New car stereo options...advice needed.

[severdhed]

hey guys, my car stereo was stolen last night.  I know i locked the car, but they somehow got in. Took my head unit, two amps, and subwoofer.  I called the police, but they said there really isnt much they can do.  they took part of my dash for fingerprints, and told me to check the local pawn shops to see if it turns up.  I called my insurance company and I am meeting with a guy on thursday. a few years ago, i quit carrying retail CDs in my car, i only had CD-Rs with mp3s on them, so they didnt take them.

so, i need to get a new stereo.  when i purchased my subwoofer, i bought two 12" Boston Acoustics competitor 1200s.  the amp i had at the time only put out about 300w so i eventually took the second sub out until i could get a better amp.  well, anyway, at least i still have the other sub.  basically i need two amps and a head unit.  I havent really looked at amps much yet, i basically need one that puts out around 500 to 600w rms x1 @4ohms.
and a 4channel that puts out around 50w/channel. to power my polk fronts and rears.  Im sure i can find amps that suit my needs...I was using Jensen amps before..i would like something a little better than that this time around.

buy my big concern is a replacment head unit.  I absolutly loved my old one, it was a JVC KD-SH707
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qbAbdq5Dyel/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=257KDSH707

i cant buy those anymore though. I looked around online and at all of the local stores, but I cant seem to find a unit that I like.

i need 3 sets of preamp outputs
mp3 playback
i would like an aux input
remote control
7band eq would be nice
easy to read display (this is critical)

the one feature that made me choose my last one was that it had a motorized tilting faceplate.  the faceplate would pop out and sit at one of 3 different angles, so you dont get a glare on the display.  I loved that feature, but it doesnt appear as if too many units do that anymore.

i dont care how powerful the internal amplifier is, because i wont be using it.

I have had several JVC units in the past and i have had nothign but good experience with them, so I'm kinda leaning towards another JVC, but I am open to suggestions.

THe local high-end audio shop was pushing me towards an eclipse head unit, but i have never used them, and i didnt really like the way it looked.

my boss just bought a new head unit for in his wife's car. it is a JVC KD-G720, it is a lower-end unit but it has a really cool feature...a front USB port for connecting a flash drive full of mp3s.  this is really cool.

so after looking around locally and not finding crap, i looked online at crutchfield and found these two:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vPFpUqcmfYy/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=essential_info&i=257KDG820#Tab

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vPFpUqcmfYy/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=168550&tab=review&i=257KDDV620#Tab

the first one is basically a step up from the one my boss got
3 sets of preamp outs
mp3 cd playback
front usb
nice display


the second one is a DVD player, it will play divx movies, DVDs, and dvds full of mp3s.
it has a front usb jack
3 sets of preamp out puts
display is not as nice (only one line of text, instead of two)
rear aux input
dual zone output.  (send audio/video from dvd player to monitor/speakers in rear of car, while you listen to something else over the regular speakers.

the cd player i can get for about $179, dvd player for around $250.


the dvd player may sound stupid, since i cant watch it and drive at the same time.  (and there is no screen).  i have a 7" widescreen LCD monitor i got for my xbox a while back, with the help of a power inverter i can use that in the car. I look at it this way, my wife is pregnant, we are expecting our first child on Valentines day, i was thinking if i go with the dvd player, i can mount the screen on the back of the seat and our child can watch movies in the car (when they get a little older anyway)

plus if i can make mp3 dvds, i would only need a few disks to contain all of my music.


what would you guys do?

[Zakk]

All I know is that after 37 years of listening to music, I can't tell if something sounds like crap or not.

[shmokes]

Doesn't matter how clear your signal is, FM sounds like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- compared to a CD or plugging an iPod directly into an input.  Most head units have RCA inputs on the back, I think.  If it has this you could just run a cable with a 1/8" headphone plug on one end and stereo RCA plugs on the other end from the back of the head unit into your glove box.

Also, car insurance generally doesn't cover theft of personal items left in the car, including car stereos.  Strangely, homeowners/renters insurance does.

[Zakk]

Jeez I'm stupid.

[boykster]

Buy a "modern" head unit that either has native i-pod support, or that has an interface module that does.  I have a Pioneer headunit in my boat that has an interface module for my i-pod. I plug in my ipod using the port on the bottom (not headphone out) and I can completely control the ipod using the head-unit. It even displays artist/title/track information on the head unit screen -> just like on the ipod natively.

This is the unit I have:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4UxW8Nih4c4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=130DEHP980

and the ipod interface (first item on this page):

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4UxW8Nih4c4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=other_items&i=130DEHP980#Tab

[shmokes]

Don't get your panties in a twist.  You'll get a smaller frequency range with FM transmitters than with a direct connection, which affects the quality of highs and lows.  The FCC also regulates the maximum power that they can transmit at to ensure that there is no interference with commercial stations.  The max power they are allowed to transmit is roughly equal to the power of the signal of a regular radio station at its fringe, just barely before you lose it entirely.  They are also affected by regular radio stations, so when you've got a decent signal on a station it will cease to be decent when you drive within range of a real station that owns that band, at which point you have to go through the hassle of finding a different station with just static and then tuning your transmitter to that station.

