New car stereo advice...

Status
Not open for further replies.
UPDATE:

Ok, after some (actually, a lot) of online research, i found the following 2 cd receivers to be looking the most decent (my dash lighting is green, and these have green only (alpine) and green/blue display), they have the largest black area, and the smallest display, and are the most "normal" looking i could find:

The Alpine ($99)
This has 16x4 watts RMS, and is very well reputed for the sound quality (reviews), which is important to me, but it looks a bit curvier than the Pioneer, and not SO serious.

The Pioneer (also $99)
This one has more power, MOSFET amp, 22x4 watts, and looks better and more serious than the Alpine, however, I didn't any great reviews about the sound quality- (nothing bad, either, though.)

The FM sensitivity is similar for both in spec's

...although I like the Alpine less from looks, the great reviews about the FM and CD sound nag at me...(oh, and it's $30 cheaper than MSRP, the pioneer is only $1 cheaper)

I feel rushed, Crutchfield's free ship deal ends tomorrow.

What do you guys think? would be great if you can look at the links for a few min's and let me know.

Thanks so much for your time.
 
Bump...to get some feedbakc on these 2...
smile.gif
 
based on the pics, which may not really be worth that much, the alpine unit looks like it will look cleaner when installed, compared to the pioneer. Remember, you can ruin the look of your car's interior by having the wrong selection of stereo. The pioneer looks like it will stick far out, which will look dumb and sometimes can be annoying, depending on where there are controls and / or cubbyholes.

IMO, you should try to go out to a best buy, circuit city, etc, and find the two units. Often, the controls on one will be MUCH more straightforward than another... youll be fiddling, and one youll be able to control and do everything without having ever used it before, where another you might get stuck doing something simple as swapping from AM to FM.

Give them a real life look and try.

JMH
 
Thanks...why did you think the Pioneer would stick out? is the fron curving outward or are those just curvy sides, I wonder...i do like the square frame of the Alpine, but those buttons are kind of weird...but it may look better when installed...

dang..this is a hard decision!
 
I'd just go with whatever looks better to you, and which has the features and controls you want. The sound quality of either unit is likely to be very similar if not identical, at least as far as CD playing is concerned. AM/FM tuner performance might be a different between the two, but unless you regularly listen to weak "fringe" signal stations, you may not care.

The Pioneer looks like it has curvy sides/buttons, if you look closely you can see that the trim ring is curved on the inside to match.

I like the looks of the Pioneer better than the Alpine, myself.
 
I had an alpine, similar to the style you show. it had teh v-chip 27 watt amp in it, etc. everything about it was nice except the tuner. weak as all get out. Go with the pioneer...
 
hmmm...thanks guys. this is interesting. i chatted online with the crutchfield "experts" and they tell me that the CD signal-to-noise ratio of the Alpine is 105db and the pioneer is 96db, and therefore the Alpine sounds much better...i wonder if my human ears could sense that (i AM picky about audio quality)...

I really can't get over the aluminum and the huge buttons of the Alpine...my dash is all matt black...the pioneer would look better...i think.

I also see a Clarion which is very nice looking (minimal bling)...stuill trying to decide
 
I like Pioneer. The button setup is clean and I am still using the Pioneer DEH-2000 headunit that I bought in 1998. It is now in its 3rd car and still works as good as new. I guess I am biased but Pioneer has never given me a reason to switch to another brand.
 
I think just about any stereo ought to last 8 years. The Kenwoods with the motorized flip-face often didn't, but the ones that have a normal face generally last a long time. A few years ago I bought a Kenwood off Ebay for $45 that was made in 1997 and fine till I decided I wanted Sirius but without the FM modulation..so I gave it to a friend of mine to put in the minivan he just bought and he still uses it to this day.
 
Eclipse is supposed to have even better sound quality than Alpine.

I have a Clarion in my beater. I never really have thought the sound quality was all that good, and it seems pretty weak in the power department. I had the Clarion in my weekend driver, but I yanked it and put in an Alpine that was about the same price. It sounds awesome, and it's plenty powerful. The Alpine and the CLarion had about the same specs all around, but there's no contest at all between them.
 
Sometimes I wonder if speaker phasing issues are to blame for differences in sound quality. I use a test tone CD and a multimeter to make sure that the speakers are in phase. This also allows me to verify that the frequency response of the headunit is indeed flat.
 
i wouldn't blame head units entirely. in older vehicles, the speakers usually need replaced. how well do you think they hold up after a couple years of heating/cooling cycles. so you replace the head unit, but the speakers dont sound any better even though the new head unit has a better s/n ratio.
 
me neither,
i thought of that, too but then thought the "expert" knew more than me..perhaps not.
it's weird: i checked manufacturer websites, and several of them list S/N ratios well above 96db...

JVC is the only one which offers 2 yr warranty it seems..there are some good models which offer great features, the only thing is the way they look...perhaps I shouldn't worry too much about a bit of red on it ...and one of them has a DIMMER function, which is nice.
This is one of them:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7FrW2rKpX0i/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?search=KD-G110&i=257KDG110

Here's the other, with the dimmer, and remote; this one I can get for $84:
(not at crutch):
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7FrW2rKpX0i/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?I=257kdar260&search=KDAR260
seems like a good value to me, and that one actually has a darker look, although a BIT of teen-looking button-stuff is there...
 
seriously consider forgetting all the worries of matching colors, fitting harnesses and soldering them, etc., and think about a JVC external changer... You like the sound of your system right now, you like the tuner capability, keep it all, and just add what capacity you want externally - youll actually add 12x capability, instead of just 1x!

JMH
 
don't I have to have Cd controls in the factory unit to get one of those?(mine is just FM/tape) or am I not understanding this ?

please explain?
 
OK, thanks.
I'm looking at several on internet now...cheapest i can find is about $145...hmmm. I wonder how the sound quality is using one of those..will research some more.
 
Like I said, in my 83 MB 300D, I didi some experimenting, and found that using a good CD changer with FM modulation (the only stereo interface is the plug for the antenna going through the CD control box), the sound quality was as good as when I wired up a new eclipse CD player. Speaker layout is far more important in a car stereo than last decimal place performance in any variety of metrics... There are far toomany outside sounds to interfere.

Since youre happy with your current head unit and sound, why mess with it, just add on externally and have the ability to hold 12 CDs instead of just 1.

The controls are just a small wired remote, maybe 2.5x1.5x0.5", that can be mounted nearly anywhere out of sight, and then a wireless remote if you desire.

I have a JVC in the MB and love it. Its nice to have 12 cd capacity yet the original OEM 1983 look in the dash.

JMH
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

shortyb
Took a 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo for a spin (almost)
Replies
16
Views
2K
Number_35
B
Figuring out speakers/audio for an old car with a low tech radio
Replies
18
Views
1K
DriveHard
JHZR2
Old car stereo concept advice?
2
Replies
33
Views
3K
JHZR2
M
1 Week Review - 2025 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid Limited
4 5 6
Replies
101
Views
36K
buster
john_pifer
Elantra N ... new purchase
2 3
Replies
48
Views
5K
dwcopple
Back
Top Bottom