OT - sound system, whichi is best?
01-18-2002, 11:39 AM
#31
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XM is great, if you wanna spend $400 for the head unit and a $20 month service fee.
Radio is free!!
BTW.. Sirus will be dead soon, so if you go to satellite radio, save the headache and go XM.
Radio is free!!
BTW.. Sirus will be dead soon, so if you go to satellite radio, save the headache and go XM.
01-18-2002, 03:18 PM
#32
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I bought a Kenwood 8017 CD deck recently- $329- it's fairly powerful (22 W/chan RMS) AND it has over sixty color settings. I personally don't think it's that many- I'm not sure how they count them, but the buttons can be set b/t red and green, and the background has a bunch of colors and several shades of each. Anyway, I wish I'd looked online: The Zeb had it for $259; another place- $249 
I do like it, but am starting to wish I had bought one of the Sony Xplodes- a friend has one that he bought for $179 (19W RMS) and many of them now have 23.2W RMS for $175 - $300 or so. My friend's has excellent bass output, and sounds every bit as good as my Kenwood, plus, it really doesn't have too much of the rice graphics look- also, it has a cool little remote (I don't care for them too much, but they're cool for passengers to play with 
) VS the ridiculously large one that came w/my Kenwood- it's as big as my home stereo remote. About the only reason I didn't get the Sony is b/c I bought one of their best cordless phones several years back- it barely lasted a year- hell, the fu***** battery wasn't even worn out. I know it's not the same as a car stereo, but I was still pissed off enough to stay away from Sony at the time...
As for Denon, I've always thought it was really high end equipment, and I've always liked the name, as well as the looks of, and sound of the few Denon systems I've checked out. I've listened to several Denon home systems, and only a couple of car systems, but, unfortunately, I have heard that they can have a lot of problems
Hopefully Tabor, your friends Denon's will stand the test of time...
At any rate, I think that many of the brands make good decks, and most have both low and high end models. You just have to decide what all you want, in your price range, and find something that's right for you...
I do like it, but am starting to wish I had bought one of the Sony Xplodes- a friend has one that he bought for $179 (19W RMS) and many of them now have 23.2W RMS for $175 - $300 or so. My friend's has excellent bass output, and sounds every bit as good as my Kenwood, plus, it really doesn't have too much of the rice graphics look- also, it has a cool little remote (I don't care for them too much, but they're cool for passengers to play with ) VS the ridiculously large one that came w/my Kenwood- it's as big as my home stereo remote. About the only reason I didn't get the Sony is b/c I bought one of their best cordless phones several years back- it barely lasted a year- hell, the fu***** battery wasn't even worn out. I know it's not the same as a car stereo, but I was still pissed off enough to stay away from Sony at the time...As for Denon, I've always thought it was really high end equipment, and I've always liked the name, as well as the looks of, and sound of the few Denon systems I've checked out. I've listened to several Denon home systems, and only a couple of car systems, but, unfortunately, I have heard that they can have a lot of problems
Hopefully Tabor, your friends Denon's will stand the test of time...At any rate, I think that many of the brands make good decks, and most have both low and high end models. You just have to decide what all you want, in your price range, and find something that's right for you...
01-18-2002, 03:26 PM
#33
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I have a Aiwa CDC-MP3. I paid around $269 for it about a yer ago when it first came out. I have tons of mp3s and just wanted away to be able to put 150+ songs on 1 cd!! I am really happy with the sound quality and skip resisstance. The only thing that I'm not big on is the looks, but sometimes you have to compromise. Now that same head unit it avaiable new off of ebay for about $179! Guess that's what I get for getting it when it first came out.
01-18-2002, 05:33 PM
#34
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CR_944: you've gotten a lot of great responses, but just keep in mind that whatever HU you do finally choose, the music will only sound as good as the wiring/speakers you choose to install. spending $400-$1K on a HU sending signals through the factory wiring to 2 pairs of 4x6's might not be what you're looking for.
first figure out what exactly your goals are for your system - e.g. daily driver with a little more punch vs. competition-level sound. do you want larger speakers, dedicated amps, EQ tuneability, etc.? after that, then find your price range and start from there. pricing alone will weed out many makes and models.
from the choices you've listed i would say the top-of-the-line Pioneer or Kenwood would be nice. personally i like the Nak units(e.g. the 45hz with its 20-bit D/A converters or the MB 100 which i believe uses 24-bit D/A converters)even though they are made in Malaysia. i've also had a lot of great experiences with Alpine units.
the best advice anyone could give you is to audition as many HU's you have access to, and see for yourself what sounds "best".
good luck with your endeavor!
first figure out what exactly your goals are for your system - e.g. daily driver with a little more punch vs. competition-level sound. do you want larger speakers, dedicated amps, EQ tuneability, etc.? after that, then find your price range and start from there. pricing alone will weed out many makes and models.
from the choices you've listed i would say the top-of-the-line Pioneer or Kenwood would be nice. personally i like the Nak units(e.g. the 45hz with its 20-bit D/A converters or the MB 100 which i believe uses 24-bit D/A converters)even though they are made in Malaysia. i've also had a lot of great experiences with Alpine units.
the best advice anyone could give you is to audition as many HU's you have access to, and see for yourself what sounds "best".
good luck with your endeavor!
01-18-2002, 08:51 PM
#35
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Originally posted by Clint:
<STRONG>TimC, My Nakamichi head unit , CD-45Z, is in fact made in Maylasia but it is still uses some of the best D/A converters made. Funny thing is, my Nak amp is made in "USA". I am using a Nak subwoofer as well and it is made in "USA" as well.</STRONG>
<STRONG>TimC, My Nakamichi head unit , CD-45Z, is in fact made in Maylasia but it is still uses some of the best D/A converters made. Funny thing is, my Nak amp is made in "USA". I am using a Nak subwoofer as well and it is made in "USA" as well.</STRONG>
Best of luck with yours! (Note - they are still miles above Sony etc, which I would never even consider....)
T
01-19-2002, 01:44 AM
#36
I have a Nakamichi CD 45z head unit with Aura RPM462 4X6 units in the doors and Aura RPM525 comps with the mid woolfers under the dash and the tweeters mounted to the dash (looks nice) Diamond Audio M391i 6X9 over the rear cubbys and 1 Aura Force 10 sub powered by a Alpine 3553 amp. It will blow your head off if I want it to, but I like clear clean toons and this setup is just the ticket. I actually have 3 Nak units, 1 for my company truck and 1 new in the box, they are some of the best.
