's my new plan (and you can tell me if I'm crazy): I want to entirely replace the wiring harness that goes from the HU to the factory amp -- instead of reconnecting the spliced wires. But I understand that those wires are part of the wiring harness for the entire dashboard. The Acura dealership will sell me the entire harness for $700 (Ummm, no thank you.).

So I've started calling around to junkyards/recyclers to see about purchasing that wiring harness from a junked car -- then install only the wires for the HU/Amp connection. Fortunately, for the safety of all of us TSX drivers, there does not seem to be many TSX's that have found their way to the junkyards yet in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area.

Questions:
1. Am I crazy to go through all the trouble to replace that wiring harness? (not the entire dash, but just the harness from the HU to the Amp.)

2. Does anyone have pictures of the back of the HU where the wiring harness to the factory amp connects? (I'd be curious to see what I'm getting into, and want to install one of the IPod inputs while I've got the HU out.)

3. Does anyone know of a junkyard that specializes in Acuras that I could call? (Anywhere in the U.S. that will ship the part.)

3. Someone (preferably an expert installer) should start a thread (pictures would be great) of the proper way to splice wires. I've done it many times on other projects, and thought I did a great job when I did it on the TSX. But I obviously did something wrong that is causing a signal problem. Maybe there's a tool or process I don't know about that would make it work better?

Finally, my advice for any of you considering splicing into the HU/Amp wires: Buy that FANTASTIC harness that Mercman made! It's too late for me, but not too late for you. At this point, I'd pay $100 for that thing to get back to where I started. Instead, I'm going to have to hunt down a replacement wiring harness at a junkyard -- unless I can figure out whatever mistake I made in my splicing process.

Thanks in advance for any help/information posted.

 

I hate to see another TSX take such a blow. If you can provide me your cables, I will try to help you get it back to stock. From there you can work with a mercman cable to easily upgrade.

 

You could probably take the car to a reputable audio shop. I might be wrong, but I would guess that they'd charge you their standard hourly rate to resplice everything back properly. An experienced installer will probably have the skill to splice, solder, and heat shrink in very tight spaces. Obviously won't be original, but would get everything back to normal for a lot less money, I'd guess $100-$150.

This was my arguement for the guy who said Mercman's harness was too expensive. It wasn't an option for you at the time, but who in their right mind, given the opption, would hack up their stock wiring to save maybe $30 (since the harness includes the RCA's that you'd have to buy anyway.

 

I just found and ordered a TSX dash wiring harness from a recycler in California for $80. When I think that it comes from a junked car, it seems like a ripoff. But when I consider that it will return my car to what it was, and reestablishes all my good connections, it seems like a bargain.

When I bought my Alpine amp and Boston component and rear speakers, I hooked everything up at once. So I never did get to hear what the system sounds like with the factory amp and the nicer speakers. I'm going to give that a try for awhile... but leave all my other cables in place.

Then, if Mercman or others can find a way to adapt the differential output to a non-differential amp, then I might try hooking the Alpine amp up again -- or use the Alpine to power a subwoofer. And, of course, I'll use Merman's wiring harness to connect to my new, um, wiring harness. So we'll see how it goes.

Obviously, I will not reinstall the entire dash wiring harness... just the harness from the HU to the factory amp. I'm all ears for any suggestions/warnings before I proceed. The new/old harness should be here next week.

 

Did you actually cut off the 14 pin connector, or did you just strip back some insulation and solder your cables on? If you didn’t actually cut the connector off you should be able to cut off you interconnects and re-insulate the splices.

If you cut the connector off and are not handy with the soldering iron then I would sugest solder-less butt connectors (not the crimp type). I can’t remember the trade name at the moment but you basically stick a wire in each end and screw it together, its water tight and marine grade. A good auto parts store should have them.

I’ll be testing a BALUN in a few days using a Blaupunkt amp. I’ll let you know how it goes.


jeff

 

I'm testing Merc's cable in a few days with an older amp myself. No balun and far less technical knowledge involved. Likewise I'll report on what's what.

