I have successfully replaced 90% of the factory Infinity sound system in my '06 Azera.
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/Picture%20005.jpg/photo/v./photo.jpg)

I removed the factory head unit and replaced it with a double din Pioneer unit.
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/Picture%20002.jpg/photo/v./photo.jpg)

For anyone interested, all of the speakers in the car are 2 ohm speakers, except for the tweeters. Right now, the only speakers I know that are 2 ohm are Infinity Kappa Series, JBL GTO Series, JBL Power Series. (JBL & Infinity are made by the same company if you didn't know).

Effectively, I have replaced all 4 door speakers with the Infinity Kappa 62.7i's. I went with coaxials up front to add another tweeter up front which balances out the front sound stage nicely.
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/IMAG0088.JPG/photo/v./photo.jpg)

I have also replaced the center channel speaker which, is actually a 4" single cone mid-driver, with a JBL GTO6427 4x6" speaker (it was a freebie from another install I did recently). If you don't want to do any cutting of your dash, I recommend going with a 4" speaker. Personally, the Infinity Kappas Series 4" speaker has the adjustable tweeter on it so you can control some of the output, the JBL lacks this feature.
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/JBL%20Center%20spkr.jpg/photo/v./photo.jpg)

Because the factory subwoofer struggles with lower frequencies (especially at loud listening levels). I removed it completely and installed dual 10" Phoenix Gold subs being pushed by a Phoenix Gold amp.
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/Picture%20003.jpg/photo/v./photo.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.carspace.com/allmet33/Albums/audiosystem/0523081320.jpg/photo/v./photo.jpg)

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up. Hope this helps some of you out.

This post has been edited by allmet33: Aug 22 2008, 03:44 PM

Hey that looks awesome man. Looks like you put alot of hard work into it :thumbsup:

Hey, I agree with hugamuto... seems like you've done your research and put a lot of time into your vehicle. I am actually looking for help with a few upgrades of my own. I own an 07 Azera Limited that comes with the simple stock (factory) 6 cd-changer and infinity system. However, now I would like to upgrade to a in-dash navigation system. I went to the dealership hoping that they could install the lg one that they are now putting in the 09 azera's, but I ended up leaving quite frustrated when they told me that it would be impossible. Seeing that you have successfully done this has rekindled my interest.
What I have in mind: I would like to put in the Kenwood dnx8120 navigation system and was wondering if this is even possible... what do you think? Was there anything that you wern't able to connect?? (audio, cd, xm, etc...) Was the fit plush?.. do you have the measurements on that??

Thank you for the compliment. I have indeed had many conversations with the folks that designed the factory system and they provided me with all the information I needed.

I don't know why the dealership wouldn't help you, unless they just don't have anyone that could actually do it.

The only thing that would get in the way of using a particular in-dash nav system is how it opens up. If the face has to drop down below the bottom of the radio itself to open up, it won't work. there are some that slide out at the bottom and the face actually sides down as the arms extend out at the bottom. Since the motion is straight out...it would work. I looked at the model you're interested in and from the way it's designed, it would LOOK like it could work in the Azera. The wild card being, how does it actually open up.

After looking on the net...here's a pic of the unit and how it opens...
(IMG:http://www.touringmotorcyclists.com/images/merc/dnx8120_08.jpg)
Looking at that, it would seem that it would be something that could work for you. As far as installing it...if you feel comfortable with a screwdriver, wire strippers/crimpers and a few simple tools...you really could do it yourself. Word of note, if you order the unit through Crutchfield, they'll send you EVERYTHING you could possibly need to install it in your car (harnesses, dash kits and even detailed instructions to remove the factory stereo). You also have the advantage of being able to call them for support over the phone too.

Personally, if you're going to upgrade the head unit, I would seriously consider an upgrade on the speakers as well so you reap the full benefit of what the new unit offers you. The new unit will be putting out a bit more power than the factory one so it'll cause the factory speakers to distort a bit quicker than normal.

As far as my install...there wasn't anything that didn't get connected. Well, I lie...I don't have use of my steering wheel audio controls, but I can buy and adapter if I wanted to, but I'm happy with the wireless remote. Kenwood makes adapters for their units to work with steering wheel audio controls, so if you want to retain that function...you might want to look into it.

If you need anything else, feel free to contact me.

