Buying a new to me car, looking for car audio info.

[bolido2000]

I like JVC too. Have a Kamaleon unit and I like it a lot. Frys has a JVC MP3 capable with remote control for 150 installed. Pretty good deal although I am not sure if there are Fry's in OH

 

[coolred]

Nope, no Fry's in OH, I wich there was. I haven't decided if i will get my head unit from ebay or not, most likely since its cheaper that way, but who knows.

Thanks for the info about DEI shockwave, i didn't know that. I will look into it.

How about the security measures from Ecilpse, they have the "key CD" pr whatever its called, right? Where you have to insert a certain CD to make the unit work, how mouch of a pain is that, or do you just always leave that CD in unless your listening to a differant one? I think it would get to be a pain, not to mention if someone broke in and stole your head unit, they would prolly take all your CDs too, so wouldn't that defeat the purpose, or am I missing something?

I would love to have keyless entry put on this car as well as maybe a remote starter, so i guess a security system isn't out of the question. I know the stuff getting stolen out of my Jeep was somewhat my fault. A lot of people at work knew about it, and I didn't usually turn it down before driving into the parking lot, so a lot of people I didn't know might have known about it to, but my roomate got his stuff stolen the same night parked right beside me in the parking lot(his was all stock though, so not sure of the point)so I think they just picked a row of cars and had at it.

I now still work for the same company, but in a differant location(better neighborhood), I also work during the day now, instead of at night(so no darkness to conceal a thief) and I park it on the street when at home, but right now I live in a nice neighborhood, so I don't think I have to worry about it at home, so maybe I am just being paranoid

 

[coolred]

Man decisions, decisions. MOst decks have an aux In, right? Just most of them put it on the back? If thats the case, I may forgo the MP3 capable head unit. It would be nice to have for my trips up to see my family, but I only have 116 songs on my computer, of which I listen to 2/3's of them often. Not sure if that is enough to warrant paying for MP3 capable, when i could later just get a portable MP3 player and plug it in via aux in. What do you think

 

[alkemyst]

a 'new to me' car, heheh you say 'big for a small one' too?

heheh

not many decks have aux jacks. You have to figure out what you have to spend ('money you don't need for bills') and go with it.

A lot of time the better decks are not such a good value for cheap tuners. My kenwood was over $300 and was a steal at that price.

Having two installs under your belt I shiver to think about them....maybe you should have your girlfriend handle it, sounds like she is the man in that relationship.

 

[coolred]

a 'new to me' car, heheh you say 'big for a small one' too?

Excuse me, can you run that by me again in english?

Having two installs under your belt I shiver to think about them

Why do you guys make it sound like installs are rocket science? I mean come on, its not that difficult, anyone with half a brain should be able to do it. I have good mechanical skills, and a whole brain, so its not very hard really. And any problems i run into can be solved with a quick trip to a forum or friend.

I mean I must be missing something, can you walk me through a typical install and point out the difficult spots to me?

My first install was in an 86 Ranger, just a Sony HU and some Pioneer 6x9's if I remember correctly. That was so easy it didn't even challenge me.

Now I will admit that my install in my 94 wrangler took a lot more time and was more challenging, considering i built my own boxes, mounted a head unit, and 2 pair of speakers. I also had to run all the speaker wire, amp wires, and CD changer controls. This took a bit of time, but was done very well, with the help of my father, it turned out great. I will admit, the system in my ranger was better then stock, but thats about it. Where as the system in my Jeep sounded very nice. I will also admit, i don't know much about speakers and head units and amps and whatever,but I know what sounds good to me and I know how to install it.

Thanks for all of your great help. I really do appreciate all this great info you all have given me.

 

[Shockwave]

The Key CD is a user programmable CD. So, you can choose which one it is Then, keep it in your room somewhere safe. If power is ever disconnected from the HU (changing batteries, dead battery, disconnecting battery) then you'll have either 3 or 5 (cant remember) chances to insert the correct CD. Once the correct one is inserted, it unlocks and is back to normal.
If you dont guess right or cant remember your key CD you have to go back to the dealer and they can reset it. Takes about....20 minutes or so. The guy did it for me once, he called Eclipse, verified my info and that the HU wasnt stolen, then went out to my car. 5 minutes later he came back in and it was done.

 

[coolred]

Oh, I was under the impression you had to insert that same CD every time you started the car. That woudl be a pain, but I get what your saying now.

 

[coolred]

Anybody have any expeirience with the receivers that have the ability to adjust the soundstage up, with low door mounted speakers? As well as the time correction, how important are these features.

Also does anyone know on average(I know it can vary a lot by manufacturer) what the average FM sensitivity of stock head units is?
The lowest I have seen in aftermarket units is 7.8dbf, but that was just quick browsing, I am sure others have better. I will probablly be listening to mostly FM radio with this though, so the better it sounds, the better.

 

[coolred]

Also can anyone tell me why units, like the alpine 7897 won't fit in a 90 thunderbird, they seem to be the same size or smaller then say a 9807. So it owuld seem to me that there is enough room in the dash to mount it, does it have to do with the face being too large and hitting something, or what?

 

[coolred]

Why does cructhfield say some units don't fit my car, but sound domain says they do? I don't know how many but at least a couple of blaupunkt units. How are blaupunkts anyway, they seem good, but it also seems like there top of the line models have a lower S/N ratio. I think 85 compared to anywhere from 90-108 on their other models.