Advise me me me me me: CD head unit

[bowlcut]

Whats considered good these days? I want something with an aux in of some sort since all i really do is listen to podcasts on my mp3 player. dont have an ipod, but once i get a mac of my own i plan on getting one probably. this is for my 98 altima. thought about building a carputer sorta... but if i dont, what would everyone say for a head unit? alpine still good stuff? pioneer premier? what

[Brent_F]

Mine is a pioneer premier unit with Mp3 capability; I didn't really think much of this feature until I got this unit and I have to say that I love it. My only complaint is that it takes the unit noticeable time to read and start playing.

I've had low end kenwood units exclusively in the past and they've always treated me well too.

As for the auxiliaries you have to look around to find what you want every company seems to offer something different these days the two options that make the most sense to me (For the record I'm an Apple hater that carries a USB flash mp3 player constantly) is either having a head unit with a USB port in the front or some kind of hookup for a 2.5mm head phone jack; I've seen both ...but they're rather rare at this point still.

[bowlcut]

hmmm which is odd cause I hear nothing but good things out of the Premier line of decks. I do like Alpine, never dealt with Eclipse. I have had Kenwood in the past and wouldnt buy another. I did like JVC but only for a few small reasons.

I to hate the Ipod....i refuse. well until i buy a mac. once i have it Ill think about buying one because its so easy to intergrate. i have an old iriver i use now and i LOVE it.

I know alpine you can get an aux in in place of the cd changer if i remember right. same with most. i can hack together something for the stock deck now, but its got a blown channel on the amp anyway. so its time to replace i guess :( i hate having double din size...cause means a crappy cubby hole crap below. maybe a 7" touch screen carputer would be better :D

[The Rascal King]

FWIW, I've been very pleased with my Pioneer units for a long time, including my current Premier DEHP-880PRS.

In my experience, car audio seems to be a very polarizing arena. For some reason, people tend to bad-mouth brands they either haven't used or had a bad experience with - or more commonly, heard about someone who had a bad experience with. :2cents:

Anyway, ditto on the double-DIN. I'm still looking for a good option to fill the void left by my DEQ-7600. I'm really liking the http://www.scangauge.com/ idea, but I don't think I could get that by my wife...

[The Rascal King]

I sold car audio for a living, including Pioneer (only had one Premier deck back then) from 1994-1997. I thought it sucked then due to auditions, returns percentage, amplifier output.

heh...me too. Well, my roommate sold and I installed it. We had great results with Pioneer, and he now works for them as a product rep.
:shrug:
I certainly wasn't dismissing your opinion, just stating my observation. I've been just about kicked out of stereo shops when they heard I had a pioneer deck in my truck, and I've known shops that flat would not install anything else. It's wierd how the people who have good experience with a brand seem to continue to have good experience with it, and vice versa. We used to refer to Eclipse as "Eskips" because we couldn't get them to play CDs without skipping. I've seen 2 year old Kenwoods that wouldn't play a brand new CD right out of the package, but I had a friend who swore by his 5 year old unit. I kinda came to the conclusion that they all make good ones and they all make lemons, so my advice is the same as yours: Listen to a bunch of them, pick the one that sounds good to you and feels natural to operate, and enjoy it!

[Whatawookie]

Be sure to hook up an external amp, although some of the higher end Panasonics have good included amps (in a seperate module, some are even Class D). The Altima had a pretty good amp on its factory stereo, so most stuff will sound worse with a built in amp. I particularly notice my old Sony clips, when you demand any bass out of it.

I put a Pioneer in my sister's '00 Altima, and it sounds OK. I'm not thrilled with their controls, but their ergonomics aren't quite as bad as Kenwoods. I had to replace all the speakers in her car, and I really need to add an amp to drive its rear speakers, since I just put 6.75" subs in the rear deck. The OEM drivers in the SE were made by Onkyo and are pretty nice, if they are still functional. I would have kept them, were they not blown in hers.

For the second opening in the dash, the 89-94 Maximas had a nice slide slide out drawer/cupholder that you can use. I put one in my 240SX, and it's quite handy. The 00-01 Altima GXE also had a not bad looking container with a door covering it. I used this on my sisters, and ran the MP3 input through the back of it, so the player can sit in the container.

[Snake_Chaser]

Personally I like the Pioneer DEH-####MP models hooked to an Autotek Amp....but had you been huning speakers I would have said Boston Acoustics Ive lways had great sound out of em.

[Bob-E]

+1 for Alpine. I'm biased as an owner of one though.

[Rokshumani]

I have also sold most of the major brands mentioned here and I personally have a Pioneer Premier unit....if you go Pioneer make sure you get the Premier lineup especially if you are going to put an amp on it as it has a higher Prevolt output and better crossovers.
I have also owned Alpine and Eclipse and had great luck with them as well but I have gotten really used to the Pioneer interface and really like it and it sounds great.

[AaroNX]

Kevin, let me know if you come down here soon. I can show you some stuff if you'd like.

[bowlcut]

I may swing in soon Aaron, got some deals going down and may be in the Columbia region again, maybe next weekend.

[AaroNX]

That's cool just let me know.

