Aftermarket Head Unit/CD/MP3 players...

[RuBiCaNT5X]

Anyone replace their stock CD/Cassette deck with a CD/MP3 player?? I was looking to get a Kenwood CD/MP3 deck but I was worried about the impact on my 10 disc changer... Any ideas??

 

[biddybengbeng]

alpine has one that is awesome, should cost around 350. kenwood sucks. they look neat, and have cool toys, but sound like crap. i've owned a couple "high end" excelon kenwood decks, and they suck. if you're getting an aftermarket deck, get either an alpine, eclipse, or nakamichi. anything less than one of those 3 brands just isn't worth the sacrifice you will be giving up in sound quality.

 

[Nikita]

don't know what you're talking about, "biddybengbeng", but kenwood makes one of the best decks out there...sure there's always gonna be better...but expect to pay alot more for the difference. without spending a fortune, i'd highly recommend pioneer, kenwood, or alpine. all excellent performing decks and reasonably priced. you may be able to buy an adapter for your changer, but why do you even need it if you're looking into a mp3 player? you should be able to easily fit 10 cd's on one in mp3 format...

 

[biddybengbeng]

Originally posted by Nikita
don't know what you're talking about, "biddybengbeng", but kenwood makes one of the best decks out there...sure there's always gonna be better...but expect to pay alot more for the difference. without spending a fortune, i'd highly recommend pioneer, kenwood, or alpine. all excellent performing decks and reasonably priced. you may be able to buy an adapter for your changer, but why do you even need it if you're looking into a mp3 player? you should be able to easily fit 10 cd's on one in mp3 format...

are you feeling ok? you can't POSSIBLY be feeling 100% if you think that kenwood makes one of the best sounding decks out there! they sound like crap, end of story. they look cool, and have a lot of cool toys, same with pioneer and sony, and etc... but they all sound like crap. i have personally owned over 25k worth of car audio in the past 5 years alone, and i speak from EXPERIENCE, not heresay. i have OWNED kenwood, (2)clarion, JVC, rockford fosgate, sony(2), pioneer, alpine, a couple eclipse, and a nakamichi cd deck, along with a ton of different subs, amps, component sets, equalizers, etc etc etc. i've been there (kenwood) and i will NEVER go back there again... go out and buy a high end alpine or a nak, and you will see the light. you will understand what i mean by "quality sound". there is no comparison, hands down. you can pick up an eclipse, or a nak 40z that will absolutely blow ANY kenwood out of the water in terms of SQ, and they will run about 300 bucks. don't believe me? go to an IASCA or USAC competition and tell me how many cars you see with kenwood or pioneer decks. then tell me how many people run either eclipse, alpine, or nak decks. nuff said

 

[RuBiCaNT5X]

Originally posted by Nikita
don't know what you're talking about, "biddybengbeng", but kenwood makes one of the best decks out there...sure there's always gonna be better...but expect to pay alot more for the difference. without spending a fortune, i'd highly recommend pioneer, kenwood, or alpine. all excellent performing decks and reasonably priced. you may be able to buy an adapter for your changer, but why do you even need it if you're looking into a mp3 player? you should be able to easily fit 10 cd's on one in mp3 format...

I hear what you are saying, but it seems to be a waste to just leave it disconnected. I was hoping to avoid the dreaded FM Modulator but oh well, the high end Kenwood, Pioneer or Alpine all have great S/N ratio but I gotta give it to Clarion and Alpine as top dogs for head units. The only reason I was thinking about Kenwood because they (from what I've heard) are the easiest to put in an 2G Eclipse without having inches of head unit sticking out of the dash.

