# need some help from y'all audio guru's



## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

i have a '98 200SX, and it came with the oem Clarion double din head unit, now i was thinking if it's possible to have a kenwood pop-up screen on the upper half, and a dvd player on the bottom, would this be a good setup??? and what dvd player would y'all recommend that would fit under there??? my friend has a spec-v and he did that, although he replaced the stock unit with the pop-up screen, and a boss dvd player down where there used to be a storage pocket, i want to one up him. TIA y'all.


----------



## Playa123 (Jul 27, 2003)

Yeah you could have that, or, and in my opinion this is better, put in a game system like ps2 or xbox and connect to a screen in the upper half. That way u can have a dvd/game player for the car. Now on the bottom have a regular headunit for playing music whenever u dont watch tv.


----------



## Slayer2003 (Jun 4, 2003)

i would stick to an all in one type deal, like folding screen, dvd/cd/cd-r/cd-rw player all combined......and would porlly use the other part for a equalizer, switch panel, or even a stock cubby thing........


----------



## twisted200ser (Jun 4, 2002)

well if you want to one up him dont use boss


----------



## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

perhaps clarion display and dvd player, any comments???


----------



## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

i heard kenwood is pretty good

eclipse is alrite. so is pioneer


----------



## droppinbottom (Jun 30, 2003)

dude i have the kenwood in dash and i love it. mine is a little older model which doesnt have the built in dvd player so i used a kenwood 10 disc dvd player. i like the kenwood touch screen so well that as soon as they come out with the 915 i am gonna get it. do not use BOSS IMO. pioneer also makes some nice units


----------



## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

thanks a lot y'all, i'm thinking of what some shop down here has on sale, like the pioneer unit with the boss dvd player for 600, and the clarion ones for 650, although this may sound a bit fishy, i'll look into what else they have.


----------



## SentraStyleEMW (Aug 15, 2002)

The moment any reputable car audio shop recommends Boss...run, run far and run fast.:hal:


----------



## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

Yes, Boss is to CAR audio what Ford is to mortorcycles. Just cuz they do good in one thing dont mean they do good in the other. Stay away from Boss. A Home Audio Boss setup is ok, but keep it out your car.
But like everyone said, Kenwood is probably the best right now, they started with the in-dash tv stuff about 5 years ago I think. Eclipse has been putting them out for a while longer. BUT Kenwood is more of a quality product. Pioneer is OK, everyone I know with a Pioneer deck of any kind, always has a problem. Excessive wear on the unit, bad cdplayer, bad display. Ive had my Kenwood for about 5 years and I aint never had no problems. Its survived a rollover and several overdoses of bass when I had the 8-12s in my bronco. It didnt skip once.
I say Kenwood, and Ill stand by them as long as I am in car audio. If there is a shop called Tweeters in your area, drop by them. They have alot of in dash tvs on display and you can check them out for yourself


----------



## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

right now im not too fond of anything pioneer for car audio.....i have 5 1/2" pioneer components in my door panels, they dont hit at all, but thats ok, i dont mind....the second pioneer product was the pioneer amp GMX-972....it went down on me, turns out it was recalled, replaced it and never used it.....later i got another letter in the mail saying it was recalled again(even the ones that had been recalled earlier).....thats 1 out of 2 products.....hmmm


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

LethalAudio said:


> *Yes, Boss is to CAR audio what Ford is to mortorcycles. Just cuz they do good in one thing dont mean they do good in the other. Stay away from Boss. A Home Audio Boss setup is ok, but keep it out your car.
> But like everyone said, Kenwood is probably the best right now, they started with the in-dash tv stuff about 5 years ago I think. Eclipse has been putting them out for a while longer. BUT Kenwood is more of a quality product. Pioneer is OK, everyone I know with a Pioneer deck of any kind, always has a problem. Excessive wear on the unit, bad cdplayer, bad display. Ive had my Kenwood for about 5 years and I aint never had no problems. Its survived a rollover and several overdoses of bass when I had the 8-12s in my bronco. It didnt skip once.
> I say Kenwood, and Ill stand by them as long as I am in car audio. If there is a shop called Tweeters in your area, drop by them. They have alot of in dash tvs on display and you can check them out for yourself *


Kenwood better than Eclipse? LOL

and Pioneer isn't bad, you say everyone you know with a Pioneer deck has had problems, I'm a member on CAF and SIN (2 of the busiest audio forums on the net) and I haven't heard one complaint about any Pioneer product from anyone.


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

AjRaCeR805 said:


> *right now im not too fond of anything pioneer for car audio.....i have 5 1/2" pioneer components in my door panels, they dont hit at all, but thats ok, i dont mind....the second pioneer product was the pioneer amp GMX-972....it went down on me, turns out it was recalled, replaced it and never used it.....later i got another letter in the mail saying it was recalled again(even the ones that had been recalled earlier).....thats 1 out of 2 products.....hmmm *


Pioneer doesn't make good speakers, I'll admit to that, then again neither does any company that specializes in headunits (except for eclipse).

And atleast they issued a recall, better than most other manufacturers that just let the products die *cough* sony *cough* and tell you to buy a new one.


