# Aftermarket stereo - single DIN > UGLY!



## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

Hey all,

Just got done installing a new Sony CDX-GT200 head unit in my '06 Frontier SE, bought from Crutchfield. They, of course, included an install wiring harness (which works great) and a Metra install kit with the pocket for unused space.

Here is the problem.

The Sony just does not look very good when installed! The factory Sony trim ring cannot be used (no room), and the Metra install kit looks cheesy and the 3 faceplates that come with it do not fit once the dash panel (with the A/C, airbag, etc.) is put back into place. Not to mention an annoying gap between the Metra kit pocket and the head unit itself. The tolerances are so tight with the dash panel and the new head unit and install kit that I just don't think it is going to work out. If that Metra kit was a nicer plastic (I mean it REALLY looks cheesy) and that gap was gone, I may consider keeping the Sony. As it stands, I tried many different mounting configurations with the pocket on top, on the bottom, using (trying to use) different holes in the pocket for mounting, etc. None looked good. I was going to take pictures and display, but I was so disgusted that I pulled the whole thing out and popped back my factory CD system. It's weird - the Sony either had too much power (17w x 4 RMS) for the stock speakers, since they did not sound nearly as good as when hooked to the OEM CD system. Not sure why this is. I adjusted all the EQ and tone settings on the Sony while I was "still" trying to convince myself to live with a goofy install, and it just did not sound as good as the factory head unit. That was the icing on the cake, unfortunately. I was planning to return the head unit anyway since I decided to go XM, and wanted a head unit with that control built-in, but if all DIN-size units end up being like this, the heck with it. Yes, I know I can custom-fabricate something to make this work, but I just don't see it looking anywhere near the OEM setup, without going to a double-DIN system (which are hard to find, although the Pioneer DIN.5 systems *may* work.

What is the consensus about adding an aftermarket stereo (single DIN) to a 2005/06 Frontier SE, NISMO, or LE? Any pictures and advice you can share? I am wanting to get XM (finally), and the Roady2 is only $29 at Best Buy right now, which would work with my OEM system over FM (albeit not the best fidelity), and I may go this route since adding XM to an aftermarket unit would be quite and ordeal - plus I want a unit to be portable if needed.

What have 05/06 Frontier owners done with aftermarket stereos? What kits did you use to get the best look?


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## Reverendbiker (Jan 29, 2005)

FrontierJourney said:


> What have 05/06 Frontier owners done with aftermarket stereos? What kits did you use to get the best look?


I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I went to a single-din Blaupunkt headunit because I wanted the MP3 feature. I did a write-up, with pics, on my web site here:
Blaupunkt Install 
Since I took the pics I decided that I liked the unit above the storage compartment rather than beneath it, so I swapped the two. The installation looks nice, IMHO, and functions well.


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## avenger (Oct 7, 2005)

Reverendbiker said:


> I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I went to a single-din Blaupunkt headunit because I wanted the MP3 feature. I did a write-up, with pics, on my web site here:
> Blaupunkt Install
> Since I took the pics I decided that I liked the unit above the storage compartment rather than beneath it, so I swapped the two. The installation looks nice, IMHO, and functions well.


how does it sound with the stock speakers? more power?


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## Mulligan22 (Nov 24, 2005)

*Speakers*

Changing out your headunit is fine but don't neglect changing out the factory speakers and add tweeters to the wired but empty dash area. Since you used crutchfield, check out their speaker recommedations. They change out pretty easily. 

My dealer delivered 4 speaker setup is now a 6 speaker + subwoofer setup and it works pretty well.


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## FastCrewCab (Nov 3, 2005)

Mulligan22 said:


> Changing out your headunit is fine but don't neglect changing out the factory speakers and add tweeters to the wired but empty dash area. Since you used crutchfield, check out their speaker recommedations. They change out pretty easily.
> 
> My dealer delivered 4 speaker setup is now a 6 speaker + subwoofer setup and it works pretty well.


This is not the first time I heard someone say they only have 4 speakers with their Frontier. While I haven't yet looked under the tweeter grilles, my window sticker says AM/FM/CD w/ 6 speakers. It's a 2005 CC SE 4x4.

Regarding single-DIN head units, I haven't seen a one that I think would look as good as the factory unit in the dash. I will most likely try a speaker upgrade before upgrading the head unit.


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## avenger (Oct 7, 2005)

FastCrewCab said:


> This is not the first time I heard someone say they only have 4 speakers with their Frontier. While I haven't yet looked under the tweeter grilles, my window sticker says AM/FM/CD w/ 6 speakers. It's a 2005 CC SE 4x4.
> 
> Regarding single-DIN head units, I haven't seen a one that I think would look as good as the factory unit in the dash. I will most likely try a speaker upgrade before upgrading the head unit.


we have 6 speakers...


