940 factory amplifier and wiring

[Cuda]

Hey!

Asking for help from RWD Volvo electrical gurus who know who know what is going on under the dashboard.
The car is a late 96' 940 STW. I want to add an amplifier to my SR-701 HU (not originally fitted to this car) and bought an old 4x20W HA-4120 with wiring loom. This was an factory extra for 740/60-s and at least earlier 940-s where it should be a plug and play fit.
I have 2 questions:
The LO signal comes though the standard 90s Volvo 6 pin cable. The problem is that i cannot find the required plug under the dash for speakers and power.
Can someone confirm that all 940s were pre-wired for an amplifier? Or was it so only until 96 or so when the wiring changed. Thinking that maybe the later 940s were not offered an amplifier at all as the HUs at that time already had a sufficient built in amp?
My car does not have the dash speakers installed. But i removed the grille and wiring was there. Does anybody know where these wires end up, where is the other end? I would like to install those speakers myself and it would be great if i could use the factory cables and didn't have to remove the dash to install new ones.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help!

[MiniNinjaRob]

Sorry I don’t know the answer to your questions, and to be honest I wouldn’t bother with all the faff. The Volvo amp is just as crap as the standalone head unit, which I had in my 97 940 and soon replaced with a modern unit able to play music better than the original, which appears to have the electronics of a cheap Casio watch.
If you are bothered about the looks of a modern unit there are loads of options of head units that look more period, or you could go the period upgrade route of a nice 1990’s Clarion unit but you’ll be risking second hand stuff.

Continental do some nice head units like these: https://www.continental-automotive.c...-USB-Bluetooth which would match the interior of a 940 quite well. They do mechless versions too which are cheaper.

[Cuda]

Yes, very true. The same way as a 25 year old car doesn't offer the ride quality, performance and comfort of a modern car (and is far less economical).
But i like the look and feel of 80's technology (it's not a daily) and I would like put together the system using Volvo bits from the era. Will add modern speakers though which will not show under the grilles.

[360beast]

I fitted a modern head unit to my 940 a couple of weeks ago, the difference is unbelievable. I couldn't believe how good the original 23 year old speakers actually are! No distortion at all and even on a very loud volume there was no crackling or popping. I too thought about keeping the original head unit for the nostalgia of it but I decided to go for and wish I had done sooner. The original radios are junk and make the sound quality awful, remove it and get a decent head unit.

[MiniNinjaRob]

BTW it won’t make any difference putting new speakers units in, unless they are broken in some way (all the rubber in mine were damaged). If your current speakers are in good condition leave them.

Why not just make things easier and put in a later 940 stereo in like the one I have (had!) in my car that doesn’t need the amp? They are all going to sound rubbish any way so why not keep it simple?

IME my original stereo was ok at low volumes but if you wanted to hear it at a reasonable level when driving the sound would distort very quickly when you turned the volume up. Kinda ok if you wanted music quietly as background music but if you actually wanted to listen to it properly then no chance. I actually listen to R4 a lot and that was hopeless as you couldn’t turn it up enough without distortion to hear people talking clearly. And I have very good hearing and a quiet 940!

[Piet22]

A complete wiring loom should have 5 square connectors: 2 connectors connect to the car wiring loom, 1 connector connects to the amplifier and 1 connector connects to the radio. In addition there should be a cable with two round din connectors that plugs in din receptables in the radio and the amplifier.
I do not know if the SR701 has the abilty to connect to an external amplifier.

It is easy to source an external amplifier, but finding a complete wiring loom is difficult. To find an original mounting bracket for the amplifier is next to impossible.

Therefore, if you like the orginal radio's, I suggest that you try to find a later model like the CR906, CT503 or CT505. They have 4 x 20 Watt output and do not really benefit from an external amplifier.