car audio

[Fit of Rage]

Ok so I bet most of you have aftermarket stereos in your cars. Using headphones with my iPod in my new car is getting kind of old so I'm gonna replace the head unit. I had a JVC in my old car and it was alright, but I'm kind of hoping to go with something decently nice. Looking to spend $100-$200 on a deck. Make me some suggestions. Sony/Kenwood/Alpine/Pioneer? What's good?

Things I want:
-Front Aux In
-CD player
-A decently nice display and EQ

Things I don't care about:
-Bluetooth
-USB

[Material Girl]

You should not be using headphones when you're driving. Baaaaad Fit!

[Ayano]

You should not be using headphones when you're driving. Baaaaad Fit!

QFT

That's illegal in most states.

[project dragon]

Shouldn't your new car have an aux plug for your iPod already? Seems pretty standard in cars now.

[Jerome Scuggs]

pioneer decks are the best (in terms of style, quality and longevity). i can't think of any specific models, but for 300 bucks you can get one that plays cd's, mp3 cd's, and has both an aux input as well as an iPod-specific cable (though mine does not work for iPhone). for 200 bucks i think you can get the mp3 cd / cd / iPod cable head unit.

looking through their website it seems like they have a new generation out, but you can probably find the older model, this one in particular is the one everyone i know has, the DEH 3900



it's not very flashy but it gets the job done and will last forever like a good pair of boots.

edit: here's the one that is in my truck now. i had the above one, but it was stolen and this is what i replaced it with

[Fit of Rage]

Shouldn't your new car have an aux plug for your iPod already? Seems pretty standard in cars now.

Yeah, I think Subaru made it standard starting in 08. Mine's an 06, so I have a 6-CD changer but no aux in. I'm leaning towards Pioneer right now.

[paradise!]

headphones while driving......?

p.s. my dad has some relatively new pioneer and it is O.K.

[TagMor]

Kenwood, Pioneer and Alpine all have comparable sound quality.
Sometimes Kenwood includes features in their mid range that are normally reserved for the high-end units, but you probably dont care/use them anyway.

[PH]

that better be an old pic, otherwise what the fuck are you doing with the heat on this time of year

[PH]

oh, on topic: i've only ever owned pioneer ($150) and alpine ($400) decks, and while i do love my alpine, pioneer is probably better suited for your price range and should be an excellent value if they still make them like they did when i got mine 6 or so years ago

[404 Not Found]

Yeah, I think Subaru made it standard starting in 08. Mine's an 06, so I have a 6-CD changer but no aux in. I'm leaning towards Pioneer right now.

Honda has had the mini jack aux in their cars since 2003-04

I personally can't listen to MP3's. The sound is horrible IMHO when you listen to them on good systems. I know that MP3's are better than they had been in past with new compressions in file converting, but I still prefer a WAV, WMA, or FLAC format over MP3.

Point of this is that many of the new car head units being produced for aftermarket have SD card inputs and obviously USB and minijack inputs. The SD card though is sounding like it will be the new wave of head unit aux inputs.

For those that use Ipods...I can understand liking the minijack, but many head units are having multiple aux inputs at realtively cheap prices. Crutchfield it and see what's out there.

[Jerome Scuggs]

I personally can't listen to MP3's. The sound is horrible IMHO when you listen to them on good systems. I know that MP3's are better than they had been in past with new compressions in file converting, but I still prefer a WAV, WMA, or FLAC format over MP3.

here's something that kind of makes me smile when i think about it - my father will lecture me on all the 'artifacts' on my lower-quality 128kbps mp3's, and then he'll put on a record and say that every pop and hiss and scratch brings life to the music.

i drive windows down pretty much all year, so i'll usually have 256k minimum mp3's and what artifacts are there are usually blown away in the wind

[404 Not Found]

here's something that kind of makes me smile when i think about it - my father will lecture me on all the 'artifacts' on my lower-quality 128kbps mp3's, and then he'll put on a record and say that every pop and hiss and scratch brings life to the music.

i drive windows down pretty much all year, so i'll usually have 256k minimum mp3's and what artifacts are there are usually blown away in the wind

The compression rates have gotten much better on the MP3 side, as to which I made note of prior. However, I would accept the pop and crackle of vinyl on a recording over the sound of an MP3 and how it handles the drums and cymbals especially....horrible at the 128's.

My side job during the evenings is that of a soundman at a philly club. I also am a luthier as a hobby making guitars and now mandolins...so when it comes to sound for me, it has to be correct or it will just bug the shit out of me.

Depends on what you are listening to the music for as well....if it is just to play in the car and not through a nice system like a 400W McIntosh Tube Amp system through some Snells, Polk or Pinnacle speakers....frankly I like using my JBL Monitors over speakers.

Yeah, you can get decent sound from an MP3, but you also lose sound when converting to MP3. Depends on the person obviously and how serious about their music they are.

[Jerome Scuggs]

yeah, i totally feel you there. the torrent sites i use are private trackers are they are very strict about what you upload (has to be a single rip, of a specific quality, no "mutt" rips etc)

i just met my neighbor across the street and he has a taylor guitar that he had custom-made, every single fucking part. he did the research for over a year vefore dropping over 5 grand. now normally i am of the opinion that it doesn't matter what you play, you can make it sound good - but holy fuck. this guitar. the notes ring louder and clearer, you can hammer on and off all over the fretboard, even down towards the twenty second, twenty third frets (it's an acoustic guitar, mind you)... i'm an intermediate level guitarist, and playing it literally makes me play better. ever since then i've had mad respect for people who can craft an instrument.

[Material Girl]

404... you do live sound? One time at band camp I sang with a jazz choir and everybody was mic'd.... I had a short solo and the SOUND GUY made my voice sound like crystals.... it was a huge auditorium with what I call good acoustics(reverb). Ever since then I have been trying to explain it to the engineers whenever I do any stuff in the studio but nobody has a clue what I'm trying to refer to. It's been so frustrating that I have just given up even trying to explain it. I even got back in touch with the same sound guy and he doesn't have a clue what I'm taking about..... any idea? :turned:

I guess I should just ask them to turn the reverb up. That's the closest I can seem to get.

Actually, now that I think about it.... it was like he added some high-end frequencies because the way it sounded was kind of like windchimes.