I'm looking into replacing my factory radio and speakers this weekend, and I need some advice. The three names I keep hearing about for CD Car Stereos are Alpine, Pioneer, and Sony. Since I am a college student, I want to maximize power and minimize cost. I'm looking for something under $170. Any suggestions?...How about for amps and speakers? If I only get a CD Car Stereo minus an amp, can I use my factory speakers temporarily? Thanks ------------------
All of this depends on the car and stereo. Yes, you can run a new head unit through your factory speakers. Go to www.crutchfield.com and you can find out about sizing of your speakers and factory din(s) for your head unit. Crutchfield magazine had sizing charts, but I'm not sure if their website does, though. I have an Alpine 12-disc CD changer in my car. I love it. I've never used any of their head units, though. I haven't kept up with car stereo equipment like I used to, but Sony's low-end always used to be overpriced (just like just about Sony anything). Pioneer has always been known to make good lower-end speakers especially subs if you're on a budget, but again, I've never had experience with their head units. Your best bet may be to go to a Usenet newsgroup called rec.audio.car. There are some very knowledgable guys in that newsgroup that are into competitions and crank contests. As a sidenote... Dan Kreft used to visit that newsgroup and act a complete ass as well as offer good audio advice at times... who is Dan Kreft? And you call yourself a Rockets fan... ------------------ "So you say you want some intelligent responses? I say give me something intelligent to respond to." -- Dimwits beware, B-Ball freak tells it like it is. Sing it bro! [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 10, 2001).]
Oh, and I'd also stop by some local places in-town to ask about what options are available for you. Compare what they all have to say then, listen, then make your choice. [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 10, 2001).]
I have an Alpine head unit, and it is awesome. 60-watt, 4 channel, RCAs for highs, medium-range, and subs, and a million other bell and whistles, including a remote control. It was very expensive...like over $400 expensive (it was my college graduation gift). Sony makes good stuff, but not top of the line, and I think its a bit over-priced. Pioneer is great for a budget system. I think Wal-Mart sells Pioneer semi-close to the price range you mentioned. It would be helpful if you told us what you drove so that we would know what factory speakers you had. Factory car audio has improved SO much in the last 5 years, so your model and year are important when doing stuff on a budget. ------------------ "I have no regrets except that I wasn't up to keep Randy from getting on that plane." --Ozzy Osbourne on guitarist Randy Rhodes
I'd also think about names like Kenwood and JVC in that price range. I've used Kenwood systems in the past and thought they were pretty good, but they were just "driving" Infinity 6" rear-mounts with no amps driving them. ------------------ "So you say you want some intelligent responses? I say give me something intelligent to respond to." -- Dimwits beware, B-Ball freak tells it like it is. Sing it bro!
I drive a 98 Honda Civic LX. I have an old amp which I can hopefully use. I wish I could remember the name of it, but its in Houston. My friend had an Alpine head unit installed at Circuit City, so that's where I am going to look first. ------------------
I've thought about Kenwood and JVC. I've heard conflicting stuff. I shouldn't count those out until I've heard them. ------------------
Hey Smokey, the first thing you should do is go to that www.crutchfield.com site. Before you settle on a radio see if any of the Sony's, Blaupunkts, Pioneers, Kenwoods, etc. they have fit in your car. You can also go to Best Buy or Circuit City and they can find out what size speakers you have and what the size of your DIN is. That way you'll know what to select from. It'll give you a head start. But as for listening to them, I know Circuit City has a setup where you can hook crossovers, amps, head units, and speakers all together and hear what they sound like. That's the absolute best way to buy. Best Buy may do it, too. Good luck man, and hopefully you'll get some more responses in here. ...remembering back to the days when a good pair of Kickers or JL Audios powered by a SoundStream amp meant more than overclocked 800 MHz T-Birds, DDR Memory, and Nvidia GeForce 3's. Damn, I've become a geek. ------------------ "So you say you want some intelligent responses? I say give me something intelligent to respond to." -- Dimwits beware, B-Ball freak tells it like it is. Sing it bro! [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 10, 2001).]
Clarion also makes some good head units. I have always had good luck with them. ------------------ "I may be mistaken, but I'm never wrong" -Barkley
Your separate tape deck won't work unless you get a really high end head unit that has aux. inputs....and even then it might not work. I'd blow off the idea of using the cassette deck again. DoD is right...crutchfield is a great place to start. They are an exceptional company, and they have everything you need to educate you on making the best decision. If you buy locally, I wouldn't ignore Home Entertainment. They are percieved as expensive, but they treated me right. I've always installed my own, but on my last truck, I decided to let someone else do all the work. I'm very happy with it. ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
get an MP3 car stereo player (if you have a CD burner) also check out http://www.epinions.com they have great feedback on almost everything! including car stereos good luck rH ------------------ Homecourt will always be 'The Summit' to me!! Until we move downtown!! The Psychedelic Groove House of Rockets Basketball Love! "I want a hamburger, no a cheeseburger..." --Spaulding, Caddyshack http://www.carlspackler.com
Thanks guys. I have a Honda tape deck that is separate from my Honda radio. My question is: if I replace the radio, will the tape deck still work since I am only going to by a CD Car Stereo? I just want to get a CD Car Stereo. I'll post a couple of ones that I am looking at later. I just haven't had time to go to a store yet. I have an MD player which I listen to in the car through a cassette adaptor. It would suck if I couldn't use it anymore. ------------------
I've been saving up since I first posted, and I'm looking to purchase the Sony CDXMP450X MP3 car stereo receiver. Anyone have a MP3 car stereo receiver? Any problems? Do I have to burn the MP3's a certain way to play them in the car? Like does the CD have to have all MP3's or can it have other files on it? [This message has been edited by Smokey (edited July 09, 2001).]
Bringing this back to the top as a warning. Do not buy new style Alpine CD receivers! IMO, Alpine is overrated. Great sound but I'm sure I could have spent less and still been impressed. I believe Alpine has a design flaw. It started about two months ago when my brand new CDA 7873 started to turn off and back on periodically while driving. Sometimes it wouldn't even turn back on. I would have to remove/reattach the face to get it to work. Other times pressing a "wrong" button would shut it off. I finally took it in to Circuit City service yesterday. I wonder how many days it will take them to replace it. The guy who looked at it said my faceplate is loose. Geez I wonder how they are gonna fix that... To insert/remove a CD, the face comes out on a tray. Bad idea. I think this loosened my face plate. So here I wait...I needed to vent.
