I am looking for some good advice regarding line drivers.

I know Jigga has


http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PHOTLD22

but I would like to hear other Line Drivers that people have hooked up and their experiences with them. Also Costs!!

 

I found this one and it seems to be the same thing but cheaper



http://www.crutchfield.com/S-XFBvBhl...=0&cc=01&avf=N

or you could use this



http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/XTAHLA

and here is anouther



http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/STISALOC

 

damn, i was about to post this same thread....theres so many drivers out there, wtf one do you pick? Are there better options than a line driver/LOC to get a cleaner signal other than replacing the stock HU?

Heres another i found...
http://www.davidnavone.com/ seems like its got more features, but its cheaper, so who knows what you'll get....

 

CCColtsicehockey, the items that you posted convert a speaker-level signal to a line-level signal. a line driver is meant to boost (and balance, in some cases) a line-level signal so that an amp's differential inputs can filter out noise and the gain can be reduced.

anyway, i'm also very curios about this topic. people have found a significant increase in sound quality by using line drivers? if it turns out that the pre-outs from the head unit necessitate line drivers, does anyone have a 4-channel line driver solution for under $100 that still has respectable sound quality? thanks.

 

glad this come up, I am looking at them again....maybe bassmechanic can come in here and help us out.

 

ok well then i need to know what I will need to hook my rear 6x9 signal to an amp to power my sub. Do I need just a Speker level to line level converter or do I need a Line Driver.

 

why not just a LOC which can adjust the voltage?

http://www.davidnavone.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=N-774v

 

Yes a LOC is all you need. It'll run you about $20.

 

a line driver is like an amplifer, you would use one if you want to boost the output of your HU.

a line out converter is the opposite of a line driver. most HU have a built in amplifer so you need to de-amplify that voltage so it doesnt overload your amp. thats what a line out converter is

 

If you are planning to grab a signal in order to bypass (remove)the factory amp, then you would go with a line driver, correct? I am not sure what kind of voltage you can expect from the factory head unit, but I am sure it is no where near the 6-volts, etc. that you find on a high-end aftermarket headunit with preamp outputs.

 

not if you are going to use a quality LOC, in fact you have a pretty high voltage output of 8v. click on the links i provided and read the description. like i said before those are extremely high quality stuff, believe me or not its up to you.

 

my plan for the line driver would be to boost the output of my ipod...I am sure I can find something cheaper than $100.

 

http://www.davidnavone.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=N-332V

55 bucks.

 

^^^do you have one of these?

 

http://www.davidnavone.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=N-774v

i have one of these.

 

interesting.......what do you have attached to that........can you give details about your system?

 

Found this in my closet....never been used...Any guess how old it is???

Back in the day you had to be careful with line drivers because you could destroy the input side of your amp. I'd imagine most newer quality amps can handle some pretty high input voltage but you still might want to check the specs of your amp to see what range of input voltage it likes...

Phoenix Gold sort of pioneered this back in the day(to my knowledge). The idea that if you boost the sound level before the amp it will come out of the amp louder, with the added bonus of a high line voltage which resists inteference.

Hmm, I need to get caught back up in the car audio world...

 

LOL... you're telling me!

I need to play "catch-up" as well. Been a long time since had to design a system from scratch... and never from a factory deck. (Never thought I would see the day I would buy a car that I wouldn't want to replace the headunit.)

I think my audio recipe will comprise of completely removing the factory amplifier and using line drivers to up the signal to my amps. I will get two line drivers, a 4-channel and a 2-channel to capture all six of the headunit's signals. I will use these to complement a 4-channel amp and a mono subwoofer amp setup; Therefore I will still be able make use of the factory fader & audio controls. (Although I may also use an Audio Control EQ of sorts to really tune it.)

As for drivers, merely removing the 6x9s and replacing the front and rear doors with component 6-1/2s (rear tweeters on an adapter plate in the 6x9 openings) and adding a subwoofer or two would do me just fine.

 

taun209 and Dan Martin:

you guys are advocating an LOC. does this mean you are using the output from the factory amp, "de-amplifying" with the LOC and then using that signal as a line-level input for an after-market amp? seems like a bizarre idea to me...

or am i underestimating the versatility of an LOC? are you using an LOC to boost the signal from the pre-outs of the head unit and then feeding that signal to the line-level of an after-market amp? i have been assuming that an LOC can only attenuate a signal, not add gain to it.

since LOC's seem to be more affordable than line drivers, i'd really like to know if they can do the same job as a line driver, with similar results. thanks.

 

Yes an LOC just attenuates the signal. It works fine for subwoofers but I've never tried it on a full-range signal.

 

the line drivers i sold to a couple guys work very well and are small. i sold them for 35 bucks i think

 

(Although I may also use an Audio Control EQ of sorts to really tune it.)

Does using an aftermarket EQ make that much of a difference in sound quality? Because now that i've added alot of stuff to my system i feel like i would like to be able to had more flexibility with adjusting the way it sounds. its hard to get it really dialed in with the stock HU adjustments. -6 through +6 leaves a little to be desired ya know. I have feeling that this should be my next purchase so that i can make the most out of all the other audio components i bought.

 

If you get something like a 31 band one, yes, a huge difference.

But there is a theory that audio systems shouldn't have EQs becaue you're altering the sound from the original..

The other theory is that the EQs "make up" where either a system lacks or physical limitation(like size/shape/speaker placement inside a car)..

I believe part of both theories, I have adjusted MANY 31 band style EQs in my day and do believe you need it for the best possible sound quality.

The downside of EQs, I have learned, is most people have a hard time adjusting them.

 

Well, after checking out the AudioControl website, I found exactly what I was looking for.

AudioControl EQS

6-Channels of high or low power input and built in line driver & EQ. Perfect for what I have planned for my audio upgrade. "Kills two birds with one stone"... no need for me to get a separate set of line drivers and an equalizer. However, the only thing that bothers me is, where am I gonna mount this thing?

 

Got a link or specs?

 

sorry no link but its from PAC called a Turbo-1 it will boost the signal from 1 volt to 8 volts RMS.

draws 12 milliamps of current and is about the size of 1/2 a pack of cigaretts.
has separate left and right gains and the control knobs can be removed so they dont get broken or take up any room once set.
works great. i have set it and fogotten about it. it allowes me to get the same signal level from XM as the CD player or tuner.