petee_c

Hey,

I've got a 2001 Boxster S, and I am researching stereo upgrades for it. The Becker CDR220 is working, but the screen is going dim. It needs a wiggle of the faceplate to sometimes bring the display to life. I've got the AUX input wired in the back for the smartphone.

I want a Head Unit that does bluetooth streaming, calling, the possiblity of Satellite radio (SiriusXM), iPod /iPhone connectivity, as well as connectivity to my present Android phone (Samsung GS3).

The local dealer is offering a mid level Kenwood Excelon series (X597(?)) for $189, and the antenna adapter and wiring harness look to add another $45-50 to that total.

I've been looking online, and I can get a Kenwood KDC-BT855U for $229 from Crutchfield.ca -- I can't seem to find the Excelon line on the dot ca website. Apparently, you get the harnesses and antenna adapter thrown in with Crutchfield?

Then looking further, Crutchfield .com may have better prices. -- scratch that, it's only $10 cheaper. However they do carry the excelon line

Sub.
with being a two seater, the sub options beyond custom builds are not easy to find. I did find this off the shelf 8" super slim unit on amazon, but the reviews are mixed.

How easy is it to order from amazon.ca, returns etc?

I'm not willing to give up passenger foot room at this point to put a box in there.

petee_c

anyone have experience with

Crutchfield.ca

or

Amazon.ca

?

vern1

No but you may get a lot more feedback on a car audio forum. I had mine upgraded (993) by Kromer (since out of business) who built a custome box etc. If you plan to do all the work yourself I would check a more dedicated audio forum or try on the 986 forum. Just a suggestion

John 996 TT Cab

I went with the high end Kenwood and it works great. Bluetooth, Satellite radio, Nav and even added back up camera etc. Can't remember cost but it was a lot.

993GT

I've had great experience with both

petee_c

I just ordered the Kenwood kdc-bt855u and a set of 4" kicker speakers from them. Great deal. Harnesses included with the price.

Jaak Lepson

Check out the write up on the 986forum on speaker replacement. I added a write-up. http://986forum.com/forums/diy-proje...placement.html

I also ordered from Crutchfield as well. Great service, same with Amazon.ca

petee_c

Hey folks,

I ordered the KDC-BT855U stereo deck from Crutchfield dot ca on Tuesday, came by UPS on Thursday. We live in a quiet rural neighborhood, so the driver just left the packages in a clear plastic bag on our porch.

I've got the stereo almost installed. It wasn't too bad. About 1.5 hours worth of work, plus another 1 hr of troubleshooting.

Here are my tips.

1. Becker head unit. I have removed it before (2yrs ago) to do the AUX wire plug in. It took me a few tries to get it out. The keys really hurt your fingers.
a) flat side of the keys goes out. The Crutchfield supplied keys are a 3 prong deal. I believe the longest prong works best. I also have a eBay set buried in the owner's manual brief somewhere. There are pics all over the web
b) lever the keys outward as you are pulling the deck forward. By pushing the Left Key (our or to the left), you are causing the part that's in the head unit to move in, thus retracting the clip. Vice versa for the right side. Retract those clips first, before pulling forward on the keys to remove the HU. If you pull forward 1st while levering the keys out, I believe there's too much pressure on the clips against the factory "DIN sleeve" for the clips to me. Basically it's 2 fluid motions to get the HU out... retract the clips then slide the HU out....


Pelican has some good info on their website (I also bought Mr Dempsey's book). I usually just follow the website.... Unfortunately the website is not 100% accurate, which led to my 1hr of troubleshooting....

1. The Crutchfield supplied harness (I believe it is a Metra, same part number, but it came without the Metra retail packaging) has an error in the wire colouring. Basically the yellow and red (12 V power constant and switched) are mixed up. I'd advise testing those 2 wires on the harness to make sure which is which. There are other reports on the net that this is mixed up too. You will find this out after you have installed the radio, set the time and then turned the car off. You will realize something is wrong when the time goes back to 12:00am. and the date goes back to 2000

2. There is a wire on the factory "DIN Sleeve" - well it's not actually a sleeve in the same sense as what comes with the aftermarket radios... It's to protect the hi quality Becker unit from theft... just in case the rest of the alarm system on the car doesn't work out to deter the thief. The web says to ground it. This is in fact wrong. Grounding it will cause a fault in the alarm system, and the car will beep when you lock it with the key fob. This wire is a brown/green wire, on the Left side of the DIN opening. I pulled the wire off, and it's got a rubber insulating sleeve on it. I will just tape it up, to make sure it doesn't ground to the chassis.

--------------

New radios are hard to learn, and I'm a 40+yr old whose pretty good with technology.

Hope this helps someone.....

Now on to the speaker hack / installation.

Peter