Thread: Nissan Titan Q and Req's

Originally Posted by Justintoxicated

So is this going to be possible or should I just give up now?

Yup. It's possible.

Requirements:
-Premium Sound, I want sound equal to what I'm getting with my Eclipse CD5444 Head unit. Meaning High Voltage Pre-outs if possible, Time Alignment, EQ's and Crossover as well as a separate adjustable sub output.

I suggest getting an external EQ for analog or a DAC for digital, the latter option being preferrable.

-AM/Fm Radio

This is going to be the hardest to pull off, with any quality. Although if you're out for sound quality, why bother with radio at all?

-Keep My Integrated Steering wheel controls

This can be done. Depending on the system in your Titan, it might be easy. It might not be easy. Some research will be necessary, at the very least.

-Bluetooth (would be cool if I could connect to my phone and play music off it I have a Plantronics for my phone needs but speakerphone system would be nice too

Speakerphone is very possible. I don't know about playing music from your phone as an ecternal storage device, though.

Yeah, all the rest is pretty standard stuff for us, really. You should be able to get most of what you want from your system. I don't know how close it will be to the $1500 budget when you bring in specialized hardare and the like.
Figure with my setup (not complete yet), I've got nearly $2000 invested in my setup, but I also replaced my speakers, added amps and an EQ, etc. Nothing as high-end as your setup, but still. The PC itself was bought used/from eBay in pieces/parts, so I was able to get the whole PC part of it for well under $500.

- Windows XP OS

I wouldn't consider this an "extra".
But it's a good OS choice, as all the touchscreen-friendly frontends are designed for XP. And Vista is pointless int he car as of now...

PC can be mounted under passenger seat, lots of space there (Can see in linked post)

Check this: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/faq-...ath-seats.html
It's food for thought.

Welcome to our madness!

Liquid cooling isn't necessary, nor is it easily feasable.

Grounding to the seat bolt is not a good grounding point in general for various reasons. I know that personally I've just recently discussed this with another member on here just last week.

-Premium Sound, I want sound equal to what I'm getting with my Eclipse CD5444 Head unit. Meaning High Voltage Pre-outs if possible, Time Alignment, EQ's and Crossover as well as a separate adjustable sub output.

Hit up the car audio sub forum. There are quite a few of us who pride outselves on the absolute best audio quality possible. We push the envelope and do things people say we never should have been able to do. However, you must understand that this is still very much a hobbiest area and as such will require a great deal of reading. Myself, Durwood, turbocad6, ScottFX, etc have all spent countless hours (in the hundreds) reading, researching, testing, posting, conversing about options here....all to make it easier for folks like yourself to get started.

-AM/Fm Radio

Very few viable options at this time. We are working on an HD radio that will work for this, but it's going to be a few months still before it's avaliable.

-WiFi (connect to network to sync music collection) Windows updates etc..

This is a given...in I'd say about 99.9% of the vehicles on here.

-400-500 GB Hard drive (min 100 GB)

You will want to research how to mount this in such a manner as to ensure long life. Mounting it flat, under the seat isn't ideal in my experiences. There have been quite a few threads on this as well.

-Keep My Integrated Steering wheel controls

Same idea as with your Eclipse HU. Adapters are avaliable.

-Backup Camera / Front recording Cam is possible

The store here sells a camera that is high quality for these purposes. If you want it to auto switch when you go to reverse you'll want a Xenarc screen, not a Lilliput, as such, your budget just increased.

-Bluetooth (would be cool if I could connect to my phone and play music off it I have a Plantronics for my phone needs but speakerphone system would be nice too

Check the forums for this as well. There are various options out there, but most important is the front end you chose to go with and how it implements the use of BlueTooth phone connectivity.

- Video Player
- USB (plug in thumb drive)

Aren't these givens with computers these days?

- 12V PSU

Search the store as well. There's also a specific sub for for this. They have existed for years now and have gotten quite advanced.

- Sound Quality: Will it be as good as my HU?

Check my signiture. This should answer your question. There's also a VERY long thread about this very topic in the Car Audio forum: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/car-...d-quality.html

Regarding rear speaker amplification: if you're so concerned with SQ I have to ask why do you care about rear speaker amplification? True SQ cars rarely have rear speakers, and if they do it's for a very light fill...if that.

Originally Posted by Justintoxicated

Seems easier to me, since I have the space. I hate the noise involved with aircooling, and things tend to get hot when I go to the desert or in the car in cali, (this is a 4x4 truck btw). A single 120mm fan + radiator shoudl be enough to cool everything. What would not be feasable about it? Most WC pumps are already 12V I guess A leak could get messy, but I have never had one.

You've also never had a watercooled rig bouncing across the desert sands, either.
It's one thing when it's sitting on your desk. It's another when it's subjected to the vibrations of a vehicle, let alone off-roading.

