Stereo: Power but no sound (Sound Package Plus aka SPP)

Hey everyone, I'm in the middle of installing a new head unit in my 987.2 to replace my CDR-30 . It's a Sony AX-150 - a budget model with CarPlay that I got brand new-in-box off of Facebook Marketplace. This was a project I started during the winter (soldering the harness, etc.) and am finally getting around to installing this HU (head unit). Anyhow, after a bit of struggling, I FINALLY figured out the wiring and made the connections, so I finally got power to the unit and got it to turn on and pull in radio stations -- so that's a plus. This being said, I don't have any sound. NONE. (At least yet!) This being said, from previous threads I read long ago, it was recommended that if one has a functioning stock ASK amp (underneath the passenger seat...again...this is NOT a BOSE system ), to just continue to use that and use the wiring harness with the adapter. I have a feeling that something is going on where the ASK amp is now not turning on. It was working just fine yesterday with the CDR-30 (despite some distortion from some of the door speakers, but I'm guessing those speakers must be blown/torn) and the amp was professionally bench tested a few months ago as working okay. Thoughts? ( @deilenberger - I'm looking in your direction!) Thanks, everyone.

Sometimes if you literally sleep on a problem, you might wake up and find the answer (that happens for me sometimes). My issue isn't necessarily solved here, but at least I have the next plan of attack (which sort of makes sense?) that I'm going to check out today. There was one wire from the Sony wire harness that is blue/white, that goes to send a signal to send power to an electronic telescoping antenna -- so I just taped it off. I didn't realize that it can also be the "wake" signal for an external amplifier -- which I'm guessing would be the ASK amplifier in this case. Apparently that wire one taps off the wires found in the blue plastic section of the OEM harness (NOT the Metra aftermarket harness adapter). It gets really confusing with which wire that is, given that they're apparently different colors in different models. I believe in the the 987.2 , it's the white/red wire. This being said, later today I'm going to try and hook that up and see what happens. Meanwhile, I was under the impression that the ASK amp only powers the bass in the doors and the center channel, and the OEM HU powered the remaining SPP speakers -- hence my confusion. Anyone have any insights on this, let me know. I'm fairly confident with electronic wiring voodoo, but I'll admit that I was never a car stereo guy per aftermarket amps, etc. -- but electronics are electronics!

Are you certain you have an amp? Have you felt it? The real "base" audio system AFAIK didn't use an amp. The speakers were powered directly off the Since you asked.. First - are you sure you have an ASK amp? The reason I ask this is I found that the wiring diagrams for the CDR30 that I could find show it as having speaker level outputs, and I didn't see any indication of outputs going to discrete audio level outputs. That doesn't mean you don't have an amp - but on my '09, which came with the CDR30 from the factory, the wiring that went to the back of the CDR30 went directly to the loudspeakers, with no separate amp involved. I never really went looking for one under the passenger seat, but since I've hooked up other speakers directly to these same outputs in parallel to the existing speakers, I'm guessing there is no amp in my car. Maybe. It is possible the ASK amp uses the speaker-level signals for the inputs - which IMHO is rather dumb, but maybe it avoids a stage of input amplification in the actual amp. I'm guessing you can tell via a VIN lookup...

Hi, Don - Thanks for chiming in! Yup...absolutely. The dreaded and prone-to-failure ASK amplifier is located under the passenger seat in a 987.2 (it's in the frunk in a 987.1 ), and it's there all right. I had to take it out/put it back in a few times, particularly having sent it out to CA to be bench tested as often that's the part that fails. Turns out it was fine from the tests...and it's likely the speakers themselves that are failing on one door per the distortion. I think what may be happening is that the CDR-30 just sends everything to the ASK directly. From previous threads (which I can't find), I believe the ASK then splits up the signal to create the center channel on the dash...and it was recommended to someone else in a previous thread to just leave the ASK in there if it's already there. Looking forward to testing that blue wire later and seeing if I'll get sound!

...and that was the answer! Fired right up as I had hoped. So yes - the ASK amp takes all the inputs and I guess processes it for the 3-channel front sound (which sounds kind of nice, frankly with this new head unit)...and then sends it back out the speakers. Only thing that became super-clear is that multiple speakers are clearly shot! But that will be another project for another day. Thanks as always for your wonderful expertise, @deilenberger ! Now to find the thread how to hook up the rear camera on the 987 without taking the bumper off.

Final update - Install done! Replacement speakers will be next , plus the rear speakers from Suncoast (whenever they arrive). A few things: 1) Check and double-check your wire taps. Posi-taps are really the way to go, although they're not cheap. My kit came with crappy ones that did NOT make great connections. First, the camera did not come on, and next - the camera wouldn't automatically trigger when in reverse. I was ready to tear up the car again thinking it was a faulty wire, but check those darn wire-tap connections and use a multimeter before you rip up your work. Half the time, the aftermarket ones barely seem to cut into the insulation. 2) To confirm, the wire path (RCA video plus convenience wire) path in the 987.2 was back behind the HU, above the cardboard in the passenger footwell, down through the door channel (remove the door sill after removing the one Torx screw, behind the seat belt cover, across the car behind the carpeting, behind the right seat belt cover, under the rear carpet, through the hole into the trunk, behind the carpeting on the left side, through the hole where the left tail light goes, and then wire fish it from there (using a wire hanger) to the hole behind the license plate. A heck of a lot easier than in the 981 , which required the rear bumper removal. 3) Again, not bad for a very inexpensive head Sony head unit that was $175 and new-in-box as a Facebook Marketplace purchase (the guy had bought 2 of these but they didn't work in a Japanese car (I think JDM). Yeah, it's a little rough as Sony 's low-end HU, but it's fine in that it has CarPlay and a backup camera -- which makes it revolutionary. Yes, CarPlay only works tethered -- but mostly I'll use it for Waze and that requires a tethered connection to keep the battery charged anyway. Looking forward to seeing how things roll per the unit in the next few months.