 

[Nikita]

Originally posted by biddybengbeng




are you feeling ok? you can't POSSIBLY be feeling 100% if you think that kenwood makes one of the best sounding decks out there! they sound like crap, end of story. they look cool, and have a lot of cool toys, same with pioneer and sony, and etc... but they all sound like crap. i have personally owned over 25k worth of car audio in the past 5 years alone, and i speak from EXPERIENCE, not heresay. i have OWNED kenwood, (2)clarion, JVC, rockford fosgate, sony(2), pioneer, alpine, a couple eclipse, and a nakamichi cd deck, along with a ton of different subs, amps, component sets, equalizers, etc etc etc. i've been there (kenwood) and i will NEVER go back there again... go out and buy a high end alpine or a nak, and you will see the light. you will understand what i mean by "quality sound". there is no comparison, hands down. you can pick up an eclipse, or a nak 40z that will absolutely blow ANY kenwood out of the water in terms of SQ, and they will run about 300 bucks. don't believe me? go to an IASCA or USAC competition and tell me how many cars you see with kenwood or pioneer decks. then tell me how many people run either eclipse, alpine, or nak decks. nuff said

actually i'm an avid competitor. working at one of the top custom car audio shops here in asheville, nc doesn't hurt either. nak for $300? you mean used? need i remind you that these hu's your recommending usually START at $300...meaning they are the companies low-end units. this is BY FAR excess for the average customer. sony in the same category as pioneer???? come on bro. nak dealers are far and few between. at the last comp. i attended, pioneer units out numbered naks by prolly quadruple-fold.

you said it tho. anyone who's questioning the different brands/models of hu's needs to go to the shops and take a listen to each of them. you plan on doing some hardcore sq competitions in the near future, sure go for the $600 nak. you want something to listen to cds/mp3's while you're cruising, maybe hook up a couple amps and a sub, and still sound good...look into something more on YOUR level. which is why i recommended the alpines, the kenwoods, the pioneers.

also, RuBiCaNT99GSX, kenwood has one of th quickest-loading mp3 players.

 

[toshi128]

So... what's the best CD/MP3 deck to get for a buck?
and how about speakers in 2G eclipses???

 

[guedo512]

the question is what head unit fits. ive been looking for one for a while now.

 

[biddybengbeng]

Originally posted by Nikita


actually i'm an avid competitor. working at one of the top custom car audio shops here in asheville, nc doesn't hurt either. nak for $300? you mean used? need i remind you that these hu's your recommending usually START at $300...meaning they are the companies low-end units. this is BY FAR excess for the average customer. sony in the same category as pioneer???? come on bro. nak dealers are far and few between. at the last comp. i attended, pioneer units out numbered naks by prolly quadruple-fold.

if you're recommending kenwood or pioneer over a nak or eclipse, i'm glad i don't shop at your store. you must have some pretty low end competitions if pioneer is outnumbering naks... do you also recommend xplod amps and speakers? i've competed for 5 years, but in 2001 i quit once i sold my honda hatch. i have more important things to spend money on IE mortgage, bills, etc. you can pick up a nak 40z for under $300 that will absolutely blow ANY kenwood out of the water in terms of SQ. i had an eclipse 5443 that i picked up for $325 that will ALSO blow any kenwoon out of the water. you might be an avid competitor, but you don't seem to know a damn thing. you must not do very well at competitions

 

[Nikita]

Originally posted by biddybengbeng


if you're recommending kenwood or pioneer over a nak or eclipse, i'm glad i don't shop at your store. you must have some pretty low end competitions if pioneer is outnumbering naks... do you also recommend xplod amps and speakers? i've competed for 5 years, but in 2001 i quit once i sold my honda hatch. i have more important things to spend money on IE mortgage, bills, etc. you can pick up a nak 40z for under $300 that will absolutely blow ANY kenwood out of the water in terms of SQ. i had an eclipse 5443 that i picked up for $325 that will ALSO blow any kenwoon out of the water. you might be an avid competitor, but you don't seem to know a damn thing. you must not do very well at competitions

