I have a 1996 XJR and its time to replace the radio and I have some questions:

1. Do I have to bypass my amp?
2. Can I use the existing speakers (they're still good)
3. Any idea what the rms output is for the stock radio and amp?
4. Any idea how to wire in an aftermarket amp?

I've searched the forums but can't seem to find much for replacing the radio on a car with premium audio.

thanks,

 

I replaced the exiting sound system in my 95 XJR the door speakers are a 6 inch speaker not a 6.5 inch or 6.3/4 either
The standard speakers are 16 years old so best to replace them
I had it done by a specialist fitted this Alpine head unit
Alpine Electronics of Australia
as I don't listen to tapes or CD,s any more I also fitted these speakers
JL Audio TR600-CXi 6" Evolution TR 2-way Car Speakers
using this sound processor from alpine
Alpine - Sound Processors - PXA-H100
then using this amplifier
Rockford Fosgate PBR300X4 300W RMS 4-Chan Class D Punch Amplifier
then I ordered these to finish the install Products at Autoleads :

The sound is adequate not fantastic as the 6 inch speakers don't allow for large bass reproduction but I didn't want to *******ise the car just wanted to update the sound system and as I have I pods for every car I own and don't listen to the radio or cd,s
I wanted to listen to my own collection of music I have collected over the last 30 odd years that's the great thing with the I pod I just put it on random play and get to listen to all my old favourites as well as some of the new stuff I also ordered some door clips to make sure the door cards fited back as they should Interior-Trim | Jaguar X300 - XJR | British Parts UK I spent nearly a year getting all the parts first then as I had to remove the dash to get the air-conditioner receiver drier replaced and air con working again needing a full dash out did it all at the same time needless to say if I wasn't in love with the old girl I would have just sold it it would have been cheaper LOL

 

Thanks Doc this is very good information, but I'd really like to minimize what I replace, I have a baby and things are pretty tight.

 

Just do the head unit and speakers you will be very happy mine did not have an amp fitted
I had another alpine DVD head-unit I used first but it didn't have random play for the I pod which meant it played the songs in numerical order which meant I was listening to the same music all the time with a proper random play feature it chooses the songs differently so not in numerical order if you are in the states look at sonic electronix they are very cheap for there items with the leads and fascia you can pick them up on e bay pretty cheap I got my leads and fascia for 25 dollars the pair with the links I showed you you at least know the part numbers to look for hope this helps the original sound system in the XJR cars are alpine if you have the upgrade model it will be Harmon kardon get a head unit with as much power as possible then you wont need an amp there is not much room for the amp anyway thats why I bought the little Rockford fosgate its the smallest amp on the market good luck

 

Thanks Doc, do you know if I can wire the new radio directly to the stock speakers?

 

Dude, I just replaced the old tired unit with some cheap second hand stereo that reads SD cards, USB, iPods, the lot, from eBay I bought for about 10 quid. I got set of leads ISO to Jaguar X300 for another few quid. And it all is just plug and play, speakers sound a lot better than with original headunit, but still you can hear them being a bit tired after about 18 years of service. I'll be uploading some more pictures and videos to my thread soon. Oh, don't I just love the lack of time?...

Sorry, forgot to add, no amp nor sub here, just the original JAg 8 speaker system!

 

Just search for the wiring harness adapter and any type of head unit will do
I just bought new stuff because sometimes second hand stuff fails and I have to do it over again
I am keeping my XJR forever I have spent so much on it over the years it sits undercover in the carport during summer as we are a tourist town here on the gold coast so traffic is mental over summer I use the wife's Jeep GC if I need a car otherwise its my scooter (LOL)

 

Not if you have an amp in the boot, for the simple reason the ends of your speaker cables are in the boot rather than in the centre console. The factory amp connects to the factory head unit with a DIN cable which I presume carries line-level audio.

So, if you add a new amp and headunit, you can just replace the boot amplifier with a new one. You'll just have to worry about how to carry the line-level audio from the front to the back. You could use Jaguar's DIN cable and some adaptors, or just run a couple of RCA leads under the carpet.

As I want to replace my head unit internals with an in-car PC I will probably end up adding an amplifier. For that reason, I actually wish I had premium audio!

I'll finish up with Yet Another Plug for the JDHT DVDs. The wiring diagrams are very useful!

 

Thanks guys, I'm actually getting a lot of what I need for Christmas and as a graduation present for completing my master's. Quick question does anyone know what size or sizes of speakers and tweeters I can fit into my car? Again its a XJR with the premium audio and speakers are in the doors.

 

Where is the radio amp located 95 jag xj6

 

There are 2 options on the same AJ9500 Alpine/Jaguar head unit . One is the standard which drive the speakers from the head unit containing 2 TOSHIBA TA8221 final dual amplifiers to get you 4 channels . The premium setup in the VDP uses the same head unit but brings the preamp signal ( the second tan round connector ) to the trunk for the final external amplifier . The speaker wires come from the front on standard and from the trunk on premium . The premium also has a subwoofer on the rear window shelf . Mine is the standard so I have the factory original Philips door speakers that have the 20 year old speaker cone foam surrounds rotted away causing rattle sound . The premium has I believe larger Harmon Kardon door speakers . The pics are for the standard system . Hope this helps .You can modify the AJ9500 to take an auxiliary input jack for other devices .

5 1/4" Speaker Repair Kit For Replacing Foam Surrounds - Advent, Altec, AR, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, JBL, Paradigm

See video on their site on doing the repair

Here is the data sheet on the internal Toshiba TA8221 amps inside the AJ9500A head unit :

 

So, with the Harman Kardon amp if I want to replace the original head unit with another I 'just' need to make sure that the new radio delivers the preamp signal and I need to connect this to the cable to the Harman Kardon.

As I want to do this temporarily (while the original Alpine Head Unit is refurbished) I wouldn't mind if I can't connect to the CD Changer.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no real expert on Car Hifi...

 

You are correct , I will have to get the industry standard connector name so you can see it on the temporary replacements box . But the white rectangle connector will most likely need a adapter cable in order to power up . My not be worth the trouble to hunt one down .