[csc71]

I think I m going to want to put a new radio/cd player in my 93 968.

Can anyone recommend a brand, pricing etc. or know any good webstites where I could shop around? My main goal is to make it look seemless.



Thanks, Steve

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[flash]

try crutchfiled - they have a pretty decent selection



when looking at features and such, and trying to make it aesthetically seamless, think carefully before shortchanging yoruself of the single best feature in getting good sound out of a deck



multi band (looking for 5) PARAMETRIC equalizer

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[ron1688]

It all depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. I currently have the Kenwood excelon x879. It use to be Kenwoods top of the line unit and I got it on ebay for under $300.00. If you want to go all out, you may want to check out Pioneer's AVIC-Z1. This is the deck that is on my wish list and it would fit and look trick on the 968.

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[flash]

i have the D1 now in the Yukon - the problem i have with it is the EQ section - it's the same one in the N1, N2, an Z1 - it's only 3 bands, with limited frequency selection - i can't nail down the sound in the Yukon, even with the Bose system - the frequencies they chose are just wrong enough to leave it muddy or honky, no matter which one you choose - really sucks - at least the DEH unit i have in the 968 has an additional controllable bass and treble - this let me do "a little of this with a little of that" - i was VERY disappointed with the audio features of the D1, though i like the nav system, and the ability to play DVD, MP3, and CD



i will be adding a unit to fix the EQ failings in the next week or so, but what a pain

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[ron1688]

[quote name='flash' date='Apr 16 2006, 10:35 AM']i have the D1 now in the Yukon - the problem i have with it is the EQ section - it's the same one in the N1, N2, an Z1 - it's only 3 bands, with limited frequency selection - i can't nail down the sound in the Yukon, even with the Bose system - the frequencies they chose are just wrong enough to leave it muddy or honky, no matter which one you choose - really sucks - at least the DEH unit i have in the 968 has an additional controllable bass and treble - this let me do "a little of this with a little of that" - i was VERY disappointed with the audio features of the D1, though i like the nav system, and the ability to play DVD, MP3, and CD



i will be adding a unit to fix the EQ failings in the next week or so, but what a pain

[right][post="19259"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



I hear you, I also have the D1 on my NSX. I figure with all the noise and lack of sinsulation in these cars (sport cars in particular), I will never get it to audiophile quality without sacraficing more weight and tons of money... Overall, I'm happy with the D1 but the Z1 just makes the D1 obsolete. Im just waiting for the price to drop a bit since I still have to allocate my 968 funds to the chassis brace and some other 968 wish list.

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[Nenehubert]

I just bought a new alpine DIN cd/mp3/WMA player.. i think it's much better than any of the other Alpines i have owned in the past. It has a built in 7!!!! band graphic eq along with a 5 band parametric.. This thing is awesome. I highly recommend it. Only costs 280 on crutchfield and unfortunately i paid 360 for mine 3 days ago.



Oh, i did snap millions of photos during my speaker and carpet removal. I'll try to make a pdf explaining how to dissemble everything. It's very easy and the sound is amazing. Roughly spent about 1200 on speakers and an amp( not including the headunit) - Incredible sound... off to the beach now <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />...



It's sad, i'm on vacation yet i still check 968forums... sigh <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



The unit i bought is the Alpine CDA-9853

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[flash]

i almost changed to the alpine in the 968 for that very reason - i like that deck - the only thing holding me back is the loss of wattage from the pioneer to the alpine - maybe have to add another amp



i want ot add MP3 capability, and my current deck does not do that





oh well - another round of mods - woohoo

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[SILVY968]

I wanted a radio that matched the PORSCHE interior, played CD's, fit without any alterations and had a display that shows the station and the song/artist.

I found a Becker CDR-210 on Ebay for about $ 250.

If the radio requirement is to be as stock looking as possible, but have a CD player and newer electronics then this is your baby.

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[flash]

ok - now this i find odd - you, being an audio guy, choosing that deck - were the looks that much more important than the sound? have you added something else downstream to compensate?



come on - give - what else do you have in there?

