drmrfi

Probably not exactly what you are looking for, but for me the perfect head unit for 993 is Blaupunkt from the same period when these cars were new.
Blaupunkt 126 series cd head units (London, Kiel, Munchen) are a perfect match for the interior and sound good enough.
Simple, reliable, well made stuff (just like our 993s).

Mika

P.S. If any of you has Blaupunkt 126 series cd head unit for sale, I´d be interested to buy one!

mr_bock

I passed on 'keep it stock' look, and went with the Alpine head with XM radio built in. I contacted CarAudioInnovations and got hooked up with 480 watt amp, focal front speakers, JL sub-woofers, and rear speakers. Sounds great. I did the install myself and placed the XM antenna on the rear speaker shelf and ran the wires under the panels. Everything works great, sounds great.

My two cents, LOL

FlatSix911

Two words: Alpine 9820XM

Great head unit with XM built in!

JohnJL

Mr_Bock,
Which Alpine unit did you install? I have a 9827 on the way and already have the XM receiver here...now it seems some of the XM receiver documentation is referring to an adapter cable that's needed...did you need that?

john

rainmn

Once again, thanks for all the advice. I ended up ordering a Clarion unit that should be here tomorrow. It's nothing special at all, but it's black, very simple looking, and plays MP3 cds. That was all I wanted for now.
Like many others here, I've always had good luck with Alpine. Since the days when I was installing them, I've probably owned at least a dozen. I still couldn't bring myself to buy a new one though, just because of the silver. I guess if you have some aluminum accent pieces in your car, but I don't, and don't plan on it. (Yes, the 9835 is black, but has far more features than I need or will use. Couldn't see spending the extra $$ on it.)
I'll post a pic of it in the car tomorrow, provided it shows up. We can all judge together how it matches the car (Or doesn't.)

nile13

GRMN, thanks a bunch!!

So... did you end up crimping RCA connectors to the DIN cable? Or is there a more elegant solution? The Soundstream amp I'm planning on using has RCA inputs, of course.

grmnxtc

Nile,

Have to say I stuck with the stock amp to begin with (attached to the new Blaupunkt MP34), then got lucky on Ebay, and got a brand new DSP amp and controller for $130 bucks!!

So I pretty much have a "pseudo stock" system with the Hifi DSP Amp with a newer head unit which is MP3 capable.

I couldn't find an aftermarket Amp that still fits in the tight space under the passenger seat and doesn't draw the power that a small country requires... I must getting into old fart territory at the tender age of 39. I value my hearing, and don't need a "bling bling - boom boom" stereo. Just some tunes on the road with the top down and the Mrs sitting beside me.

Jeez, I'm feeling old already...


Anyway, A trip to Radio Shack should find a female 8 pin Din to which you could attach the RCA's. Then, if you ever want to "transplant" or return to stock, you have the ability.

Rick

I went through this a few months ago - I wanted something that would allow me to build a quality system but didn't want something that stood out on the dash or looked like a video game.
I put in a Becker Monza - AM/FM/CD/MP3 in a unit that looks very OEM and has rotary controls which I like.
For speakers, I put in Dynaudio components in the front (a system 360 except that I swapped out the standard woofer for the larger MW180). I put in a pair of AD 4" coax speakers in the rear using the standard speaker enclosures so it looks stock but sounds immensely better.
For amps/control, I'm driving the front stage with a pair of Helix HXA-400 amps (one bridged to drive the woofers and the second driving the mids & tweeters); both of these amps are controlled via an Audio Control DQX. There is also a Helix HXA-20 under the passenger seat driving the rears.
I've got just a bit of tuning left to do (waiting to receive the RTA that I've rented) but the early results are excellent.
I'll post pictures & comments when I'm 100% done.

vjd3

I tried the Alpine 9820XM radio and wasn't too thrilled ... the display was almost invisible in daylight and the sound quality of XM wasn't, in my opinion, much better than a low-quality MP3 file. Not even in the same ballpark as my iPod. From what I understand, a lot of the material they play was compressed using an older standard codec, although some of the newer material is a bit better, but still limited due to the hardware they have to support. I should point out that I'm a musician, too, and have a fairly discerning ear.

With Howard Stern signing on to Sirius and their jump in subscriptions, I'd be concerned whether XM will continue to be viable, although Alpine's embrace of it is a good sign.

Most of the audiophile types aren't thrilled with Sirius or XM for sound quality; I'd recommend listening before you subscribe or install.

I wound up with the 9830 unit, which has a better display and also plays MP3 files, which the 9820XM does not. You can fit dozens of songs on a single CD in MP3 format, and the new iPod interface will charge and allow you to control the iPod from the headunit.

Besides the headunit, I also did an MTX 75 watt amp in the trunk ($115 on sale at Circuit City), Focal components in the doors ($225 on Ebay), and a (removable) Infiniti powered BassLink sub ($175 on Ebay) in one of the back seats; search for Basslink and you should find a post and photo on it. The whole system cost about $800 or so and the sound is very good.

Vic
95 C4 cab

JohnJL

Vic,
Did you decide not to sell?

I'm in the process of doing what you did....alpine head unit (9827, has both satellite controllers, MP#, etc) Infinity Bass link, replacing the fact speakers with Blaupunkt. Was going to use a Profile amp from Crutchfield but a local installer friend scared me off...said "they burst into flames...like the Pinto of amps."

I picked XM because I wanted O&A more than Stern. They got kicked off about 1.5 years ago for a great "sex in the city" contest...

Where are people putting their satellite antennas?

ventoGT

John--I plan to put mine on the dashboard in front--that is where it was in my 996 and worked great...the dash in the 993 is a bit smaller, but those antennas keep getting smaller and smaller....the only time I had any trouble with signal is when I'd be in a corridor with very large and full trees on both sides....putting it on the outside of the car was absolutely not an option.

nile13

I never listen to loud music, actually. Just clean. I find most German OEM car audio (Nokia, Blau, OEM Bekker) fairly well objectionable in this category. Especially for a cab. The rear speakers just buzz, for example.

Tom W

FWIW, XM has about 3 times the number of subscribers that Sirius has (just over 3 million vs. 1 million). I also thought the 982x display was weak and not easily readable, and will be getting a 9835 because it's display is much better.

JohnJL

Anyone install the antennal on the underside of the hood or under the dash? How about under the seat upholstery in the back?

vjd3

Nope, car is still for sale ... just turned down a good offer last week. Maybe I'm too stubborn (or just want to keep it).

I put the audio stuff in over the summer. The XM antenna will work inside the car, but not as well, lots of dropouts (at least here in Boston), especially around tall trees. Putting it outside the car helped, but did not eliminate the problem completely.

Vic
95 C4 cab