JBL Sound System

[JustinMarkVII]

Hey everybody;

I would like to know is anyone has a complete JBL Sound system for a Mark VII for sale? Speakers, Amp, etc...

Thanks

[sotexlscman]

Sorry, I don't have one. I am looking for a in-dash CD slap-in to take place of my factory AM/FM cassete. In addition to a JBL complete system, does any one know if there is a factory deck that will go in and still look like it's supposed to be there? I have a '90 LSC with the "High-Level Audio System"(that's what the manual says) that pushes the coaxial speaker system. Thanks in advance for the help.

[valu8or]

I have a complete premium sound system from a '90 Bill Blass that I am pulling out tomorrow. Cassette Head unit, Amp, Speakers, etc... I will take $50 plus shipping for it if you want.

[JustinMarkVII]

Premium (The Coaxial Sound) or the JBL itself? Thanks

[pro-five-oh]

Justin: the JBL amps and speakers are pretty good but if you are going to all that trouble, you should just go aftermarket and get MUCH better sound quality. It will be more money, but it will be just as much effort as the JBL swap.

SoTex: any single din CD player from an early 90s Ford will work. There was a single disc head unit available for the Mark, and was a dealer add on when new.

It really wasn't that good and the dealer charges--I think--$350 for one. They may not even be around as new, and I wouldn't recommend buying a used Ford unit for anything more than $50. They are just not that good quality!

[JustinMarkVII]

by the way, Pro-Five-Oh, the reason I love the JBL is that my dad has the JBL in his Contintental and it sounds so awesome! It has excellent sound quality.

What brand would you reccomend if I didn't go with the JBL? I just want tto try and keep the parts original. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

[sotexlscman]

Thanks Pro-Five-Oh. Have you heard of anyone who has put in an aftermarket that looks good in the '90 dash? Can the factory speakers be used for a while so I can do the swap in steps(limited budget, you know)? Thanks, Dean

[pro-five-oh]

Whew, that was quick guys! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Justin: I am assuming you have the Premium sound and want to go to JBL Audio. Look at the badge on the back of your rear speakers and see if it has a "JBL Audio" or "Premium Sound" badge.

You can get the JBL amps, speakers and subwoofer and splice your factory harness for the JBL stuff...but what a pain! You'd probably need a wiring diagram to get it to work, especially the sub. It can be done, but I wouldn't know where to start. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/confused.gif

Trust me...better sound quality is in the aftermarket. Start from scratch with your own wiring. I know, I know, I love the stock Ford systems too: it began the first time my 9 year old ears heard 80 watts of Ford Premium Sound when my Continental was new. Not only that the factory look was really smooth...but it ain't worth it now! Even JBL is outdated!

SoTex: you are in luck. JVC makes a KAMELON (sp?) head unit that looks like a solid sheet of glass when it is off. No stupid graphics or chrome buttons. So does Sony and the higher Kenwoods and Alpines. They cost about $250-500.

You will then need an "OEM Interface headunit replacement converter" to use your factory speakers/wiring with an aftermarket headunit. The cheaper ones go for $45 but for the static free converter you'll need to fork out about $80.

I went from JBL to a JVC head unit in my 1991 Mark, and the difference was tremendous! The bass was stronger from the JBLs and it didn't lose any sound quality.

[pro-five-oh]

Here is a shot of my Cougar's dash with a late model Sony ES head unit. Check out how it looks with the 80's cool Ford graphic EQ. It ain't perfect, but the sound quality is 1000000% better.

http://www.coolcats.net/photos/88sajx12.jpg

[Lost Boy]

Quick thing: front speakers are same with different stickers on them. I switched out the head unit in the 7 to a alpine with a ford premium sound harness. The harness cost 30 dollars and I hooked the alpine up through it and ran stock wiring speakers and amp...I touched nothing else and it made a huge difference. the gain was outstanding. I would try this first. As for the JBL system, you can plug a JBL amp off another 7 or town car directly into the premium sound wiring( it is made for both). I have a JBL amp and front speakers sitting around, but all you really need are the amp and rear speakers. I helped with a JBL swap and it took all of ~10 min for the amp and rear speakers so it is really easy. For the money an after market head unit into the JBL system is pretty sweet and makes a big diff. in quality and with the preamps on the after market head unit a sub is no problem. Just something to think about

