I'm running my pioneer avic-d3 navi H/U with the stock amp. What i did was connect all my speaker wires etc.. through the metra 70-1722 harness. I also spliced into the amp "turn-on" on the stock harness to make the amp work.

I'm having some problems now, first off i'm getting alot of white noise when i'm listening to the music at moderate or low volume levels. Also the volume levels themselves are crazy. For example the avic is numbered to turn up to 30 or 40, but at 6 the volume is already LOUD. Also when i turn the volume down to zero i still hear the white noise and if i listen really really carefully i can hear the music playing faintly. I believe these problems have to do with connecting the new HU to the stock amp through the speaker wires on the metra harness.

Now i know i can bypass the amp altogether. however i kinda still wanted my tweeters and maybe even the sub to work. I've heard people mention using the RCA outs on the new HU and choppping up an extra set of RCA's into the speaker wires? or using line converters or something??? Will this solve the volume and white noise problems? can someone help me out because i'm a newb to this car audio stuff.

the reason that even at 6 the volume is loud is because the factory deck sent much less power to the factory amp, your using speaker out to go into the amps low level inputs, thats why even at 0 where normally you wouldn't hear any sound the amp amplifies the sound so thats you can hear it just a little. you could go buy 2 ground loop isolators, there will be the side to plug into the deck and then the other side of the rcas female end) cut that off and strip back the wires and connect them, this will send a lower level to the amp and should take care of the noise. Another suggestion is bypassing the factory amp, you would still be able to keep the tweeters but you probally would lose the sub, i don't know for sure i haven't tried to intergrate into one.

Either Solder rca ends to the 1722 harness or you can use one of these.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WDZYKL9DhQ ... &I=127OEM2

Thanks guys!!!! this is helping alot!

So if a solder the RCA's coming out of the avic to the speaker wires it will elimnate the white noise and crazy volmue levels problem?

Also, if i use that interface from crutchfield will i still be using my 1722 harness or will the crutchfiled adapter replace all of that too. ?

thanks again everyone, i'm a newb entering the car audio world. I manged to get the D3 in by myself.

Ok if you go the rca route,you'd cut up cheap rcas and solder the ends to the speaker leads of the 1722 harness. then plug those rcas into the avic. Leaving the speaker leads from the avic unconnected. The piece I linked to would get wired inbetween the avic harness and the 1722. So you'd have (Avic speaker leads) to the input side of the interface (1722 speaker leads) to the output side of the interface.

Thanks alot man! Do you think this will eliminate the crazy volume levels and white noise problems?

Yes it will

I know with my vehicle (05 Chrysler 300C), I had to turn all the volume, treble, and bass levels to zero before I disconnected the factory system before I installed the aftermarket system. I'm not sure what type of vehicle you have but that probably would have helped.

No, Civics amps don't work like that.

Yea this an 07 Civic Si.

I think i'm gonna go the RCA route. At least i will be able to keep my tweeters and sub. Now i just need a day to do it. Is soldering the only way you recommend connecting the RCA's to speaker wires? no crimping?

You want to be extra careful with that, so i would suggest soldering and using some heat shrink. Crimping could be used too, so long as you are sure it wont come lose.

Any special tips for soldering? i have a little soldering iron and some solder but i've never used it.

I may sound stupid here, but if you splice the wires and add RCA connectors for the speakers, how do they get power? I understand if you bypass your stock amp and connect them to the wire harness. If you put RCA connectors, are you connecting it to the pre-amp connections? I think those outputs are only to run RCA cables to an amp, not straight to speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Well the signal will still be running to my stock amp. Its just that the stock amp only accepts speaker wire inputs.

What ^^^he said the stock amp takes speaker wire input instead or rcas. The signal is still a linelevel signal. just carried on a different kind of wire is all. btw SOLDER THESE.

Ah gotcha. I interpreted your previous posts wrong.

No big I get that alot. Not the greatest at putting my thoughts into words.

Hey if you get around to doing that, take lots of pictures please and go stick them on the other forum