amp location

Stuck return key?

The amp is under the passenger fron tseat. The cabin aif filter is right behind the hood and in front of the windshield on the passenger side. Open the plastic cover. It is called the aquarium.

I fitted an mp3 player / radio / head unit to my 1993 9000 last year. I decided to bypass the stock amp which I found under the driver seat (UK) as it was only rated at 40W .. I tried to fit it myself, butafter buying various cables I had to give up and take it to a specialist fitter who got it going in 20 mins for £20. He said the pin-outs didn't match the more modern equipment and was missing the continuous +12V line?? Anyway - the thing sounds great even with the stock speakers - and having 8 albums on one disc (mp3) is a real blessing as you don't really need a CD changer....... :)

Do you not notice the degradation fron CD to mp3 ?

Incidentally, any known good speaker upgrades for a 9000 ? They're a bit lifeless to my ears.

Graham

changer.......

The sound quality of mp3's is an issue for you when driving a car? Of course, it plays normal audio CD's too.

the amp is not there i looked all over for it and no luck. the thing is i have one of those clarion equalizers right under the tape player in the dash. i think that might be the amp too????

Well - let me put it his way. I 'sampled' a few tracks online from a certain CD, went out and bought the CD and simply playing it in the car I could hear detail that had been masked by the the mp3 conversion ! It pretty much stunned me actually since so much more detail was revealed. Remember, a Saab is a pleasantly quiet environment to listen in. ;-)

Mp3s work by eliminating supposedly inaudible detail and this was a very detailed track - so I guess something gave.

I got my current radio/cd player - Aiwa CDC-R237 - cheap ( 1/2 price - £60 ) on account of its successor being identical other than playing mp3s too. Have to laugh at the claimed 180 Watts rating though - usual inflated car stereo numbers.

Graham

I agree, mp3 conversion isn't perfect. But for someone pushing 40 who hasn't been able to hear anything above 5kHz since a Motorhead gig in 1985, it sounds OK to me... Of course, the quality of an mp3 can vary a lot, depending on the sample rate. For me the advantages far outweigh any negatives ie. I have my entire music collection close to hand so I don't

*need* an expensive CD changer. Mp3's are readily available to download for free or for a modest price so I have a lot of music I wouldn't get on CD. But there's really no point getting into an over-technical CD v mp3 Hi-fi debate that leads to gold-plated connectors, oxygen-free wiring and eventually madness... It's all about enjoying music isn't it? And for £120 my daily commute has become a lot more fun. Incidentally, the guy who fitted my unit reckoned I would have to spend another £150 plus to improve the quality of the original speakers.. so I didn't bother. It all sounds louder, clearer and "better" than the stock audio unit.

Ouch ! I've seen Motorhead a few times. On one occassion I even enjoyed it IIRC !

Where were you in relation to the PA ? As a sound engineer I'm very wary of where I listen. Just coming up to 51 shortly and although I've lost my 20kHz hearing I'm still good for 16k.

Not to mention different encoders as I understand it too. I find it ok for casual listening.

All practical benefits. I have this feeling though that when hard drives are 10x bigger still and we all have 10Mbits/s broadband that codecs will be quietly dropped though.

You could get 8 or more albums on a DVD-ROM already for example.

Don't even get me started on the snake-oil merchants of hi-fi gimmickry !

I didn't have the stock unit to begin with so can't compare. I feel the speakers lacking though ( same car and year as yours ).

Cheers, Graham

the amp is not there i looked all over for it and no luck. the thing is i have one of those clarion equalizers right under the tape player in the dash. i think that might be the amp too????

Could be.... I guess it's a different model from mine. I've only got a 1992

9000CS 2l (non turbo :( Maybe the best thing is to ask your local Saab dealer about upgrading??? They're usually fairly helpful.

Not all MP3s are created equal. The ones you were listening to must have had low bitrate conversions (higher compression) because it is highly unlikely that anyone would be able to tell the difference in a car audio system, even standing stationary, if the conversions were done at 128k or better. Once moving, the amount of ambient noise would make it impossible.

Remember, a Saab is a

Compared to other cars perhaps, but it still isn't all that quiet.

-Fred W

The mp3s in question were indeed 128k or better. I don't bother with anything less. Also bear in mind that I work in sound engineering and have a fairly 'trained' ear.

I can only disagree. Remember - the track where it really stood out had a *lot* of detail and mp3 removes detail.

It's the best I've had !

Graham

I suspect standard audio fit always had the amp in the dash. There's no shortage of DIN slots there !

Graham

I'm old enough to remember when CD's first came in. A lot of people felt the quality was inferior to good old vinyl (and probably still do). In fact I only recently ditched my collection of several hundred lp's, finally admitting I'd never play them again. Maybe you should try fitting a turntable in your car for even more detailed sound?? (only joking)... So I'll enjoy the freedom of mp3's and you go your way with normal CD's..... just don't start trying to play them backwards or anything.. you never know what you might hear ;)...

"Also bear in mind that I work in sound engineering and have a fairly 'trained' ear" What field do you work in - I started out as an audio engineer at a 24 track recording studio???