what kind of headunits do you guys recommend? i'm thinking abouy replacing mine to install an amp. please share your pics!

 

Kenwood Excelon X-869 (if you buy now the X-879) is awesome, I have an 869 and its just so good, heres pics

 

I have the Kenwood X759 and it is also awesome. DO you want to upgrade your audio system beyond a head unit? Cuz that will have a role in your decision for a HU.

 

what do you mean by upgrade my system? i've already replaced all of the speakers and the tweeters, that was such a pain taking the back seats out, but well worth it. my old bose speakers were like oversized headphones. now im just looking to hook up my amp and subs. i've stayed away from the headunit because it intimidates me, it's so big and awkward.

 

I like Clarion cause they seem to have higher RMS numbers and higher noise to sound or whatever ratio.

 

also....since the stock unit is so bulky, did you need to buy spacers?

 

You just buy an install kit which includes a pocket that you put in the empty space.

 

That's what I meant... if you were planning on getting any subs and amping them, or amping your inner speakers (which you didn't mention; that's why I asked), then your needs for preamp outputs would be different.

 

where do i buy this kit any specific brand?

 

i like clarion...double din is the way to go! looks alot smoother.

 

I had a Kenwood KDC-919 with Sirius, then I swapped it out for a Pioneer DEH-P7500MP because I wanted XM instead. I love the headunit, but miss Sirius. Here's a pic (sorry no daytime pic)

 

The kits are car specific. If you buy the radio at CRUTCHFIELD.COM the kti is free. You can go to circuit city or best buy and get it for $20. EBAY might have some.

 

So, you will be running subs + amp(s) + mids / tweeters .. if you want the best, or top of the line - the way to go is Eclipse or Alpine. If you want the colorful dolphins, then sure, go with Pioneer or eXcelon by Kenwood.

 

bodhi,
The way you stated your last sentence, it seems like you think Excelons are just "pretty." But I must disagree, if you want a good quality HU that has lots of tuning features and power, I would recommend the Excelons.
I can't believe you just compared pioneers with Excelons!

 

well how much are you willing to spend, i currently have a pioneer dehp9200 and want something new (9200 is like damn near 5 years old) ony headunit i have my eye on is the newer version of mine. pioneer rocks and have great sound and nice tweaking features. i only can give advice to stay away from sony anf jvc, ive had 2 of each an they were poor quality IMO

 

pioneer, alpine, clarion, kenwood excelon are around the same quality. eclipse is better quality but less extras. nakamichi is my favored and is great quality and no extras.

 

I only would go with Eclipse, ALpine or Pioneer

 

nakamichi makes after market? i never knew that......but i am not much of an audio guy. and i would rommend what Magikone69 said. stay away from JVC!!!!!

 

I have no experience with Clarion, but I can vouch for Pioneer (higher-end models), Alpine, Eclipse and Nak. I had a middle-of-the-road Kenwood and was not impressed, but never had a top-of-the-line one.

The only brands I can specifically say "stay away from" are Sony and Panasonic. They aren't horrible or anything, but you can do better with the same amount of money in other brands.

 

i got the Pioneer DEH-7600MP, an da thing is NICE! Loud clean bass, and very nice highs and mids too. Definetly a good buy. Has ta be da best lookin unit at night!

 

I would say Eclipse all the way. Pricey, but they are good HUs.

 

I'll soon be purchasing the Alpine 9830....4 volt preouts and stuff...why not!

 

eh.. nice but not compared to the 9600 my buddy has... its almost too bright and colorful for me.

 

what about the sony F7700.
I like the way it looks,plus I think it's 4 volt preamp.

 

I have an eclipse cd8454 going in my car next week. I ended up going over my budget, but I figured why not buy a good one now rather than buy a cheaper one, get sick of it, then replace it later on.

 

I have had no problems with my eclipse unit.

 

In short Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer, and Eclipse. I have a Kenwood and I found it easy to use. Alpines are a little harder to access all the features but they have more stuff to play with once you figure out how.

 

i'd say go with Alpine all the way

 

I have a alpine CDA-9813 and just love it. After you get used to accessing the functions its simple. I have had good like with eclipse and i hear nakamichi (spelling) are great.

 

I have an Alpine CDA-7949 paired up with an Alpine PXA-H600 processor, excellent combination for SQ when hooked up together with fiberoptic cables. This setup is hard to find now days, and the 7949 has a hard time reading some CDR's (I use Mitsui CDR's now and do not have any problems), but I am still very happy with this combo.

I would recommend the Alpine CDA-7998, very nice headunit. I know because I owned it for almost 2 years, but decided to go back to my current setup. It was originally $800 dollars. Cruthchfield has it on sale for $399 right now, and if you buy some other component they will knock off 10% off the price. My sister just bought this headunit along with some speakers, I will be installing it in her 2000 Maxima in a couple of weeks. Here is the link for the 7998:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fKM1Mcw...rch=cda%2D7998

If you want I can give you my Crutchfield referral code that will save you an additional $20 dollars. Just send me a PM if you want to use it.

 

i also have a pioneer deh-p7600mp and it rocks.. installation was a breeze and the sound is awsome