Doudle din with attached amp?

[Aggromuffin]

Hey guys, i'm kind of a noob when it comes to radio/speaker wiring but i came across this thing while browsing

https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-iLX-W650-Receiver-Compatible-CarPlay/dp/B07QB4LJD3

If i install this using the kit from CAI, can i forgo an amplifier in the frunk? Speaking of, this is what my current setup is. I'm not sure what that is next to the CD player.


Would i need mad skills to wire it all behind the unit or should i go with a standard double din and wait until i have some extra cash to get a proper amp and have it all installed and wired at a shop? Thanks!

[TRP]

Originally Posted by Aggromuffin

Hey guys, i'm kind of a noob when it comes to radio/speaker wiring but i came across this thing while browsing

If i install this using the kit from CAI, can i forgo an amplifier in the frunk? Speaking of, this is what my current setup is. I'm not sure what that is next to the CD player.

Would i need mad skills to wire it all behind the unit or should i go with a standard double din and wait until i have some extra cash to get a proper amp and have it all installed and wired at a shop? Thanks!

There is a video series on youtube with a guy installing a similar deck and headunit in a boxster 986. There are some unique items to tackle but nothing that would require 'mad skills'. Watch those videos and see if you think you're up to it.

The amplifier is what's on the backside of that bracket to the right of the CD Changer. I removed mine (a 6 channel amp) and the CD changer and rebuild my entire setup. Nothing difficult. Just time consuming. My Boxster isn't my daily driver so I wasn't overly concerned with the time table. When you say 'the kit from CAI' Are you talking about the harness kit they sell? Their harness or the one from Crutchfield are extremely straight forward (Crutchfield has two wires that are reversed (yellow and red) but that's easy to swap.

I will say this, if you remove the stock amp all of your speaker leads are up front by the stock amp. Relocating all the speaker wires back through the dash (to the amp that would be mounted on the back of the stereo) is a bigger pain in the neck than simply running a pair of RCA's up to the existing amp location.

There are trade-offs for swapping out the existing amp/head unit. A guy could replace just the head-unit and leave the stock amp and save a bunch of time/effort. Why are you replacing the amp? What are your end goals? It's a slippery slow down the rabbit hole once you start going with stereo modifications.

[Aggromuffin]

Originally Posted by TRP

What are your end goals? It's a slippery slow down the rabbit hole once you start going with stereo modifications.

Thanks for all the info! My goal is just to swap out the head unit with a double din that has carplay. I just assumed that swapping out the AMP was a necessary step to doing that. I think I'm just going to go with a unit for now, some of them have mini amps in side and then i'll slide deep inside that rabbit hole in the future haha. What do you think?

[Spyder_Man]

Aggromuffin - what year is your Boxster? Does it have the BOSE stereo system in it? If so the head unit and amplifier both us a fiber optic MOST connection so if you change one, then you have to change the other or buy a really expensive signal adapter.

If you don’t have a BOSE factory stereo then you have more flexibility.


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[TRP]

If I remember correctly he has a 2001 S out of Idaho.

[Aggromuffin]

Originally Posted by Spyder_Man

Aggromuffin - what year is your Boxster? Does it have the BOSE stereo system in it? If so the head unit and amplifier both us a fiber optic MOST connection so if you change one, then you have to change the other or buy a really expensive signal adapter.

If you don’t have a BOSE factory stereo then you have more flexibility.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I dont have the Bose stereo. Which im thankful for now haha. I ended up going with a JVC unit from Cruthfield and they included all the necessary kit/wiring for basically free, so that was sweet. Going to be puttin that in on monday and a wireless charger inside the little cubby wired to the headunit

[Aggromuffin]

Originally Posted by TRP

If I remember correctly he has a 2001 S out of Idaho.

That’s right! Although i moved to Arizona recently so i should probably update that and find some 98sixers around here

[SMK Shoe]

When I did my entire system, I bought a used up 4 channel Amp off eBay. Tore it apart and used the output pin connector to build my own adapter to plug the aftermarket amp into the system. If I ever want to go back, only have to unplug and reinstall the old amp.