dude, you're obviously either retarded or looking for an argument. never did i say pioneer or kenwood was BETTER than nak or anything else you've recommended. simply that these brands are usually more than good enough for the AVERAGE consumer. you're obviously an audio superstar tho being you require such high standards. more to you. i don't know if you're up-to-date on the latest car audio products (seem not to be) but i have hands-on experience with ALL of these brands being mentioned. yeah, no $hit a nak is a better name in hu's than kenwood...it should be. it's top end and it's price reflects that. again, goodluck finding an authorized dealer of nak, let alone a new unit for $300. i don't know a damn thing??? haha...tell the management at the customs shop that, they'd have a good laugh. also, never once has one of our vehicles not placed within the top 3 in ANY show we've competed it....spl AND sq. also, hu's...our shop carries quite a variety. i'm sure it'd blow your feeble little mind.

so it comes down to this, sure there's always gonna be better out there and one's needs are determined by their personal preference. AGAIN...you're gonna do some major sq comps??? spend the extra money on a nak. my point will be more than proven when this guy goes and takes a listen to the decks and does an up-close comparison in person.

 

[biddybengbeng]

i already told you. there's an authorized dealer right up the street from me that you can purchase a brand new nak 40z for right at $300. if you're gonna pay that much for a pioneer or kenwood, you might as well get a unit for the same price that will sound ten times better. and, YES, you can hear a MAJOR difference in sound quality between a pioneer or a nak just by popping it in.

i'm sorry if i've owned high end cd decks for the last 4 decks i've owned, and can't step down to get something that sounds like crap that isn't a sacrifice i'm willing to make. i've heard what a deck should sound like. and that isn't a kenwood.

i'm done. i've said my piece, and i'm not going to argue about why a nak, alpine, or eclipse is better than the other brands being discussed. that should be a no brainer, anybody who knows anything will know that as well.

 

[Jaybone]

i have a pioneer 7200MP, it plays MP3s... i can fit 150 songs on a cd, depending on legnth.... i can get it for you wholesale if you want... i get all pioneer and kicker stuff.....

 

[Nikita]

another thing that may sway ones decision when buying a hu is LOOKS, and those naks look like absolute shiznit.

 

[ricktsu]

pioneers win in USAC and IASCA, argueing about SQ is such a BS arguement. SQ is determined by many, many other factors, and one of the least determining is the HU (since any good quality deck will be fine). Seriously, I have owned countless decks, well over 13, and the point is lost on which one sounds the " best " . Stereo Competitions are not the be all, end of all determing what is the best HU. SQ decks and Comp. decks are far diffrent then standard consumer decks. I am laughing at the bashing of HU's, since the ultimate SQ will not have a head unit at all, and some of the best vehicles have run that set up. Stereo comp. are such a complete joke to use as giving out advice to a buyer. When stereo shops throw out that crap, I take the majority of the crap that flies out of their mouths as worthless.

the kenwood is fine.
its imperfections will be lost on the average consumer...just eye up S/N ratio, aim for a higher one, thats where cheap decks really suffer,

 

[Laser-man]

go to refurbdepot.com and look at the decks they have there they are refurbished but they still have a 90 day warranty and are like half off i got my panosonic fron there (the one with the dot matrix) and have had no problems and it was 200 instead of 400

 

[eek!lipse]

i agree, friend of mine just got a new kenwood mp3 player and it's great. no complaints. i've owned pioneers my whole life and one panasonic....which i got rid of after a month to get another pioneer. definetly could hear a difference. mainly i think it was because the pioneer had alot more features and options that let you custom tailor your listening preference. alpines are very nice. basically any hu with a high s/n ratio is gonna be clear. but also look for one which lets you really customize the music to your preference.

 

[ricktsu]

"basically any hu with a high s/n ratio is gonna be clear. but also look for one which lets you really customize the music to your preference."

yup, I agree with that also, alot of newer decks have some parametric capability which gives you more flexability with smoothing out curves, then just a standard eq. Time alignment and internal x-overs are good features to look for.