Mike

Hey, I just got me an 07 Azera (Limited). I'm satisfied with the sound (for now) except the subwoofer. I doesn't handle a lot of bass and low frequencies. I was wondering if there was a way to upgrade the subwoofer without any additional amp or wiring. I would like to just swap out the speaker like you would the other doors speakers. Do you have any suggestions?

You can try taking out the factory sub and replacing it with an aftermarket one. Only problem is...you would need to find an 8" sub that has dual 2 ohm voice coils to get the maximum potential out of the amp. If you get one with dual 4 ohm voice coils...the sub will only draw half the power and you really won't even hear it. So...if you can find an 8" dual 2 ohm voice coil sub, I would give it a shot. Oh yeah, the power going to the sub from the factory amp is a combined 90 watts, so look for a sub rated at about 100 watts rms. You might be safe if it's 150 watts rms, but 200 watts...could kill the amp.

Adding an aftermarket amp really isn't that difficult to be honest and I know for a fact it'll give you what you're looking for. What you stated is the very reason the factory sub is no longer even in my car. At low sound levels it performs okay, but the lower bass notes are missing. When you crank it up, the sub really struggles and distorts.

allmet, you still have the factory amp pushing your mids/tweets right?

Yes...all the interior speakers are running off the factory amp. That is the main reason why I selected the speakers I chose. The factory speakers are all 2 ohm speakers (with the exception of the tweeters...4 ohms) and in my search, there's only a few speakers that are 2 ohm speakers...Infinity Kappa Series being one. Another reason I opted to utilize the factory amp for my system was that I didn't want to lose the center channel. On top of the fact if I used an aftermarket amp, then I would have to run speaker wire throughout the entire car as well.

Dear Allmet33,

I am setting up to install the kenwood dnx8120 in my wife's 2006 Azera. So far it seems not too terrible, but I was wondering if there is any guidance you would like to share. Also, you mentioned a special kit to keep the steering wheel buttons operating, could you direct me to this? Thanks.

There is a company that makes the interface for keeping the steering controls...

The company is called PAC, and here is what their website has for your vehicle.

http://www.pac-audio.com/swixprogramming/s...Vehicles&ID=122

You need model SWI-JACK for hooking up Kenwood stereos, they carry other similar kinds for other radio manufacturers. You can find them on websites or eBay for a little cheaper. Crotchfield sells them but as with everything they sell they are overpriced.

This post has been edited by i360: Sep 1 2008, 11:14 PM

What type of guidance are you looking for specifically?

As you can see...i360 posted about a company called PAC that makes adapters for steering wheel controls. Also, check with Crutchfield as well...not sure who makes them, but they have some too.

You could swap out the sub, but i doubt it has anything to do with that sub and more to do with the amp. i would say scrap it all because noone of it is designed to handle low ends or really push deep rich bass you feel instead of hear. get a ported box, a little 10-12" kicker or something, and an amp that has inputs for wiring up directly to the head. they are everywhere, usually they're a 4 channel but i have seen a few 2 channels with them. get some house hold speakerwire and rig it up to the rear speakers. the amp will accept the input from the rear speakers and then just turn on the LPF. now you can turn heads and it all looks stock haha.

I did this on my sonata. I kept the stock head cause it didnt sound bad at all and wired the rear speakers as well up to the amp. I plan on replacing those but for now ill just keep the gain down. i have 2 12" comp kickers on a 1000w sony amp (from wal-mart mind you) and it sounds better than most of the guys systems i have heard for about half what they spent.

Now i just gotta get some thread lock for the bolts on my spoiler and then i wouldnt have to keep tightening it so it didnt rattle lol.

OK, I need a quick help! if I can.

Got the old head unit out, set up a new wiring harness for the dnx8120, even all the colors of the wires match.

Hook it all up, turn it on, the dnx8120 appears to run fine, but NO SOUND.

OK, so I"m sure it's the factory amp - I've got to hook up the ext.amp.cntl line of the dnx8120 to one of the pins. But here's my dilemma - there are four pins I cannot identify from the pinouts for the stereo connector that I found on hmaservice.com

pin 7 is the "rear arm remote control"
pin 10 is "REMOTE"
pin 19 is the mute
pin 20 is the EQ SEL

Now my after market harness doesn't have connections for these four lines, so I don't want to cut the line going to the azera male harness until I know which one is correct. Any suggestions, or am I barking up the wrong tree and it's something else.

This post has been edited by furrydad: Oct 10 2008, 04:22 PM

Maybe you should be using pin 23: