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how do i know if i have the "premium Sound" in my CSVT, the reason i ask is, if I do, im told i need to buy an additional adapter harness to make a new head unit work in my car..thanks for the help
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IIRC, the speaker grilles should say premuim sound, or check behind the glovebox for the amp.
The additional harness is to bypass the factory amp, which the general feelings toward it are that its crap.
-Ken V.
1998.5 SE Praire Tan Zetec ATX
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Look for the amp like he said. Not all premium sound systems say premium on the grill(mine doesn't). Don't feel bad if you dont have premium sound....you're not missing much.
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I haven't seen a CSVT without "premium" sound. Get the amp bypass cable.
1999 Ford Contour SVT #900/2760 (SOLD)
2005 Mazda 6s
2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege
1998 Ford Ranger 4x4
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Originally posted by cthomp21:
I haven't seen a CSVT without "premium" sound. Get the amp bypass cable.
I had an install done on a CSVT at circuit city (to get done in time for Mother's day). It had the Ford amp behind the glovebox (btw, when was the last time anyone stored gloves in there?).
I had them install a 4x52W Sony HU and 4 Polk speakers. No aftermarket amp. I mentioned that I assumed that they'd bypass the factory amp, and if so, instead of leaving it in behind the glove box, please remove it.
When I returned for the car, they stated that the system sounded much better using the Ford amp, so they left it in-line. I was a bit surprised, considering the comments I saw here on the subject. Is this possible, or it should only be bypassed if I had another amp? How powerful is the "Premium Sound" amp?
I didn't argue too much, since they apparently did a comparison, and the Sony/Polk system is much, much, much better than the original stereo.
Another interesting thing is that when I got home and took the remains of the old system out of the trunk, the original speakers were intact. I was under the impression that they would use the plastic enclosures of the OEM speakers to house the Polks. Is it possible that they went in bare, or do they have their own enclosures?
Any info appreciated
Phil
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The extra few watts of power the factory amp provides might make the speakers sound a little better at moderate volume, but that amp is not very clean or powerful, which is why most people bypass it. I ran into the same thing, where using just HU power isn't quite enough to get my door speakers moving at low volumes. An upgrade to a better amp for the door speakers is a good next step.
As for the factory speaker "case," I'm not sure why Ford enclosed the speakers - maybe for weather protection or something. In any case, aftermarket speakers don't need all that plastic.
E0 #36
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'82 Honda CX500
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Originally posted by philpoe:
Originally posted by cthomp21:
I haven't seen a CSVT without "premium" sound. Get the amp bypass cable.
I had an install done on a CSVT at circuit city (to get done in time for Mother's day). It had the Ford amp behind the glovebox (btw, when was the last time anyone stored gloves in there?).
I had them install a 4x52W Sony HU and 4 Polk speakers. No aftermarket amp. I mentioned that I assumed that they'd bypass the factory amp, and if so, instead of leaving it in behind the glove box, please remove it.
When I returned for the car, they stated that the system sounded much better using the Ford amp, so they left it in-line. I was a bit surprised, considering the comments I saw here on the subject. Is this possible, or it should only be bypassed if I had another amp? How powerful is the "Premium Sound" amp?
I didn't argue too much, since they apparently did a comparison, and the Sony/Polk system is much, much, much better than the original stereo.
Another interesting thing is that when I got home and took the remains of the old system out of the trunk, the original speakers were intact. I was under the impression that they would use the plastic enclosures of the OEM speakers to house the Polks. Is it possible that they went in bare, or do they have their own enclosures?
Any info appreciated
Phil
They're giving you a big helping of BS. They just didn't want to do the work. The factory amp puts out around 8w per channel and is poo.
In the past 3yrs, only one person that has heard both said they thought the factory amp sounded better (of maybe 30-40 who have done the bypass). Maybe something wrong with the aftermarket head unit or some other problem...
I did it myself with an entry level Kenwood CD player. It was a very marked improvement. More power with less distortion = better sound.
1999 Ford Contour SVT #900/2760 (SOLD)
2005 Mazda 6s
2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege
1998 Ford Ranger 4x4
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I'm running the premium sound amp. I tried the Kenwood amp and it had tons of distortion. I took the Kenwood apart and looked at it and then took the ford amp apart and the ford amp looked much better. The ford amp does get quite hot which to me means that they're running some power through it. The kenwood cd player's internal amp had trouble powering the speakers even at low levels.
1999 Mystique LS V6
Alpine CDA-9807, Rear deck sub, Opt. TB, K&N RU-3530/MAF adaptor, custom heatshield, FSVT 17's, SCT 4-program chip, Eibach's/ST200's, Hella Fogs...
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Then something was wrong with the Kenwood. Theres no way the Ford amp should be outpowering a Kenwood unit.
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I can never see a Stock stereo being better than aftermarket... unless you put Stock stereo against a Wal-Mart brand (ones who still use knobs... and not digital AM/FM Radio) Those cheap stereos are for those who wanna sell the car, and threw away the Stock stereo 
Former owner of a 1995 Ford Contour GL w/ 2.0L ATX
Proud owner of a 2005 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L V6 Vulcan 
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