Hey guys,
I've been wanting to put a custom radio in my 98 RL for a few years now but have held off on it due to the only available options being
1) Salvage a radio from the junkyard and cut a hole through it to fit an aftermarket headunit,
2) buy the $300 Beatsonic dash kit HSA-11
Both of these solutions are undesirable to me for various reasons.
I believe Metra just came out with their own dash kit for RLs in April 2014:
To my knowledge this dash kit was not available before.
I'm about to buy this kit and a new headunit but before I jump the gun I have some questions about the Bose system in my RL:
1) I believe the car has 6 speakers (1 in each door + 2 under the rear window) + a rear sub and factory amplifier between the back seat and the trunk. Are normal aftermarket head units compatible with this type of 6.1 setup?
2) I've read in some threads that the factory bose amp will not work without an "OEM interface" between the aftermarket head unit and the speaker connections. Is this true? Which one should I buy?
3) I've read in some theads that the factory speakers only sound correct when used in combination with the factory head unit. To get around this issue you need to buy something referred to as an "audio cleaner" that removes the built-in EQ on the output to the speakers. Is this true? Which one would I need?
I love the bose system in this car and I do not want to end up putting in something that turns out worse than the factory setup. I also do not want to rip up the car to rewire anything or put in aftermarket speakers/amplifiers. My main goal here is just to get BT Handsfree audio/calling + the usual Pandora/HD Radio/etc features that newer cars come stock with. I already have a working AUX input which replaces the rear CD Changer so I've been surviving off that for over a year now.
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)
I've been wanting to put a custom radio in my 98 RL for a few years now but have held off on it due to the only available options being
1) Salvage a radio from the junkyard and cut a hole through it to fit an aftermarket headunit,
2) buy the $300 Beatsonic dash kit HSA-11
Both of these solutions are undesirable to me for various reasons.
I believe Metra just came out with their own dash kit for RLs in April 2014:
To my knowledge this dash kit was not available before.
I'm about to buy this kit and a new headunit but before I jump the gun I have some questions about the Bose system in my RL:
1) I believe the car has 6 speakers (1 in each door + 2 under the rear window) + a rear sub and factory amplifier between the back seat and the trunk. Are normal aftermarket head units compatible with this type of 6.1 setup?
2) I've read in some threads that the factory bose amp will not work without an "OEM interface" between the aftermarket head unit and the speaker connections. Is this true? Which one should I buy?
3) I've read in some theads that the factory speakers only sound correct when used in combination with the factory head unit. To get around this issue you need to buy something referred to as an "audio cleaner" that removes the built-in EQ on the output to the speakers. Is this true? Which one would I need?
I love the bose system in this car and I do not want to end up putting in something that turns out worse than the factory setup. I also do not want to rip up the car to rewire anything or put in aftermarket speakers/amplifiers. My main goal here is just to get BT Handsfree audio/calling + the usual Pandora/HD Radio/etc features that newer cars come stock with. I already have a working AUX input which replaces the rear CD Changer so I've been surviving off that for over a year now.
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)