Help needed: JL CL-SSI hookup

zenMachine · 07-29-2007, 12:24 AM

I've read and re-read the SSI manual half a dozen times, and I'm still confused.

First of all, I only have two input wiring harnesses instead of three. Not sure why. I bought the unit new. Nevertheless, I'm trying to do something quite similar to what DocVijay did last year, which is to sum only the front signals, and let the rear signals go straight to the CL 441 DSP.

Quote:

... The SSI and dsp441 will be mounted on top of the factory amp with double sided tape. The speaker wires exiting the amp will be cut and directed into the two. First the front tweeter and front woofer wires will be connected to the SSI. The rear signals are full range and will go straight to the dsp441. The summed front signal will go to the dsp441...[/b]

Q: Does doing that mean cutting the SSI-to-DSP's rear channel pair and connect the rear speaker output from the JBL amp to the DSP's rear channel input?

Q: Do you have to have all three input harnesses (A, B, and C) in order for the SSI to work properly? Even to do something like the above? According to the manual, Input B is for connecting the "rear high-pass" signals, which the JBL amp doesn't even have.

Q: Could someone please translate the following paragraph into regular English for me?

"2-way mode: In this mode the CL-SSI will sum an OEM subwoofer (or woofer) signal to front and rear signals that have been high-pass filtered, creating front and rear full-range output channels..."

Thanks!

zenMachine · 07-30-2007, 01:11 PM

Since no one responded to my questions, I went ahead and cut the wires to see what would happen (hate doing stuff blindly like that, but sometimes you have no choice).

Turned out my guess answer to question 1 was correct. Just cut the rear channel pair going into the DSP from the SSI and connect them to the rear speaker channels coming out of the JBL amp.

For question 2, Input B is not needed at all. At least in 2-way mode. The Prius JBL system doesn't have mid-range (bandpass) signals so I suppose Input B is never needed in any mode. Perhaps.

Anyhow, after lots of sweat on sore-bended knees, I got all the pieces hooked up last night. Here's the latest configuration:

From JBL amp: front woofer and tweeter wires are cut and redirected to Input C & A of the SSI, respectively.
Rear channel pairs are directly connected to the (cut) rear input pairs of the DSP. Both the SSI and DSP are co-located under passenger seat. (Seat is still out, so I'm not sure yet if their current placement is OK.)

From SSI: wiring harness connects directly to DSP, with the two rear channel wires cut (explained above).
From Cleansweep DSP: 4 output channels are sent to the JL 4300 amp via RCA cables.

From JL 4300 amp: front speaker outputs are sent to the JL ZR crossovers (velcro'd under each front seat) which reconnect to the front tweeters and woofers speaker wires under the passenger seat. Rear output are reconnected directly to the stock speakers' wires (for now).

Additionally, a pair of pass-through line-level signals are also sent from the JL amp via RCA cables to the Kenwood KSC minisub under the driver's seat. The sub originally used speaker-level input coming from the JBL amp's rear channels, which produced a muddier tone and was prone to distortion if cranked up. The new configuration cleaned up the subwoofer's sound significantly. It's like a totally different sub now. This configuration also provides a single point of volume control for all speakers plus the subwoofer: the DSP's remote controller.

Speaking of the remote controller, I was able to utilize the unused EV switch plate for mounting it at that perfect location for easy reach. With a drill and some careful knife work, it snapped in beautifully and discretely. I was quite pleased at how OEM it looked. Will have to post a picture of it when I get a chance.

I still need to fine tune the amp, the crossovers, the sensitivity inputs, the filters and all that. But the initial impression is simply: Wow! I now hear things in the music that I just didn't before. The clarity and richness is amazing. Can't wait to get everything tuned up (and hopefully a new set of components for the rear too). It'll only get better from here...

zenMachine · 07-31-2007, 11:20 AM

The mystery continues...

I know there's more than one person on this board who've installed the Cleansweep. But seems like either they're not seeing this thread or haven't been active. Regardless, I'll throw these questions out anyway, just in case somebody who's installed these gear reads them and have answers to them.

Now that I have the SSI and DSP "calibrated" using the Cleansweep CD, the sound is very nice and clean. However, every so often the DSP just shuts off for about 15-30 seconds and then wakes up again. This tends to happen during song changes, disc changes, or relatively quiet passages.

The calibration instructions stated that you should set the volume on the Head Unit to about 1/2 to 2/3 of maximum before starting the procedure. Since the maximum volume level for the radio is about 50, I set
it to 33 before calibration. Could 33 be too high, such that whenever the head unit's output volume
gets a bit lower the SSI "thinks" that there's no signal and automatically goes into standby?

I'll try to re-calibrate using a lower setting, but it'd be nice to hear a clear explanation...

zenMachine · 08-01-2007, 04:26 PM

And the mystery deepens...

After re-calibrating my SSI, the unit now turns off only during disc changes and then turns right back on as the new CD begins. So that's good.

