Replace the car’s head unit with a mobile Bluetooth device

Due to some issues relating to my car’s audio, I looked for a solution that would remove the head unit and use a Bluetooth device to stream audio directly to the Amplifier. Below I explained the setup I am currently using. A couple of benefits I immediately noticed was the previous signal noise I was experiencing was fixed; also, with the head unit removed and the signal fed directly through the converter, the audio output was louder. This is my personal experience, and it may vary for you.

Listed below are the items i installed:

1. Amplifier HD900/5
2. AudioControl Audio Matrix Plus
3. AudioControl ACX-BT1
4. ACR-1 Dash Remote

Step One: Remove the Audio Matrix cover and set the internal jumpers linking the various channels.

Confirm that the AudioControl Matrix Plus is powered off and remove the protective cover to access the internal components. The Matrix Plus from AudioControl has the functionality to link the channels allow the Streamer to send audio to all the speakers.

They are four screws holding the cover onto the device. As depicted in the image, two of the screws are located at the bottom labeled Outputs, and two are located in the front of the device next to the Input ports.

With the cover off set the jumpers as depicted in the image below:

1. J13 CH1 LINK
2. J15 CH1 LINK
3. J16 CH1 LINK

Step Two: Plugging in the Bluetooth streaming device AudioControl ACX-BT1 and connect the system to my smartphone.

In my setup I connected the ACX-BT1 device to the sub channel and i spliced into the Power, Ground and Remote connector on the Audio Matrix for power. After the device has powered up, using your phone turn on the Bluetooth connection and look for AudioControl BT1.

Finish:

At this point your system should be working from a Bluetooth device.