Buying a new Car Stereo - need advice!

[misle]

I got a new car, 1996 Lumina (okay, it's new to me). Anyway, I need a new stereo in it. The factory one is very crappy.

So this is what I need:
CD/MP3 Player (that doesn't skip badly)
Under $300, actually I would greatly prefer under $250.

I hope you guys can point me in the right direction with a new stereo!

Thanks for any help, suggestions, advice, etc.!

 

[Migroo]

Crutchfield.com has the goods

 

[RLNKID]

I would look at the newer Kenwood or Aiwa MP3 CD Players.. Aiwa has a neato motorized faced CD/MP3 player for under $200 w/remote and Kenwood has a new MP3 player with the spring loaded flip face for around $250-$300..

Link to Aiwa CD/MP3 Player

Link to Kenwood CD/MP3 Player



as far as speakers.. a new CD player an amp and some big ole 12's and 15's don't cut it.. nothing sounds worse than a song being played and all you can hear is the bass.. if you decide to get a new speaker setup first start with replacing the factory speakers with something that sounds good but is affordable.. the Sony Xplod series sound very good for the price... and also if you decide to get some subs get a set that will respond good to all the music you listen to.. usually 10's are the good all around sub and don't get an amp that will cause the rest of your set up to be covered in bass..

but like I said before try to pair your new head unit with atleast some aftermarket speakers and throw out the factory sound..

 

[Imdmn04]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT get any SONY or AIWA brand car stereo equipment.

 

[misle]

Thanks for the tips. I plan on getting some better speakers with the new head-unit.

I read some reviews of one of the new Aiwa MP3 players. Most of them complain about skipping problems. I do like how they look and they are priced right, but skipping is very annoying.

All the Kenwoods I looked at were pretty pricey. I did see a JVC KD-SX980 that looked pretty decent.

Thanks again.

 

[MorphineChild]

I recommend getting the JVC SH99 or something like that. It is probably the best one you can get for the price. If you want the absolute best get an Alpine, they have the quickest loading time! Kenwoods are also pretty nice. I have heard the pioneer ones take forever to load.

 

[misle]

Originally posted by: MorphineChild
I recommend getting the JVC SH99 or something like that.

Thanks for the tip, but the JVC SH909 is $350 at Crutchfield, which is out of my budget. It does look quite nice though. Can anyone recommend a Kenwood that I should try?

 

[gigapet]

I have had the SONY xplode mp3 player for nearly a year and have had zero problems with it. So I would def recommend that , affordable and functional

 

[RLNKID]

I have had two Aiwas and they do tend to skip more than others but if you have the money the Blaupunkts are #1 in my book.. I've had the same Key West Blau since I was 18 and it has plenty of power and has never let me down and barely ever skips..

Sony Xplod units are crap but the Xplod series speaker are pretty sweet you get alotta bang for the buck.

 

[scauffiel]

I just got a Jensen MP3510 unit and so far I love it. The only complaint I have is it can be hard to read in bright light. Cost $170 at Best Buy.

S.

 

[Ns1]

wtf is wrong with you people?

j/k


for 250 get a pioneer

here u go

 

[Thegonagle]

You can get a Panasonic CQ-DP171U MP3 player for under $200 shipped from Ebay.

Ebay link.

It ain't pretty, but it's simple. Panasonic didn't waste money on pretty lights, or even very many features (ID3 tag reading, display of file names longer than 30 characters). It more of a "you wanted an MP3 player, you got an MP3 player" kind of MP3 player. From what I can gather from online reviews, it has decent playback, doesn't skip much, and sounds good. I'd expect it to be more reliable than the lowest JVC MP3 player, but I don't really know for sure, except to say that in general, Panasonic has a very good reputation. I'd like to examine them side by side with their covers off to get an idea of who builds a better deck, but stores tend to discourage this practice pre-purchase. I don't have much experience with either unit beyond trying them out in the stores (yes, I brought in a CD full of MP3s). The Panasonic wins for ease of use, but the JVC is not bad at all. Neither had any problem with my lame VBR MP3s, including seeking and time display.

The Blaupunkt MP3000 looks like a winner, but people say the display can't be dimmed and it's too bright at night. People also report playback anomalies with non-lame MP3s. If you're planning to play lots of random downloaded MP3s of uncertain origin, this one might not be the ticket.

 

[edro]

Get this one. It is just like the 7400, but this one is Premier, which is Pioneer's top of the line. (only sold in Car Audio stores) (and sometimes on the net, )

Here it is on eBay, but you can get it other places too.

 

[MorphineChild]

Originally posted by: misle

Originally posted by: MorphineChild
I recommend getting the JVC SH99 or something like that.

Thanks for the tip, but the JVC SH909 is $350 at Crutchfield, which is out of my budget. It does look quite nice though. Can anyone recommend a Kenwood that I should try?

Well actually it is the KD-SH99, but it looks as they may not make it anymore . It is selling now for a pretty decent price $200-250 (if you can find it)... The next best for a decent price is the Kenwoods base MP3 player.

Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY AIWA, Jensen, Koss, Boss, Audiovox......