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Old 09-05-2003, 05:11 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Washington
Posts: 83
Question Can someone please explain my system? 91 300E with 1480 Becker

Hello all. I just purchased this car for my wife, and she wants a better stereo system with a CD player (And what baby wants, baby gets ) I'm trying to figure this system out, but have found very limited specific information.

This is what I know for sure: The head unit is a Becker 1480 cassette player. There are six speakers total, two in dash, two in the rear deck, and two woofers in the front door panels (silly place). There seems to be two amps in the trunk (right rear side), although the output from the 1480 is only two channels. The fader control in the console affects the front dash speakers AND the door woofers when dialed forward, and the rear speakers on their own when dialed rearward. (I read that with the active bass systems, which I thought this was, the door woofer level was unaffected by the fader thumbwheel.) I also know for certain that the rear speakers are 2 Ohms, and that the antenna wire goes to the 1480 unit and therefore (I don't think) not to a tuner in the trunk.

So here are my questions: what size speakers are in the car, including the door woofers? How exactly is the thumbwheel fader wired in? Specifically, if the fader controls the door woofers too on the front circuit, I'm assuming that the woofers are amplified seperately and therefore wired in parallel from the fader, not in series with the front speakers yes?

Here is what I'm planning to do, depending on what kind of answers I get: Replacing the Be1480 with a decent CD player head unit, like maybe an Alpine. Running the set of two low voltage outputs back to an amp that I already own and will install in the trunk. This is a bridgable 4 channel amp with both high pass and low pass filters. I want to replace / update all the speakers (they are 12 years old after all), and change the door woofers to component speakers, or at least as closely matched to work with the front dash speakers as possible (Hence I REALLY need to know what I currently have in there now, door and dash). My intention is to run one set of channels from my amp to the factory speaker wires that go to the fader control, then bridge the other set of channels off my amp to a single 8", free air subwoofer that I intend to install in the rear deck where the first aid kit resides. (Unless someone can suggest a better location for a sub that takes up minimal space in the car and trunk? What is under the back bench seat?) This setup, assuming I can install my amp in a discrete location in the trunk, is pretty ideal as it won't look "ghetto", and yet I won't have to pay mucho $$$$ just for a cd player from Becker.

This setup will allow fader control front and rear with the factory fader control (important to me), and the ability to control the sub through the head unit's fader control. The concern is that I won't be able to balance the output between the door speakers and the front speakers. Maybe I could simply bridge the fader control for the door speakers and have them controlled just by the volume....that way I don't have to pay as close attention to matching them to the front dash speakers too....

Any and all information and suggestions are very greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

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Old 09-06-2003, 01:06 AM
La Jolla Audio
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: San Diego California
Posts: 996
Jeff your car has a pre amp fader control not speaker level so the low level output from the deck goes two ch line level to the fader then it turns into 4 ch line level the to your two two channel amplifiers. One amp runs the right front dash and door speakers on one ch and the rear speakers on the other ch. The other amp runs the left side speakers. The front dash speakers are @
4 7/8 in the doors are @ 5.25 in and the rears are @ the same although there are 4 tweeters in the rear of the car and none in the front. There is not much space under the rear seat so don't get your hopes up. Here is a diagram on your audio system. How do you like your 1990 car? I have a 92 124 sportline for sale if you know anyone looking, stereo is all done. I don't usually use the lame door speaker location as it really messes up your imaging.

Scott@lajollaaudio
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Can someone please explain my system? 91 300E with 1480 Becker-radio-amp-diagram-mini2.jpg  
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Old 09-06-2003, 04:33 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Washington
Posts: 83
Thanks much for your reply, although you have just added to my confusion.... Do you have a diagram of the fader control? It seems to me that unless it would exceed a rated power level for that rheostat fader control, then I could wire it to be a speaker level fader yes?

Also, what am I missing in regards to the rear speakers. Looking up at it from the trunk, it looks like a 5.25 single speaker, not three tweeters.

So it looks like finding reasonably priced speakers for the dash is going to be challenging....

Is that wiring diagram for the stereo available?

BTW, the car is a 91, and it is absolutely perfect. It had less than 59K miles, was absolutely meticiously maintained and cared for by the previous owner, who during the last 5 years averaged about 2k miles per year.

Thanks again

Jeff
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Old 09-06-2003, 09:05 PM
La Jolla Audio
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: San Diego California
Posts: 996
The fader will not handle speaker level and all the cars that have that the faders only handle @ 25 watts a channel anyways. There is no way for you to see the two tweeters on each side in the rear if you don't remove the grill first and look at them from the top........ I sell the rainbow 124 / sl120 speakers for the dash on your car if you are interested.

Scott
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Can someone please explain my system? 91 300E with 1480 Becker-radio-diagram-mini.jpg  

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