Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001 12:56:25 -0500
Reply-To: Sam Walters <slwalters@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sam Walters <slwalters@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Speaker Ground (was Re: Aiwa CD stereo option)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Houston,
Don't know the change year but do know that the 84's have the common
ground for the rear speakers. Do your speakers hang from the ceiling?
Remove them (from wherever they are located) and you can see the + and
- wires that go back and forth to the radio/CD/tape deck for each
speaker, as well as the third wire that travels between them - the
common ground. Also when "in" the dash, you can see + and - wires
leaving the deck going out for all four speakers.
When I put a new radio CD player in my '84 recently, I just left those
speakers hanging and put in new ones that would handle the power of the
new deck and all the wiring was the + and - out and back to each of
the speakers. Temporarily just put the new rears 6x9 in free standing
speaker enclosures that I have under the middle seat with new wiring
running from the dash under the carpets and out under the middle seat.
(Also mounted new 4" ones in the same holes in the front
doors.) Rears handle 100w per channel and fronts 80w. FWIW Circuit
City
said that no decks are now made that handle the common ground wiring
system. At least they don't sell any, but they do handle all of the
major brands.
The new setup has no ground wires at all connected to speakers. Guess
the grounding is accomplished from the ground wire of the deck. So my
question is - if you simply disconnect, or cut, the common ground wire
running between those two VW speakers, can you then use them with a low
powered deck. This is what seems to be implied in the instructions that
came with the JVC deck I bought. It had a diagram of a generic common
ground system that seems to mirror what I say when digging around in the
van. But the deck I had bought was 4 x 45 watts and it made the question
one that I did not need to answer. The new speakers, relatively modest
priced Kenwood 2-ways were indistinguishable from all but much more
pricey speakers when in the Circuit City showroom and sound great in
the van. Such an incredible improvement!
If you want I could try to find the diagram from the JVC instructions
and scan it into a .jpeg for email. I have bought another van and may
soon try to find out the answers to this question. I do not see any
common ground wires when I detach the rear speakers in the 89 Syncro.
I am no electronics wizard so if there are some errors or oversights
here, sound off. (Pun was inadvertent, but recognized and left in.)
Sam Walters
84 Vanagon - original owner 174k, may try a 15W per channel deck with
the original speakers or the ones from the 87 or 89 (haven't
looked at the 87 wiring configuration yet)
89 Syncro GL weekender - soon to get Wolfsburg/Carat style weekender
interior from an 87 Wolfsburg and the better music deck from
the 84 and probably the new speakers mounted in door and under
rear seat.
