TC JBLS Sound System

[Charles A.]

I realize this may be the wrong forum for this but didn't know where else to post it. I responded to a post in the classifieds on this subject.

I have always loved adding factory options/upgrades that never came with my car and have been at it for 10+ years now. Most people think I'm crazy, but give me a good wiring diagram and I can usually find a way to make it work.

Anyway, I had a loaded '97 TC Sig. with all options except phone and sunroof, complete with an AWESOME JBL sound system and CD changer, then had to trade it for something cheaper last year. I ended up with an identical looking '95 Sig. Unfortunately this one doesn't have some of my favorite options -- most especially the JBL sound system.

I never serviced my '97 or my '92 before that, so this is the first TC I've done any real work on. I am in the process of upgrading the '95 and adding some of the missing options such as electrochromic mirrors, sound system, and even heated seats which is turning out to be somewhat of a challenge.

I just finished installing an electronic day/night rearview mirror with compass out of a '98 Crown Vic for example. This was a "plug-in" option for the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis (meaning the harness was pre-wired and all you had to do was add the optional harness and plug it in) but the TC option was spliced into the harness at the factory so it required a complete custom wiring job. It was a royal pain but it's in now and working perfectly.

Such a simple project you'd think, right? Well, I had to disassemble the dash, windshield pillar and header, visors, left center pillar trim, and even remove the rear seat. I learned real quick that this car is not exactly easy to service!

Next up I plan to tackle the JBL with DSP and factory CD changer. It's one of the best factory sound systems I've ever heard and an incredible bargain used compared to most aftermarket systems.

This will require an extensive rewire since the JBL has a totally different harness and several additional components not included with the base radio. So far I've had no problem finding the components (ex: rear speakers with subwoofer approx. $50 for all) but I haven't been able to locate a complete wiring harness yet.

All the better yards which have late model salvage here have been bought up by big corporations. They will no longer allow customers in the yard to pull a harness, and they don't want to even sell you a harness unless it's part of a whole sub-assembly like a complete front end, etc.

I did get lucky and found a damaged partial rear body harness, but it's missing the Remote Chassis Unit and a good bit of the wiring needed. I am going to get what I can because it's always a good idea to keep some extra proprietary Ford connectors around. Those are almost impossible to get otherwise!

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Anyone else out there tackling this upgrade??? Anyone know where I can get a complete audio system harness for a '95-'97 TC with JBL sound?

Thanks! :)

[invisik]

Sounds like quite a job ahead of you.

I've a 96 TC with JBL minus the CD changer. It's much better then the low-end "Premium" sound that I had in my 93 TC.

I guess I'm wondering why you don't go with an after market solution--or at least an aftermarket speaker solution combined with the factory radio/CD changer? I think the JBL speakers are mediocre (sp?) in the world of car audio and some properly selected and installed speakers could really sound outstanding.

I guess I see the JBL front plate could very easily be changed out for some seperates. The JBL fronts have so-so imaging as compared a 1992 Nissan Sentra I had the pleasure of doing the stereo in. A pair of $300 components in the front and a medium power amp was an amazing combo.

The rear speakers are probably fine--no one really listens to them anyway. It's usually me in the car, else me and the wife and if we have people in the back we're usually yakking away and the radio is off.

The sub is surprising nice in the JBL setup. It's a spare tire hold / subwoofer thing. I think it's like a 6 1/2" speaker but it sounds bigger. If you're cranking it, you lose the low end pretty quickly. I'd think if you found a compact 8" or 10" sub setup you'd have much more solid sound and could setup the crossover better.

I'd think the wiring would just be insane. I guess I have less patience for intense wiring projects like that. I'd think you'd have to hit some junkyards to try to find the harnesses--Florida should have them for you. ;)

Either route you choose, good luck to you and buy a EVTM manual off eBay for your car!

-m

[Charles A.]

You make some interesting points. I agree that the JBL system isn't anywhere near audiophile quality. The highs are extremely crisp but the lows (not sub-lows mind you, just warm bass lows above subwoofer range) are simply not there. I also believe a component setup would be far superior, but how to get that with a factory controller?

I've tried to stick with factory head units in the past and mixing those with aftermarket speakers on the GM/Bose music systems I'm used to working with has always been a real hassle. I have no idea how compatible this Ford unit will be with anything from the aftermarket.

The woofer portion of the 2-way factory JBLs might make decent mid-range speakers, but there is always a need for separate tweeters and possibly some woofers to fill in the lows (again, above the sub-range).

Trouble is I don't really know enough about this system to add aftermarket amps/speakers. From what I can figure the remote chassis behind the rear seat handles both the signal processing (AM and FM tuning plus CD inputs and DSP effects) and power generation -- 20 watts in 4 channels which I believe is 20X4=80 watts total -- with a separate subwoofer amp. There are really no "line level" inputs anywhere that I can see getting access to.