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## BakedCookies (Sep 18, 2005)

avenger said:


> we have 6 speakers...


yes we do, there are small tweeters in the dash spots

6x9's in the front door, why they used 6x9's is beyond me

and 6.5's in the rear doors. 

for a factory system its quite boomy, but the high end is virtually non existent


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## Mulligan22 (Nov 24, 2005)

*Speakers*

Ok you have 6 speakers, great. Unless you have the RF setup you still have speakers that are paper cone drivers with wizzer cones for tweeters...The aftermarket offers betters choices...
It doesn't matter how nice the headunit is if it's driving crappy speakers. That was my whole point....Good luck with your setup.


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## jeffro (Jan 6, 2004)

Anybody know if you can use the steering wheel radio controls on an aftermarket setup? Might keep the stock radio of you can't and just try to improve the speakers.


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## MrFancypants (Nov 18, 2005)

Just checked the features list for the different Frontier trim levels:

King Cab - standard 4 speakers on all trim levels, 6 speakers available (RF?)

Crew Cab - standard 6 speakers on all trim levels, 10 speakers on RF package


I have heard the base stereo in a KC XE compared to the base stereo in my CC Nismo and it is night and day different. The head unit is the same. I havent had the door panels off (yet), but Im wondering if the front component speakers are the same whether you have the RF package or not on the CC. The rear speakers are _noticeably_ poorer quality. Their sensitivity is absolute crap compared to the fronts. The rear speakers will definitely be the first audio upgrade I do in my truck.


- Greg -


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## Immolator (Aug 30, 2005)

*Kenwood Double-Din*

I also wanted the cleaner look of a Double DIN unit but didn’t want to spend $1200 for a DVD player.. And I also wanted to keep close to the dash light color. The only problem was that most of the manufactures are using green or blue illumination now. I just thought that would look out of place. I also wanted the ability to play MP3 and WMA CD’s. I found what I was looking for in the Kenwood.

It’s double din, plays MP3 and WMA, and you can vary the illumination to match the dash. Yes it also has a tape player but I don’t use it. It comes with red buttons but I have the read out set to Amber and it looks great in my opinion. It also has 50 watts per channel and several other nice features. The only thing it doesn’t have is Satellite radio but it has a line input in the back to hook a unit up directly or even the iPod controller.

As far as the speakers go, they are not paper. They are plastic of some sort. They do sound pretty good with a new head unit. However, they are only rated at 17 watts I believe and at 2 ohms. So you head unit could burn them out if you turn it up to long. I changed out my front speakers with the Alpine 6X9’s that Crutchfield recommended. They went right in with no modifications to the mounting. I’m going to get the Alpine’s for the rear also.

Here are some picks.


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## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

*Kenwood..*

Yeah, 

While searching around I came across another post with your Kenwood double-DIN setup. I considered that (and may buy it) since it has everything I needed (mostly an AUX front-panel or RCA back panel inputs for a satellite radio and for an iPod (not control, though). Would not use the cassette either, but it would be a conversation piece for passengers, that's for sure.

The stock speakers in my '06 SE KC must not be paper (they do not sound like paper cones), and sound pretty darn good all things considered with the stock head unit. I added tweeters in the dash (wired in parallel with the fron door speakers) in the factory locations and the high end is there now with a vengeance - sounds really good. I hesitate to throw all this away now, since I am very satisfied with the sound and look, so we shall see. Nice to know the Kenwood is a decent option - I really want that entire hole filled out with a new stereo system.



Immolator said:


> I also wanted the cleaner look of a Double DIN unit but didn’t want to spend $1200 for a DVD player.. And I also wanted to keep close to the dash light color. The only problem was that most of the manufactures are using green or blue illumination now. I just thought that would look out of place. I also wanted the ability to play MP3 and WMA CD’s. I found what I was looking for in the Kenwood.
> 
> It’s double din, plays MP3 and WMA, and you can vary the illumination to match the dash. Yes it also has a tape player but I don’t use it. It comes with red buttons but I have the read out set to Amber and it looks great in my opinion. It also has 50 watts per channel and several other nice features. The only thing it doesn’t have is Satellite radio but it has a line input in the back to hook a unit up directly or even the iPod controller.
> 
> ...


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## pyronn (Sep 26, 2005)

FrontierJourney said:


> I added tweeters in the dash (wired in parallel with the fron door speakers) in the factory locations and the high end is there now with a vengeance - sounds really good. .


How easy was it to do? The splicing doesn't change anything "electrical" to the door speakers?


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## Tboneroks (Nov 17, 2005)

i've got a sony cdx-m850mp cd/mp3 player in mine(single din)...i have the cd case pocket under the player. i also installed kicker 3way 6x9's...sound awesome! i'm trying to find a good set of affordable 6.5" components for the rear.


