i searched for a complete answer to this, but couldn't find it.
i have the SNHOND3 and the Roady. i know i need the GLI from radio shack.
what else do i need to have in order to direct wire into the stock radio?
will i still have to run a plug into the power outlet?
is this a job i can trust best buy or circuit city to do?

any help would be great, i've been checking out everyone's pics for the final display, great jobs, everyone!

thanks!!

 

1. Only if you want to.

2. No. Do some more research and do it on your own. The first step to success you already accomplished: coming here.

BB and CC are terrible.

 

you will need 2 GLI's if you use a line driver. i reccommend the line driver because the output of the roady is not a full 2 volts

 

ok, forgive my lack of knowledge, but i'm guessing the line driver is the direct power source? where can i get one?
thanks!

 

line driver is bascally a preamp booster. it will take a weak preamp signal and boost it to a louder one.

 

You can get a line amp from logjamelectronics. Dont take it to ciruit city unless you are not comfortable tapping into your power for the XM. Other than that it is a simple install. There is a thread on here with specific detailed instructions, but you need some basic handy man skills.

 

Unless you like to listen to the stereo very loud, a line driver is not necessary with the Roady. There is an adjustment on the Roady that allows you to increase the line out volume. I was able to adjust mine so the volume of the Roady is just a little lower than when playing a CD.

 

the biggest problem is not so much the volume but the fact that the stock head unit will cut back the bass and highs when you get the volume up to about 27. without the line driver you often have to listen to it near this volume setting and therefore are not getting the full sound spectrum.
trust me after you get a line driver you will wonder how you managed without it.
its only 35 bucks anyway

 

About the loudest I get my stereo is to about 23. If I wanted to play it loud I would have taken the stereo out of my G20 and reinstalled it. Sony ES C900 Tuner/Pre-amp, Sony ES CD Changer, and all ADS amps and Speakers. The ADS equipment was before they were bought by Directed and the quality went down hill. 660 watts of real low distortion power. I am now paying the price of equipment like that with my hearing or lack of.

 

ok, ok, i want it all! can anyone tell me exactly what i need? i found line amps and line drivers on logjam...
differences? same thing?
a part number would be super!
..................

a girl with an acura who needs a little help

 

See the thread FAQ AUXILLARY INPUT. Its usually the top thread in the audio section. It answers all your questions thoroughly.

Also, the device to boost your XM signal into your radio is called a LINE DRIVER. It amplifies the line level signal out of your XM receiver so your head unit volume wont have to be turned up so high. People here have noticed, including me, that the level from the XM receivers are low and dont equal the volume of your CD or FM radio. Logjam has one. PIE LD1 LINE DRIVER $39.95

 

Is this Roady going into a Navi or Non-Navi TSX?

 

ok, i'm almost ready to go. i ordered the line driver yesterday, should have it tomorrow (logjam is great--received my purchase order and tracking number within 10 minutes of placing my order!) -- i will get 2 GLI's from radio shack, now all i have to wait for is my roady to come back from delphi with a fixed display.

thanks for all your help, everyone!

bamatsx -- i have a non-nav

 

I'm not sure who said you need 2 ground loops. I only have one, pluged into the snhond3, then into into the line driver, then into my XM. Everything is in line so I don't see a need for 2. My sound is crystal clear.. the fidelity is better than some CD's.

 

your LD might have isolated input and output. what kind did you get?

 

bass mechanic said i needed 2 GLI's if i get the line driver as well as the SNHOND3. i ordered the P.I.E. LD-1 Adjustable Line Driver w/Sonic Filter from logjam. it should arrive tomorrow.
anyone using the line driver, SNHOND3 and only 1 GLI?
thoughts?

