Lost the Fader option after installing sub

[Jefjam]

Hi all,

I have a Mk5 ibiza (2009) and finally got round to putting an old passive sub in the boot for a little 'bass boost'. All seems good (thanks to some guides i found here), but i have now lost the Fader option in the Audio menu. I'm assuming its because i disconnected the rear speakers - i then ran a wire from the + of one side and a wire the - of the other side (bridge?).

Long story short - is there a way to get the Fader back without connecting the rear speakers? (they sound very bad compared to the fronts).

Thanks in advance for any help and apologies if this has been asked before.

 

[t.oldaker]

i gather you are still using the oem HU. When i instaled my subs i jacked into both front l+r and rear l+r speakers to get the maximun out put. (High output to rca connection from halfrauds)

I wouldnt recomend having the + from one speaker on one side to the - of the speaker on the other side though :S if you are just wanting the front to play the music you will probably just want to jack into the 2 front speakers

 

[LukeWS]

Sorry to change subject but what year are your mk5s as i seem to be missing my rear speakers and I'm sure i should have them lol

 

[t.oldaker]

Mine is 2010 on a 60 plate. The later models had the rear speakers taken out as Seat was cost cutting.

 

[Jefjam]

Thanks for the reply. Yep, its all original head unit and speakers so far - I'm not going anywhere near those front speakers - the door trim removal looks way too tough for me.

I am mostly happy with the results i'm getting from the sub (running it passive as i dont have the cash/time/need to install an amp at the moment!) I'm just at a loss as to how to get back the Fader. Will try plugging in all 4 rear speakers wires to the sub and see what happens.

 

[t.oldaker]

How have you rigged it up then im trying to work it out. So your running the sub off just the head unit with no amp attached to the sub either built in or seperate???

 

[Jefjam]

The sub is just running from the HU with no amp, taking the + from the rear right and the - from the rear left. It works for me, but had to unplug the original rear speakers as they sounded bad when i moved the Fader to the rear - since unplugging them, the Fader option is gone.

 

[t.oldaker]

what size is your sub because the head unit will only be kicking out 90watt max which wont be doing anything for the sub. And will be pulling all the power away from the fronts causing the sound quality to deteriorate massivly.

Your best bet is to take the head unit out which is a very easy job and get a high output to rca adaptor and poke the front l+r and rear l+r wires into the iso harness on the rear of it and tape that up.

Then run the rca's to the rear of the car and just get a normaly live feed through the car to a cheap amp. It will massivly improove the sound quality and take the strain off your headunit.... and by doing this you can literally just untape the rca adaptor and your car is back to normal.

 

[Jefjam]

Thanks for the advice, will look into that.

I just cant figure out where my Fader has gone!!!!

 

[Slimy]

My experience with standard head units suggest a level of 'intelligence', with options that aren't plugged in having their corresponding settings disabled. It's possible that because it can't detect the 4 ohms impedance it's assuming you have a lower spec car.

+ve to one side and -ve to the other sounds odd though. Most head units share their outputs front to back rather than left to right, so you're in effect bridging two different amplifiers. I'd also think about a separate amp running off high impedance outputs.

 

[Jefjam]

Its not something i've tried before, in my previous cars i have always changed the HU and installed amps - but those cars were very easy to pull apart! Now i'm older and lazier i was just looking for a quick way to shove an old sub in.

The rear door trims (3 door model) aren't too bad to get off so i just spliced into the rear speaker wires there. I still have the amp for the sub, so maybe i'll have to attempt installing that. I've not had to use an RCA converter before - i assume it sits behind the HU? Just concerned about finding routes for phono and power cables!

 

[Slimy]

The RCA convertor can feed off the rear speaker wires in the door trims, and then you only need to find a power feed.

 

[Jefjam]

Thats cool. I've searched for RCA convertors and found one that has a connection for the remote from the amp - Would that be best for an easier install?

Can't find link but its called 'Phonocar 5/142 line level convertor' The website was caraudiodirect i think.

 

[Slimy]

That would make sense I guess? My old amp got a remote feed direct from a switched live, it's only a signal so the wire only needs to be thin. But I guess if this is remote switching based on the HU output then it would make it easier to wire up.

By the way, have you checked your amp for high level inputs? Some have them already built in, you could wire the rear outputs direct into the amp if it has them.

 

[Jefjam]

Sadly the amp doesn't take a high level input - its over 12 years old (thats how long its been since i did any ICE installs!)

Think i will give it a try in a few weeks, in theory it sounds 'easy' enough, the only major issue will be finding a spare grommit through engine wall for the power cables. I'm guessing best bet is near glovebox and run them under passenger door sill?

Thanks for the quick replies btw