[LSCXTSY]

There is a wealth of aftermarket stereo products out there that blow away ANY stock system. I realize the concept of keeping the car stock and respect that, but I hate factory radios! When I bought the LSCXTSY there was an aftermarket head unit, factory 5 1/4's in the doors and aftermarket 6x9's mounted in the rear deck in place of the factory ones, along with a small amp. The system, I must say rocked! For me, it still wasn't enough. Check out my site www.martiuk.com/users/anthony/Lincoln.htm (http://www.martiuk.com/users/anthony/Lincoln.htm)
I did the total install myself.

[pro-five-oh]

LSCXTCY: Nice work! Yes, the benefits of aftermarket are real!

Check out the work I did installing my stereo in the Cougar. It was pretty painful because getting wire to the dash speakers is pretty tough!

http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/street/3545/cougarstereo.html

[Lost Boy]

I'm not saying that the system is the best. My system in the car I just sold cost a couple thousand to build up, but for the money a aftermarket head unit running into the JBL amp and speakers sounds pretty good. Again personal opinion, but it does sound a lot better than factory. I believe that the problem with the factory setup was the head unit. So as a test I replaced the head unit( PLUS I didn't want to rewire). I did that 3 times( never trust a shop to do a job correctly) in the old car. Once was to put an eq in the factory, second was when I had the system redone( head unit, speaker, etc) by a shop and had to correct what they did and the third was to run the speakers off an amp in the trunk. I liked the easy of the harness into the stock system. Hell if it sounded bad I would rewire, but it sounds pretty good, so I left it.

Have fun with whatever you do

BTW
The car I rewired was a 88 cougar...pro-five-oh I feel your pain

[LSCXTSY]

Pro-Five-Oh- I hear you, wiring the component sets with crossovers in the doors was a real pain, lots of cuts and scrapes! The LSC dash is so easy to get in to, hence the reason why I hardwired my radar detector.

[Guido]

Here's a photo of my JVC deck. I plugged in a JVC to Ford adapter and no wire cutting/splicing was required, just make sure you mention you have premium sound (the harness is different). The adapter cost me $20 CDN (which is like $1.50 US right? hehe). The sleeve fit in absolutely perfect - no cutting at all so it'll take me 15 minutes to put the stock deck back in. All that was required was to paint the sides of the opening black (original they're white). I used a permanent marker.

I chose JVC because it doesn't have flashing lights that could be distracting at night since the deck is mounted so high. Also JVC makes a 12 disc changer at a cheaper price than most other 10 disc (and some 6) changers, and it also has an adjustable "line-in" which I plan to one day connect a portable MP3 player. I compared the specs between JVC, Sony, Clarion, Kenwood and Alpine and no one has any clear advantage. Most come with a wireless remote.

This deck doesn't have display dimming (when you turn on the headlights) but I never found it bothering even on dark roads. It only has one trigger wire which you'll have to connect to both your amp and power antenna but I'm in the process of installing a separate switch for the antenna because I don't like it going up/down 10 times a day when I mostly listen to CDs.
The only problem I have with this desk is that I can see the reflection of the passenger seat when the sun is bright and it can be hard to read the display. I assume most decks would do that because of the location so high in the dash. And my white seats don't help.

a:\dash.jpg

[DAN 86BB&89LSC]

If you buy from Crutchfield I think they throw in a wiring harness to connect to your OEM connector. Check the website and see. The Kameleon or El Kameleon are sweet units. I have a Kameleon in another car and it does look smooth with a flat black face and all the buttons pop out from underneath.

2cents,
Dan

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, I am a big fan of the JVC Kamelon (sp) but I wonder how it will look with my typical Ford green lights.

The reason I am saying this is because my Sony head unit occasionally stops reading the disc and there is a lot of static, and it does not change as in increase the volume. I got it for $130 out of a friend's junked Taurus SHO (I got a lot of stuff from that SHO) so it might be time for a refund.

