Stock HU with steering audio controls needs upgrade

[colo]

I bought a new SUV, which has a Nippon/ Kenwood head unit, also having steering audio controls. Unfortunately, the unit is under powered, and has no line out, so I cannot even fit an amplifier, nor can I fit a new head unit without disabling the steering audio controls.

What can I do?

The steering audio controls are RF-based.

Thanks

Mahindra Scorpio VLX (India)

[tsmith1315]

There should be plenty of amplifiers out there that will accept balanced speaker-level signals either through a low-Z input or in some cases through the preamp-level input with adjustment for gain.

Another option is to add a preamp output to the stock unit. Results may or may not be satisfactory, and you'd have to do a bit of research and some careful soldering at the least.