Decent Head Units

chewiee · 04-14-2004, 09:54 PM

Hi guys,

I've been stalking you guys on this site for about two/three weeks now and have started looking into my carputer specs... have decided to go for the carTFT.com travla case deal and seeing it includes everything. As I have not even got the car yet (waiting on a cheque from a client for some outstanding work), I was wondering what I should do for a head unit.

I was interested in getting either a Kenwood one (got my gf one that played mp3s), or even a Sony or a similar manufacturer that provides a line in on the back of the unit via rca's.

Can anyone recommend a unit to me that I can get in the UK that does not need me to do any cludging with its innards to accept that something is connected to the rca ports and swap to the line in on a simple keypress. IIRC I had an old MD head unit with line in and it wouldn't play the game for me at all... and I am not that clever with a clothes iron, let alone a soldering iron.

I also wanna run from the head unit to an amp for my sub/speakers (nothing too noisy, just a little punch). I have a 200w amp, a Kenwood sub gathering spiders and cobwebs in the shed and some kef tweeters and crossovers.

So far I have been pricing up the unit via carTFT.com and its come to just under 700 all in for the EPIA M10000, 256mb ram, 40 or 60gb hd, the Lilliput, gps receiver and touchscreen panel, as well as the ITPS power regulator.

I have attatched my quote, have I missed anything, or can I get some of these bits cheaper elsewhere?

Was considering getting the HD from ebuyer, but not looked into price differences yet.

Anyways let me know... you guys seem to be really helpful... and I look forward to my new mission...

Chewiee
www.my4x4.co.uk

89Excess · 04-14-2004, 10:49 PM

I reccomend Eclipse recievers. My 5423 is absolutely feature-packed and awesome! Oh yeah, it has an AUX port too!

Joe

SoFlaLude · 04-14-2004, 11:42 PM

I had an Eclipse 5443, great little unit until someone stole it from me. I also had an Alpine CDA-7863, the replacement for my Eclipse, and had that one stolen from me in November. Not for nothing, but this time I'm going headunit-less and spec'ing a carpc that will operate sans a HU and plan on doing a complete stealth install.

Basically any Alpine will let you have an Aux In; they have a box, I think it was called teh KCA-20b or something to that effect that basically plugs into the Ai-Net connector and converts the signal to RCA input. They also have a similar box that has the RCA ins, but also retains the Ai-Net input so you can connect any Alpine Ai-Net device too. Between both manufacturers, I preferred the sound of the Eclipse a little more; the Alpine had a somewhat more 'processed' sound to my ears, and the highs were a little over-emphasized; the Eclipse had a far more natural sound and gave my music a nice open soundstage, and its interface was wonderful. Eclipse's theft-deterrent sucks though, so beware from someone who's come from the receiving end of a smash-and-grab. But, as the loss of my Alpine shows, any jacknut pr|ck will relieve you of your possession if they can see it.

Bluebisz · 04-15-2004, 12:22 AM

Well, for a good headunit I would recommend Alpine, Eclipse or Pioneer. All three are excelent in sound quality, I believe all can have Aux In options. I currently have an Alpine CDA-9815 (2003 model) and I love it. 3 sets of 4V pre-outs, programmable cross-over settings, programmable time-delay for optimal listening position, 5 band equalizer and excellent signal to noise ratio for CD/MP3/WMA playback.

port20 · 04-15-2004, 02:26 AM

get a kenwood or pioneer they will be fine or just do what I am and use the pc for a head unit

chewiee · 04-15-2004, 05:09 AM

OK, so I guess I will need an amp to do this then? I guess I can wire directly to it for the PC? As I have already got a two channel amp, I guess I can add a four channel amp instead (front and rears).

This will save me a an extra din slot being taken up, and extra drain on the battery.

So am I right?

All the best

Chewiee

Banderon · 04-15-2004, 09:53 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't battery drain based on what wattage your amps are putting out? If you have 1 amp putting out 500watts, or 2 amps putting out 250watts... shouldn't the general power usage be the same for the two?

Then again, I suppose that that's how it would be in a perfect world, but in real life, two amps drain slightly more cause of resistance/power lost on the different tiny componenets, etc... but is the power loss large enough to be relevant?

project94coupe · 04-15-2004, 12:36 PM

I suggest a pioneer...more bang for your buck. I have owned one since spring 2000 and it has been going strong ever since!

wylie-c · 04-16-2004, 08:06 AM

JVC and Panasonic are making some great decks too, and are excellent value for the money.