I have an old Rockwood Detonator 300 watt amp that i want to put in my Z. I have the stock strero and would like to keep it because i like the stock look. I do plan to put new speakers in it.

My question is, on the amp there are inputs for both high and low input. The low input I am guessing are for subwolfers? and the high input are for the normal speakers? right?

Also, any other info on this setup would be greatly appriciated!

 

from what i remember the High pass is if you dont have RCA's and you wantr to hook your channels up directly from your speakers and the low pass is from RCA's. all though i may be horribly wrong.

 

Yea, the low input has rca jack inputs and the hi inputs have a wire. Also, where should i get my power from and where is a good place to put the amp?

 

ok, your power wire (the thick one) should be ran from your positive on your car battery through your fire wall back to where your amp is. it all depends on where you want to put it. i made braces for mine and put the braces underneath the carpet in the back and then bolted the amp to that so it sits right in the middle of that hump... some people have put theirs where their spare tire is, do a search youll find lots of places. i like mine cause it has maximum ventalation(short of putting it on the roof). but yea, you get your power straight from your battery..

 

postive wire placement: from the battery straight back, then go behind the distributor, along the fireway, ...youll see a lil black circular boot with wires running through it about 2 inches wide, ..should be right under the master cylinder, grab a clothes hanger and ben it straight or get a small thin piece of wood, poke it through the boot from the inside of the car going towards the engine compartment, ....tape the power wire to it, pull it back through. run the power wide behind the kick panels, under the side door panel, behind the back side panels <rear seat armrest< fold the back seat down, run it under the carpet, ...once again use a piece of wood, cut ahold in the carpet wherever you want the amp to be, push the piece of wood through it, tape the wires to it, pull it back. now is a good idea to run the rest of the wires pretty much the same way, ...--forgot what you have to do to use the remote wire <blue> i dunno if the factory radio had one stock, i never got a camaro that had the stock radio in it. never had a car that had one when i bought it at all actually. so i dont know all too much about running high pass, other than you need a converter type thing from walmart / best buy and you run it off your rear speakers.

 

he doesnt "need" a converter... nowadays when you buy a new amp it comes with the high pass hookup. its just a little plug with 5 wires coming out of it, i installed it the other day and it works just fine

 

dunno, never used high inputs, . they work like crap. i always had a good cd player if i was gonna bother to use an amp

 

I'm sorry, but you said you never used them before, but you say they work like crap? What!? I have noticed only the smallest of differences when using high input as to using the low level. The only reason you get this difference...mostly non detectable by the human ear as it is very few db of difference, is because a small amount of the power is then being didicated to the built in crossover, as where if you are using low level inputs, the crossover does not draw on that amount of power. The main area wher you would be concerned with this would be in competition.

 

What converter type thing? Also, If i put the amp under my passengers seat, will that be a bad location for it??? Again, if i wire it directly to the battery, will the amp be on all of the time? If so should i run the positive to my fuse box? And finally, what gauge wire should i use for the pos and neg? 14Gauge???

 

On your amp there are three wires it needs to operate. A power (thick red cable) a ground(usually black or brown) and a remote(usually small and blue). the power goes directly to the battery with an inline fuse in it. the ground is grounded anywhere on your car, and then the blue remote wire goes to the back of your stereo headunit, to the other blue wire labled Remote, if you dont have an aftermarket CD'player wire it to the fuse that powers your radio(dont give me no guff on thie guys, its easier then going around and finding a 12v ignition turnon) under your seat would be fine but i worry about ventalation there. usually with the remote wire peopel wire in an in line switch so they can turn it on and off when they want, but onece you wire the blue wire up to the radio or fuse the amp will only turn on and off when the ignition or accessory is turned on. hope this helps

 

sound quality from best to least:

real RCA patch cable, (not an option with stock HU)

cheap $20 line level-RCA converter,

high level inputs...trust me it really does make a difference.

using the ACC input on the back of the HU is a good idea, just make sure it's not the BATT memory 12v wire. I would use the overwire crimpers,so you don't have to cut through the wire, it's easy for anyone to use those. they cost a bit more than butt splices, but woth it if your not electrically inclined.

you should buy a new amp install kit, unless you have already. they usually come with directions for hooking up an amp.

try it with the high level inputs, if you think it sounds a little muddy, try a converter with the RCA inputs. if you still don't like it, buy a nice Clarion....then keep the stock HU in a box in the attic so you can bring it out now and then for the "stock look"