is this a good car cd receiver?

[Triumph]

Jensen CD440k

it's pretty darn cheap, and with crutchfield i get the installation kit and all that. but is it a piece of junk? the only thing i don't like about it is the S/N of only 86 dB. seems kinda low for CD. any thoughts?

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Personally I think Jensen is junk. I tried Pioneer a year ago and I'm not going back to anything else. It plays CDR and CDRW and the sound quality seems great. Should be able to find one about the same price as that Jensen.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

For its price, it ain't too bad. If I were you, I'd look into getting a better one though.

What is your price point and what kind of stereo are you hooking that up to? Any subs, amps, etc?

Edit: Here is my receiver. Got it from a dealer a couple of months ago.

Edit2: I'm with Virge. You should do better than Jensen.

 

[Triumph]

i don't want alot of frills and bells and whistles, the only thing i want is detacheable face and preamp out. so i can add sub, amp, and new dash speakers later. i forgot about cd-r playability, won't know how this one works with that without trying it.

i definitely won't go over 200 bucks, cause i don't think i need to. i'd like something around 150. there are cheaper places than crutchfield i know, but i don't want to have someone else install it.

 

[jonnyjack]

i'm with Virge. i got my pioneer last summer...its the only player i know of that plays all cd-r's...

i bought the deh-2000 model...but they came out with a new line this year...the equivalent is the deh-3100...when comparing specs...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Car_2000/deh-p3100.htm

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/car/deh-p2000.htm

 

[Triumph]

while i do like pioneer's stuff, the 3100 costs 190 at crutchfield, and i don't want to spend that much. any other suggestions?

 

[montanafan]

Another vote for Pioneer. Get something you're going to be happy with!

 

[JW310]

Shop around... I've found that you're much more likely to find a better price on them other places than Crutchfield. Try netmarket, or even eBay to see if you can find one for less. You won't get the same support as you would buying direct from a dealer, but it'll probably cost less.

 

[Triumph]

yes, but how much will i have to pay to install it? plus all the connectors needed and wiring harnesses. i already know of lots of places cheaper than crutchfield, but they're not going to give you any support.

 

[SSGTi]

I got my top of the line panasonic cd unit for $280 last year and I didn't buy from crutchrip. The installation was so easy. If you can solder a few wires or crimp, your set.

 

[Audiofight]

I worked at a store that sold pretty much all the same car audio equipment as Crutchfield, and we always beat their prices. Jensen came back defective more times than not, (I think the same company that makes them, makes Audiovox too ) Pioneer is great for playing cd-rs, Kenwood will have problems playing them. If you can find the older Sony disks that are rated at 4x max, then Kenwoods will play them. Otherwise, go with Pioneer or JVC. I personally went the JVC route due to features I could get with my deck.

Just my .02

 

[Antisocial Virge]

You can buy wire kits that have adaptors that plug into your cars factory harness which makes things simple. I think if you want to buy a Pioneer your best bet would be Best Buy. They have fairly good prices on them and I think they will install it for free if you don't want to attempt it yourself.

 

[xero]

go w/ the pioneer DEH-P3100.....i got mine at best buy for $195 after tax....very good deal....then i ran over to circuit city and got a Metra wiring harness for $15.....then i went to a local car audio place to get a dash kit....depending on what kinda car you have, you may or may not need one....the one for my car was $27 after tax...

oh ya....and i installed it myself....took less than five hours...and this was my first install, and it works flawlessly

 

[Triumph]

ok, so you bought the 3100 at best buy for 195, plus wiring for 15, plus 27 for kit, that's 237 total. crutchfield has it for 189, with free installation kits and wires. granted, you may have bought the deck awhile ago when it costed more. but seems to me i should still go with crutchfield and get it all in one shot. i don't know why people always badmouth them.

 

[xero]

triumph....im not badmouthing crutchfield man..they're a great company..sometimes overpriced, sometimes not....$189 for the deck and installation accessories is a great price..but what kind of quality ARE the accesories? cheap crap or higher end stuff? my wiring harness and car kit are both made by Metra, and both had very very easy to understand instructions which made the price for them justified....what if you dont need the dash kit? is it worth spending that money on for something you dont need? dont forget about the $9.95 shipping charge which brings the price close to $200, plus you gotta wait a copule days for the equipment, THEN you have to make time for the install.....
I was thinking about buying from crutchfield, but i'd rather spend the extra cash to buy locally.....what if your pioneer unit dies w/in the warranty time? send it back to pioneer..wait a few weeks...maybe get a new one or wait till they fix yours..if mine breaks, i take it back to best buy and exchange it for a new one and they take care of sending it back and getting one for them....so that extra $37 dollars is justified for me....


"to each his own...." ya know?

 

[Triumph]

does anyone know of any good bbs's dealing with car audio? i still haven't come to a conclusion here.

 

[Triumph]

bump.

 

[jonnyjack]

what kind of car do you have? if you have a honda, then it'll take a standard DIN receiver without a kit...i have a '95 civic...i got my pioneer deh-2000 at best buy for $150...w/ a $15 wiring harness...the installation was free since they had a special at best buy, which they usually do...under $200 for the pioneer receivers are really good deals...expect to pay about $200 unless you want a cheap receiver and i mean cheap as in low quality and features...think about all the time you spend in the car, it's really worth the money...

 

[mztykal]

I got a Panasonic deck that's only couple months old and it died on me. BUT it is one of the best decks I've had. I've had a JVC, and a Sony, and I think the Panasonic is better. I had it running 2 8's without a amp to test the speakers and it pushed them pretty well. But sadly I had to RMA it. But it's still a good deck for around 200 (now, when I got it, it was 300)

Just my two cents...

Sean

 

[Triumph]

i've got a 90 passat. so i dunno if it'll fit without a mounting kit. i need a crutchfield catalogue; they have all the sizes listed right there.