Rolo

I am thinking of putting in an alpine . The factory radio really sux! Any Ideas. Thanks

Bins

Definitely the Alpine. Excellent system.
Also this maybe your chance to get one that also plays MP3.

Chris - 97C2

I might be doing the exact same thing and was also looking at the CDA-7995 I think it was. Does anyone know what is required as far as wiring, etc... ? I think I have the DSP option on my car as well I know it has the factory trunk mounted changer. Is everything compatible?

Ray Calvo

Knewood KMD-44 (wanted a minidisc player). great sound and nice match to the dash. Look at the CD version; KDC-416S

pookee

I installed the Kenwood MP-8017 CD/MP3 Player.

I removed the silver Kenwood logo and airbrushed it black and reinstalled it. This gave the radio the "all-black" look. It looks and sounds great!
One CD loaded with MP3's can hold 200 songs. Like having a Juke-Box in the car .

Chris W. - '96 Targa

I put a Sony CDX-MP30 in my '96 Targa last weekend. It has MP3 capability, is XM radio ready, came with a wireless remote, etc.

With respect to integration with the factory stereo system, the stores I talked with only wanted to bypass the factory setup. I decided to go it myself (computer engineering degree's got to be good for something, right?)

I tied mine in to the factory amp (my Targa has the factory HiFi option). A few things I noted while doing this:

- the stores I checked with didn't have a wiring harness connector for a Porsche, but it turns out the Volkswagen connector is basically the same (the colors of two of the wires are backwards, but the electricity can't tell that... )

- the cable that provides the pre-amp level inputs to the factory amp has 6 signals: LF+, LR+, RF+, RR+, common ground, and switched +12V (remote amp turn-on signal from the head unit)

- a previous owner had butchered my car's wiring harness, and had routed the amplified speaker outputs from the head unit into the preamp-level inputs to the amp. <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

- during that same hatchet job, someone had tied the head unit's "remote antenna turn on" signal to the "remote amp turn on" signal to the factory amp. It took me the better part of an afternoon to figure out why I could only get sound when the radio was on, but not when I tried to play a CD....

To hook up the Sony head unit, I fabricated some cables with RCA plugs on one end (to plug into the preamp outputs on the head unit) and spliced the other ends into the 4 preamp positive signals, with the grounds tied together to the single ground signal to the amp. The last signal was between the "remote amp turn on" signal from the radio and the switched +12V to the amp.

Works like a champ, and contrary to other posts I've read, I've got great sound from the factory amp & speakers.

-Chris

milrad

I put in an Alpine CDA-7893 last weekend. No issues with it connecting to the factory amp that comes as part of the hi fi option. It also controls an Alpine AiNet 12 disc changer in the trunk.

Personally, I think it sounds great. But then again I'm no audiophile. The factory hi fi speakers actually sound decent to me. From past experience, the speaker quality/condition makes more of a difference in sound quality than the head unit as long it has good clean power.

Jason

Chuck A.

Hi Chris W.

Which model/year VW harness did you use?

I just install MB Quart PSD 213's in the door and Kenwood Excelon's in the rear. Next I am going to install the Alpine 7894 (Black face) and was looking for a wiring harness to make it easier.

BTW, I have the standard stereo (non-hi fi).

Thanks.
Chuck <img src="graemlins/drink.gif" border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" />

WillBank

I recently installed the MP3 equipped 7878R Alpine unit and it is very, very good indeed. Previously I had used Alpine products which impressed me but the clarity is exceptional, something else from before, as are the innovative phase controls and crossovers so that you can soundstage your car in a way that is not possible with other products.



(For instance you can delay the signal coming from front driver's side speakers by a few milliseconds so as to shift the soundstage back into the middle of the car when you are driving - as it takes minutely longer for the sounds to reach your ears from your side this will match the extra distance having to be travelled by sounds from the passenger's side.)

