System for my car - help plz
Posted by: Webke on 27 May 2005
I have been given what is my first own car, I plan to put a "decent" CD player and speakers in there.
I dont really have a budget, I have been looking on ebay.com and see that you can get cheap imported alpine/kenwood from the USA for what seem very good prices compared to the RRP's here.
If anyone has any suggestions on CD players/speakers I would really appreciate hearing them, thanks lads.
Also - I do plan on getting an ipod, could this be integrated into my car system?
Posted on: 28 May 2005 by Arun Mehan
Hi,
Kenwood, Pioneer and Sony are all about lights and features. Some of the higher end or "Pro" models are a little better. When it comes to ultimate sound quality, you might want to look at Clarion, Apline, Rockford Fosgate, McIntosh and Eclipse. Were you thinking about adding an external amplifier? That would improve sound quality also but adds significantly to the price. If you're going to install it yourself, make sure you level the deck and brace it properly otherwise your CD player will skip over any and all bumps! Support is key.
If your deck has an aux input, then you can integrate the iPod via a wire (1/8 headphone to same or to RCA). Another option is called an FM transmitter which relays the iPod sound through a specific frequency on FM. You tune your radio to that frequency and voila, the sound fills the car. But remember, since you don't have a Nat 01 in your car, the sound quality isn't as good as the first option.
With regards to speakers, look at Rockford Fosgate, Boston Acoustics, a/d/s, etc. Again, depends on what your final goals are. Any decent speaker from Sony, Kenwood, etc. is an improvement over the stock.
Hope that helps.
Posted on: 31 May 2005 by Not For Me
I have a system of Alpine H/U (Tape Cassette, Tuner, CD control, MP3 player input), Alpine CD/MP3 changer / iRIver HD140 / Genesis Amps / JL Audio speakers. The iRiver is mounted on the dash and the sound is piped through an interface into the system.
Alpine are one of few manufacturers who do high quality and cassette tape together. Most others have moved to CD. I am still keen on tapes, and make compliations of vinyl singles etc. to listen to in the car.
I looked at the Nakamichi units but they were not so good on other abilities.
A friend has an Alpine H/U with iPod interface. The iPod goes in the glovebox, and you can control track selection from the H/U. It looked a bit fiddly to me though, and the response moving from files to files wasn't that fast or reliable.
Alpine H/U - there are a few fripperies and flashing lights, but most of the system concentrates on the sound quality.
The most expensive component is the installation, with custom baffles and a load of wiring / dynamat sound absorption.
Check out some of the gear at your local installer, and remember, don't skimp on the fitting!
DS