RedTSXinWashington: can I have your destroyed cable after everything works?

 

My first choice was to take the cable out of the car, then spend the time splicing and repairing at my kitchen table. The problem is that the cable from the HU to the factory amp appears to be wrapped up in the entire dash board wiring harness, which I am reluctant to take apart any further. That's why I decided to order a whole new cable since the price was right.

Once the new/old wiring harness arrives, I'll have a better look at how the amp cable is intertwined with the rest of the dash wiring harness. If it separates easily, then that means the cable in my car might separate more easily -- then I'd be open to sending it to you.

But since I already violated the cardinal rule of "first, do no harm," I'm reluctant to do anything behind the dash that is not directly related to the problem. I want to get in there, plug in the new wiring harness, plug in the iPod control you recommended in another thread, and get out! But if the dash-harness comes out easily, then I will certainly sacrifice it for the advancement of TSX audio science -- as long as you publish your results and findings like a medical journal.

 

In response to Mercman's post, I did cut the wires. I thought I did a pretty good job (and I'm very meticulous about these things) of stripping, twisting, shrink-wrapping, and taping the wires. But I did have to install a ground loop isolator (I think that's the name -- $14 each at Radio Shack) on each line to get rid of some buzz -- so maybe that's what's taking away the sound quality.

As I said in my post of two weeks ago, the sound was pretty good -- but I guess I'm still comparing it to my old Alpine aftermarket decks in previous cars. There was no noise, but there also just seemed to be something missing -- maybe I'm too sensitive and perfectionist in my hearing. So my plan is go back to ground zero, then see if I'm satisfied with the factory amp hooked up to the Boston speakers, which I never tried. If I'm still dissatisfied after that, then I'll sign up for the Mercman Super-Extreme Adapter and Balum -- but this time I will know I'll have a correctly wired harness to plug it into.

While this has all been a pain, it has also been fun and interesting. I used to mess around with this stuff a lot during my teenage years and early 20s. It's also been interesting that with each incarnation or adjustment of my system, it has sounded a bit different to me -- but my wife thinks it sounds the same as when I first bought the car.

 

Posi lock is the name of the splice.

http://www.posi-lock.com/posilock.html

jeff

 

A (long-delayed) update... regular life had conspired against me having time to write this...

I received in the mail an ENTIRE TSX dash wiring harness from HAP recyclers in California for $80. The thing weighed about 20 pounds with all the wires included. It came courtesy of a junked 2005 TSX. If I get some time, I'll post of picture of it.

What I discovered:

1. The wires that connect the HU to the TSX amp are not directly connected. Instead, the output wires from the HU first run deep into the car's wiring harness to a large, heavy black box. (I assume this has something to do with grounding.) Then the wires return all the way back to connect with the amp. In all, those wires (HU to Amp) seem to run a minimum of six feet (possibly longer) through the car when it's all said and done. That probably explains one of the reasons why Acura decided to use the differential signal since those wires pass over many potential noise makers.

2. Therefore, there is NO single part of a TSX wiring harness to pull out, then use to directly reconnect the HU to the Amp. (That, of course, blew my theory for ordering the damn thing. But there are benefits... read on...)

3. I received in the mail a 2005 TSX dash wiring harness. But I have a 2006 Non-Nav TSX. It is interesting to note that the wires running from the HU to the Amp in the 2005 TSX are SIGNIFICANTLY THICKER than the exact same wires in the 2006. The 2006 wires are almost fragile by comparison. That may be a reason why my sound or splice connections had problems that maybe those with 2004 and 2005 TSX owners did not experience.

4. Of course, all the wire colors are different from year-to-year, which required spending a great deal of time matching wires according to pin position rather than color.

What I did:

1. The fact that there was no direct wires from the HU to the Amp in the recycled wiring harness was disappointing... but still very worthwhile. Instead of re-splicing the harness I cut from my own car, I cut off the same harness from the recycled TSX harness. This gave me plenty of extra wire length to play with -- and made re-splicing and re-soldering of all the wires MUCH easier than it otherwise would have been.

