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"premium" Sound Questions.


Anemia

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Car is a 97 850 GLT that came equipped with a "Premium" sound cassette HU. If you ask me there is nothing premium about this piece of crap. I'm looking to replace it with something better but I haven't decided what yet. In preparation I read the stickied post by bing about installing a HU in an 850. The post specifically referenced that the instructions were for a car without premium sound.

So where does that put me? What kind of whacky stuff can I expect to run into?

Thanks, Volvo, for sticking it to me once again.

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For the time it was pretty premium. It actually still rivals the majority of many stock car systems. However, it is definitely not up to par with today's "premium" standards such as those found in S80s, Lexus', BMWs and Mercs.

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Car is a 97 850 GLT that came equipped with a "Premium" sound cassette HU.  If you ask me there is nothing premium about this piece of crap. 

Serge is right, at the time it's not bad.. and it still blows US manufacturers Stereo's out of the water.. but it is nowhere near the quality of an aftermarket system.

For speaker sizes, check the pinned threads in the Audio Forum!

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For the time it was pretty premium.  It actually still rivals the majority of many stock car systems.  However, it is definitely not up to par with today's "premium" standards such as those found in S80s, Lexus', BMWs and Mercs.

Can you guys in the US get the Volvo amp which goes on to the SC800 series HU? Makes it sound a *lot* better than standard, and you can keep your OEM look. Sometimes comes with upgraded speakers (8 of them).

Not as good (or as expensive) as a modern aftermarket system, though.

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Don't get me wrong, sound quality isn't terrible, but a cassette deck? On a "premium" system? It seems like even in 1997 there should have been a cd player on anythying labeled "premium" audio.

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Don't get me wrong, sound quality isn't terrible, but a cassette deck?  On a "premium" system?  It seems like even in 1997 there should have been a cd player on anythying labeled "premium" audio.

i agree, i also have a 97 GLT, but mine came with the SC-815, the HU with a single disc CD player..maybe it was an option?

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Don't get me wrong, sound quality isn't terrible, but a cassette deck?  On a "premium" system?  It seems like even in 1997 there should have been a cd player on anythying labeled "premium" audio.

That's true. However, keep in mind that even the highest end previous-generation BMWs (E39 5-series, E38 7-series) all had tape decks stock and no CD player unless you get the changer in trunk (which actually is the same Alpine changer our Volvos have). The decks we have are also made by Alpine, which is quite a reputable name in audio.

They do have a deck with slot-load CD and slot-load changer (3 disc).

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i also have the sc815 in mine--but its on its way out --to much static when tuned to FM, and its time for something new ;)

Does the CD player part work? Fancy shipping it to the UK?

Our FM stations are rubbish over here, so not worried about the radio aspect!

I DO want an 815 tho :D PM Me! ;)

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So this is a lively discussion, but none of it answers my original question: what kind of crap am I going to find when I start putting in the new HU? Is there a factory amp that I need to remove, and if so, where is it?

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So this is a lively discussion, but none of it answers my original question: what kind of crap am I going to find when I start putting in the new HU? Is there a factory amp that I need to remove, and if so, where is it?

The amp topic has been discussed once before I believe. It's better to leave the stock amp in since it won't take away from the output quality.

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The amp topic has been discussed once before I believe. It's better to leave the stock amp in since it won't take away from the output quality.

yeah, there are many many thread about it. try searching.. I'm sure you can find it.. PS - the advanced search is the best way to go.

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Car is a 97 850 GLT that came equipped with a "Premium" sound cassette HU.  If you ask me there is nothing premium about this piece of crap.  I'm looking to replace it with something better but I haven't decided what yet.  In preparation I read the stickied post by bing about installing a HU in an 850.  The post specifically referenced that the instructions were for a car without premium sound.

So where does that put me?  What kind of whacky stuff can I expect to run into?

Thanks, Volvo, for sticking it to me once again.

It shouldn't be a problem at all. You can bypass the amplifier all together and just run all the speakers from the headunit. Because the 8 speakers are wired in parallel (and at 8-ohm) the headunit/amplifer sees a 4-ohm load for each channel. If you do bypass the amplifer, you do not need to remove it, as it does not interfere with anything, in terms of physical space.

If you want to use the stock amplifier, make sure that your new headunit has preamp outputs, and you can pick up an amp adapter cable from Slater. This allows you to use an aftermarket HU (with preamp outputs) with the stock Volvo amplifer.

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Actually, you may not have an amp at all. Chances are very very slim (unless you have an R) that you will have a factory amp somewhere. It may say premium on the front (SC811 or 815) but more than likely won't have an amp. easiest way to tell? pull it out (using those tabs) and if there is nothing plugged into the amp plug (looks like an old AT keyboard plug) then you DONT have an amp.

Personally on all of the 850's I have ever encountered, I have yet to see a factory amp.

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