However, the Bluetooth has become problematic. The sound coming out of the left woofer is tinny and severely distorted to the point of being unintelligible. And somehow the microphone sensitivity has also been modified (God knows why). When I tested the system with my wife on the other end, she said my voice sounded very echoey and distant. Hmmm... Wish I could use the center speaker for Bluetooth instead and be done.

Side note: the SSI manual actually contains a BAD wiring diagram that does not match the written instruction. The diagram reverses "Input A" and "Input C", which caused me to connect the wrong set of wires to the SSI the first time around. Argghh...

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07-30-2007, 01:11 PM	#2
zenMachine Just another Onionhead Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,178 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 20 Thanked 38 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 0	Since no one responded to my questions, I went ahead and cut the wires to see what would happen (hate doing stuff blindly like that, but sometimes you have no choice). Turned out my guess answer to question 1 was correct. Just cut the rear channel pair going into the DSP from the SSI and connect them to the rear speaker channels coming out of the JBL amp. For question 2, Input B is not needed at all. At least in 2-way mode. The Prius JBL system doesn't have mid-range (bandpass) signals so I suppose Input B is never needed in any mode. Perhaps. Anyhow, after lots of sweat on sore-bended knees, I got all the pieces hooked up last night. Here's the latest configuration: From JBL amp: front woofer and tweeter wires are cut and redirected to Input C & A of the SSI, respectively. Rear channel pairs are directly connected to the (cut) rear input pairs of the DSP. Both the SSI and DSP are co-located under passenger seat. (Seat is still out, so I'm not sure yet if their current placement is OK.) From SSI: wiring harness connects directly to DSP, with the two rear channel wires cut (explained above). From Cleansweep DSP: 4 output channels are sent to the JL 4300 amp via RCA cables. From JL 4300 amp: front speaker outputs are sent to the JL ZR crossovers (velcro'd under each front seat) which reconnect to the front tweeters and woofers speaker wires under the passenger seat. Rear output are reconnected directly to the stock speakers' wires (for now). Additionally, a pair of pass-through line-level signals are also sent from the JL amp via RCA cables to the Kenwood KSC minisub under the driver's seat. The sub originally used speaker-level input coming from the JBL amp's rear channels, which produced a muddier tone and was prone to distortion if cranked up. The new configuration cleaned up the subwoofer's sound significantly. It's like a totally different sub now. This configuration also provides a single point of volume control for all speakers plus the subwoofer: the DSP's remote controller. Speaking of the remote controller, I was able to utilize the unused EV switch plate for mounting it at that perfect location for easy reach. With a drill and some careful knife work, it snapped in beautifully and discretely. I was quite pleased at how OEM it looked. Will have to post a picture of it when I get a chance. I still need to fine tune the amp, the crossovers, the sensitivity inputs, the filters and all that. But the initial impression is simply: Wow! I now hear things in the music that I just didn't before. The clarity and richness is amazing. Can't wait to get everything tuned up (and hopefully a new set of components for the rear too). It'll only get better from here...

07-31-2007, 11:20 AM	#3
zenMachine Just another Onionhead Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,178 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 20 Thanked 38 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 0	The mystery continues... I know there's more than one person on this board who've installed the Cleansweep. But seems like either they're not seeing this thread or haven't been active. Regardless, I'll throw these questions out anyway, just in case somebody who's installed these gear reads them and have answers to them. Now that I have the SSI and DSP "calibrated" using the Cleansweep CD, the sound is very nice and clean. However, every so often the DSP just shuts off for about 15-30 seconds and then wakes up again. This tends to happen during song changes, disc changes, or relatively quiet passages. The calibration instructions stated that you should set the volume on the Head Unit to about 1/2 to 2/3 of maximum before starting the procedure. Since the maximum volume level for the radio is about 50, I set it to 33 before calibration. Could 33 be too high, such that whenever the head unit's output volume gets a bit lower the SSI "thinks" that there's no signal and automatically goes into standby? I'll try to re-calibrate using a lower setting, but it'd be nice to hear a clear explanation...

08-01-2007, 04:26 PM	#4
zenMachine Just another Onionhead Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,178 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 20 Thanked 38 Times in 25 Posts Friends: 0	And the mystery deepens... After re-calibrating my SSI, the unit now turns off only during disc changes and then turns right back on as the new CD begins. So that's good. However, the Bluetooth has become problematic. The sound coming out of the left woofer is tinny and severely distorted to the point of being unintelligible. And somehow the microphone sensitivity has also been modified (God knows why). When I tested the system with my wife on the other end, she said my voice sounded very echoey and distant. Hmmm... Wish I could use the center speaker for Bluetooth instead and be done. Side note: the SSI manual actually contains a BAD wiring diagram that does not match the written instruction. The diagram reverses "Input A" and "Input C", which caused me to connect the wrong set of wires to the SSI the first time around. Argghh...