Saba’s ES2 150/7 Stereo Upgrade, OR 'How To Add Aftermarket Amps/Speakers to '03-'06

[stevedol]

This is not my work. It is a copy of Saba’s ES2 150/7 Upgrade. He no longer has this hosted on his webspace, So I've copied it out here as a lot of people find it a valuable document. This information is relevant from 2003 upto 2006/7 when there was a dash facelift and the stereo system was replaced with the generic GM double-din headunit.

If you intend to use the information described here to customize your audio system you do at your
own risk. I accept no responsibility for the information contained in here. I am not qualified in audio
installations or auto electronics, so I recommend you obtain the services of someone suitably qualified
if you are not sure. Rod Burrows

Stage 1 – Install 3

rd amp to drive new 4” in rear parcel shelf

The 4” speakers in the rear deck are powered by the head unit. This unit has a max power output of 70W.

It also powers the L & R dash speakers. Therefore the max power is 2 x 35 W which is about 12 RMS per

channel. These speakers are underpowered and adding an amp to the line will improve their output.

Amp: Sony 222W Xplode

Line Level Converter

Speakers: Alpine SPS-1029S

Stage 1

This part is relatively straightforward. I tapped a line level converter into the speaker leads from the head

unit to the 4” in the rear parcel shelf and ran a RCA to the amp.

+12V Power Supply

I used the existing 30A power lead for the 3

r d Saab Amp upgrade. My amp draws max 12 amps and is doubly protected with a 20A fuse built in. Don’t forget to disconnect the battery before fiddling with the electrics. My amp is a Sony XM-222MK2, 2 channel, max 100W output, 2 x 35W @ 4W, plenty for the 4” Alpines.

Remote Turn On (RTO)

The RTO power was obtained by tapping into the auto-dimming fuse. The amp’s RTO draws 1.5 A, plenty of capacity in that lead.

Both these power sources are located in the fold down compartment on the left side of the boot/trunk.

Earth
There is an earthing bolt in the amp compartment in the trunk.

Speakers

I replaced the 4” Saab/Pioneer OEM speakers with

Alpine SPS-1029S 4". The parcel shelf must be removed to do this. This is simple to do – see Appendix 1.

Line Level Converter

The line level converter was connected to the speaker leads from the ES2 head unit and a RCA was run to the amp. The amp comes with a high level line in, but I decided to go with a line-level converter based on experiences of fellow audio upgraders. Line level converters are not very expensive.

Stage 2 – Install 4th amp to drive new 6x9 in rear parcel shelf

Amp: Sony 222W Xplode

Line Level Converter

Speakers: Kenwood 6 x 9 M6920 200W 4W

I removed the front passenger’s seat (driver’s seat for US & EU) to expose the OEM Amp. See Appendix 2 for details about removing the seat. You will need a T50 Torx bit. Disconnect the amp from its connector to expose the speaker line outs.

Left - Grey/ White

Left + Green

Center – Yellow/ White (you don’t have use these

center wires at all)

Center + Violet/ White

Right – Grey/ White
Right + Blue

The wires are twisted. E.g. wires for the left speaker are “together”. You’ll notice this when you pull out the cables. I removed the plastic coating of the wires and soldered the wires from the line level converter in place. Cover connections with insulating tape.

The RCA was connected to the line level converter and fed back to the rear, by tucking under the carpet and the plastic edge stripping along the carpet edge. It is a

relatively simple procedure to feed the line back to the boot/trunk.

[stevedol]

The RCA was fed back to the amp, a Sony XM-222MK2. The same type as in stage 1. Speaker leads were connected to the 6x9. This amp also gained its +12v power from the same 30 amp power supply as the amp in Stage one as well as the same RTO feed. Both amps draw 12A @ max load. The 30 A power should cope. Others have connected 2 amps to the same feed with higher drains with no problems. I built a two-tiered rack out of angle iron and mounted both amps in the compartment reserved for the third OEM amp. Fits snuggly. The rack itself was secured to the floor of the compartment. Don’t forget to do the procedure to follow after reconnecting the battery (appendix 3).

The end result. Well I can play this loud! With very liitle distortion. Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit sounds awesome. I had to fiddle with the gain of the amp to the 6x9 as they tended to dominate and threw sound stage towards the rear. After adjusting the gain the front has a slight sound stage which I prefer. Plenty of bass, not like a subwoofer, but ample for my tastes and the type of music I listen to mainly. Much crisper bass than what you would get from a subwoofer. The 6x9s and the door speakers create a flood of sound that fill the cabin. The amped 4” in the back add the high notes to the low and midtones and just adds that extra dimension to the sound. Overall the improvement to the original 150W/7 system is chalk and cheese. I thought I had achieved a good sound with just the amped 4”, but adding the 6x9’s simply finished it off to another level.
Total cost about $640 AUD ($450 US). This is about 1/3
r d the cost of the 300W/13 upgrade by Saab. I have only heard the 300W/13 once so I can’t compare, but what I do remember it was not in the same league as my upgrade.
The end result is a 4 amp, 600W, 9 speaker audio system.

Appendix 1 – Removing the rear parcel shelf.

Appendix 2 – Removing the Seat
Removing
1. Position the drivers seat as far forward as possible and tip the backrest forward.
2. Remove the cover and seatbelt mounting from the seat.
3. Remove the 2 rear retaining bolts from the seat.
4. Tip the seat forward.
5. Unplug the connector on the seat.
6. Pull the seat back to unhook the mountings. Carefully remove the seat.

Fitting
1. Carefully lift in and position the seat. Tip the seat forward.
2. Plug in the connector on the seat.
3. Position the seat. Make sure the mountings are correctly engaged in the brackets. Fit the rear retaining bolts. Tightening Torque 30Nm (22lb/ft)
4. Fit the seatbelt mounting and cover the seat. Tightening Torque 30Nm (22lb/ft)

Appendix 3

Procedures after disconnecting the battery

1. Set the clock as follows:

1.a. Turn the ignition ON.
1.b. Press CUSTOMIZE on SIDC (SID control panel).
1.c. Turn the INFO knob until the displays shows “Clock/Alarm”. Press to confirm "OK".
1.d. Turn the INFO knob to “Set Clock”. Press "OK".
1.e. Turn the INFO knob to “Manual” or "RDS adjust" and set the correct time. Press "OK".
2. Set the date as follows:
2.a. Turn the ignition ON.
2.b. Turn the INFO knob to "DATE".
2.c. Press the INFO knob until the display shows "YEAR 2000".
2.d. Turn the INFO knob to the correct year. Press to confirm "OK".
2.e. Turn the INFO knob to the correct month. Press "OK".
2.f. Turn the INFO knob to the correct date. Press "OK".
3. Synchronise the remote control's code by inserting the key in the ignition switch.

Important

Draw the customer's attention to the fact that all remote controls must be synchronised by placing

the key/keys in the ignition lock. If this is not done, the remote control will not work.
4. Cars with pinch protection: Programming of the pinch protection is done as follows:
4.a. Close the doors.
4.b. Turn the ignition ON. Make sure the battery voltage is OK.
4.c. Open the side window roughly 15 cm.
4.d. Raise the window fully and keep the button depressed for at least 1 second after the window has come to a halt. The window will now lower automatically.
4.e. Wait at least 1 second.
4.f. Raise the window fully and keep the button depressed until audible confirmation is heard.

Warning

The trap protection is not active until the window lifters have been calibrated after a power failure.