Land Rover Discovery 3 and range Rover Sport sound upgrade

The Range Rover Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport often have the Harman Kardon sound system and this poses issues when wanting to upgrade the stereo for a more modern unit.

How to tell if you have Harman Kardon or Harman Kardon Logic 7 ?

If there is no logo on the tweeter grilles at the top of the front doors or on the front door speaker grilles, you do not need to read further as you have the standard sound system. Please be aware that on occasion these grilles can be retrofitted by the previous owner to give the impression the sound system has been upgraded. If in doubt look under driver’s seat (RHD) or passenger seat (LHD) for the amplifier.

The Harman Kardon option can easily be spotted by looking at the tweeter grilles at the top of the front doors. If they have the logo then the fibre optic amplifier is fitted. The logic 7 version would normally have a Logic 7 logo on front door speaker grilles.

There are 2 versions of the fibre optic amplifier:

• Harman Kardon
• Harman Kardon Logic 7

It is important to know which one you have, as the amplifier wiring is different.

Do you have the factory navigation unit ?

Another option to consider is if you have the Range Rover factory navigation fitted. The SatNav display also shows vehicle options and  settings. When replacing the stereo the navigation screen is not compatible with the new stereo. We do, however, have a kit that will allow you to retain this screen’s functions: JCKFK-853-6 (Logic 7) or JCKFK-853-3 (Harman Kardon only). Installation requires that you disassemble the Range Rover stereo and embed this unit in the dash and use the fibre optic & cable extensions provided in the kit.

Please note that SatNav audio is not restored, though the factory navigation will still display and obviously you will get access to the vehicle settings menu.

What is needed

There are a couple of ways of installing the replacement stereo:

• Amplifier bypass – this wiring removes the original Range Rover amplifier from the sound system. Music will be through the front and rear door speakers only. The subwoofer in the boot lid would need an extra amplifier to retain this option.
• Fibre optic interface for audio amplifier – this will retain the existing amplifier and output through all speakers (inc subwoofer). You will not be able to use “fade” from front to rear as the interface does not support this feature.

Please see this link for installation details: Installation kit JCKFK853-3 & JCKFK853-6