Good brands for in-dash CD players?

[Mike86SC]

Hey guys, I recently bought an Aiwa cd player that turned out to be a piece of shit, so I'm going to replace it. I got it at Best Buy & their other brands in stock are Pioneer, Sony, and JVC. If I have to, I'll go somehwere else. What brands do you guys recommend? I mainly want something that isn't going to skip on me. I don't want to spend more than 250 bux or so. Thanks!

[fish999999999]

pioneer premiere head units are usually pretty good for around $250. other companies to look at are kenwood excelon and alpine. You will be very satasfied with any of them.

[H1-VLTG]

All of the aforementioned are good and I'll throw one more in the list. Sony ES.

Mainly try and get with one the Anti-Skip feature, I haven't any problems in terms of skipping with mine. (I have the Sony ES) <img src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" />

[Mike86SC]

Thanks guys <img src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" />

[jokeplayer]

I love my Panasonic. I picked it up on E-bay for $200... It pumps out good sound with some power too. A lot of the decks, like Sony for instance, say they put out 50 x 4 watts max and 21 (or 22) watts RMS... RMS is the normal listening wattage without distortion... My Panasonic puts out 45 x 4 max and 23 x 4 RMS! Not that the 2-3 watts make that much of a difference of anything... I also like it because it has three sets of preouts, Front Rear and Sub, so depending on how much you want to upgrade, then check the specs. Maybe go online and compare @ crutchfield.com and then go to a store to buy it and get it installed unless you're going to do it yourself...

[Ray]

kenwood excelon, pioneer premeier, or alpine....any others and your just buying average shit <img src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" />

[fish999999999]

good answer ray, do i hear an echo? <img src="graemlins/wavey.gif" border="0" alt="[Mr. Wavey]" />

[un4givin89]

SOny is no good, don't buy name brands that make more than one field of product.

[96Firebirdlgv82]

The Pioneer DEH-2400F is cool. Pioneer is probably among the best of the brands. If not, then I don't know what is <img border="0" alt="[Head Bang]" title="" src="graemlins/headbang.gif" />

[H1-VLTG]

Un4given89, what do mean SOny is no good. Are you referring to Sony or Sony ES <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" /> Sony Mobile ES is in the same category as Kenwood Excelon, Clarion Pro Audio, Pioneer Premier.<br /><br />I'll give you that Sony is a little more expensive than the others, ie. Pioneer, Clarion, Kenwood. That is due to the Name, but even then I don't believe their prices are more than $20 above the others. <br /><br />I have had 2 Sony ES cd Receiver in my 91Z, never had a problem with them <img border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" title="" src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" />

[jobryan26]

My only complaint about the Sony's is their ugly IMO. I don't like all that red that they've went way overboard with.

[H1-VLTG]

My Sony unit is older, (LIKE 3-4 yrs old) it doesn't have all that red. I just went and checked out the Sony units over the weekend. WHAT IS WITH THE RED CRAP, I'll give it ya, they sure as hell don't look pretty. I like mine, it is plain black with amber color <img border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" title="" src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" />

[Jim85IROC]

I hate to be the messenger of bad news, but the sony ES decks are EXACTLY the same as the regular explode shit except that it comes with a longer warranty, and in some cases, 1 or 2 additional bells & whistles. The quality is just as bad as the regular sony shit. I was a big sony fan until they came out with this Xplod junk. The stuff is crap.<br /><br />Most JVC is crap too, except for their new Digifine series. Those are awesome, awesome decks.<br /><br />The only line that I think gives consistantly good quality from cheap to extravagent is Alpine. Others either have good low-end decks (i.e. the major names like Pioneer) or crap low end and good high end (eclipse).

[H1-VLTG]

I didn't know that about the Sony ES being the same. GOOD TO KNOW, thanx. <br /><br />My unit is older, B4 all Xplod shit. It did me just fine, I competed in 1997 IASCA World finals in Sound Q, and Sound Q+.<br /><br />Thanks for the info, I haven't been following Car Audio that closely since I stopped competeing <img border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" title="" src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" />

[MrDude_1]

Pioneer:thumbup:


sony:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown:

[Chris84SC]

I love my pioneer. Got it for $150 at walmart. Its 45x4 watts. It doesnt have detachable face, but for 20 bucks more u can get one that has detachable face.

[Newsance]

I've got a kenwood deck, and it sounds great, the only problem is, it tends to be sensitive about dirty CD's. CD's will skip in it that will play fine on other units.

