Hi there,

I'm about to install an AVIC-6000NEX into a 2000 Toyota Camry with the premium JBL sound system.  I've run across two wiring harnesses. One that will utilize the new deck's onboard amps and the other that seems like it will use the line outs on the deck and continue to work with the car's stock amps.

Line level examples:

Metra 70-8112 http://www.crutchfield.ca/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=120708112&CartID=4

Metra 70-8113 http://www.crutchfield.ca/Metra_70_8113_Wire_Harness_for_Toyota_00_07_Amp_In_p/120708113.htm

speaker level harness

Metra 70-1761  http://www.crutchfield.ca/ProductDetails_Popup.asp?ProductCode=120701761

Any advice on which is the better way to go with this?

Not knowing the input specifications of the existing amps makes it tough to tell you the right way to go but one would assume they use line level inputs.

Thanks ScottinPollock...

I'm as well certain that the car's stock amps would be utilising the line level inputs.  I may not have expressed my question as clearly as I could have.  My bad for that.....

What I'm after is opinion(s), (past experiences would of course be awesome to hear about) on whether I should expect a better outcome by going one way or the other.... 

I already have the 70-1761 harness (for using the AVIC's amps), but am curious as to whenter I'd be "losing" anything by not leveraging the car's amps?  I'm guessing that it may as well keep the AVIC running cooler if I don't use it's amps to power the speakers as well. 

All advice and thoughts greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

curious as to whenter I'd be "losing" anything by not leveraging the car's amps?

In a word, no. Of course that is assuming the 'JBL' amps are better than what the head unit offers (which is only 14W RMS/ch @ 4ohms).

Thanks for the time on ths ScottinPollock. 

Based on your feedback and since I've already got the 70-1761 harness in hand, I'm just going to slide it in with it tonite.  I may still source one of the line level harnesses and swap it out when I have a few minutes just to see if I sense/hear any difference. 

I'm liking the thought of the 6000 potentially running cooler by not using the onboard amps as well.  Thay may be my biggest motivator in the end to going with the alternate harness.. 

If/When I do this, I will update this post in case it helps someone else in the end.

Cheers!

Your head unit will run cooler using line level outs.

Don't have time to research older model year amplifier specs, but I got the impression from a brief search that the OEM amp(s?) provide more power than AVIC head units.

JBL also manufacturers 2-ohm speakers.  Not sure what's in your car, but have read most are 2-ohm.  Pioneer does not claim their head unit amps are 2-ohm stable, and connecting 2-ohm speakers to AVIC head units has a mix of yeas and nays on the board... all the more reason to use the OEM amp.

Thanks for your input jhren. 

I actually installed the deck with the speaker level harness that I had.  All went really well.  Took longer than I expected, as usual.  Too much of a perfectionist and being tidy with the work. 

I am going to get a line level harness i.e Metra 70-8113 to utilize the onboard JBL amps for the good reasons that you cited above. 

What's interesting is Crutchfield's site says that the 70-8113 does NOT fit my car, but Metraonline says that it does.  Seems like Crutchfield's site doesn't ask the question of whether or not the car has inboard amps or not, but Metra's site does. 

I actually tried calling Crutchfield about it and got someone who was pretty matter of fact with me that I've got it wrong and am chasing the wrong harness, and that the only one that's compatible is the speaker level one 70-1761 unit.

Anyone else had any experience with this, before I blow time and coin getting the wrong harness in the 70-8113.

The other thing that I was going to do was see about getting a y adaptor so that I can connect up for the rear and front antenna's as the stock unit had two antenna plugs going into it.  One was the normal sized one and the other was a smaller version. 

This is all going into a 2000 Toyota Camry XLE with Premium JBL sound system.

Cheers!

G

Thanks for your input jhren. 

 

I actually installed the deck with the speaker level harness that I had.  All went really well.  Took longer than I expected, as usual.  Too much of a perfectionist and being tidy with the work. 

 

I am going to get a line level harness i.e Metra 70-8113 to utilize the onboard JBL amps for the good reasons that you cited above. 

 

What's interesting is Crutchfield's site says that the 70-8113 does NOT fit my car, but Metraonline says that it does.  Seems like Crutchfield's site doesn't ask the question of whether or not the car has inboard amps or not, but Metra's site does. 

 

I actually tried calling Crutchfield about it and got someone who was pretty matter of fact with me that I've got it wrong and am chasing the wrong harness, and that the only one that's compatible is the speaker level one 70-1761 unit.

 

Anyone else had any experience with this, before I blow time and coin getting the wrong harness in the 70-8113.

 

The other thing that I was going to do was see about getting a y adaptor so that I can connect up for the rear and front antenna's as the stock unit had two antenna plugs going into it.  One was the normal sized one and the other was a smaller version. 

 

This is all going into a 2000 Toyota Camry XLE with Premium JBL sound system.

 

Cheers!

