For You Car Audio Guys, Advice Wanted

**PurePower** · 03-27-2003, 11:03 AM

I would say don't buy Sony because it is ****. I know other guys are going to yell but if you test the output power of the sony it is like 5w under what they say it is. Basically to determine the wattage your speakers will really get you take the Peak and divide it by 2 that will give you a rough estimate of the wattage your speakers will be getting. So that Sony head unit is really putting out like 21watts rms. Which is poor by todays standards. Since you are going to be powering speakers off of your headunit.

I would not buy 3 ways. If you want to stay within those prices I would reccomend the Aiwa CDC-MA01 for the head unit. If you want to get more expensive with more power I'd reccomend Alpine, Blaupunkt, and Pioneer head units.

For speakers all you need is a nice pair of co-ax's go down to circuit city or a local car audio shop and listen to some co-ax's. Choose the ones that sound the best and are in your price range. Unless you absolutly need 6x9's because that is how the cutout is I would say do not get them and get another pair of 6 1/2's. The 6 1/2's will have better response and sound better.

As for a CD changer ask yourself if you really need it. I would say do not get one because usually you'll leave the 5/10 cd's you originally put in there in and hardly ever use it because it's in the trunk or some other godforsaken place. CD changers are an expensive commodity think long and hard and then if you decide against it spend the money you would have on the cd changer on a better head unit like the Alpine CDA-7894 which has 60w Peak and 27RMS.

So to round it up. Pick stuff other than sony because they make junk. Choose a head unit that has more power becase you'll only appreciate it in the long run. Get some non sony speakers, POLK, ALPINE, and INFINITY are all excellent brands. Remember to buy co-ax (aka: 2-way) speakers, they are all you need for a system that is being powered off it's head unit. Make sure to buy the adapter that connects to your cars OEM harness for your CD player otherwise it will be a major pain in the *** to find the correct wire and connect it to the CD players harness. Hopes this helps.

**Reo5th** · 03-27-2003, 11:46 AM

I really like the sound of Infinity perfect and Kappa speakers. I also say stay away from sony. The head units are good, but the speakers are sub par

**ShooterJM** · 03-27-2003, 11:49 AM

Well. Quite frankly I'm not a big fan of sony's mobile audio stuff. But I've had friends who have had good experiances with them. Personally I try to stick with Clarion when I can, but Pioneer is good too. It's just pereferance, but I'm not a big fan of Alpine. If you want to spend the extra money go with Eclipse. I've never been more pleased with a headunit before. Awesome sound.

I have a '92 Accord BTW. The stock speakers on the rear deck are 6x9s in mine and probably in yours too. You can go with 6.5's but you'll have to get a frame/basket to hold it correctly. Also note if you go with 6x9s depending on the shape of the basket the speaker might not sit correctly. I had to modify them the last time I tried to do that.

Definately get the wire harness. Also if you're going to be doing the installation yourself, think about saving and USING the stock speaker plugs. That way you won't hack on the Accords wiring.

Good luck.

**digitard** · 03-27-2003, 01:18 PM

I had a Sony deck in my truck before it was stolen ... not a bad deck, worked just fine.

But I'm now eyeing the PIONEER 8400MP stereo ... you can get it for like 350 on Pricewatch ... mmmm... its a tight deck and it is MP3 compatable so one CD holds 120 songs (give or take).

Sincerely,
Dave K

**Jonesie** · 03-27-2003, 01:46 PM

Alright, based on the feedback I've received here's what I plan to do:

I'm going to stick with the Sony Head Unit and Changer. The MP3 compatability is paramount to my decision. That's the whole reason I'm upgrading. I'm getting mixed feelings about it, but the fact that a few of you seem to think that it will be fine, I'm going with it.

However, you have changed my mind on the speakers. I do plan to get an amp eventually, financed permitting, so if the Sony doesn't put out that much power now, I can deal until I get the amp. I'm going to be looking into the Infiniys as they are historically the best out there.

Thanks for your advice. Please feel free to add anything you feel pertinant to my decision.