----------



## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

sr20dem0n said:


> *Kenwood better than Eclipse? LOL
> 
> and Pioneer isn't bad, you say everyone you know with a Pioneer deck has had problems, I'm a member on CAF and SIN (2 of the busiest audio forums on the net) and I haven't heard one complaint about any Pioneer product from anyone. *


Premier is the only one I would consider buying out of the whole lineup. And yes, I would buy Kenwood over Eclipse. Ive seen the two together and Ive tested them before and the Kenwood was much better IMO. Better features, better controls, better layout and better screen. I have no real beef with Eclipse, but if I had to choose from the two Id take Kenwood, unless I found a really cheap used Eclipse unit. Eclipse does have some very very good subs. I dont know anyone with any of their other stuff but the subs are excellent. The titanium cones are probably one of the most durable Ive seen yet. And they pound like a mother.
But arguing over which one is best and which one has more screwups is a moot point. Its like trying to tell someone Chevy is better than Ford, or Dodge or vice versa. Its all up to the consumer and personal preference. Like I said, everyone I know with a Pioneer deck has had major problems. Aint nothing I can say or do change that and it doesnt mean that the whole Pioneer lineup is bad. Ive seen them screw up FIRSTHAND and IMO Ive seen better stock head units.
EVERY company and every product will have a screwup. Regardless of how good they are or how much you pay for them. All you can do is try and find an unbiased opinion about the products. That will be hard, everyone has a preferred brand and every shop you go to will try and sell you the most expensive unit they have. I wont lie and say Im unbiased, I usually only buy Kenwood and Rockford Fosgate. However, I have a Jensen 4150 amp that I bought and was my first amp. People often say they are cheap and unreliable, but Ive had mine for over 5 years and its performed flawlessly. Thus reminding me that its not always the most expensive unit you can buy that is the best.
Just do some research and form your own opinion. Its the only way to really get some knowledge built up.
Oh, and as for Sony, they are ok. Not great, not bad, but just kinda ok. I like their mid-level units. The low level is just plain sucks and the high level stuff isnt worth the money, except for the one that is about 6-700, I forget the model number, but its a damn good unit. Very high quality. They may not offer it any more, but its worth hunting down if you want a quality head unit. I bought my mom a Sony head unit about 6 years ago and its performed better than I would have thought. Stay away from the amps, and stay away from the subs. There are much better brands out there for your money.
Oh yea, I forgot about Alpine, they have been doing IDtvs for a long time, they have some good stuff and Id take them over Kenwood. Not much else to say about them other than they are good. No complaints from me. I suggest them over all else.


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

All good points, everyone does have their own opinion
Personally I would take Eclipse over Kenwood any day. Not that Kenwood is bad, I just prefer Eclipse's sound quality over Kenwood's by far.

And the problem with cheap amps is not reliability generally. Most "discount" brands have gotten pretty reliable, and most actually put out their rated power, the problem is in the sound quality. Most of them just sound like they have no life, and no matter how you tune the sound with an eq or whatever, you will never get rid of that "deadness" that the amp puts in the sound. The very first time I turned on the system that I have currently and went for a drive, I literally had a chill running down my spine for the ENTIRE 30 minute drive. I've never been more satisfied before, and I probably looked like an idiot driving 50 down the freeway with the biggest grin you've ever seen, but that's what car audio is all about.

Holy crap how did I get so off topic? So uh....tv screens eh?


----------



## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

I think that if you have a real passion for car audio, you get excited over any good sounding system. Everytime I kill someone off at a redlight, I still get excited and laugh alot. But it is a great feeling when you finally get your own system up and running and you take if for a test run. Its like your child being born. Im car audio for the love...not the money. People that's in it for the money are in it for the wrong reasons.
And as for the low dollar stuff. Yes, they have gotten more reliable. I know ALOT of them have surprised me to no end. But the low low low low dollar stuff like Pyramid or Road Gear or something about 20% of the cost of the good stuff IS what you want to stay away from.

But yea, tv's...back to topic.
Any IDtv you buy that retails for over about 1300 is a good unit. Just dont but stuff you see out of JCWhitney or something like PYLE or, heaven forbid, Pyramid(Their quality rivals that of a toddler with tinker toys and lincoln logs). Ive seen some of the earlier Eclipse, Pioneer, Kenwood, and Alpine units on ebay for as low as 700. Not a bad deal if you ask me. The quality of the product is still good. Or if you are incredibly cheap(or broke). You can buy a unit that is busted or incomplete for just a fraction of the price and buy the other part from the manf. Ive seen units that just had the brains or just the tv. Brains are cheaper than most tvs, well....I dont know now, I know the prices of the non touch screen tvs are around 2-300 and the brains are about 2-300...not the easiest way to go...but its certainly cheap.
SO, to try and sum it up. Most expensive units are practically the same with the exception of a few minor differences. Cheap units....do what they are supposed to do..but at a lower quality...so if they screw up...duher...you get what you pay for. If you want a good source with lots of reliable info and products, go to Crutchfield. www.crutchfield.com Ive bought my cd changers and a few head units from them. Excellent people to deal with, but they have retail prices. There are plenty of wholesalers on the net and Ive been buying from one in CA for the past 5 or 6 years. But back in the day when I was learning, Crutchfield was one of my main sources of info. Once you buy something from them...they send you the catologues for life...well...so far. Ive gotten cats from them for the past 7 years or so and I havent ordered THAT much. They have IDtvs and other tvs and a few other neccessities for the a/v systems in a car.
I know Im leaving out some kind of valuable info, but when I talk about CA I get kinda carried away and get ahead of myself.
Any questions?