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## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

*No change at all*

It all has to do with the Ohm ratings of the speakers you wire in parallel. I think the front and rear door speakers in the 2005/06 Frontiers (except the XE) are 4-Ohm. I wired in 4-Ohm tweeters in parallel with the door speakers, which should reduce the resistance on that speaker line to 2 Ohms - this will put a little more stress on the amp section of the factory head unit, but not enough to cause any problems as long as I don't keep it cranked to distortion levels all day. So, this is not a concern, at least with regular 4-Ohm tweeters.

The biggest pain was fabricating mounting plates for the tweeters to "sit" in within those 2" dash holes. I make mine out of 1/8" MDF (crude cutting/trimming job, but they work), and then used a few screws to secure the mounting boards to the factory screw holes already in the dash under those factory grilles. Worked great and the tweeters literally are squeezed in those mounting plates from the top. It's hard to describe. I can snap a few photos if you would like (as good as I can in those narrow spaces).



pyronn said:


> How easy was it to do? The splicing doesn't change anything "electrical" to the door speakers?


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## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

*Pictures?*

Is there any way you could shoot a decent-quality digital pic and post it here? If it looks good, my mind may change. If you are satisfied, what kind of install kit did you use? A Metra or some other brand?



Tboneroks said:


> i've got a sony cdx-m850mp cd/mp3 player in mine(single din)...i have the cd case pocket under the player. i also installed kicker 3way 6x9's...sound awesome! i'm trying to find a good set of affordable 6.5" components for the rear.


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## MrFancypants (Nov 18, 2005)

Okay... I had all this junk apart over the weekend...

The speakers are all 2 ohm, on all four corners, even on the non-RF package. That's most unfortunate. 99.9% of aftermarket decks are built for 4-8 ohm loads, so if you wire it into the stock speakers you are overdriving them. There is a risk of fire. Now the operative word is "risk".. so that doesnt mean they are going to melt tomorrow either.

As expected, the stock speakers suck when connected to an aftermarket deck. They sound overdriven and have very poor bass response before they distort like hell. I strongly recommend if you run an aftermarket deck that you change out all 6 speakers ASAP. I also dont recommend running high volume through them as that will increase the risk of the F word (FIRE) further.

Sadly, aftermarket speakers dont just drop into the stock locations -- though admittedly I've only checked the rear doors so far. The stock speakers are molded right into plastic mounts. You would have to destroy the stock speakers to use the stock mount, and then you'd probably have to glue the new speaker into the stock mount. So basically youre left with fabricating some custom speaker rings. I got some MDF and will be doing that next weekend.

As for the single DIN unit looking like crap in the double DIN opening... yes there will be spaces visible. You dont have enough room to clip on the aftermarket trim in the stock opening. I got a Scosche Import stereo adapter at Walmart that comes with a pocket. I also picked up some velcro and wrapped the felt side fully around my Premier 860MP deck. It took one more strip of the felt side along the base of the pocket to fully hide the opening. Sorry I dont have pics.. but it looks good.

More next week after the speaker install -- and yeah I'll post some pics then.


- Greg -


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## Mulligan22 (Nov 24, 2005)

*Speakers*



MrFancypants said:


> Okay... I had all this junk apart over the weekend...
> 
> The speakers are all 2 ohm, on all four corners, even on the non-RF package. That's most unfortunate. 99.9% of aftermarket decks are built for 4-8 ohm loads, so if you wire it into the stock speakers you are overdriving them. There is a risk of fire. Now the operative word is "risk".. so that doesnt mean they are going to melt tomorrow either.
> 
> ...



Actually you can reuse the suicide door mounts. Just remove the factory speakers and a set of 6 1/2 speakers will work. I got mine from Crutchfield and they come with a ring to mount it to the factory holes in the door. I put 6 1/2 Alpines in the rear and 6x9 Alpines in the front doors and Infinity tweeters in the dash. So far with the factory radio it all works.


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## MrFancypants (Nov 18, 2005)

Mulligan22 said:


> Actually you can reuse the suicide door mounts. Just remove the factory speakers and a set of 6 1/2 speakers will work. I got mine from Crutchfield and they come with a ring to mount it to the factory holes in the door. I put 6 1/2 Alpines in the rear and 6x9 Alpines in the front doors and Infinity tweeters in the dash. So far with the factory radio it all works.


Yeah I guess my problem may be my 6-1/2 JL Audio 2-ways are too deep for the stock location. Gotta make a spacer ring that will work like the stock mount. Got a link on the Crutchfield ring? Does it space the speaker away from the door or just give mounting holes? That might save me the trouble of whipping out the jigsaw  Youve also got the KC so the speaker mounts might be different than my CC in the rear.

