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Head unit recommendations. - Printable Version

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Head unit recommendations. - jthomson - 11-23-2014

Hey all, looking for a new head unit. What's out there that will fit my 94 cab?



Not too many requirements; 16-20 watts per channel, tweakability eq-wise; really good nav. I don't really care about phone or other BT stuff, although any good HU will probably have all that stuff anyway. Would be nice to have a single DIN, cause that clock cubby comes in handy, but not a deal breaker.



I do have a pair of 8" subs in the rear deck that I'm very happy with around town and on the highway with the top up.



I know I'm limited on depth. About 7", right? Please no jokes...



Anyway, what do y'all recommend? Thanks, as always.



jt

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-23-2014

in the last year, while the model has changed (first the 147 and then the 152) kenwood has by far had the best unit going. better, cleaner power, more features, and most importantly a better EQ. also, very easy to operate.



these days, i'd look at the 998

Head unit recommendations. - jthomson - 11-23-2014

Sounds like a great unit. But I need GPS. I'll check out the rest of Kenwood's offerings.

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-24-2014

i don't think any single din unit that has gps will work in our car, and have any decent audio section. that's how i got the jvc i had a few years ago. the ones that have the screen pop put and go up won't work, due to the angle and protrusion of our dash.



you're looking at a double din

Head unit recommendations. - Rap - 11-24-2014

So Flash are you recommending the 998?

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-24-2014

i haven't looked closely enough at it yet to see how it stacks up against the previous units, but my suspicion is that it will be as good or better

Head unit recommendations. - Peter B - 11-25-2014

I put an alpine single Din in last year. I think it was a CDE-HD148BT. Digital radio is a definite plus. Bluetooth is great. I use my phone for navigation. It may be better to just get a garmin along with a single DIN if you tend to off the data-grid.



Best other alternatives I've seen are these new type of units that interface with your android phones. For instance, you Navigation on your phone comes up on the unit's screen and broadcasts over your stereo. These are more expensive and double DIN. The nice feature here is that you don't get left behind as the phone applications continue to adapt sow quickly.



This single DIN was inexpensive too - I think 188$ on Black Friday sale.

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-25-2014

aaaccck!!!! alpine not kenwood. not sure what the heck i was thinking.



current equivalent to what i installed in the other cars is the CDE-153BT

Head unit recommendations. - ds968 - 11-25-2014

+ 1 on Peter's post. The Alpine ( CDE HD 147 / 148 BT ) which Flash the sound guru himself picked and installed in my green car, is an outstanding head unit, and also inexpensive ! Highly recommended .

But it does not have GPS .

Head unit recommendations. - Rap - 11-25-2014

Is this unit available in a free market economy?

Head unit recommendations. - MCL968 - 11-26-2014

Does anyone out there have any suggestions or warnings regarding a double-din unit with GPS? I am thinking of eventually going to one of those, but the choices are myriad and I am not sure as to the process of changing the dash to accept the 2DIN unit.



Any words of wisdom?

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-26-2014

i'll be doing a 2D install in the near future. the mod is already shown here, but i'll make sure it gets put into a DIY.



as for recommendations, that depends on what you are looking for. button layout is important to some. some are happy with no buttons so as to have a larger screen. EQ is huge to me. some don't care. some like tom tom mapping. some don't.



you really need to go play with some of them to see what you like and don't like

Head unit recommendations. - biosurfer1 - 11-26-2014

I'll throw this out there that I like Kenwood's a lot because they integrated Garmin as their GPS provider. A lot of the providers try to create their own and fail miserably. The OEM providers are worse, I have an 08 Camry as my DD with the stock GPS and I don't think someone could build a bigger POS than that interface, even if they were trying. I tell everyone its the Pontiac Aztek of the GPS world.

Head unit recommendations. - flash - 11-26-2014

i agree about OEM systems. mercedes really sucks. the one in the bmw isn't bad, but it definitely has its shortcomings. you have to have your phone connected to the internet in order to search for things like restaurants and such. it doesn't have it onboard



i'm not a garmin fan. i have one, but it's just "ok".



i prefer tom tom, like the software in the pioneer i have. it is very intuitive, and fills things in for you as you type. it also does not require that you put in the city first. that makes it a lot easier when entering relatively local stuff, especially in an are like where i am where the cities bleed one into the next.



again, go play with them. that's the only way to know if you like it or not.

Head unit recommendations. - 968cabx2 - 11-27-2014

Just put the new Pioneer NEX-8000 in my other vehicle and all I can say is WOW! All the features work great, the interface is intuitive and the latest firmware update supports Apple Car Play. A bit pricey but an amazing unit.

Head unit recommendations. - Tahoe968 - 12-02-2014

http://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/

Head unit recommendations. - tejon007 - 08-11-2016

I'm going to add my two cents and say "BLAUPUNKT SAN DIEGO 530". 

 

It's a double DIN.  As you know that means it's not a easy fit (it took me several days to carefully and precisely cut the framework surrounding the original head unit and tray).  But, at the end of the day, you have all the bells & whistles (bluetooth, Navigation, really nice hands-free feature, touch screen, backup camera, etc.) - - and it's German, so it seems to fit in better than some other brands...