Topic: Car Stereos ?

[kindms]

Recently I have been thinking about upgrading the stock head unit in my tuscon. Not being much of a car audio guy etc does anyone have some recommendations ?

I want to ditch my CDs in the car so ideally it would have a USB interface and / or iphone / ipod connectors. I guess sat radio might be nice but I don't currently have an account etc.

Seems pretty simple but just not sure where to start.

Any brands to avoid like the plague ?

[kcmule]

I'd start with Crutchfield.  Determine what will fit in the vechile first, then narrow it down to which ones to avoid.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I'd start with Crutchfield. 

I've been a big fan of Alpine for years...  I'm not a fan of Kenwood... 

That being said, we had a JVC installed in our van last year and its fine for the wife and her iPod...

Terry

[ashevillain]

I've got a Kenwood that sounds incredible (paired with 4 JL Audio 6.5 coaxes) http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KDCX496/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X496.html?tp=5684

I've only ever used a USB thumb drive with it (very clunky interface) and CD's. (it will play CD's full of MP3's as well).

It has a one USB slot which can be used with a thumb drive or an iPod. I don't have an iPod so I can't comment on that functionality. Apparently it can control your iPod/iPhone and also has Sirius/XM and Pandora capabilities. I bought it not for any of this stuff but because when I auditioned it locally with the JL Audio 6.5's I was blown away by the sound. I thought it beat pretty much every head unit out there with it's stock amps. If you are going to upgrade also to include external amps then this won't matter to you.

Definitely recommend Crutchfield if they carry what you are going to be purchasing. I was going to buy this stuff at my local car stereo shop but they were trying to price gouge and would not budge...they wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to get them to price match (or at least come close to Crutchfield's pricing)...So I told them I was going with Crutchfield.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

where to start.

Few thoughts...

1) start with the head-unit...  think about what you want to do with it.  If you want satellite radio, there are built-in options and add-on options.  If you want iPod control, there are options here too.  Some have rear-inputs and some only have front inputs...  I wanted to buy an Alpine that had rear iPod control/input, but it had been discontinued and we got a JVC with front panel AUX instead...
2) if you like loud music, think aoubt getting a simple 4channel amp.  Sony, Alpine and Rockfrod Fosgate all make good amps.  I would avoid MTX and Kicker...  If you want to go this route, you'll need a head-unit with pre-amp outputs...
3) speakers are the easiest and biggest improvement you can make.  The JLs mentioned above are great.  I used to use Infinity's in my car...  Boston Acoustic also makes an excellent line of speakers... 

Fun project:  take your iPOd and a stack of CDs to your local Worst Buy and make the sales kid jump through hoops.  Start by cranking out some super-loud death metal...  That'll make the normally dead-on-arrival sales kids to do their jobs...  Once you get one on the hook, try out all kinds of stuff...  Then leave and order what you want on Crutchfield...

Terry

[ScoobieKW]

I agree, find the head unit with the interface you like and preamp outs.

4 channel amp for FL, FR, RL, and RR speakers and a subwoofer amp.

For the speakers, I'm a fan of the infinity speakers in my car, fronts have separate tweeters.

So basically it's like any other good stereo, separate components, matched for your listening space will beat any all in one solutions.

[DigiGal]

I'd start with Crutchfield.  Determine what will fit in the vechile first, then narrow it down to which ones to avoid.

Take a look at Pioneer, they were always nice in the past I'm not familiar with any current lineups.

[fsulloway]

another vote for Crutchfield but for a reason not mentioned, they'll give you perfect instructions on how to install everything you buy saving you a couple hundred bucks probably. They make it real easy and will even talk you through it on the phone. I haven't paid anyone to install anything in 15+ years.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

another vote for Crutchfield but for a reason not mentioned, they'll give you perfect instructions on how to install everything you buy saving you a couple hundred bucks probably. They make it real easy and will even talk you through it on the phone. I haven't paid anyone to install anything in 15+ years.

Good point...  C-Field will also include all the install kits you need (plastic thingy for the dash, wire harnesses, etc) for free if you order from them (and meet a min. price)...

Terry

[sparkey]

I guess sat radio might be nice

Sat radio kills.  Well worth the $150 a year and I have a portable unit I can dock both in my car and inside the house.

[DigiGal]

I guess sat radio might be nice

Sat radio kills.  Well worth the $150 a year and I have a portable unit I can dock both in my car and inside the house.

^^^ This, I got a free one from the GD offer a while back. 

Added streaming to my subscription pkg. which allows listening through my: computer > DAC > powered monitors definitely a sonic improvement and adds streaming to iOS devices too.

[sparkey]

I guess sat radio might be nice

Sat radio kills.  Well worth the $150 a year and I have a portable unit I can dock both in my car and inside the house.