The panasonics are great decks for a great price. I'd look into those.

[MrDude_1]

the only kenwood CD player i have used wouldnt play CDrs... dammit...


but im sure they must have fixed that by now.

[Mark B]

Hey guys,
I have always had Poineer decks and I have always loved them. I never had a Pioneer Premier, but I have heard all good things about them. Get a Poineer and you wont be sorry.

[tamatt27]

All I can say is, and I'm sure you guys already know this by now, DON'T BUY ROAD GEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My god.......that is the crappiest piece of crap to ever be crap!!!!!!! It skips when my car is at IDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I have a stock 305!!! Anyway, how does Blaupunkt rate? Thanks, Matt S.

[XLR8TORZ28]

I have the Pioneer DEH-P77DH...... It fits the camaro radio spot in the dash perfect.... I got it off of ebay for 219.00 ...... It has 3 sets of pre outs..(front, rear, and sub) has two built in crossovers ....... cd labeling ..... credit card remote..... detachable face...... I think it is 45 x 4 watts..... EZ EQ...

[hotrodchick]

I have a JVC KD-SH9700 not to tacky and it has a detachable face to it. it can play photos but I can't watch dvd (yuh) also plays MP3/WMA (windows media audio). I think it's also a satilite radio. :raz: Has a huge manual and I just don't have the time to read it. I like it but now I want DVD player. Bought mine at best buy and I think it was in the range of 250-300 maybe more not sure. Since I've had it. I've had no problems with any of my CDs skipping. Even comes with a remote. HEHE :thumbup:

[KuruptGTA]

JVC used to be horrible. They are slowly getting better and better. HOWEVER I don't see them ever being top of the line. Even if they did somehow manage to come out with something that wasn't a total pile (in car audio anyway) it would probably catch fire. If you have one that doesn't skip, congrats, you're one of the lucky few... Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Eclipse are all good brands that have low, mid and high end units... Just remember, quality doesn't come without a price. :)

[Jose'sRedTA]

My pioneer DEH-p3500 is great....and can be had for like $180

[88406vette]

Originally posted by MrDude_1
Pioneer:thumbup:


sony:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown: I'm with you SONY BLOWS!!! I like Pioneer Kenwood and JVC

[KuruptGTA]

Originally posted by H1-VLTG
All of the aforementioned are good and I'll throw one more in the list. Sony ES. (I have the Sony ES) <img src="graemlins/thumbsup.gif" border="0" alt="[Thumbs Up]" />

It'll catch on fire after the volume knob quits working. :hapsad:

I'm not saying they're perfect, but I run nothin' but Alpine.

[thx_one]

Pioneer, Sony, Alpine, JVC, Panasonic. Some are good some are not so good. I have a Sony right now..it does the job and sounds ok but it is definatly a temp radio. I would like to do something like the pioneer 77DH and may give it a run, hell it may be pretty damn good. But if you want "quality" then there are head units like "Eclipse, Nakamichi, Pioneer's top stuff, Alpines top stuff, Clarion "Pro Audio", or something that has BURR BROWN D/A converters in it, but that gets expencive."
So far the best sounding CD player I personally have had was an older Eclipse, a '94 model I think, All it had was 2 sets of RCA's, Bass, Treble, loudness, Balance, and Fade. No bells and whistles taking up space and interfering with sound output and creating excess heat! Think about it, most amps have built in crossover and what not so why stuff all that into a head unit? Use the bells and whistles on the amps. I think they should make head units like they use to, Bass, Treble, Loud, but with todays 4 volt + pre amp outs and todays vibration damping control.

[firebirdse1985]

I had a sony xplod amp and head unit until they got stolen (theives suck). Then I bought a Rockford Fosgate Punch amp and a Pioneer head unit with the turn style volume controller. :)

[KuruptGTA]

JVC used to be horrible. They are slowly getting better and better. HOWEVER I don't see them ever being top of the line. Even if they did somehow manage to come out with something that wasn't a total pile (in car audio anyway) it would probably catch fire. If you have one that doesn't skip, congrats, you're one of the lucky few... Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Eclipse are all good brands that have low, mid and high end units... Just remember, quality doesn't come without a price. :)

:werd:

[Jenna998]

Ok, Kenwoods are very much overrated....
Pioneer and Alpine are the way to go when it comes to headunites.
The Alpine headunits do tend to be a bit more expensive though, and for a lower price, you can get a Pioneer head unit, thats just as good, if not better and more stylish.

