Pontifications about the factory CD player:
Had the factory CD player not crapped out, I likely would have upgraded the speakers and replaced the premium sound amp with an aftermarket one.
The factory CD player that goes into the Contour is the same factory CD player that goes into the Mach 460 sound system as found on the Mustang. Sound quality from the factory CD player is not an issue, but the premium sound amp is an issue.
It is very easy to connect the factory CD player to an aftermarket amp despite it being a balanced signal--you just ignore the negative output terminals and connect the positive output terminals to the center conductors of the RCAs, grounding the shields. Now you have an unbalanced signal which works fine with your amp. (Some people on the Mustang Corral audio forum suggest connecting the negative terminals to the shield, but this just shorts out the negative output and doesn't otherwise do anything).
You can even hook an EQ up to the factory CD player. Yep, that's what that mysterious jumper in the upper right-hand corner of the back panel is for. It completes the EQ/processor loop that runs through there. You can also use that as a line-input for your MP3 player or your XM/Sirius/whatever.