The manual says the head unit and remote chassis communicate via a sort of SAE-approved communications network. This doesn't sound like anything that's standardized to the aftermarket and so might be hard to modify or add to without inside knowledge.

The head unit is basically a fancy control panel which also supplies the cassette signal. But most of the real work goes on in the luggage compartment. The RCU puts out speaker signals which could always be tapped with a speaker-level convertor I suppose, but I have never liked the idea of doing that. Still, it may be the only way to go if mixing aftermarket components.

One thing I have wondered about -- and perhaps you can help me understand -- is how to custom equalize the sound to your interior. I imagine this is done in the lab with equalizers at the amp stage, or equalizers mixed with custom crossover tuning. But these controls on higher-end amps are of course on the amp enclosure in the trunk, so there's no way to tune it while listening to it? It would be nice if you could tweak these settings from some sort of control panel inside the vehicle!

The DSP effects in the factory RCU are pretty cool, and my favorite part is the clean integration of the CD changer functions with the radio tuner. The control unit is quite excellent IMO. I really have a problem with the look of most aftermarket head units as they are simply not my style and don't look like they belong in this car (as you may be able to tell from my posts I am pretty conservative ;) ).

As far as the sub, well it's tailor made for this car and works quite well stock for my tastes so I might stick with it for now. I am not one of those people who likes trunk-rattling base in my car -- just a reasonably precise stereo image with good range, clarity and spacial effect. You won't find me cranking it up very often, but I agree that when the time comes to do just that the system should be up to the task.

Well, sorry again for the looooong post but this is pretty fascinating stuff to me. Thanks again for your input, and by all means please keep the TC stereo advice coming!

:D

[Big-420]

Hello Charles A. looks like I came back at the right time....I have "premium jbl" [stuff]in my car that I am going to throw in the trash/slash garage I do this every time I take the factory stereo system out of a car I buy. I have old jbl junk from my thunderbird and I will have new [stuff] from my lincoln I know the din cable from my 90tc will fit the 95 unit that you have because I have the old little amps from my t-bird and they look the same but on that one I just cut them and junked them let me know what else you need...

[ October 25, 2001: Message edited by: Richard J. Parker ]

[Richard J. Parker]

For my money, the biggest difference between a "premium" and a "jbl" system is the additional subwoofer amp and tuned port speaker that is installed above the spare tire. On my car, the sub amp is wired to the speaker wires of the "premium" amp. Other than that, the 4 primary speakers are dual 2 way speakekr units, e.g. they have a mid or high range unit built into the primary speaker. However it's the subwoofer that catchs your attention at appropriate volume. The tuned port enclosure is pretty effective with a nominal 6" subwoofer speaker. It's the old school technique for effective bass without massive power. So I'd think you may be able to use your existing head unit and add the factory sub amp and enclosure (junkyard is ok since the sub speaker is replaceable).

[Charles A.]

Well after a bit of research I was able to locate absolutely NO technical info or specs on the Ford premium sound system other than what's in the manual. Why would I bother, you ask? Well, I see two choices with this install:

1) Trash the factory setup and go aftermarket all the way

2) Use the factory head unit and add aftermarket amps/speakers

I simply don't want to go with the first option. I know there are some great components out there that sound far superior but I really like a conservative head unit that looks like it actually belongs in my car. Plus the factory setup has a good tuner, cassette, and pretty good CD changer controls all nicely integrated, and they all work with the existing steering wheel controls.

I also agree that the factory speakers could be better, so option 2 is looking like the way to go for me at this point. Because of the unusual configuration of a split head unit and remote chassis with proprietary links, modifying the factory setup won't be easy though.

Bypassing the RCU is not really possible, at least not for the '95 to '97 JBL systems. The RCU does all the work while the head unit is just a fancy control panel. The output comes from the RCU. Trouble is, there are no line-level outputs. If I could talk to someone who had access to the internal schematics, I'm sure it would be possible to tap the signal inside the RCU after processing and before it gets amplified, but unless I can find a really nice Ford tecchie to help me that's not going to work.

So, as much as I don't like them, a line-level convertor will be mandatory here. I always fear these will reduce sound quality somehow, but then again I haven't used one in a long time so I'm hoping the state-of-the-art is better now.

My initial plan is to keep the rear speakers stock and add aftermarket amps and component speakers in the front (thanks for the idea invisik! :). The existing door speaker opening would be used for a midrange speaker, then a woofer can be added to the lower door area and finally a nice tweeter up at the beltline near the outside rearview mirror. This ought to sound sweet!

If I like the results, I can always go back later and replace the rears with nicer 2-way units and their own, more powerful amps. I think the existing sub will meet my needs for now, but if necessary it can always be made more powerful with a new amp as well.

Well guys, whaddya think? Anyone out there tried this already?

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