[llwood]

I don't like the looks of the Pioneer stuff personally i have bought nothing but alpine for the last 4 cars

[Jenna998]

Alpine is a good brand, but, like I said before, they tend to tack on a little extra to the price.
I love the high end pioneer units personally... They're more stylish, and go better with car interiors

[Lethalrides2k3]

its all about teh pyramids :hehe

[cotterpin]

i have an Xplod cdx m630 its old sounds great but occasionally doesn't want work. (when the car gets hot)

here
http://store.yahoo.com/vipmobileonline/cdxm630.html

what it looks like in the car

http://photobucket.com/albums/y228/1989Irockid/?action=view&current=100B0040.jpg

[Jenna998]

I dunno, I'm not a big sony fan when it comes to car electronics.
They're not reliable, and I've heard better sound from other brands.

[Cod3nam3_47]

Alpine :hail:

[Cod3nam3_47]

i have an Xplod cdx m630 its old sounds great but occasionally doesn't want work. (when the car gets hot)


I was talking with the owner of the local alpine dealer and when I told him about what kind of car I had he said that one of the employees there, (my friend Ron) also had problems with his stereo when his 92 z28 got hot. Check out thirdgen.org, I bet there is a fix.
-Greg

[02gsxr600]

Newer HU's are getting worse and worse - they are adding great new features like GPS and better color displays, but nearly every brand is more worried about making their products "flashy and goudy" than worrying about SQ!

Go a bit old school and get a real HU on Ebay...

Pioneer DEX-P1R (premier) - one of my fav's and used in my car
Pioneer DEX-P9R (premier) - replaced the P1R, added a 30 band EQ but very expensive
Eclipse 8443 - Great HU! Lacks a few bells and whistles...
Eclipse 8053 - 16V balance line outs!
Eclipse 8445 - Good HU, but just as Eclipse started to take a dive...

These are probably the most widely used HU's in competition! They all feature time alignment (allowing the sound from each speaker to meet your ear at the same time) which also helps staging to make it sound as if the sound were directly in front of you. They all have very high output's at low impedance, excellent D/A converters, EQ's, x-overs, slope control, etc etc... The P1R/P9R also have a feature with a small microphone that you plug in, tape a small piece of carpet to your windshield, and attach the mic to it. The HU has a built in RTA that plays pink noise through each speaker and automatically sets time alignment and your EQ to a perfectly flat response! Therefore you know when you add or subtract 1db at a particular frequency, you are adding/subtracting exactly 1db! It also sets the staging nearly perfect without any tuning! Simply some of the best!

If you don't want to spend a ton, there are a few great options out there for the money. Some people may laugh, but in real world tests they keep up with some of the best!

Eclipse 5441/5442 - 5V preout, high/low x-overs, seperate fader and non-fader (sub) controls
Eclipse 5423 - newer version, pretty much the same with a different look
JVC and Alpine also make some great lower priced HU's that perform very well!

Anything sold at Best Buy, CC, American, etc is all pretty much very low-end, try to find a local store that specializes in car audio and listen until you find what you like! Everyone has their own personal preferance in sound...

Try to find a store that sells brands like Focal, DLS, Zapco, USAmps, TC Sounds, Memphis, JL, *some eclipse, or higher end Pioneer, Alpine, etc... If you walk in and only see RF, Sony, Aiwa, etc walk away! Some of the BEST HU's on the market can be found in great condition, or new on Ebay or other internet stores for $100-300! Obviously prices will go up from there, but I'm just saying you can find some of the best at a very reasonable price!!

Good luck, have fun :)

[02gsxr600]

One thing I forgot to mention in my post was to never go by pre-out voltages if that is a deciding factor! Each company rates them different, I've seen preout's all the way up to 18V - rediculous! Infact, really High-end companies only rate their gain controls up to 2-3V now, higher voltage is not better - it's the quality of the signal that makes the difference which *most manufacturer's don't show the spec's...

I'll put my P1R's 4.5V preout, or my Eclipse 5441's 5V preout up against ANY HU on the market anyday and I'll bet it sounds better hands down! Another thing - don't even put the idea of a line driver in your head, infact take the word out of your vocabulary! All you're going to do is add clipping and distortion which may not hurt right away, but will eventually destroy your driver(s). Not to mention it may *sound louder* but it's really just overdriving everything down the line and making it sound like crap!!