Radio transmitters have their place (namely when there's no other option), but but this guy is talking about putting together a sound system from scratch.  Suggesting an FM transmitter when a direct connection is an option is bad advice.  The sound quality of a direct connection is superior to what you will, or even can get with an FM transmitter.  You can call them "crazy facts according to shmokes", but they're still facts nonetheless.

[shardian]

FWIW, insurance won't give you a dime on your stereo equipment unless you have receipts, pictures, or original boxes.

[Dustin Mustangs]

plus if i can make mp3 dvds

You can't.  MP3's on a DVD ok, but I have yet to see a DVD player that can read MP3's off a DVD.  Even if you could, navigating through your music while driving your car would be quite a danrerous situation.  I used to do this with CD's (~1/10 the amount of music per disc) and even that was a nightmare.

Doesn't matter how clear your signal is, FM sounds like ---Cleveland steamer--- compared to a CD or plugging an iPod directly into an input.  Most head units have RCA inputs on the back, I think.  If it has this you could just run a cable with a 1/8" headphone plug on one end and stereo RCA plugs on the other end from the back of the head unit into your glove box.

I will second this, and I have heard and personally tried a ton of them.  I think it is worth mentioning though, that a high end FM transmitter will sound great, until you do a back to back comparison with a hard connection.  So, maybe if you don't know what you're missing it isn't that big of a deal? 

I am suprised no one has mentioned any of the numerous iPod interfaces you can buy nowadays.  They make it possible to hook up an iPod to just about any car stereo.  For example, I have an Auxpod hooked up to the stock stereo in my '01 buick.  This paticular one will work with 99% of stock stereos that have the ability to control a factory CD changer.  The thing is great.  The sound is better then my factory Cd player, it turns the iPod on and off with the stereo (or if I change the source to radio or CD), and the controls for the factory deck will control the iPod (including the ones on my steering wheel).  Car stereo wise, it was the best $125 I've ever spent. 

FWIW, insurance won't give you a dime on your stereo equipment unless you have receipts, pictures, or original boxes.

My policy also requires the stereo equipment to be phisically mounted to the car.  So if someone reaches in my window and grabs my ipod I'm screwed regardless of reciepts, boxes, or pictures.  I'm not sure if this is standard or unique to my policy though. 

[billf]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4UxW8Nih4c4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=130DEHP980

Check out the song on the display in this picture.  The people at Pioneer must be fans of the TV show Lost.

[Tiger-Heli]

Check out the song on the display in this picture.  The people at Pioneer must be fans of the TV show Lost.

Crutchfield programmed that into the unit, not Pioneer.

[billf]

Check out the song on the display in this picture.  The people at Pioneer must be fans of the TV show Lost.

Crutchfield programmed that into the unit, not Pioneer.

Either way, still pretty funny.

[severdhed]

ok...well...

i dont have an iPod and dont plan on gettign one.  However both of the units i looked at had aux inputs, and also a regular ipod interface to control the ipod through the head unit.

i dont like fm modulation, it does sound like crap.

i already spoke with the insurance guy, he checked around for prices (i had model numbers)  he will give me 80% of the price he finds, minus the $50 deductible on my comprehensive insurance.

looks like i can at least replace the head unit and one amp. 

[pointdablame]

Eclipse makes very nice HUs, and that's what I'd buy personally if I were in your situation.  I don't have much experience with JVC, so I can't speak to that.  I had a few older Sony HUs as well which served me well but were no where near as nice as an Eclipse.

The DVD player is nice, especially if you think you'll actually use it for the kids, but for my money.. i'd probably stick to straight music unless I was going all out with a CarPC.

And yeah, don't go with FM Modulation under any circumstances.  I've used probably 6 or 7 different types at this point and not one can hold a candle to a direct connection.  Not even close.. and I've used/bought some of the "best." 

[Zakk]

ok...well...

i dont have an iPod and dont plan on gettign one.  However both of the units i looked at had aux inputs, and also a regular ipod interface to control the ipod through the head unit.

i dont like fm modulation, it does sound like crap.

i already spoke with the insurance guy, he checked around for prices (i had model numbers)  he will give me 80% of the price he finds, minus the $50 deductible on my comprehensive insurance.

looks like i can at least replace the head unit and one amp. 

Okay, sorry I bothered to even try and help, guy.  Don't worry, I won't bother again.  By the way, it also looks like someone stole your CAP key, see if you can get that replaced as well.

[shmokes]

Jesus Christ, don't be so sensitive.  Does the possibility occur to you that maybe we are "just trying to help him"?  We're giving him advice, just like you, and he happened to agree with our advice.  Nobody said you were an ---uvula--- or an idiot, just that there's a better option than the one you suggested.  severdhed didn't tell you to take your ---smurfy--- opinion and shove it up your ass, he was just presented with two differing opinions.  He agreed with one and disagreed with the other.

