I have a 2004 Ram 1500 with the 7 speaker Infinity sytem. My original factory unit has decided to hold my 5 discs for ransom and not eject them. I am looking at a pioneer unit that will replace it and give me Bluetooth also. Crutchfield was very helpful and the advisor said most people bypass the original amp and just use the radio,s amplifier. The wiring harness that bypasses the amp is $65.00 and the one that includes the factory amp is $130.00. Has anyone had any experiences with bypassing the amp. Crutchfield felt the the unit had more than enough power and the factory amp was not necessary ??

 

You don't want to run line level input into the amp in any event......

Keep in mind, if you want to bypass the factory amps, you will have to do that for each speaker that has an individual amp....... I don't know if there are filters/crossovers at the speakers as well..... You would need a wiring diagram to do it "right".....

If your potential new head unit has pre-amp outs though...... (probably reflected in the more expensive harness.....) It might end up being cheaper/easier to just continue using the factory amps.