To be honest, if you plan your systenm properly, the noise of any aircooling equipment (otherwise known as fans) should be minimal. Go for low-power components, as they generate less heat. LEss heat means less cooling. LEss cooling equals less noise. You could easily cool most system with a single 120mm fan and eschew the radiator and pump. That will mean less power draw, another plus.

For the PC I was just going to run another line off the dirtribution block for power and ground (Streetwire P/G block with 4 ports, you know the one)

Yup. I have one myself.

So should I keep my existing HU and go this route or should I plan on replacing it? Seems to me it would provide instant music, AM/FM radio, TA EQ, Crossover without having to buy a bunch more equipment and install it. Also easy access to the volume knob...And it would be a great place (under it) to install a DVD drive in the dash to fill in the gap I have there now from thr DD to single Din CD Player. This is my first decision I need to make as the screen seems to be the hardest part of the install. if I go with the Nav bezel I can just 3M the screen to it and I'm done. In the double-din I may need some new trim pieces. The link I provided also shows a pic of a single din like I have installed.

Yeah, it's a tough one. I think of radio as the deciding factor. If you NEED terrestrial radio, then retain your headunit, as there's only one PC-based tuner of any quality, and the software support for it is spotty, as it's still being developed.

I was going to install it in a Micro ATX computer case under the drivers seat, if I need to buy a smaller laptop drive though I guess that it will have to do. The only location is going to be under the seat inside the Micro ATX case. I have no space on the rear wall or under my rear seats as that is where I have all of my audio equipment. I knwo HD are very sensive to movement, so I'm thinking I may have issues here (Another reason a HU with tiny small integrated Hard Drive is sounding better) Or even an Ipod at this point.

Will do, I'm sure I will have more Q's here as I want a pretty complex one that will put the PC into standby for a period of time before it hibernates.

You're going to have to look really hard for that. That's a feature that's typically only found on laptops. Good luck with that one.

Still not sure of what to do for the screen, but open to suggestions, it would be nice to spend under 1k on the screen alone otherwise I feel I may as well just buy the Eclipse HU that has 90% of these features... I want transflective coating for sure just not sure if I should add the Nav Bezel or keep my stock HU and add a DVD drive below it.

A screen for under a grand is easy. Since you're going to be bouncing around under the bright desert sun, I'd suggest the transflective screen that's offered in the mp3car.com store. It has the best readability under direct sunlight, hands down.

Thanks for your help, it appears you know quite alot about these systems. I am pressed for time working on the truck itself as It is my daily but would have plenty of time to mess with stuff outside of the truck. Even if it means buying another Bezel (They are like $40)

You can also check out eBay or car-parts.com for the bezel.

Originally Posted by Justintoxicated

Seems easier to me, since I have the space. I hate the noise involved with aircooling, and things tend to get hot when I go to the desert or in the car in cali, (this is a 4x4 truck btw). A single 120mm fan + radiator shoudl be enough to cool everything. What would not be feasable about it? Most WC pumps are already 12V I guess A leak could get messy, but I have never had one.

Part of being judged in Sound Quality competitions is other noises.

Prior to this year, only old set-up, without any work, I would constantly score perfect in this area.

I was going to install it in a Micro ATX computer case under the drivers seat, if I need to buy a smaller laptop drive though I guess that it will have to do. The only location is going to be under the seat inside the Micro ATX case. I have no space on the rear wall or under my rear seats as that is where I have all of my audio equipment.

There are places other than what you can see just by sitting in the truck.

My GTi didn't have any room in the back because of the system:



So we used our heads and found another location:



It's possible, you just have to look.

I knwo HD are very sensive to movement, so I'm thinking I may have issues here (Another reason a HU with tiny small integrated Hard Drive is sounding better) Or even an Ipod at this point.

I ran a 200 gig IDE drive for about 3 years without any problems. I upgraded my system to a 300 gig SATA drive and started to have issues with data loss because of the position.

After running a CarPC for so many years, I must say that everything else is archaic. You can't even begin to get the same functionality out of a HU on the market (short of the G4) as you can out of a CarPC....

Granted, a CarPC in the hobbiest sense, is not for everyone. It takes time to learn how to do everything and how to get it working right. But once you do, it's something you'll be hooked on for a long long time....heck, it hooked me so much I left my job and started working for this place.

Still not sure of what to do for the screen, but open to suggestions, it would be nice to spend under 1k on the screen alone otherwise I feel I may as well just buy the Eclipse HU that has 90% of these features... I want transflective coating for sure just not sure if I should add the Nav Bezel or keep my stock HU and add a DVD drive below it.

7" or 8" Transflective monitor avaliable from the store here.

I am pressed for time working on the truck itself as It is my daily but would have plenty of time to mess with stuff outside of the truck. Even if it means buying another Bezel (They are like $40)

I'll tell you right now, if you THROUGHLY plan everything out, and I do mean THROUGH, a weekend to install the CarPC is feasable (as long as there's no fabrication). But you had better have all of your ducks in a row before you start installing.