JPTL

That Nak. is very nice, and probably the most consistent with the look of our interior.

Alan

Bob,
I would not recommend a CD changer at this point and even a CD player may be becomming less relevant. In just a few years CD's will be neither the primary sales or transport media and you'll have another dinosaur...

You might consider an MP3 controller player that interfaces to an iPod or can play some kind of remote loadable memory media itself (Memory Stick/SDCARD/HD).

It's possible your current head unit has provisions for an Aux input and this might work well with an MP3 player (though the transport controls would still be on the MP3 player). Or see if you can add on a Satellite or possibly even HD radio unit via the same method..

If you think everything sounds fine except bass maybe you'd do best to add a self powered bass tube or a small amp with low pass filtering to drive say a door mounted sub. I don't really personally like the 'bazooka' type bass tubes but many have used them and it would solve your bass issue (where to put it though).

The problem with loosing the stock amplifer and speakers to add better bass is that its pretty burns much your whole budget (and is a giant pain) to do just that with high quality components and you'd still need head unit for the features you want.

Alan

JPTL

Alan,
Very good point re: CD changers/players becoming obsolete. It seems like most newer head units have a direct accessory plugin on the face.
As far as connecting an MP3, iPod, or XM/Sirius via Aux. (RCA) connections, that's a great option if the head unit has the capability.
I've found with my Blau. that the AUX input doesn't have the same output as the built in CD player at the same volume. This likely changes from unit to unit, and may have some bearing on the device's line out signal being pretty low.
Also, when the device is powered via an accessory circuit (a permanent install as opposed to battery op. portable uses) the line-in may create a ground loop, and an annoying ignition hum will be present without a noise suppressor/ground loop filter.
Bob, as far as inexpensive solutions to more bass, follow Gary Knox's thread

Shark Attack

I understand you want good sound. But with the engine rumble and road noise can you really justify spending that much on a head? the 928 does not have great speaker enclosures nor is it an ideal listening enviroment. I can see maybe the Nakamichi. I don't think the sound quality differance is as drastic as it was in the 70's and 80's as it is today, no?

Optimator

I agree. For entry level prices, you can now get a head unit that will play MP3's from a USB flash drive that you plug into a USB socket on the front of the unit. Flash drives are very small and pretty inexpensive. Seems like most can hold at least 1Gb.

Another solution for more bass would be a subwoofer mounted in the spare tire well.

If Nakamichi comes out with a unit that has the aforementioned USB input, I would probably buy it. I like the clean black styling and the ergonomically grouped buttons. Seems like most head units from more mainstream brands are so gaudy looking that they would look bad in any car, IMHO.

Marine Blue

I ended up picking those three for sound quality and appearance. Optimator is right, many newer decks are so over the top and I just can't get past this.

The Nak 400 is an excellent solution although as many mention it doesn't have the built in MP3 controls which I believe are critical considering the direction music is going in.

Slightly off topic.....my wife just bought me a Nano not too long ago and looking back I wonder now why I waited so long to get one. It holds all of my favorite songs from the past 20 years and still has room for new songs! Best part is no silly carying case or the need to change CD's while driving. I highly recommend any type of MP3 player as an alternative to CD's especially if you're looking at changing your head unit in the car.

Marine Blue

One of the major reasons I like the Clarion is the combination of sound quality, appearance and capability. The fact that it has built in crossovers and MP3 built in controls means less external equipment and wiring which reduces the installation price.

Shark Attack

true dat, An octopus in the car is ugly. they are valid reasons to spend it

hans14914

If you like the clarion posted above, it is an anniversary edition of an earlier piece, the drx9255. The original 9255 can be found on ebay for less than $300, and is one of the best head units ever made. One of my favorite 928 head units is the alpine 7949, they are cheap, clean, and have many options for expansion.
Hans

Ed Hughes

I've got this same setup at Matt. It sounds great, and Stefan @ SW Stereo knows our cars. As Matt mentions, his plug-in adaptor makes the install absolutely painless, and it takes all of 1/2 hour. Before I put this in, I thought either my amp was non-functional, and my speakers were toast. I like good sound, but I guess I outgrew my need to blast at 120 decibels.

I did upgrade my exhaust to about 105db, so maybe that takes priority nowdays?

tdelarm

BOB!...didn't think you'd want it so I kept it

cobalt

I have the Nak CD500. Excellent unit looks very stock like the CD400 and I have an auxiliary input for my Ipod. Although you need to control the songs via the Ipod. True 24 bit Sound quality is A+ and I use the built in 47W x 4 to power the primary speakers. I picked up a Soundstream amp used off Ebay to power the 6" Mid bass in the rear . It could use a little more bass for driving with open windows but for the money you can't go wrong.

Marine Blue

Anthony have you had any reliability issues with the Nak and were there any particular features in the CD500 which made it worth buying with comparison to the 400? Can you take a picture of the headunit as installed? I'm curious if it sits flush.....

bobbigham

Right Tim...I hope that was a paste job......the current stereo could not run that....really, right!!!

I'm thinking very hard hard about the nakamichi unit, i like the look, upgrade the rear speakers and or add a small sub woofer in the back for bass....

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions...I know I need to think about MP3 more and CD less, but I want a unit that will take a CD too.

tdelarm

HAHAHAH...ya BOB...just razzing ya...like the car on the beach shot...photoshop!

CD's will be around for a while longer I'd suspect but I'd seriously consider MP3 options...they can handle a huge amount of data, no CD's to lug around and sound just as nice. IPOD is another option. When I had the car I was considering a DVD/GPS set up, new amps and speakers with the intent of keeping everything I pulled from the car in storage.

I had considered putting a 10' bass in the rear wheel storage but i wasn't happy about losing the spare...which probably wouldn't fit anyways. (should check that out)