RE: Need Help Buying a Car Stereo

From: Hoostine (hoostine@geocities.com)
Date: Mon Sep 04 2000 - 16:57:12 EDT


pioneer has a unit that fits into chrysler holes, like the dak's. tho, none
of them are both cd and cassette. they're all more than $300. they do have
double-din sized units that offer that feature, but good luck getting one
into your truck without modification. you could fit a standard din sized
unit in your truck with an adapter plate. they cost $12-$20 at radio shack.

as for taking out the stock unit, it took me 5 minutes with a wratchet and
socket(don't remember size right now) and nothing else. you pull off the
trim panel and take two bolts off. unplug the 2 wiring harnesses and the
antenna plug and that's it. you can get a wiring adapter from radio shack
for ~$7. they're for the optimus head units, but you can clip the optimus
plug off and the wires are labeled. just hook it up to the supplied plug
for whatever radio you get.

as for the stock speakers, i haven't gotten around to replacing the
passenger side door speaker yet, but i did hook it up to my amp anyways. my
front passenger speaker is getting around 130W RMS and my rear speakers are
getting around 45W RMS and are all doing fine. and they're damn loud to
boot. *any* head unit you get won't put out enough power to fry any of your
speakers at any volume level that the head unit could reach without
clipping(distortion). don't worry about that part.

most are equipped to handle cd changers, but usually only of the same brand.

as for quality, stay away from jensen and optimus and you'll be just fine,
unless you're an audiophile. if that's the case, stay away from anything
costing less than $800 ;)

good luck

--Hoostine
98 club cab sport, 3.9L, 5-spd, 3.23's, totally stock minus the cat, black.

>
> Hi.
>
> I want to get a replacement for the "basic" factory
> radio/cassette unit... I
> want a single CD and cassette features that won't break the bank
> but beyond
> that I don't know what to look for.
>
> My questions:
>
> For the stock speakers, is there a max. power rating I should be
> aware of?
> I'll probably upgrade the stock speakers eventually, but not right away.
>
> What brand is best/longest lasting.
>
> I want better than stock sound but, again, don't want to break
> the bank...
> What minimum features should I look for?
>
> Is yanking out the stock unit a simple task or do I need to have it
> professionally done?
>
> I don't plan to do this initially but are most units "ready" out
> of the box to
> handle a remote multiple CD changer/holder?
>
> TIA to all you stereo buffs!
> Tom
>



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