2. I re-spliced and re-soldered the harness leading from the HU into the amp. I then reconnected all my speakers to the TSX's speaker wires (but left my own speaker wires that run from the trunk in place for future use). I plugged the new harness into the amp, and... (drum roll)... everything works great. No buzz. Very clean sound. I'm getting bass out of the front speakers (a problem I outlined in a previous thread.) In other words, the sound system is back to what it was before I cut off the HU-Amp harness last summer -- except with upgraded speakers.


Tip:

1. Probably the best tip I've read so far on this site is to place masking tape around the dash area where you are working to protect the dash area from tool nicks. I went a step further: First, I used blue painter's tape, which comes off easier (than regular masking tape) without leaving any sticky residue. Second, I put about four or five layers of tape around the dash entry to the amp and wires. (It looked like one of those blue sheets used to cover the patients on an operating table, with just the opening exposed. I can say it probably saved my dash a couple nicks during the entire time I spent re-splicing the wires. It is a simple, easy step that will help keep your car looking new!

What's Next:

I've been driving the car for a couple weeks since the operation, using the TSX amp and the Boston speakers. I had hoped I would be satisfied with the sound, and thus stop cutting into my car. Indeed, the sound of the original amp with upgraded speakers is very clean and crisp -- and much better than the original speakers. However, that is only at low or medium listening volumes. I like my music (ranging from Led Zeppelin to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, to Frank Zappa, to Pearl Jam, and funk) LOUD and CLEAR -- and thus want to reconnect the Alpine Amp, which is still wired in my trunk.

Now that I know my sound system is back to its original form, that all the wire connections are good, and that the sound is totally clean, it's time to use Mercman's wizardry to reconnect my Alpine amp using his wiring harness and Balum. I hope the results will be much better this time because I know the connections are already clean, and I won't have to use ground loop isolators thanks to Mercman discovering the balanced/unbalanced issue, and constructing a solution.

So bring on the BALUM!

 

nice post, i may end up doing the same thing if my audio shop can not resplice my factory harness. i ordered mercman's product too.

 

I just had the acura dealership redo my factor harness after CC botched my install by splicing and dicing all over the place...

The Part was 778 and the labor 1200...all in all CC paid 2200! just to revert everything back to factory spec.

 

That was one hell of a bill!!! The guy who worked on your car will only add to CC's death spiral into bankruptcy. (I was there the other day looking at cameras -- and NONE of the cameras had the little info cards. What a waste of time, especially when BB is right across the street and runs a great store.) Sorry for the tangent...

Glad you're back to the original harness. I hope Mercman is still out there making the harness and balun. Due to a new baby and law school last fall, I never got around to publicly posting my thanks to him for how well it all works. I enjoy the results everyday on my long commute.

For any new users, IF YOU ARE THINKING OF CUTTING YOUR WIRES, JUST GET MERCMAN'S HARNESS AND BALUN INSTEAD! If you're worried about the cost, first of all, it's a total bargain for what you get. Secondly, I spent probably $70 on fancy RCA "street wires" running to the back of the car that became totally unnecessary once I installed Mercman's harness wires. Instead, put that $70 toward the harness and balum.

Since I've been off the site for so long, I'll have to investigate if Mercman is still making this stuff, and any new advancements.

Also, I did a mount of my amp and crossovers on the SIDE of my trunk last summer that looks decent. I took pictures of the process, and had planned to post... and then the baby came, and law school became more difficult. Now that football season is over, I've got more time to post... and will do so soon.

 

You're right, CC is a complete joke. At least after two years they have the decency to make everything right again. But to just get to this point wasted a lot of my time...oh well as long as it's right at the end of the day, I guess?...

Yeah, Mercman is still making harnesses and BALUNs, I'm actually going to pay him Monday as soon as I get word from the insurance company.

Yeah it truly is worth it...I'm sure if Mercman gets it all together he can make a good buck or two on eBay. There's truly a market for these reverse harness adapters out there...one that the metra harnesses just don't cover.

Regardless, looking forward to those pics