Not sure how the factory radio handles 4 ohm loads, but it probably isnt happy about it. At least you dont have to worry about a speaker fire hehe.


- Greg -


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## Mulligan22 (Nov 24, 2005)

MrFancypants said:


> Yeah I guess my problem may be my 6-1/2 JL Audio 2-ways are too deep for the stock location. Gotta make a spacer ring that will work like the stock mount. Got a link on the Crutchfield ring? Does it space the speaker away from the door or just give mounting holes? That might save me the trouble of whipping out the jigsaw  Youve also got the KC so the speaker mounts might be different than my CC in the rear.
> 
> Not sure how the factory radio handles 4 ohm loads, but it probably isnt happy about it. At least you dont have to worry about a speaker fire hehe.
> 
> ...


The plastic ring they give you (Crutchfield) is sort of a spacer. But probably not the kind your looking for. It's not very thick as I recall. Your speaker screw into it and it has tabs to allow you to screw it to the door itself. I'd call them and inquire about buying a pair. I don't think it's a listed item, but they'd probably sell you them for cheap. 

As for pushing the radio with 4 ohm speakers. I'll run it till it pukes. Then buy something else. Chances are it won't, over the years I've never had one do it.


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## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

*Ended up going with a Scosche kit...*

Here is the post:
http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=112220

I sent the Sony unit back (with the generic dash pocket that Crutchfield supplied that looked horrible IMO), and ended up buying a Dual XDMR7700 since it had every feature I wanted and a great price.

I can't say enough about this $7 Scosche custom Frontier install kit - it was made specifically for the 05/06 Frontier (and quite possibly the Xterra/PF) and works and looks perfect - exactly what I was looking for so I could have an aftermarket head unit. buy.com has these things for uber-cheap, and I think the model is N1491. Search there and you will find it.

Regarding the factory front/read door speaker ohm ratings - that kinda stinks that all four of the factory speakers (in an SE) are 2-ohm. That does cause a higher stress on a non-factory head unit, but I will say that in years of installing aftermarket head units in cars (in a former life) with factory speakers, I never once had a problem. As long as you don't bump (hehe) the factory speakers all day and stress the amp pushing them, they can probably drive those speakers just fine, until of course you want to replace them.


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## MrFancypants (Nov 18, 2005)

FrontierJourney said:


> I can't say enough about this $7 Scosche custom Frontier install kit - it was made specifically for the 05/06 Frontier (and quite possibly the Xterra/PF) and works and looks perfect - exactly what I was looking for so I could have an aftermarket head unit. buy.com has these things for uber-cheap, and I think the model is N1491. Search there and you will find it.


So I went to www.scosche.com... and guess whats on their main page... goooolllleeeee...



> Regarding the factory front/read door speaker ohm ratings - that kinda stinks that all four of the factory speakers (in an SE) are 2-ohm. That does cause a higher stress on a non-factory head unit, but I will say that in years of installing aftermarket head units in cars (in a former life) with factory speakers, I never once had a problem. As long as you don't bump (hehe) the factory speakers all day and stress the amp pushing them, they can probably drive those speakers just fine, until of course you want to replace them.


Yeah I definitely think the risk of fire is low... I just dont want anyone blaming me if their truck burns down so I pointed it out. My main reason for changing out the speaks is the stock ones sound like total ass when plugged into a really good deck. I cant even turn on the BBE mode on my deck because the speaks start clipping. Also I suspect the 2 ohm thing is in all Frontiers, regardless of trim.

A little more searching on their website turned up this:

http://www.scosche.com/scosche_caraudio.aspx?CategoryID=5&ItemID=NN1491B

Pretty sweet.. you dont even have to reuse the stock radio brackets if you dont want to. Oh well, I custom fabbed mine to work so I'll just leave it until double DIN gps prices drop 



- Greg -


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## FrontierJourney (Nov 21, 2005)

*Yep, I know - gotta CYA*

Greg, you're right. Things can torch themselves (absolute worst-case scenario) if driven too low. I drove a few 18" Kickers once at 1-ohm and could cook eggs and bacon on the amp after 10 minutes of driving them. Definitely a fire hazard. Back in those days (in a 91 Hardbody), I used a recip saw to cut the bed from the cab to the truck bed to use those monsters (the box of which took half the bed up). One of these days I will replace all four factory speakers in my Frontier, but until then, they sound pretty darn good (at least the dash tweeters I added made them sound good. Heh - I am fooling myself).

I did not realize the Frontier was on the Scosche homepage - very cool! That NN1491B bracket is great (especially for 28 quarters). It completely replaces the factory brackets, fit-for-fit. My *only* gripe is that I wish it was made of aluminum/steel and not ABS. Oh well...





MrFancypants said:


> So I went to www.scosche.com... and guess whats on their main page... goooolllleeeee...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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