^^^ This, I got a free one from the GD offer a while back. 

Added streaming to my subscription pkg. which allows listening through my: computer > DAC > powered monitors definitely a sonic improvement and adds streaming to iOS devices too.

Good call, I might have to try that.....

[burris]

Don't get an Alpine.  Maybe they were good back in the day but now they are terrible.  I got an Alpine two years ago that I want to replace, it's awful.  It doesn't read ID3 tags that come up just fine in every other player and when it can't find track number tags it plays in arbitrary order instead of sorted by the file name!  It has problems reading some memory sticks and the screen has so much glare that it is completely unreadable in the day.  The model I got can be time-aligned and EQ'd by plugging a USB cable into your laptop and putting a mic in the seat.  However, the crap software always crashed so I ended up doing it the old fashioned way.  When you bring up the list of radio presets it always starts at #1 instead of highlighting the one you are on, making flipping through your presets tedious and requiring looking at the thing.

Time alignment is a good feature, makes it sound like you're sitting in the center instead of next to one of the speakers.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Don't get an Alpine.  Maybe they were good back in the day but now they are terrible. 

Good to know...  I need to get a new Deck in the car since half the buttons don't really work that well anymore...

Thanks!

Terry

[sparkey]

I registered a state tax ID here in Oregon and now have reseller access to edinw.com, which give me great deals on car stereo equipment.  You might try a google search to find a wholesaler in your area to do the same thing.

[kindms]

Thanks all.

The crutchfeld route is probably what i'll do but there were only a few choices for the "full size" center i have. They had a bunch for the regular form factor.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Thanks all.

The crutchfeld route is probably what i'll do but there were only a few choices for the "full size" center i have. They had a bunch for the regular form factor.

"full size"  Do you mean Double DIN???  Get a normal DIN deck and the adapter plate for it will usually have a pocket underneath for your junk...

Double DIN is the way most cars come now - both of ours Hondas are like this, as was my Mazda and Subaru previously...  For all, I just got a normal stereo and used the plate which gave me that map pocket...  BTW, Crutchfield will give you the adapter plate for free... 



Terry

[fsulloway]

Don't get an Alpine.  Maybe they were good back in the day but now they are terrible.  I got an Alpine two years ago that I want to replace, it's awful.  It doesn't read ID3 tags that come up just fine in every other player and when it can't find track number tags it plays in arbitrary order instead of sorted by the file name!  It has problems reading some memory sticks and the screen has so much glare that it is completely unreadable in the day.  The model I got can be time-aligned and EQ'd by plugging a USB cable into your laptop and putting a mic in the seat.  However, the crap software always crashed so I ended up doing it the old fashioned way.  When you bring up the list of radio presets it always starts at #1 instead of highlighting the one you are on, making flipping through your presets tedious and requiring looking at the thing.

Time alignment is a good feature, makes it sound like you're sitting in the center instead of next to one of the speakers.

It would be helpful to know the particular model you're talking about. I'm a huge fan of Alpine and have never been disappointed by any of their decks.

[kindms]

After a quick chat session with Crutchfled I decided to pull the trigger on a singel DIN sony head unit

reviews were good and it has the features I wanted.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll let you know how the install goes, should be here by the end of the week.

[tim in jersey]

[kindms]

You post that NOW!!!. I just got my wiring done

That would have been pretty awesome back in the day tho

[sparkey]

You post that NOW!!!. I just got my wiring done

That would have been pretty awesome back in the day tho

Heck I could use that right now

[burris]

I have an Alpine IDA-X305, which is horrible and still made by Alpine.  I hope the OP's Sony turns out to be much better!

[kindms]

I have an Alpine IDA-X305, which is horrible and still made by Alpine.  I hope the OP's Sony turns out to be much better!

I'll let you know i n a little while.

I did the wiring of the stereo harness to adapter harness yesterday while sitting at my office desk (nice when the boss is out of the office).

So now I just have to dismantle my dash. I think I am going to tackle that when i get home from work.

[kindms]

Ok so for the short time i have had the new head unit in the car i really like it and have been impressed with the features that sony has etc

The install went pretty well. It was a good thing i did the wiring prior to the install as it save me a lot of time and trouble. The biggest obstacle was getting in to my dash to remove the old stereo. That proved to be a HUGE pain in the ass.

Plugged in a usb flash drive and it fired right up.

Thanks to all for the suggestions etc. I think I would do it again. Having done an install I think the next one would be smoother and i would know a little but better whats involved.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Glad it worked out for you!  Yeah, getting into the dash is always the hardest part...  And I always seemed to have an extra screw or two left over when I was done... 

Terry