Has anyone had a good experience with the PAC TATO with JBL synthesis?
- Thread starter adamderry
- Start date
I had similar issues. Follow the 3/4 volume exactly. I reconnected my HU and set it to 3/4 and unplugged it, and the Tato worked as designed for the most part. Fade never really did much.
noshortcuts
New member
I don't know but on Pioneer deh-80prs there is an Amp Off/On selection in the main set-up menu. I don't know if all HU's have this? but I can imagine why it helps - otherwise there is power amp feeding power amp....
I'm having the same problem. I turned the radio up 3/4 and it's not even half as loud that the oem cd player was. It's over-driving the jbl amp input instead of being able to control the amp gain on the jbl which is why is gets distorted at 'high' volumes (imagine trying to hook a garden hose up to a fire truck... same idea).
I tried plugging the oem radio back in and I noticed that the amp defaults back to 30. Tried to turn it to max, then turn off the radio, turn off the truck and unplug the deck and I get the same issue where it sounds like the amp is only set to half gain.
The Pac-Tato is an absolute piece of junk. Sometimes it doesn't even turn on the amp... you need to shut the truck off and turn it back on again for the jbl to turn on. PAC's support is useless.
I tried plugging the oem radio back in and I noticed that the amp defaults back to 30. Tried to turn it to max, then turn off the radio, turn off the truck and unplug the deck and I get the same issue where it sounds like the amp is only set to half gain.
The Pac-Tato is an absolute piece of junk. Sometimes it doesn't even turn on the amp... you need to shut the truck off and turn it back on again for the jbl to turn on. PAC's support is useless.
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adamderry
New member
So given the feedback from this thread, I've chosen to go with the Metra 70-8117 harness to bypass the factory JBL amp. It's about 20 feet long and plugs into the truck's harness instead of the amp, then runs the speaker wires back to headunit so that the headunit itself powers the speakers. I'm using a Pioneer AVH-X4600BT headunit (when it arrives), as well as a Rockford Fostgate 201S to power a MB Quart shallow 8" subwoofer that will be installed in the factory box. I'm also going to determine the volume of the OEM box so that I can ensure that it is the correct volume for my sub. I plan on posting everything that I do so that it can add to our collective knowledge.
Don't forget about the steering wheel controls. The PAC SWI works flawlessly and what I did like was the SWI plugs into the AMP interface with no splicing. The whole install only required three wires to be spliced into the new head unit, the factory harness even with the steering wheel control interface installed is still unmolested. That is why I want to get this worked out.
seeking3rdgen
New member
I had this same problem with the volume fluctuating up and down. I had a PAC TATO, set it up 3 different ways, and was never happy with it. I had nothing but problems with that thing. I ended up pulling the TATO and installing a 4ch amp, new speakers, new wire.
seeking3rdgen
New member
This quietness is another common problem with the TATO. The TATO prefers 4V preouts. If your deck has 2V preouts (most Pioneer and Alpine, I think), it's going to be extra quiet. Even with my 4V preouts (Kenwood deck), I was disappointed with the output.
I know it's expensive, but I'm very happy with my decision to add a 4ch amp and totally bypass/gut the JBL.
noshortcuts
New member
scrap PAC and go with Metra
Hello, I don't remember why exactly but on my install I scrapped the PAC TATO and used Metra TYTO-01 instead. That may very well be the cure! It sucks paying twice, but the Metra works flawlessly (given connections are correct and HU amp is not powered and gains are set properly). I also used Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface and Metra 70-8114 Steering Wheel Control Wire Harness.
I hope this helps somebody! - sucks going for better sound and getting worse!
Hello, I don't remember why exactly but on my install I scrapped the PAC TATO and used Metra TYTO-01 instead. That may very well be the cure! It sucks paying twice, but the Metra works flawlessly (given connections are correct and HU amp is not powered and gains are set properly). I also used Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface and Metra 70-8114 Steering Wheel Control Wire Harness.
I hope this helps somebody! - sucks going for better sound and getting worse!
noshortcuts
New member
It's been 1.5yrs so not sure exactly but both PAC and Metra are two versions of the same thing so the Metra shouldn't be much more involved for an install. I'll look and see if I took any pictures...
OK, I'm obviously not very detail oriented. I just looked at the box and I have an Axxess International TYTO-01 - I did order it in 7/2012. I thought Metra==Axxess. Anyway, I'm having the exact same problems as stated above for the PAC TATO users. I wouldn't be surprised if the guts were the same.
My Pioneer is a 4V pre-out. The fact that we're both having the same problems makes me think that it isn't the issue. Perhaps one of the professionals on here can chime in.
This is why I hate PAC's support. They tell this to everyone. I had a 2v pre out deck and they told me my problem was that I needed a 4v pre-out deck (which is BS). Now with a 4v pre-out Pioneer, it sounds the exact same as my previous 2v pre-out deck using the PAC audio tato.
Again, the problem is that the tato cannot control the gain of the jbl amp. It's set to half and defaults to half. So 2v or 4v doesn't matter. You turn up the volume on the deck and it only gets to a certain input level before it starts to over-drive the input of the jbl and make the audio sound distorted. The jbl is capable of much more audio, but because it uses data to control it and the tato can't send those signals, then you're stuck with the amp being at half volume.
The best thing to do is bypass the jbl and splice the speaker outputs of the head unit directly to the speakers so that the amp inside your head unit is what's driving your speakers. You'll lose the sub though.
noshortcuts
New member
No need to bypass the JBL or loose the sub if you have a way to turn off the Head Unit amplification. On my Pioneer head unit the amp turns off in the initial set-up menu which is not the regular menu of settings so is not intuitive to find if it's not done during the initial set up. At least with the Metra connections, this works. My JBL amp and speakers sound wonderful with this set up and go as loud as I could want without distortion. This is true primarily because 1) the Head Unit is not interfering as the amp is turned off 2) the Sub was replaced with JL Audio and it's own amp which makes better bass by far and also frees up JBL amp power to run the other speakers.
In my case I ended up cutting the PAC Tato out and just using the connectors from it. Bypassed the JBL and went right to the speakers. Sounds much better now that the headunit is driving the speakers.
This did it. MAX VOLUME is around 63 or 65. I turned it up to 50 and unplugged the 3 OEM connectors (with the key still in ACC mode). Worked perfectly and now it sounds like I expected it to from the beginning. Thanks!
Crap, my setup has reverted back to sounding like garbage. That, coupled with the fact that every 10 startups or so the amp fails to turn on, means I'm going to have to spend more time & money than I wanted to. Amps speakers & wiring is all work I didn't want to have to do to this car, but really I have to if I want the HU to sound remotely like it should.