Again, doing it the aftermarket way is the only way in my book. Changing the head unit and using the JBL/Premium adapter is a good first start. At some point, you'll want the better speakers and those fancy crossovers...it is only a matter of time!

Guido: You are gonna have to post those pictures on the internet in order to let Lincolnonline.com access them! Give me what ya got and I can put them on my website, or get your own geocities website, OR get a FREE album at photopoint.com. Gotta love cyberspace!

[Richard J. Parker]

I agree with Lost Boy that a better head unit wired directly into the factory amps and factory subwoofer sounds excellent. Even a good Ford single din CD player in CD mode is very good. I tried an Alpine 7863 and ended up with the Ford CD player for much less money and factory dimming. Obviously the factory speakers could be worn out, particularly the subwoofer.

[sotexlscman]

I realize the early '90s factory Ford CD unit would be quality-deprived. I also appreciate the input on the aftermarket head units. While I believe that they would be a more versatile addition, I have access to a 1999 Ford single CD head unit for a very good price. He told me that one wire had to be cut and spliced into another and the mounts had to be redone.

Has anyone done this, and if so, is the quality of sound better? I am not interested in pounding the neighborhoods with my music like I did twenty-five years ago. I just want to listen to my Zeppelin, Boston, Skynyrd, etc. every now and then.

But if the extra expense of the newer Sony or JVC unit would be drastically better, then I will continue to use my cassette plug-in adapter w/portable CD until I can save up a few bucks.

Thanks,
SoTex

[Richard J. Parker]

That's almost exactly what I did with my 92 TC. The wire that has to be changed has to do with the "amp enable" which on older vehicles is a different (higher)voltage. The quick fix is to use the "antenna" wire output jumpered to the amp's "enable" input (done at the radio harness end). The mount is nothing much if the old and new are both single din sizes. They have a plastic piece that interchanges from top to bottom of the radio depending on the car that engages a rail in the dash to keep the radio from bouncing up and down at the rear of the radio.

The resulting CD sound IS dramatically better than your cassette CD adapter (been there)and has good volume and has a "compensate" key in CD mode which is basically a gain for the low freq. I never run mine more than 75%. When I had the Alpine wired to the factory amps, I never wanted more than 50%. So I don't miss the Alpine's increased volume capability.

[This message has been edited by Richard J. Parker (edited May 03, 2001).]

[sotexlscman]

Thanks Richard,

If I can secure this CD unit, perhaps I can email you with the wiring information?? It might be a few weeks, but I will try and contact you later.

Thanks,
Dean

[DAN 86BB&89LSC]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pro-five-oh:
[B]Yeah, I am a big fan of the JVC Kamelon (sp) but I wonder how it will look with my typical Ford green lights.

Probably look alright, there's a little red in it but it's insignificant. The display is a shade or two lighter than the darker blue screens you see now. It's got a dimmer too. It has a highway volume increase feature that sets itself with your engine RPMs. The higher the rev/s the louder the radio will get.

The reason I am saying this is because my Sony head unit occasionally stops reading the disc and there is a lot of static, and it does not change as in increase the volume. I got it for $130 out of a friend's junked Taurus SHO (I got a lot of stuff from that SHO) so it might be time for a refund.

DAN


[This message has been edited by DAN 86BB&89LSC (edited May 03, 2001).]

[Richard J. Parker]

Ford Premium/JBL Sound Wiring Single Din:
The radio has two connectors. The large 8 pin has power, antenna, dimmer, and amp enable. The smaller connector has speaker wires.

Large 8 Pin:
1. Unswitched 12vdc
2. Ground
3. Switched 12vdc
4. Dimmer input voltage
5. (no connection)
6. Ground
7. Antenna Output +12vdc when on
8. Amp Enable Output +12vdc Early radios (+6vdc later radios 94-99)

If the later radios are swapped into an early 90s car, the 6v amp enable won't turn on the early amp that expects 12vdc. The "quick fix" is to cut wire 8 and tape off the piece remaining on the connector. Splice the remaining wire 8 to wire 7, antenna output.

Don't permanently connect wire 8 to +12 from wire 1 or 3. That will cause loud amp popping when you switch the radio on or off.

[sotexlscman]

Thanks Richard,

This site is really great with very helpful members.

SoTex