Can I really get a sound like on a stereo HU ?

flavor4real · 02-17-2007, 11:54 PM

hey guys,
I'm still in the middle of deciding which way to go. I see Headunits for 500 bucks like the one from Kenwood and panasonic and i was very close to order one then i see nice good laptops which i can use for a carcomputer. U know, a carcomputer where u have a nice touchscreen with a nice OS for ur music playback.

all i worried about is having a nice interface for mu music playback and a reverse cam. GPS/ car diagnostic is nice to have but not a must for me.

if i get ma a nice Xenarc 7" touchscreen for $360, a laptop for $500 than thats already $860 ... a Tocuscreen kenwood headunit cost me $500.

what is it that makes a carputer so unique ? .... so, that someone rather spend a few hundert bucks more to get one instead a regular HU ...

theheel · 02-18-2007, 12:50 AM

besides the cool factor that no one else has it, or in many cases even thought of it.. (besides other fellow mp3car users)

1.) you can use it for GPS, for turn by turn directions
2.) customize your interface with all the hundreds of skins available, unlike with the kenwoods that would probably give you 2 or 3 color themes rather than comnpletly new design.
3.) video , either DVD or downlaoded video
4.) much much more... this is just the tip of the iceburg.

if you are just looking for music listening..then the headunit is the way to go.. if you ever want to do more.. then go with the car pc...

Brycestro · 02-18-2007, 12:59 AM

A head unit will never come close to being as extendible as a car pc. A car pc you have an operating system, something which has had millions of applications and pieces of hardware designed and developed for it which can be added on as you please. It can be turned into a complete automobile integrated solution, as opposed to a headunit which is very limited as far as what else you can interface to it and run on it besides music.

If all you're after is music, then you should probably just go for the headunit, if you want to take it further than that, then a car pc is probably the way to go...

2k1Toaster · 02-18-2007, 01:28 AM

Also what headunit can you play console games, pc games, and configure every aspect of the OS?

And what headunit can offer you storage space like a computer. The only headunits with HD's top out at 40Gb. I have over 100Gb of videos alone. With a computer you can have any amount you want up to 750Gb a drive if you wanted.

The only advantage a HU has, is it's screen's brightness. With a regular Xenarc or Lilliput, the sun can fade out the colour. But their are transflective screens but those push $600-$700 for the monitor alone! But they are worth it. The advantage of a computer screen over a HU screen is that the computer screen is VGA and the HU's is only RCA. VGA means higher definition.

Also on those HU's I noticed a significant delay between when you push a button and when something happens. Sometimes as long as 5 seconds for the changer to happen. With a CarPC, it changed instantly even on my 1Ghz C3 cpu.

Also what the others said.

And you can get a laptop with a broken screen for less than $500 or desktop boards. And a xenarc or lilliput can be had cheaper if you look around. ebay or the classified section, or other places.

VPrime · 02-18-2007, 02:09 AM

I think a PC has the ability to sound better then a head unit..
Why? because a computer is much more powerful and has much more processing power then any head unit out there.
When I was searching this topic, there were many people on here who use no head unit (just PC) for sound competitions..

2k1Toaster · 02-18-2007, 02:13 AM

If you want all out crazy audio, check out TurboCad's thread here: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/car-audio/96479-pc-audio-extreme-competition-studio-level.html

Not for the faint of heart!

And yes the PC has the ability to put out much nicer sound than a HU, but you wont be doing that with a subpar system using onbaord sound or a cheapo sound card. You will need something in the XFi range and up.

lez · 02-18-2007, 05:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by VPrime

I think a PC has the ability to sound better then a head unit..
Why? because a computer is much more powerful and has much more processing power then any head unit out there.
When I was searching this topic, there were many people on here who use no head unit (just PC) for sound competitions..

You seem to miss the point that head units dont really process anything, there just a tuner and an amplifier as far as FM goes, they can wortk with a processing power of zero, and you can build that from a bag of transistors and get a terrific SN ratio, without all the CPU noise creeping in....

But I'm not here to put you off going the PC->AMP route, because its the best option for a car PC, a simple headunit is boring, a good headunit is expensively boring.

I also think a pci soundcard is a must to reduce bandwidth down the USB route, and to save on CPU, those cheap nasty little 8 channel soundcards etc on ebay from HK for a $1 with $10 shipping etc are fine for a first build, in fact fine for most setups, I often see on here expensive soundcards used then when you look at their screen shots their playing mp'3 with awful low bitrates and saying how they have got good sound.

A cheap soundcard, a decent amp, and some good lossless soundfiles, you wont look back.

isamu · 04-03-2007, 06:42 AM

Hmm, interesting arguments either way

RedGTiVR6 · 04-03-2007, 08:27 AM

a PC is not for the faint of heart.

you will need to be dedicated to it, unlike a head unit that you just slap in a car and are on your way.

A CarPC can sound just as good, if not better than 99% of the head units on the market. You just have to know what you're doing.

isamu · 04-03-2007, 08:52 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

a PC is not for the faint of heart.

you will need to be dedicated to it, unlike a head unit that you just slap in a car and are on your way.

A CarPC can sound just as good, if not better than 99% of the head units on the market. You just have to know what you're doing.

Hi Red. Just wanna say your system is awesome

I've been following you and Jason's posts in the other threads. You guys are pretty experienced. Let me ask you about the PC....is it true that if you run a straight SPDIF signal into the PXA-H701 from your soundcard and have your PC in the trunk you don't have to worry about engine/alternator noise?

Also, I live in Los Angeles and as you know, it gets pretty darn hot out here. By having a CarPC(or should I say, a PC designed to go into a vehicle) in the trunk all day and night, would I run the risk of it getting too hot and failing?

RedGTiVR6 · 04-03-2007, 08:55 AM

Thanks for the kudos.

Yes, you can run optical, but please note, it's Tos-Link, not digital SPDIF.

It gets hot here in Texas. There were numerous days last year where it was 117 outside when I got in my car, meaning it was probably upwards of 175 in the car. I was running a MII12000 at the time and had absolutely no heat issues.

This is one of the areas where you will have to consider your processor and the like. If you go with a faster processor, you will have to deal with the heat. This topic has also been covered nearly to death in other treads. I'd suggest digging them up to see what other people use and what their results are.

isamu · 04-03-2007, 09:04 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

Thanks for the kudos.

Yes, you can run optical, but please note, it's Tos-Link, not digital SPDIF.

It gets hot here in Texas. There were numerous days last year where it was 117 outside when I got in my car, meaning it was probably upwards of 175 in the car. I was running a MII12000 at the time and had absolutely no heat issues.

This is one of the areas where you will have to consider your processor and the like. If you go with a faster processor, you will have to deal with the heat. This topic has also been covered nearly to death in other treads. I'd suggest digging them up to see what other people use and what their results are.

Your're running a laptop, right? Interesting. Why didn't you choose an actual carPC from say, mp3Store.com or Xenarcdirect? I would've thought a laptop would get much hotter than a dedicated carPC but what do I know?

96CalibraYE · 04-06-2007, 02:02 PM

i think the sheer expandibility of a carputer is what terns everybody, plus it defiently has some wow factor.

DarquePervert · 04-06-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by isamu

Your're running a laptop, right? Interesting. Why didn't you choose an actual carPC from say, mp3Store.com or Xenarcdirect? I would've thought a laptop would get much hotter than a dedicated carPC but what do I know?

I can tell you that Red is not running a laptop.
I believe that laptop installs are the minority, but I can't say for sure.

An "actual carPC" is nothing more than a PC built with components that have low power draw components and a power supply designed for in-car use.