[HemiRam]

Kraco FTW

[bowlcut]

i have a little door'd cubby thing from an older maxima. id like to see the bracketry for a 00-01 altima and its cubby. i dont plan on using a crappy install kit i hate most of them. but id like a door'd cubby thats for sure. if i got an alpine with the nice ipod intergration that they have id probably throw an ipod in that spot.

i used to like the older kenwood stuff but not the newer. ive never been a big sony fan. ive had old clarion pro audio but heard the newer isnt as nice. alpine ive heard its hit or miss with certain models. jvc still kinda sucks. eclipse ive never ever touched. premier ive only briefly had experience with. so im thinking alpine or premier. one thing is, i want a black face, hard to find a black head unit a year or two ago dont know if thats changed yet or not. i hate gaudy faces.

right now whats in the car for speakers is what the previous owner had in it. clarion rear coaxial's and fosgate componets up front. i was amazed to see upgraded speakers the first time i went looking in there. but they are not stock thats for sure. ive thought about a small amp or two, one for the componets and maybe a small sub. this might be the time to consider this transaction.

i do have a set of old "bass shakers" i could install :D ... seriously i do have a set that calum bought back in college to play with. So who knows... maybe its a full rework time. Can i use your garage seth :) and your expertise? i used to do custom installs back in high school....so its not like im a noob. i just need a place to work :D. j/k...kinda

[Gargamel]

Buy my CD player. I thought I had it sold, but the buyer backed out.
http://www.tennesspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=37375


As for the double din. I had used a flip pocket from a Subaru Forester. It was much better than the crappy din pockets that came with those cheap install kits. The plastic is a bit off, but if you apply some interior dressing it is barely noticeable.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/Roadrunnerford/pocket.jpg

[bowlcut]

is that the head unit you are running seth?

but dude im interested...may be end of week or next before i move on anything. getting some cash in hand, and planning what i want to do.

and might take an amp, saw them laying around there saturday :D. i think eric even has a sub or two he wants to get rid of i might consider. ...hmmm bumpin' on the cheap maybe :D

[Gargamel]

That's the HU I have. Sounds like a really good deal since it includes the cable. Gargamel, how long was it installed in your car?

I only had it in for about a month. Great sounding HU, but the reasons I gave in my FS post state why I went with something else. I still have the warranty card with all the documentation (no box however).

[eric96ser]

i have a little door'd cubby thing from an older maxima. id like to see the bracketry for a 00-01 altima and its cubby. i dont plan on using a crappy install kit i hate most of them. but id like a door'd cubby thats for sure. if i got an alpine with the nice ipod intergration that they have id probably throw an ipod in that spot.

i used to like the older kenwood stuff but not the newer. ive never been a big sony fan. ive had old clarion pro audio but heard the newer isnt as nice. alpine ive heard its hit or miss with certain models. jvc still kinda sucks. eclipse ive never ever touched. premier ive only briefly had experience with. so im thinking alpine or premier. one thing is, i want a black face, hard to find a black head unit a year or two ago dont know if thats changed yet or not. i hate gaudy faces.

right now whats in the car for speakers is what the previous owner had in it. clarion rear coaxial's and fosgate componets up front. i was amazed to see upgraded speakers the first time i went looking in there. but they are not stock thats for sure. ive thought about a small amp or two, one for the componets and maybe a small sub. this might be the time to consider this transaction.

i do have a set of old "bass shakers" i could install :D ... seriously i do have a set that calum bought back in college to play with. So who knows... maybe its a full rework time. Can i use your garage seth :) and your expertise? i used to do custom installs back in high school....so its not like im a noob. i just need a place to work :D. j/k...kinda


Do you have the double DIN stock radio? The brackets for the '00 Altima, will be the same as what you have now. I'm pretty sure I have a DIN pocket that will work. I can help you install the radio if you need it. I've taken an Altima apart before. :) I don't have any subs left. The only thing I have left is an older Soundstream amp, but I'm not selling it.

[Whatawookie]

Yes, the brackets are all the same. The 00-01 GXE's were just the only ones of the 98-01 Altimas that came with a factory single DIN stereo, so they came with the pocket with the spring-loaded door on the front.

It's very easy to replace the stereo. Remove the ashtray, snap off the plastic around the shifter, unscrew 4 screws, and snap off the center trim. Then remove the 4 screws that hold the stereo in (good to have a magnetic screwdriver for this, especially when replacing them). The only thing that took me any time at all was soldering the wiring harness together.

Definitely go with an amp for those speakers. Nothing is going to drive the components well with built in power. You might just remove the rear speakers, if you are adding subs. It will improve your soundstage.

[llaprad1]

Back from the dead....I just bought this HU brand new, it has aux-ins:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-S4CcKEPZauw/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?I=113ez500&search=ez500
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2004/113/h113EZ500-fp.jpg
It was between that and and old 04 Clarion DXZ845MC. I like 'late model' electronics.

I'll let you know how its working for me...

[llaprad1]

Oh, and what we were talking about recently...I've decided to do a Mac Mini Carputer when I get rid of the Legacy.

[llaprad1]

Ha! you Alpine people...

[5liter]

CDs are a thing of the past. Here is my new deck. Alpine IDA-X001
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e299/5liter/DSC00956.jpg

[llaprad1]

I've seen that one, and I'd love it if that album cover weren't so tiny..

I plan on using the aux ins on the Kenwood to port in my ipod.

Hows the interface?

[5liter]

I've seen that one, and I'd love it if that album cover weren't so tiny..

I plan on using the aux ins on the Kenwood to port in my ipod.

Hows the interface?

I like the fact that the radio controls work the iPod. The only thing I wish it would do is play my videos and movies on the screen. Not a necessity just a novelty. The main reason I bought it is because I have every song I own right there. :cool:

[5liter]

This pic cracks me up. State of the art HU in a car thats almost 18 years old. :D

Old school muscle meets new school t00ns.


I don't like using my iPod interface because the sound quality of the CD player is so much better.

I will take my "old" car over anything on the lot today. Kinda like a later model resto-mod. Cold air, tight suspension, big brakes, 500 RWHP, state of the art system. :D

BTW I have Sirius, HD radio, and bluetooth.:up: