Plain black non-pimp-my-ride headunit?

[Throckmorton]

I give up on trying to find a harness for my Jensen, and the volume knob on it doesn't work anyway. Does anyone know of a plain black head unit without a bunch of ugly flashing lights, with USB or SD card capability?

If you Google, all you find is a bunch of threads where someone asks the same thing, and all the responses are idiots posting ones that ARE flashy and ridiculous looking. Eg: http://tennspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31777
Another example. Some guy called the Alpine with big blue buttons "classy" http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=696844


This is my Jensen. I won't buy another one because the quality is really poor. Lots of electrical problems and the volume knob died after 2 years despite the unit supposedly being "heavy duty".

 

[Throckmorton]

I did discover that there are marine head units that look OK, but they mostly have volume buttons instead of knobs, I guess because knobs are harder to waterproof

http://www.thegpsstore.com/Poly-Pla...y-P2672.aspx?gclid=CNiNhpOZ_LMCFStgMgodEGgAag

http://www.thenerds.net/PYLE.Pyle_PL...FY1DMgod0mkAMg

 

[jlee]

Just USB or SD card, no other features required? Single DIN?

There's the Pioneer Stage 4, but I have a feeling it'll cost a bit more than you're looking to spend. Aaaand it doesn't have USB, that I can tell.

$1199.99

 

[Throckmorton]

Yes, single DIN is what I need. That Pioneer looks like it's from the future, so even though it's not ugly it doesn't match the interior of any car except the USS Enterprise

 

[jlee]

It looks damn good in a Lexus ISF, at least in Pioneer's promo shots.

That's about as plain black as you can get. So you *don't* want plain black, then? Do you need a CD player or just a digital receiver?

 

[phucheneh]

...cheap Blaupunkt?

Better looking than that Jensen. And not complete trash inside.

 

[nerp]

Nakamichi.

 

[phucheneh]

Nakamichi.

I see you can now get a CD300 for under $200, which is cheaper than I thought I'd see a Nak headunit.

...and for that price, you get a surplus ten year old head unit with...nothing. An MP3 CD player with bass and treble controls, basically. No aux input, even.

Again, Blaupunkt's current line looks better than most to me. But I also agree that high-end Pioneers look good (...fuck their cheap stuff is hideous).

 

[Zenmervolt]

I see you can now get a CD300 for under $200, which is cheaper than I thought I'd see a Nak headunit.

That's mostly because Nakamichi went bankrupt around 2000 and is now owned by the same Chinese company that owns Sansui.

In the '80s and '90s Nakamichi was the best you could get, and the carried-over CD-700/CD-700II head units were incredible but the newer units are nothing special performance-wise. It's the same thing that happened to the Dual brand. Dual used to make arguably the best turntables that money could buy. Then records died, the company struggled to stay relevant, and was ultimately bought out by someone who just wanted the name.

ZV

 

[Throckmorton]

It looks damn good in a Lexus ISF, at least in Pioneer's promo shots.

That's about as plain black as you can get. So you *don't* want plain black, then? Do you need a CD player or just a digital receiver?

Plain black as in matte black plastic like the interior of my car and almost every other car from the 90s. Glossy black edge-to-edge glass is completely different

 

[Throckmorton]

Blaupunkt isn't too bad but it would be better without the chrome/silver
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_023MAD210/Blaupunkt-Madrid-210.html?tp=5684

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I like the look of the new Sony's and the feature set for the money is unbelievable. It also allows you to pick a color that matches your factory interior lighting so it never looks out of place.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158BT4100P/Sony-MEX-BT4100P.html

 

[phucheneh]

Different colors for the buttons is a nice feature...but I don't think that's the look he's after. It's...kinda bad. Fairly in line with Alpine, Kenwood, et al.

As far as 'matte black'...meh, to each his own. I mean, I'd probably want matte black, too, but everything else about that Jensen (lighting, button layout) looks terrible to me.

Also I had no idea Dual used to be a real company. I've always just known them as a branding for cheap Chinese crap. I was wondering why I was seeing them in the same price bracket at 'normal' name brands. Which are probably also cheap Chinese crap, anymore...but hopefully with better parts sourcing and QC, at least.

 

[Throckmorton]

Different colors for the buttons is a nice feature...but I don't think that's the look he's after. It's...kinda bad. Fairly in line with Alpine, Kenwood, et al.

As far as 'matte black'...meh, to each his own. I mean, I'd probably want matte black, too, but everything else about that Jensen (lighting, button layout) looks terrible to me.

Also I had no idea Dual used to be a real company. I've always just known them as a branding for cheap Chinese crap. I was wondering why I was seeing them in the same price bracket at 'normal' name brands. Which are probably also cheap Chinese crap, anymore...but hopefully with better parts sourcing and QC, at least.

Well the Jensen looks just like an OEM headunit, and the button layout is fine too. The only ones you use most of the time are volume, on/off, seek, and the programmed buttons

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

It is pretty hard to get them without at least some lights.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_40306_Sony-CDX-GT40U.html

This one shouldn't flash and if it does you usually can turn it off. It should just have a little bit of red illumination which is very similar to the one I have in my car. I have what seems to be an older model of this.

 

[skulkingghost]

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLR16MPF-...ords=head+unit

Plain Black. USB / SD and under $40

 

[phucheneh]

That's not pronounced 'pee-lay.' It is incredibly appropriately the same as the world 'pile.' As in, of shit.

I mean, for the price, you could try it, but they really do make Jensen look like McIntosh or something. I haven't seen inside one of their headunits, but their amps are like a practical joke on the buyer. Practically an empty sheet of PCB.

 

[BassBomb]

I got Alpine 9886 and you can set it so the lights disappear unless you use a button, there is still chrome and 6 blue buttons that remain blue (not lit)

 

[Throckmorton]

I might get this. It still looks ridiculous but at least you can change the colors. Blue is the worst.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_42331_JVC-KD-X50BT.html

 

[master7045]

I have to agree w/ the OP. Almost all of the aftermarket HU I've seen look like crap. That Pionner Stage 4 looks awesome, but not $1200 awesome. There has to be a market for an OEM looking HU that doesn't have flashing lights everywhere.
The only solution I've seen is to go w/ Nav system if you have a double din.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Too bad the Becker Mexico is so expensive.

In general the Blaupunkt stuff isn't obnoxious looking, but it does strike me that nearly all aftermarket car head units today are just hideous.

 

[phucheneh]

I think it stems from a lack of use in newer cars. If you're not a rich audiophile or have a new car, you end up in the 'tuner' market. They assume the HU will go with your neon undercarriage lighting.

 

[Eureka]

Have you considered pulling a head unit out of an existing car that will match your needs? I don't know of any off th etop of my head but I'm sure they had to have made cars with USB with single DIN non-custom head units.

 

[Imported]

Couldn't you plasti-dip the blingy parts of a headunit?

 

[Throckmorton]

Have you considered pulling a head unit out of an existing car that will match your needs? I don't know of any off th etop of my head but I'm sure they had to have made cars with USB with single DIN non-custom head units.

I don't think any newer car has a DIN head unit, much less one with USB.


As for Plasti-dip, it would be pretty difficult to do the buttons, and it doesn't really dry smooth anyway.