Getting a new CD player for my truck... need some help!

[Mucman]

Ugh, I am so far behind on my car audio . I am going to be replacing my stolen Clarion DRX6675Z... after my friggin $300 deducatable charge I got $180cdn to go to a new stereo... I don't want to spend more than $300cdn out of my own pocket so that leaves me with a ~$500cdn budget for a new deck.

Here are my main requirements :

SQ, gotta have the SQ
No skippage... I've seen some decks skip on the smallest of bumps, or smallest of scratches
I would like on with a flip over face for stealth mode.
rotary volume
4v preouts or greater
I don't care if it has a built in amp since I won't be using it.
It doesn't need a radio either but I am sure all come with one.

So if any of you car audio buffs who are up to date could get me started

 

[Mucman]

Shameless bump

 

[Nefrodite]

any cheapo 35watt or whatevers lowest from panasonic or sony should be fine. u don't really think they stick higher quality cd players into the more expensive decks right? just a nicer face plate and a few more useless watts(which u aren't using) shouldn't cost u much at all.

 

[Mucman]

u don't really think they stick higher quality cd players into the more expensive decks right?

Have no idea .

I wonder if I could get a Nakamichi for that price? I could get a pretty sweet Blau though

 

[NutBucket]

I think the Nak's are around $350 US. Not a bad choice. Even the cheapest Alpine for $180 or so has a cd-deck with s/n of 105. In the most recent lines, Kenwood has gotten cheap such that even their "high end" Excelons are skimping on specs compared to those of yore. I think you should be able to find a Nak within your budget. Just don't Rush out and buy one.

Edit: Nak's don't have stealth faces nor do Alpines or Blaus.

 

[Mucman]

Problems with Naks and Alpines are that they don't have rotary volume... I got monster nails so I hate pushing buttons (I am not cutting my nails, because my classical guitar sounds pimpin with these nails ).

How are Pioneer HU's lately?

Just don't Rush out and buy one.

Good one ... but I need my tunes!!!

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Mucman - Pioneers are great They're the only brand I'll buy (personal bias). The rotary knob on their units have gotten a tad smaller compared to previous years but still very good.

 

[Mucman]

Yeah? Too bad I don't trust a RagingBITCH!

I will take a gander at the specs on crutchfield for a bit then...

 

[Angrymarshmello]

lol. Their specs are comparable in terms of RMS and peak watts to everyone elses. It really is just a matter of going to the store and trying them out, seeing which one you like the best.

 

[luvya]

Originally posted by: Mucman
Problems with Naks and Alpines are that they don't have rotary volume... I got monster nails so I hate pushing buttons (I am not cutting my nails, because my classical guitar sounds pimpin with these nails ).

How are Pioneer HU's lately?

Just don't Rush out and buy one.

Good one ... but I need my tunes!!!

Dunno what u r talking about, Alpine has rotary volume

 

[bmacd]

Nak's are an excellent choice, as are eclipses. However, with some eclipses, there is no internal amp...therefore, an external amp is required to power your speakers.

As for 4v pre-outs, why do you need something so high?

-=bmacd=-

 

[StattlichPassat]

Alpine or Blaupunkt! Don't know if they will come with radios though...

 

[NutBucket]

He doesn't need the amp hence he wants clean pre-outs. One thing I just noticed with some of the Alpines is that they have 2V front/rear pre-amps and 4V sub. Never noticed that.

Note: <-- Fellow Rush fan

 

[Mucman]

Dunno what u r talking about, Alpine has rotary volume

I don't know what I am talking about either? , back in the day when I got my Clarion they didn't have rotary volume...

bmacd - I don't need 4v preouts, but I can get em at this price range . My Clarion had 2 4v preouts. I am having a tough time finding shops that
sell Nak and Eclipse products in Vancouver though...

NightFlyerGTI - Darn... no Blaus or Alpines then... darn radios

Maybe I should use the money for a sub and put a PC in there . I've been wanting to do it for years now!

 

[Thegonagle]

Take a gander at the Blaupunkt San Jose. I just got its little brother, the MP3000. Very nice. I got the MP3000 instead of the San Jose because I didn't need all the pre-outs, but I think you'll find them useful. The only issue I have with it (and I was warned in advance by reading online reviews) is that the display is very bright at night. The fact that the light is blue doesn't help either.

IMHO, forget about the motorized "stealth" faceplates. I mean, do you think that the kids who break into cars for stereos don't scope out Circuit City, etc., and don't know what a motorized faceplate looks like when they shine their flashlight in your car?

 

[Mucman]

The Blaupunkt Casablanca CD51 looks pretty good! I have a thing for Blaus for some reason

Yeah... I think I have reconsidered the stealth face plate thingy now...

 

[Viperoni]

thezeb.com

$195usd Nakamichi deck

Or the JVC sh-99 (very high quality burr brown DAC's)

 

[d33pt]

nakamichi cdz45 has rotary knobs, looks very classy, and sounds great...

 

[Mucman]

I forgot to mention that I have to buy it local and get it professionaly installed because it is an insurance claim...

(very high quality burr brown DAC's

Can you please explain what that means? I know DAC's are crucial for SQ, but burr brown? I don't plan on listening to mp3s in my truck.

*removed* misread 24-bit resolution 1-bit DAC

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Mucman
The Blaupunkt Casablanca CD51 looks pretty good! I have a thing for Blaus for some reason

Yeah... I think I have reconsidered the stealth face plate thingy now...

Blaus are good stuff. I have one of these in my car right now and it works great. It does skip when I bang the dash, but not from bumps during driving.

I had one of these in my old car before I wrecked it, and it skipped like three times in the two years I had it, it only did so when the car hit a giant pot hole and bottomed out the suspension.

 

[ingenuiti]

I just replaced my Pioneer head unit a couple months ago after it was stolen. Overall, I would say Pioneers are a good value. They do everything well but not great. I ended up replacing that unit with an Alpine/// 7894.

If it's SQ you're looking for than stay with brands like Alpine, Eclipse, Naks, McIntosh, etc. With my Alpine, I definitely noticed better sound quality over my Pioneer. Just stay away from audio brands like Sony and Aiwa, they won't give you the SQ your looking for. Oh and check out the forums at null for more advice.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Mucman
I forgot to mention that I have to buy it local and get it professionaly installed because it is an insurance claim...

(very high quality burr brown DAC's

Can you please explain what that means? I know DAC's are crucial for SQ, but burr brown? I don't plan on listening to mp3s in my truck.

*removed* misread 24-bit resolution 1-bit DAC

Burr Brown is the brand of the DAC.

 

[rival]

i had a pioneer deh 1000 i think, it was coolio, until it got stolen
i have a new pioneer deck sittin in my apartment, im waiting to get a piece to fix my dash cuz the fvcker took half the dash with him/her/it



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