Sencillo91

how hard was it to install that radio? and i see you have a aftermarket amp... is that replacing the stock amp? or is it all custom wiring? would like to know some info on this cuz i hate using that tape adapter..

peace101

Not too hard if you're comfortable disassembling the car. I took everything Nakamichi out. If you need help, just PM me. The only thing you need to tap from factory wiring is ACC and Illumination. This stereo require 12V 16gauge power cable running straight from the battery. Factory power cable don't cut it. Also, RSX-GS9 don't have internal amp, does come with front, rear, and sub (right and left) pre amp RCA connections. If you are going with my set-up, you need external amp. For you to benefit from Hi-Res Audio, you need the whole set-up from Sony. This package remove the guess work. Everything is designed to work together.

I will list what you need (My set-up)
Head unit - RSX-GS9
Amp - XMGS4 (Not XMGS400)
Speaker Front - (XSGS1621C) Component
Speaker Rear - (XSGS1621) Coaxial (You can do component if you wants too)
Subwoofer and amp - Your choice (I have Kenwood mono amp 600W running 2 8" Kicker compD Sub) I don't want loud lows, I just need deep and clean punch. The point of Hi-Res Audio is to hear the details(like pin drop)

peace101

For everyone following this thread.
If you just like the dash set-up and Hi-Res Audio is not you're thing. Sony does make single DIN headunit that can be controlled by SongPal (e.g. MEX-N5100BT). You can use factory amp and speaker and save some cash.

For Nakamichi unit - you can retain factory speaker, amp, and sub using this thread
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...b-working.html


RSX-GS9 unit does have DSEE engine that upscale MP3 to Hi-Res, but that is still not enough. You need FLAC files or streaming HI-Fidelity music from Tidal. Spotify HIFI is still not as good as Tidal.
Most people use regular headphones to stream Tidal (big mistake). You need headphones or for this case, headunit designed to play Hi-Res audio.

Sencillo91

so you pretty much wired everything custom ? or used the stock wiring harness in the car to wire speaker n such. i think ima have to PM you for this.. i just wanna know how to put a after market radio with amp n stuff.. i read online for the harnesses but really dont understand it

peace101

I used factory speaker wires from the amp under the seat to the door speakers. Factory speaker wire is like 18awg, good enough. I didn't want to go thru the trouble of fishing cables. In front doors, I run new cable from Sony crossover to the tweeter. Nakamichi crossover is build in the speaker box. You will have to disconnect it.

New cable that I run
- amp power from the battery to under the pass seat. I used distribution block because I have two amps.
- amp ground. Bolt cable to the chassis.
- amp remote turn on from the headunit. Two cables, one for sub amp and one for speakers amp.
-three RCA cables from headunit. Two goes to the amp under the seat. One goes to the trunk for the subwoofer amp.
- 16awg power cable from the battery to the headunit
- Tap grey wire for ACC and green for Illumination from the factory harness
- use antenna cable from factory. the big one
- Headunit ground bolted to the frame in the dashboard.
- run mic cable from the headunit to the visor area.

SeanSinha

Instead of using the stock speaker boxes for 6.5" speakers, you should make some custom speaker mounts out of MDF. This helped things immensely with the sound and flexibility with speakers I could install on my LS.

peace101

Depends on the sound quality you're looking for. I don't play any low frequency thru door speaker. Factory speaker boxes are fine for mid and high. I have subwoofer to handle the lows. Don't make your speakers do too much. I am an audiophile. I don't like when people set-up their system were the lows over-power everything. That is not the point of Hi-Resolution audio. If you want to play lows thru door speakers, then yes do the MDF boxes and save some money and buy a different headunit.

SeanSinha

Even with a sub handling the lows, having MDF speaker mounts properly sound dampened will make a big different over using the stock, plastic speaker mounts. In my experience, the difference was major in the midbass I produce. I cross my components at 80Hz with a 24db slope, with my subwoofers running at 80Hz LPF with 24db slope.

peace101

Did you take some photos of the box you built? Did you just create a cover or did you build a box? What is interior volume of the box?
I may try it out, but too much bass will make it difficult to hear the very highs that RSX-GS9 produce. That is the reason I just let the subwoofer do the bass work. Plus, I can turn the sub down independently to balance everything out.

SeanSinha

I removed the stock plastic speaker boxes and in their place, used MDF to make a 6.5" speaker mount. I then sealed it off with Dynamat. It's not a full enclosure, it's merely a piece of MDF. I use a baffle to seal the speaker.

Also, with the mids being low in the door and the tweeters being in the pillars, it's tough for mids to overpower highs, especially if you use crosses with tweeter attenuation available.