Thanks ~ Dave

**Miscue** · 03-27-2003, 02:24 PM

Sony? Bah!

Clarion or Alpine make great decks.

Only Sony I would consider is some of their ultra high end stuff...

**PurePower** · 03-27-2003, 06:52 PM

Dude if you are getting an amp you are going to need better speakers. Specifically component speakers which are rated for higher wattage and are a lot more expensive. Again I'd like to say stay away from Sony. Nothing but bad equipment. They sell it at Walmart. I don't see them selling any decent Eclipse, Pioneer, or Alpine decks at Walmart. Do yourself a favor and don't buy Sony we've been trying to give you the hints but you're not getting it. Good luck working out your system. Feel free to ask my any questions I've put tons of them in.

**RRfireblade** · 03-28-2003, 07:09 PM

First off,Sony makes an excellent Head unit.Been selling them for 10+ years.All but the first 2 changers they released have also been fine.If you travel,you'll love having that many CDs on tap.
They're xs speakes I do not like.If you want Sony speaks,the Sony mobile ES line is the only way to go but hard to find as an ES dealer is exclusive.But they sound excellent and are biult very well.(cast frames,quality xovers,etc)
As for speakers,I'd go Pioneer(Premier line ROCKS!,however same deal as SonyES),alpine,JL audio.
Stay away from Sony amps(X_PLOD)we have had many problems.

And for head unit power,NO ONE except Alpine ever made a head unit with any real power,so don't sweat it.You can and will Amp it when you go sub etc.

Hope it Helps,
Jay.

Home and Car audio sale and installations for 10+ years.More Competition wins then can be mentioned here.

**Jonesie** · 03-28-2003, 08:16 PM

Thanks for the info. I'm so torn right now that I'm holding off on the purchase. I have a lot of homework to do in this area, so I'm gonna do some research.

Thanks a lot for the info. Seems very fair and unbiased.

Dave

**rhetor22** · 03-28-2003, 08:21 PM

I would stear clear of the sony car audio stuff. Sony makes great stuff for the home, but the car stuff franky sucks. Sure it works great while it lasts, but i get asked many, many questions like "why don't my front speakers work anymore?, The cd player says error after 2 min..? The cd player won't turn on any more?!" and i say "it's a sony right?" they all say yes. They work good, sound good, then die. They named them Xplod for a reason.

I'm an alpine fan. If i could afford boston acoustics, i would have BA speakers and an alpine cd player (which i do)

head units don't put out enough power at all if you're really into audio. You'll want an amp. I would reccomend saving up and getting a 5 channel amp to run a sub and the speakers. They're expensive but they make hooking everything up real easy, and save on space.

**ShooterJM** · 03-30-2003, 12:41 PM

Originally posted by rhetor22
They work good, sound good, then die. They named them Xplod for a reason.

LOL. Funny! I've owned a few sony decks. Most died within a year, but one has been running strong for quite a few years now. But one out of 4 or 5 has got me gunshy. Anyway, I'm with Miscue. I stick with Clarion and Eclipse headunits.

Just picked up some Orion subs and I need to get a new amp now. Can't/Won't get another Soundstream amp. Don't like Fosgates. Probably gonna end up with a BOSS again. Cheap, good quality signal, but power is VASTLY overrated.

**paintbattler** · 03-30-2003, 08:23 PM

i have an xplode and it works great..it is the one that opens up and has a screen on it..i have cheap kenwood speakers bc thats all that would fit and they work great too
that was 372 bucks and some odd change

**Automaggin2** · 03-30-2003, 09:05 PM

Well, the first thing you did wrong was order from crutchfield. big mistake.

http://ikesound.com/

Go there.

sony headunits are nice, but i would stay away from there subs and speakers. I would go for infinity door speakers. For subs, id look at Audiobahn, Infinity, or Kicker.

For amps, if your goin for competition, get a class d mono block and run it parallel to your subs. Memphis makes some damn good class d amps. If your goin for just normal sound or power, go with kicker or JLs

For You Car Audio Guys, Advice Wanted

For You Car Audio Guys, Advice Wanted

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