[Zakk]

To be honest, I would really have preferred to just delete my posts, instead of hearing another pissheaded post from you, but that option wasn't available. 

I listen to my setup daily, and am a bit of an audiophile, and while sure, I will admit it's not as good a solution sound wise to a direct connection, it absolutely does not 'sound like crap'.  So I'm not so much taking it personally, as thinking that if he's going to make an idiotic statement like that, then I really don't care much to help him.  As an added bonus, I get yet another post from you.  My day is complete. 

[shmokes]

Well, it sounds anywhere from pretty good to utter ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- (when the station it's tuned to starts picking up something commercial).  But that's neither here nor there.  It just ain't worth losing sleep over.  By god, it's got you going up and deleting the content from all your posts.  Learn to shrug your shoulders.  If you want to see the first pissheaded post in the thread look at your first post after I said FM sounded like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- compared to CD or direct connection.  Erm . . . well, that's not exactly possible since you erased it, but I think you've probably got a pretty good idea still what it said. 

I thought you Cunucks were supposed to be all mellow and laid back and Americans were supposed to be all aggro and fight-happy   

[richms]

FM modulators depend on how conjested the FM band is where you are, there is a total power across all the stations in an area which will de-sensitize the front end of the tuner to the pathetic weak signals that the modulators put out.

I know the only way I could get anything remotly noise free from my one on the CD changer in the car was to disconnect the antenna from its input, thats a luxaury that the actual transmitting ones do not have available. - Same hookup and about an hour out of town where there are several hills between me and the multi megawatt Fm tower, and it worked sweet as with the antenna plugged in. 20+ strong fm stations power combined will trample a flea power modulator even when directly connected. Then there is the haslte of changing channels when you move cities and there are differnt freqs in use.

I fail to see the use in having the rear speakers play something different to the front ones, if however there was another rca out for a headphone amp for the kids in the back, then that would be a winner

[Bones]

The aux input idea works perfect. Headphones output from Ipod/MP3 player straight into your amp and you will be air guitaring in no time.

I got this sweet set-up in my Kombi.

[richms]

Except that the headphone out on most portable players is well below linelevel since they are designed for low impedance headphones, you end up with the headdeck at max volume and its still too quiet, then you accidently bump the thing back to tuner and get blasted by some innane moron talking crap.

Even the level from the dock connector on an ipod is still a little on the low side it seems.

[NickG]

plus if i can make mp3 dvds

You can't.  MP3's on a DVD ok, but I have yet to see a DVD player that can read MP3's off a DVD.  Even if you could, navigating through your music while driving your car would be quite a danrerous situation.  I used to do this with CD's (~1/10 the amount of music per disc) and even that was a nightmare.

  Yes you can! 
I have tried this program and it makes DVD's full of .wav or .mp3 complete with menus to playback on most any DVD player.
- Still, navigation is a pain compared to a carputer with shuffle and playlist options.  Maybe those head units can build playlists or shuffle a USB drive?

[Zakk]

Well, it sounds anywhere from pretty good to utter ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- (when the station it's tuned to starts picking up something commercial).  But that's neither here nor there.  It just ain't worth losing sleep over.  By god, it's got you going up and deleting the content from all your posts.  Learn to shrug your shoulders.  If you want to see the first pissheaded post in the thread look at your first post after I said FM sounded like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- compared to CD or direct connection.  Erm . . . well, that's not exactly possible since you erased it, but I think you've probably got a pretty good idea still what it said. 

I thought you Cunucks were supposed to be all mellow and laid back and Americans were supposed to be all aggro and fight-happy   

I am pretty laid back, but you're tagging me lately, and it's getting old real quick. 

Instead of pointing fingers, how about you picture it from my point of view: I used to install car systems, I had a mustang that had 12 speakers, 3 amps and a disc changer, a VW that had probably 2000 watts, and no back seats because of the custom speaker enclosure, and various other setups along the way.  Now I've pared that down to a nice head unit, and an FM transmitter on a little gizmo that gives me 100000's more songs than I could get with a changer...all without visible wires, easy to take with you when you pop out of the car, and hell it ain't bad sounding at all, even compared to other transmitters that I tried.  Now I do up a post about how to safeguard and secure a system so that the guy doesn't get yet another one ripped off.  I take a few minutes out of my day to try and help out.  I come back, and surprise surprise, shlokes has chimed in with "that would sound like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---!".  Sort of hard not to think "well F you too". 

So after dude from the ghetto there pipes up with "yeah, that would sound like ass!", (no mention of gee, thanks for the ideas on how to secure my system), pretty much I was done with the thread, and took my toys and went home. 

AN THEN your lastworditis kicks into high gear, and you have to keep this going, and because I CAN'T remove my posts, this thing will keep showing up in my 'replies to posts' page.