But the good bit is that it will play MP3 CD's so that one can get 8+ hours of music on each disk.

I also installed two Bazooka tubes in the back, end-to-end, firing into the sides of the car (on the rear seats folded flat) and had them covered in pale grey carpet to match the interior.



This really fills out the sound (actually it can be driven to extreme levels without stressing the parts - it sounds like a rock concert with the volume of air actually able to move the hairs on your head) but allows you to tone down the bass load on the main car speakers which results in a purer less-stressed output from them.

Finally, as the piece de la resistance that I would really recommend to everyone, I had my Apple iPod fitted into the shallow shelf in the driver's door pocket so now I can carry over 5 days of music from my house (updated from the MP3's on my computer) into my car, slot it in and plug in and listen to any album in my collection at any time through my car system.

I will post pictures over the weekend.

I highly recommend a similar set-up if anyone is willing to do that much of an installation but I agree that factory (hi-fi option) speakers are actually very good when not pushed beyond their limits.

Regards, Will

Bins

Hey Will,

Sounds good. Looking forward to the photos.
Would you mind sayin the costs involved.

Im thinkin about doing something re the speakers, but not too expensive.
The Alpine I purchased has 4*60W capability with crossovers but NOT MP3. Sounds excellent even with factory speakers.

WIsh I had bought the one with MP3 but price was an issue then. Wonder if I can connect a separate MP3 somehow.

johnsopa

I'm not an audiophile, but would love to learn more about this...

I have been under the impression that modern day car audio systems do not project much noticeable audio improvement when just the head unit is replaced. I thought that the upgrade route was:

1. Speakers
2. Crossovers and/or amps if necessary to properly drive the speakers
3. Headunits

Am I wrong?

Thanks!

John

WillBank

Hi Bins -

I used to have the 4x60w in my old car and it was excellent (only Alpine's MOSFET technology allows them to drive such high output fr the head-unit which is a serious bonus for us as no extra amp needed).

As for MP3... I have really doubled up on that front... there is no need to have an MP3 enabled head-unit if you have an external MP3 player connected (like the wondrous iPod) as the signal just comes in via the Ai-Link. Thus you could easily add an MP3 player to your system without changing head unit. (A small tip: make sure you get an MP3 player like the iPod with good menu's and clear song/album selection because you don't want to be fumbling around with a tiny screen and 2000 songs while doing 80mph!)

Cost: £345 for 7878R, £250 for each Baz tube (but I had one which I salvaged from my old car), £300 for iPod. Fitting was free.

Cheers, W

WillBank

John,

IMHO cars are inherently bad places for acoustics... noisy, dampened sound, clutter in the sound path etc. etc.

As such OEM kit is almost always poor (why waste $ on kit that most punters do not appreciate because they listen to poor quality FM or light jingly music).

Given that most poor sound comes from under-powered amps being driven too hard and therefore producing 'unclean' spikes of distortion the head-unit is a vital upgrade as most OEM units have v low power. But even then (apart from Alpine) even good aftermarket head units are sometimes weedy. So an amp addition will help clean up the sound by allowing the head unit (OEM or aftermarket) to be run gently.

However, ultimately you are right because it is the dynamic abilities (sensitivity, design etc.) of the speakers that generate the sound and, being the cheapest components to upgrade, they are the best place to start in order to gain bang-for-buck improvement.

(Or fit RSR mufflers and get your sweet music that way )

Regards, Will

Mark Buka

Anyone want to unload a CDR-210 manual?, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

CAA

Along these lines - I have the CR210 with a changer up front. My car has hi-fi sound but the power is so weak. Does anyone know how many watts/channel this unit provides? I seem to have lost the manual. I also have a Jeep Cherokee that I put a Sony Xplod head unit into (52x4) and 4 new Polk Audio speakers and it cost me $500 installed. Blows away the 993 unit with "hi-fi" sound. And to think that was an upgrade...... <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" />