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Thread: Car Audio.

  1. #21
    Consultant KillerB's Avatar
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    Yup.

    And no, with a changer, I wouldn't. I had a 6-disc changer in my RX-8... I literally never had more than one CD in it, and I bought it 8 years ago. I basically ripped my entire CD collection and sold it when I moved.

  2. #22
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    I finally broke down and bought my first ever head unit.


    You read that right, first ever purchased head unit.


    JVC kd-80bt.


    The only DMD on the market with 4.8v line outputs.

  3. #23
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    I am sure you'll like it. All the JVCs in this price range share the same electronics and I have had a handful of them. They all work superbly. It's mind blowing that JVC is my #1 go to brand in head units... five years ago I would have scoffed at the idea of buying JVC at all.

  4. #24
    Corvette Enthusiast Kchrpm's Avatar
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    I've still never bought a head unit for a car.
    Get that weak shit off my track

  5. #25
    Spiny beast TheBenior's Avatar
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    I did in my Sentra because the factory one was appalling, and I in no way consider myself an audiophile. I'll be the first to call bullshit on pricey speaker cables. I would've liked something better in my Miata, but I was too worried about soft-top theft damage even though car stereos don't get stolen that often these days (presumably everybody having a factory CD player now limits the market).

    The factory optional Bose in my MS3 is good enough that I don't feel the need to spend $1000 on aftermarket speakers, adapters, and a head unit. It might be a nice if I could crank up some quiet sources a bit louder, and I'd like Bluetooth support, but there's always something else to spend money on. Currently, that would be new shocks.

  6. #26
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    Tsg, I know. I have installed 3 of the 50bt and I just did a complete custom job on a buddies s2000 and used the 80bt. I like its ability and the variable color display. But mostly I like the 4.8v line outputs.

  7. #27
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    After taking a prolonged break from the car audio industry I find myself in the market for a new system. I still have a lot of my old kit knocking around, but I want to go in a different direction than before and if I'm honest a lot of my old kit probably isn't in the best condition any more. Also technology has moved on leaps and bounds since my last install, and this is especially true for the headunits; much has improved since flip out dvd players were the new hotness. However the market looks a lot different than it did when I left. Gone are the days of every manufacturer offering a lot of models, over two or three lines all the way up to four or five hundred quid. Now almost every single din unit is under £250, most are under two hundred. And, almost without exception, they all look utterly shit. What happened to design in car audio?

    The only unit I really want to see in the car is the Pioneer P99RS which looks like this;



    But it's £1000. And no bluetooth, or mod cons of any kind. But it is just lovely.

    I think I've settled on it's younger brother the DEH-80PRS Which sports a few more "everyday" features, like bluetooth streaming and headset modes and forgoes some of the uber SQ/equaliser features that if I'm honest I wont need. It's not as pretty though...



    However I think it looks far better than the fanfare of flashing lights and button-a-paloozas that make up it's current competition. No front USB despite me signing it's praises earlier in the thread, I'll route it to the centre console golvebox. Also no DAB radio tuner which I really wanted but the only unit I liked with DAB is the new Pioneer (are we seeing a pattern here?) AVIC-F60DAB which is £1000 for navigation that I don't need (phone has it for free) and is a double din unit which, while it can be made to fit, is much more hassle than it's worth. I suppose streamed spotify will have to suffice. Not bought it yet just in case something better presents itself, also no one is doing a decent price on it currently.

    Amplifiers are where it gets a little interesting. I had originally planed to use my, now ancient, Kenwood PS500F to power fronts and subs but it's just so big and heavy. The car may see track time and where I can save weight I am. I managed to source some old stock of Pioneer PRS-D800 amplifiers in the states. Very small, very light, great sound, absolutely perfect for what I want. I have two so far, one for the front components and one for the subs. I'm toying with the idea of picking up one more and going fully active as the DEH-80PRS contains a stupendously good active crossover setup within it. It seems like overkill for two tweeters though.

    I was originally intending to use my old Focal Utopia 165W set for front speakers but after inspecting them a few months ago the voice coil in one of the woofers was a little scratchy. I tried to source a replacement woofer but couldn't find one that was economically viable, a great shame but they had a good innings and I got them at a huge discount back in 2001 so I've had my moneys worth. Those who know me will realise there was then no other option but more Focals for the front speakers. Today I bought a set of Focal 165KRX2 component speakers. They are a thing of beauty. Vastly cheaper here than in the states which is very unusual.

    Sub duties were again going to be handled by legacy equipment in the form of my trusty DLS MW12. Weight and the size of the enclosure ruled it out for the new build, and also I really don't need the low rumble of a twelve. just something to fill the bottom end in. After a great demo at the place that sold me the Focals I've decided on a JL Audio 6W3V3. Or rather two of them. They need less than four litres of enclosure each which opens up many possibilities for placement, maybe at the front of the car if I can get creative with the centre console. The one small problem is that I really want to get two 8 Ohm models rather than the 4 Ohm models. That way I can run them in parallel bridged on one PRS-D800 for around 150 watts each. With the 4 Ohm model I'll have to hook one up to each channel for around 125 watts each. I'm not sure I'll need the power but the extra headroom would be nice. Obviously the 8 Ohm model is discontinued so some more legwork is required there. As usual much cheaper in the states than over here.

    It's been a fun journey over the last few weeks researching all this and finding the parts. Obviously that is the easy bit. Installation is the real meat of car audio and though it's been a while I'm looking forward to it.

  8. #28
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    It all sounds sweet, dude. That first Pioneer looks awesome but is obviously for h4RdC0r3!111!11! SQ enthusiasts. It's a pity they don't just make one with the features of the second and charge 20% more for it. That awesome clean look is but one of the reasons I love the McIntosh (Clarion) in the Legacy. Well, that and the great sound.

    The BRZ went into the audio shop so that I could get the stock (and now useless) Toyota USB/AUX-IN port bit changed to a double USB port. One of them now interfaces with and charges the ipod, which is fine. Although that means it is no longer hidden away in the glove compartment, that hardly matters as here no-one is going to break into a car to steal an ipod classic. The other one charges my phone, as mounted to the vents with a Kenu Airframe. They very kindly routed another USB power cable and the old AUX-IN to the steering column, just on top of where the keyhole would be, and 3M stickered my Avantree bluetooth receiver there. Now I can reset it if and when required and it doesn't randomly drop out unlike when it was h4xx0r3d up to the ipod/aux-in in the glove compartment. Best of all is that I can now swap between both sources at will without fumbling around in the glove compartment. WIN

  9. #29
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    Did you look at the current Blaupunkt line? They have some very clean looking stereos.


  10. #30
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    I did have a quick peek at their stuff. While they do look very nice the specs aren't that great, I feel that if you squeezed the best features from their whole range into the Toronto (pictured above), added some hi level preouts bundled a separate mic for bluetooth, and had some kind of active filters you'd have an amazing unit. Also their build quality used to be absolutely shocking, despite the whole German engineering thing, and that kind of put me off. I realise they could be made out of unobtainium now for all I know but all the time a Pioneer does what I want while looking good I'm not willing to risk it.

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