Kenwood DDx 418 install and amp

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 01:54

Hi to all
I have been searching through the posts, I purchased a Kenwood ddx 418 double din radio for my 1999 s70 a few months back, been kinda busy but decided to install the radio today.

The stock radio was working fine until a few months ago when there was no sound at all coming from the speakers, the unit has an amp under the passengers seat.
Question: How do I know if the amp went bad? ( which seems to be the reason theres no sound at all )

I installed the Kenwood today, connected the plug and wire supplied by Kenwood to the plug kit I purchased for Volvo plugs, I spliced all the wires, including speaker ones, although from the speaker volvo plug theres only one wire that went into the oem radio. Everything on the Kenwood unit works but still no sound at all.

Been reading that there is a plug that has a 6 pin din into rca, So, if the amp is working I should be able to connect this adapter from the 6 pin wire from amp into the rca output? ( and get sound) if I do this, there should be no need to splice the speaker wires from radio Correct?

I will take some pics tomorrow in order to understand the connection better.

My guess is I could bypass the amp by getting the speaker wires and connecting them to the plug that goes into the radio.

I also have doubts on the 4 rca female terminal coming out of the Kenwood, do I need a female 6 pin connector that splits into 4 rca??

Help, tips clues, expertise more than accepted...

Thanks in advanced..

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 04 Nov 2012, 11:18

You should find your answer here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=30204

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 11:58

Thanks, Ive read that thread a couple times, but, my radio is aftermarket and through an amp
My guess is that if the amp is not working I can either get a new amp and the connector 6 pin din female to rca, or have the speakers connected direct to the Kenwood radio and get rid of the amp.

I have a pic of the amp connector ( that is sold on ebay) but it has a wire with a power lead and something else, I could splice one myself but I dont know were does that wire goes to.

The other option is to add a brand amp.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 04 Nov 2012, 13:24

Forget the stock amp. The Kenwood probably has the same kind of power.

The point is, there's a connector behind your radio that will plug right into your new one.
ALL of these cars ship with a stereo harness that's made for a basic stock radio that has
it's own amp inside. The higher end stock stereos that use an amp have an extra harness
that plugs into the basic harness. Think of the optional amp harness as an overlay on the
basic stereo cabling. Just find it and unplug it.

That interconnect is made right there in the dash behind the radio.
It'll have all the speaker connections on the correct connector to
plug into your Kenwood's harness adapter plug. Rock On!

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 20:07

Cool, i will look for it
What would it be connected to? Or is just another plug that jumps into the Amp? ( the only one I have readily seen is the one that goes into the speaker plug but In this case only has one wire)
I bought the connectors for Volvo in order not to butcher the OEM and spliced them temporarily ( twisted and tape) until I was certain it was what I needed (and worked) so I can solder and shrink tube them.

Ill head downstairs and look for that alternate plug asap..

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 04 Nov 2012, 20:19

It's identical to the one that only has one wire, but it will have'em all.
It's plugged into the amp output connector from the optional amp harness.
You'll find it wrapped in foam back in the dash cavity.

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 20:36

Thank you lots, will check on it right now..
Saw one like that plugged at the amp, Ill try to trace it back if cant find it right away..

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 22:46

Found it right away, unplugged ( was a bit hessitant because of the wire colors) plugged the adaptor and Voila.. music!!!!

Heres the back end of the Kenwood
The only thing you will need is the antenna, and the plug that goes on the right side ( not shown) which is the one you splice into the connector installation harness

These are the only three you will need to connect if you are using the OEM amp ( plus the connector 6 pin din to rca)

But if your amp seemed fishy, like in my case, this plug is hidden behind the radio wiring and connects to enable the speakers use

Its pretty straight forward, even on my wiring adaptor harness the wires had written what they were for, the radio unit is also dumb proof.

I have to remove the radio once more, so I will shoot whats missing (wiring splice, etc) for further forum information

Thanks BejinFbk for your help

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 04 Nov 2012, 23:41

Hey...What's a nice car without tunes?
Happy to help - Enjoy !

elchopperfreak · Post by **elchopperfreak** » 04 Nov 2012, 23:54

Now gotta figure out the "parking" thing so my kid can watch the videos..
Read someplace that I should just ground it ?