System not performing up to expectations.

[MotorCityFats13]

look for a 14 year old electronics prodigy and I will bet he/she could homebrew some raspberry pi dac out of thin air

[reedal]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

[ShadeTreeMechanic]

If you had a pre amp or line driver you could have a stronger signal at lower volume settings. I think that is what the Audio Control suggestion was about?

[Doxmia]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

From my experience the sony amp seems to put out different voltages based on the song that is playing at the time. So it's really easy to set a "safe" baseline with white noise. But then you play music and it seems to distort at certain parts of the song so you make the adjustment. Then play a different song and it seems to be the same issue. Because of this, we can't really adjust the gain a whole lot on the amplifiers as it just seems to volatile.

Since I'm only using the 600.4 for my active front stage, I can't see me needing a more powerful amp - my biggest concern with turning up the gain is sending an amplified distorted signal to my speakers.

If I could get (which I can't, I'm not arguing that I can) the signal before the amp, the distortion isn't a concern (especially since it's kind of all over the damn place with the factory amp and it's really impossible to just set and forget using white noise or even a few songs as a sample).

[Skullz]

Bit one with an ipad on digital out for your musical source?

[shogen]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

From my experience the sony amp seems to put out different voltages based on the song that is playing at the time. So it's really easy to set a "safe" baseline with white noise. But then you play music and it seems to distort at certain parts of the song so you make the adjustment. Then play a different song and it seems to be the same issue. Because of this, we can't really adjust the gain a whole lot on the amplifiers as it just seems to volatile.

Since I'm only using the 600.4 for my active front stage, I can't see me needing a more powerful amp - my biggest concern with turning up the gain is sending an amplified distorted signal to my speakers.

If I could get (which I can't, I'm not arguing that I can) the signal before the amp, the distortion isn't a concern (especially since it's kind of all over the damn place with the factory amp and it's really impossible to just set and forget using white noise or even a few songs as a sample).

Bit one with an ipad on digital out for your musical source?

If you had a pre amp or line driver you could have a stronger signal at lower volume settings. I think that is what the Audio Control suggestion was about?

keeping everything factory, soooo I think OP is looking to tap into output from Ford Sync before its gets to the Sony amp.... not sure why that can't be done, or hard to figure (I have no experience) just thinking if someone installed your equipment couldn't they look for the wiring supplying the signal to the Sony amp ? or is this amp now integrated into the face/headunit from the Sync system? if so internally, then you better be ready to open that bad boy up... lol

[reedal]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

From my experience the sony amp seems to put out different voltages based on the song that is playing at the time. So it's really easy to set a "safe" baseline with white noise. But then you play music and it seems to distort at certain parts of the song so you make the adjustment. Then play a different song and it seems to be the same issue. Because of this, we can't really adjust the gain a whole lot on the amplifiers as it just seems to volatile.

Since I'm only using the 600.4 for my active front stage, I can't see me needing a more powerful amp - my biggest concern with turning up the gain is sending an amplified distorted signal to my speakers.

If I could get (which I can't, I'm not arguing that I can) the signal before the amp, the distortion isn't a concern (especially since it's kind of all over the damn place with the factory amp and it's really impossible to just set and forget using white noise or even a few songs as a sample).

Ahh. Completely understandable. If I missed that point in your original post, my apologies. My next question (as I do not have a 6to8) is that the 6to8 features lists this:

"SP-DIF Digital Input Card Optical or Coax"

Is that not something you can use to bypass the amp?

[shogen]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

From my experience the sony amp seems to put out different voltages based on the song that is playing at the time. So it's really easy to set a "safe" baseline with white noise. But then you play music and it seems to distort at certain parts of the song so you make the adjustment. Then play a different song and it seems to be the same issue. Because of this, we can't really adjust the gain a whole lot on the amplifiers as it just seems to volatile.

Since I'm only using the 600.4 for my active front stage, I can't see me needing a more powerful amp - my biggest concern with turning up the gain is sending an amplified distorted signal to my speakers.

If I could get (which I can't, I'm not arguing that I can) the signal before the amp, the distortion isn't a concern (especially since it's kind of all over the damn place with the factory amp and it's really impossible to just set and forget using white noise or even a few songs as a sample).

Ahh. Completely understandable. If I missed that point in your original post, my apologies. My next question (as I do not have a 6to8) is that the 6to8 features lists this:

"SP-DIF Digital Input Card Optical or Coax"

Is that not something you can use to bypass the amp?

I'm thinking his options at this point aren't the equipment he can use but rather whether he can figure a way to get straight from the Sync system... again, I'd think internally there would be a way but that would require investigating into that dashboard and taking things apart ... right?

[reedal]

I don't understand how tapping into the signal before the factory amp will make it louder. The signal may not distort as early, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you think it's not loud enough. If you found your HU/factory amp max clean, and then max clean levels on the mosconi, and then max clean levels on your amps, guess what. That's all you have. If your amp gains are set to max clean at the same time your HU volume is on max clean, then you're not going to get louder by bypassing the factory amp. All that will do is lower the input voltage to the mosconi. And then you can adjust the output levels on the mosconi to their max clean again (which only has changed due to the lower input voltage from HU) which means the input voltage going to your amplifiers has changed, which means you have to now adjust your amplifier gains to max clean again. And the outcome will be the exact same volume you had before, except now you can turn your head unit up to a higher volume before it reaches distortion, and the same output you currently have and are unhappy with.

TL;DR, factory amp has nothing to do with it, you need more power going to your speakers, or better speaker placement/direction.

From my experience the sony amp seems to put out different voltages based on the song that is playing at the time. So it's really easy to set a "safe" baseline with white noise. But then you play music and it seems to distort at certain parts of the song so you make the adjustment. Then play a different song and it seems to be the same issue. Because of this, we can't really adjust the gain a whole lot on the amplifiers as it just seems to volatile.

Since I'm only using the 600.4 for my active front stage, I can't see me needing a more powerful amp - my biggest concern with turning up the gain is sending an amplified distorted signal to my speakers.

If I could get (which I can't, I'm not arguing that I can) the signal before the amp, the distortion isn't a concern (especially since it's kind of all over the damn place with the factory amp and it's really impossible to just set and forget using white noise or even a few songs as a sample).

Ahh. Completely understandable. If I missed that point in your original post, my apologies. My next question (as I do not have a 6to8) is that the 6to8 features lists this:

"SP-DIF Digital Input Card Optical or Coax"

Is that not something you can use to bypass the amp?

I'm thinking his options at this point aren't the equipment he can use but rather whether he can figure a way to get straight from the Sync system... again, I'd think internally there would be a way but that would require investigating into that dashboard and taking things apart ... right?

well seeing as his issue is that the signal from the HU is digital, and the mosconi can accept a digital input, then yes, his mosconi he already has can be wired straight to the sync system theoretically

[Miguels]

How about installing an aftermarket unit that bypasses all the stock stuff. You can hide the Hu in the armrest or glove compartment