----------



## nang3 (Nov 11, 2003)

hey guys im new to the forum, thought i might as well start with a post here... so ignore any :dumbass: comments i might make hehehe

ive been through a few source units, from a midspec Sony single CD, lowspec Pioneer single CD, Alpine 7878R (top of range a couple of years back) with a Clarion TV, and now am about to get the Pioneer AVH-P6550 after having a play with one for a few hours... the only deck to cause me any problems was the Alpine.. which stopped reading CD's altogether but was fixed under warranty although took about 2months... my Pioneer used to skip sometimes when the bass was cranked but i guess thats what happens with 4 x 15 inch subs and a low end deck...

I also have the double DIN space in my car (03 Patrol 4.8L) and am planning and putting the controller from an Alpine PXA 510 in that space since the Pioneer screen doesnt have built in Dolby Digital decoder....

ive liked car audio gear for years and have never had any experience with the Boss gear some of you are talking about.. probably just because im in Australia and therefore have a much smaller car audio market.. but if i was in your position i'd either do something similar to Slayer2003 and have an EQ or holder thing in your spare DIN slot.. or i'd go for maybe a decent deck and screen like the alpine combos that were out for a while... a DVA-5205E dvd player and CVA-1003E screen.. or something similar... you get the idea...
anyway thats my slightly biased opinions... good luck !!!


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

STFU n00b!


----------



## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

sr20dem0n said:


> STFU n00b!


Whats that all about?


----------



## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

Its a joke, dont take it seriously.


----------



## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

Me...  seriously....  :loser: :waving: :newbie: :balls: :banhump: :givebeer:


----------



## nang3 (Nov 11, 2003)

hehe nah i know hes takin the piss... just making me feel welcome hehehe...

i got the pioneer 6550 installed yesterday.. f*cking nice deck, pity it doesnt have any decent background effects etc when listening to the radio.... but the touchscreen works better than i thought!


----------



## CorNut (Apr 6, 2003)

here's my setup, Kenwood AM/FM/CD/DVD/Sirius Z910DVD = $300 and NECVOX(I never heard of it either) 7" screen = $80 

I know it isn't the best but a DVD setup for $400($20 for my install kit)but it works great for me... and Kenwood isn't bad at all... not the best by any means... head units I am all about eclipse and clarion.... but my Kenwood has so many damn options I don't know what to do... I get lost and lock myself out of it once in a while it sucks... I wish I had some common sense.... but anyway.... it's a great deck... doesn't skip, and sounds great... plus installing it was great because Nissan already gave me a perfect spot for a screen... and just to add one more thing.... I can't stand the all in one setups with motorized face.... for some reason they seem real cheap and tacky looking  (2¢)


----------



## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

Thats a great lookin setup. Its not rediculously over done. Its clean and simple. Excellent setup. Where did you get the screen from? I might have to get me one of those.


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

Any problems with having the screen in that compartment? Some people did some tests and found that little pocket on top of the dash gets up to 140+ degrees during the day.


----------



## CorNut (Apr 6, 2003)

I actually bought the screen off of a friend, he had a bunch of them... the screens were made by (rosin, rosen, roselen?? I dunno, something like that) for the company NECVOX which were installed in some production vehicle from Japan... i really know nothing about it... but they used to have a warehouse in Portland, OR and my friend worked there but they went ahead and closed it down and are just working out of somewhere in Texas or Cali... one of those 2... and when they closed up shop up there he figured he was losing his job anyway and he "acquired" quite a few screens.... and sr20dem0n, now I have never had a problem with it and it has been in there for months... I heard the same thing and I used to check it all the time to see but it has never been hot.... I used to keep my wallet in there before I got the screen and whether my car was sitting in the sun or driving in the sun.... no problems what soever with it getting warm, I live in SoCal right now too.... had it in there all summer.


----------



## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

That's cool, I've always been afraid to put anything up there personally, but then again I'm in TX. I left my checkbook up there once and it got hot enough to black out the carbon copies of all the checks, written and not.


----------



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

How much is he selling the screens for?


----------



## CorNut (Apr 6, 2003)

he was selling 5" w/remote and dual input adapters for $50, and 7" w/remote and dual input for $80.... I'm not sure if he has any more tho, it's been like 6-7 months


----------



## Russia (Jul 24, 2003)

God damn dude...well if there is some chance in all hot hell he has another hit me up...although if he does there are some incredibly stupid people in this world.


----------



## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

my friend's spec v has his unit where the old radio used to be, i told him about that little storage cubby, but he didn't want to, although his screen now blocks his a/c vents when it's open, and he has to put some insulation behind the screen cause he can't close the vents off and cools the back of the screen pretty bad.


----------