G

check out this link, it has the diversified antenna y-adapter

http://mobile-emotions.com/antenna-ffm-toyota-camry-2000.html

the y adapter has the large and small female, even tho it looks like they are the same.

My Land Rover has two antennas 1 large and 1 small and i got the adapter from them(previous post)

 Some food for thought here. If your vehicle comes with amp installed, and you use the speaker level wires to the oem harness, you are sending amplified signal to your oem amp. If you use the RCA harness, then of course it is sending flat signal to the oem amp. I don't think the oem amp has any adjustment for the amplified signal and possibly distort the sound. I think normally, in a factory system with an oem amp, the oem head unit sends a flat signal to the oem amp. Please correct me if i am wrong. 

 Some food for thought here. If your vehicle comes with amp installed, and you use the speaker level wires to the oem harness, you are sending amplified signal to your oem amp. If you use the RCA harness, then of course it is sending flat signal to the oem amp. I don't think the oem amp has any adjustment for the amplified signal and possibly distort the sound. I think normally, in a factory system with an oem amp, the oem head unit sends a flat signal to the oem amp. Please correct me if i am wrong. 

Thanks joemamma1954. 

I'm in total agreement with what you're saying.  I've never actually pushed speaker level outs into line level ins.  I'd be afraid of the outcome, unless I had some disposable items sitting on my bench, of course.   

The Metra 70-1761 harness that I've put in for now requires you to not use the plug that came out of the back of the radio (left hanging in dash) and unplug the two harnesses from the onboard amp(s).  These tho plugs interface with the two piece harness, that then go directly to the speakers from the HU.  This all works fine, but sounds a little "thin" compared to the stock radio, believe it or not.  The stock radio, even with bass, mid and treb set at 0 always had a subtle underlying bass beat folllowing the audio.  I kind of like that...  

I actually chatted with a Crutchfield rep last night.  They pretty much told me that if I want to work with Metra's advice rather than theirs I was welcome to.  (I already knew that of course.)    

They're usually such an authority at getting all the details right, but not sure how they don't seem to know/think that you can stick with the onboard amp(s) by using a different harness, or that those year Camrys came with premium JBL audio systems as an option, particularly since their harness supplier knows about the audio option, lists it on their site and points you to a harness?   

The only reservation that I'm having with the (Metraonline recommended) 70-8113 is that from the pics that i've seen of it, it doesn't seem to have enough pins in the plug to (I figure) cover all of the required connections.  I guess that I've just  got to get one in my hands to be certain that it will fit fine.  Working on that later today.

Thanks as well for the lead on the antenna adaptor. 

Cheers!

At this point, I would take the time to do a little discovery. My truck came with an outboard amp for the subwoofer, but it was configured with speaker level inputs. Dunno why, perhaps they just didn't want to have to deal with shielded cable runs.

I am assuming you have pulled the stock head unit, and can fire it up on your bench and determine what the output to the JBL amps' input is. Wire a small speaker to one of the signal outputs that was previously connected to the amps' inputs and see if it can drive it. If so, your amps have high level inputs.

At this point, I would take the time to do a little discovery. My truck came with an outboard amp for the subwoofer, but it was configured with speaker level inputs. Dunno why, perhaps they just didn't want to have to deal with shielded cable runs.

 

I am assuming you have pulled the stock head unit, and can fire it up on your bench and determine what the output to the JBL amps' input is. Wire a small speaker to one of the signal outputs that was previously connected to the amps' inputs and see if it can drive it. If so, your amps have high level inputs.

Good idea.  I will put it on the bench in the coming weeks when I get a chance and report back.  I'm guessing that they'll be line levels coming out.

In the meantime... I called Metra and they confirmed that the 70-8113 is the correct harness to utilise the onboard amps for my car.  The only caveat he gave me was that I needed to be careful I wasn't dealing with a 1999 Camry.  If so, the 70-8112 would be the right choice.  The guy on the phone seemed VERY knowledgable and was very helpful. 

I'm going to double check the VIN on the car and ge me a harness...

all three of those harnesses are totally different.  if your camrey has a jbl system the you can use the 70-8113 if you want to retain the factory amplifier.  if you plan on bypassing the jbl amp the you would use the 70-1761.  i believe the oem amp is located behind the glove box and should have the 70-1761 adapter connections on the amp.  i usually recommend an amp bypass on older toyota/lexus vehicles as they some time give you alternator whine when using low level inputs.

Got the 70-8113 the other day.  Put it in and I must say that I am quite pleased with the improvement.  It gave me what I was hoping for which was better bottom end response without actually making any EQ adjustments on the HU.

Now, I have a new problem.  My wife would like one as well. 

Thanks for your insight as well punch10001.  I actually had been using the 70-1761, but didn't like the bottom end response.  Actually the stock radio sounded better than the AVIC with the FM source.  The connectors are located inside the dash opening to the right.  easy to get at.

BTW, I am not hearing any alternator whine whatsoever, and I'm pretty critical of stuff like that, so real good outcome.

Cheers!