 

I have the snhond3 behind the dash behind the tray that's above the not an ashtray. The snhond3 is hooked to the radio. The radio shack GLI is pluged into the snhond3 ( The fat part of the GLI is also behind the dash.) The GLI's rca cord is long enough to run under the stick shift middle console, under the drivers seat, where I have my XM Commander module. My commander display is mounted in the sunglass holder. ( I don't know if the Roady has a seperate receiver module and display unit) Anyway, the GLI cord is pluged into the output of the PIE Line Driver. I have a 3 foot shielded RCA patch cable from the output of the XM receiver module to the input of the PIE line driver. ( My line driver is turned up about 1/3 and the sound level matches or is slightly louder than my CD and FM radio.
( I would assume instead of the RCA patch cable he is using an additional GLI, which I think is not necessary and my sound is crystal clear.)

 

the roady is a standalone unit. i still want to take the storage console out and then taking the "not an ashtray" out and setting the roady in there (planning to be able to run the wires since the console will be out. i'm gonna take another look at all the posted pics and see what i like best.
i like the look of it being propped up in the storage console, but i hate to give up the space. and i use the sunglass holder.

i guess once i have everything in hand i'll finalize my plans (or for the one doing the work).

i'll post pics when it gets done, hopefully memorial day weekend.
oooo...maybe i can get my tint done that day too!



girl with a tsx jumping for joy

 

I have a ground loop update: I only had one ground loop isolater hooked up to my line driver.. that was fine until the weather here got warm and I turned on my airconditioner for the first time since I installed the Commander. Apologies the the person who said we needed 2 ground loops because I got an small engine whine with one ground loop while the airconditioner was running. I picked up a second ground loop isolater and it stopped the whine. Seems like the input and output sides of the line driver need a ground loop isolator.

 

ok...i'm still a bit confused. how do i hard wire the roady to the stereo? the guy at circuit city said that in order to hard wire the power of the roady, he would need to remove the air vents. now, i don't trust him to do the install, since no one else has mentioned this.
i have the roady, the SNHOND3, the PIE line amp and 2 GLI's. do i need any additional parts?

i have looked and could not find the right answers.
PLEASE help me!

 

I just had a Roady installed and I'm getting a bit of noise. They put a filter on it, so it's not as noticiable as plugging in my MP3 player when it's connected to the power outlet, but it's annoying. I have a PAC GLI on order (I've been burned once too often by Radio Shack over the years, I'm sure their GLIs and cables are just fine, but they've sold me too many cheap crap radar dectectors, cd players, CBs, etc. to ever go back).
Also, I don't like having to crank the volume on my MP3 Player and stereo just to hear it, so I want to add a Line Driver. But I have a few quick questions first:

1) Can I power the Line Driver off the same ACC line the Roady is on and ground it to the same points as that and the GLIs?

2) Are two GLIs really needed? Stupid question, but couldn't you just put it after the last powered component, i.e. it would go: Roady -> Minijack/RCA cable ->Line Driver -> GLI -> SNHOND3 -> HU?

Thanks

 

I am also interested in this. I have an MP3 player (Creative Zen) and I have to max my MP3 player volume in addition to going about 27+ on my car volume to get a decent sound level. Switching between the radio and my MP3 player can be an eye-opening experience if I'm not paying attention

So, I found Line Driver from LogJam, as recommended, but I have no clue where to power the unit to... Thanks in advance for your help!!!

... where is MacGyver when I need his advice!!!

 

Yea, I have no idea where to power my PIE LD-1 Line Driver either... at this point I'm getting ready to just put it up on Ebay and live with the sound cranked.

 

I used an inexpensive line driver the other day and was disappointed (TRC was the brand).

One thing about noise: no one can predict what YOU will experience.

You might need two GLI's. You might not. I suspect that most people don't. But it's possible.

For power, you should power and ground it to the same points that were used for the roady. HOPEFULLY these are the power and ground points for the factory amp in the console, but probably not.

The purpose of the line driver is to get the signal from your unit higher than the noise so you don't hear it. The purpose of the GLI is to decrease the noise to a point that you can't hear it (it's still there, on a scope, but not loud enough to hear, which is all you care about). So ideally the line driver should be as similar eletrically to the source unit (the Roady) as possible - sharing power and ground.

Also, when testing for noise, turn on the high beams and the rear defogger for max load - it's the most revealing test.