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[josephsc]

I'm not an audiophile and I don't have very tuned ear, but I'd definitely get a unit that lets you add an iPod controller. It's the only thing I use now -- and let's you get rid of the CD changer in the back (equivalent of getting 0.5hp back). Two of my p-cars have Pioneer DEH-P770MP -- very easy to control the iPod with its control knob. One of my p-cars has Alpine 9835, which I'm not as happy with -- it takes too long to scroll through the iPod playlist, the screen is hard to read with any glare, and there is some signal loss between the iPod and the head unit.



My biggest pet-peeve with the newer head units is they only come with neon screen with stupid graphics running that you have to keep turning off.

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[flash]

lol - yeah, but in a cab you can't see them anyway



i finally ordered the drivers, and got the carpet, for the sub i'm working on, and can finally get on that this week - then i'll decide which way i'll go with the deck / amp situation when i get to hear it and stick an analyzer in there to see what the graphs look like



still waiting for the unit i am getting for the yukon to be released

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[Darryl]

I'm finally going to find some time to get my items installed...I went with the Alpine CDA-9847 for the satellite radio connectivity. You can then add an iPod via the AiNet passthough connection on the sat rad box. I too will take plenty of pictures along the way.



I will be doing some mods to the doors panels as I plan to remove the factory midrange and put in a new 5 1/4" separates system. The crossover is larger than the factory Nokia unit, so the Dremel may come in handy.



I opted only for head unit and speakers at this time for a "quicker" install, but may plan on more watts at a later date. I'll see how the stock head unit performs first. Not looking to win any loudness contests...I do that at home! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



- Darryl

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[Nenehubert]

flash, what is the output on the pioneer you have? RMS?



I just have a 100x4 alpine amp hooked up to the alpine headunit. sounds killer when you modify the eq. That 200 watt bazooka 8" adds so much.. just enough. I've never been a fan of loud, obnoxious bass, but i'm a musician and i can appreciate the fullness of the sound. Off to eat and drink the night away. (disclaimer.... not that i condone underage drinking <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> )



Darryl, what components are you replacing the stock ones with?

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[flash]

you may not need them - a little know fact of system design is that it is worse to have too many watts than it is to have too few - never exceed the max handling of the speakers - it seems counter-intuitive, because you would think "hey, better too many than too few - i can always turn it down" - the problem here is that the more power you apply, the more the magnet throws the cone - it is very easy to pop a speaker, and as you add too much power, it quickly distorts



the factory speakers can only handle about 14 watts, and most aftermarket full range ones go up to about 20 or so - this is the problem i am having with switching decks - i would have to find a 4 channel amp with no more than 25W/ch - i don;t want ot play the "gain game" and end up with too much white noise



most decks have ample power to drive those speakers



trying to get low end is an entirely different matter, requires a sealed enclosre, and enough cone area and chamber volume to drive and support the frequencies you want



so, you may be fine with your speakers and deck when it comes to clarity and volume - frequency response would be the area of concern - the parametric eq can help here



this is really where crossovers come in though - if your crossover is set up for one input and multiple outputs for each section of the spectrum, then you will maximize the power you have - if you are going into one speaker, then jumping to the next and cutting that one down, you will lose effective power because you are sending full spectrum audio, and then shedding what you don't want



this is the next thing for me to work on - my car was set up in the front like the latter when i got it, and i have not done anything to change that yet - when i stick the analyzer in there, i can find the optimum crossover point



so, CSC71 - have we confused you enough yet?

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[Kim]

My cab came with an Alpine 1005 Controller unit with a slide out/flip up video screen that can control 2 audio/videos/ CD changer, EQ, Nav, and has a radio. When it flips up it hits the temp control button and is leaving a mark plus you can't adjust the temp, fan or air flow with it up. It cost over $2000 and I hate it. You won't like it either even though it really blends in with the dash. I may simply put the CD-2 that came with the car originally back in.



I do note that the 10 speaker system in my coupe is vastly superior to the 6(?) speaker system in the cab. The $2000 radio sounds like it is worth about $50.

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[Kim]

Flash - A low powered amp run above clipping power is more damaging to a set of speakers than a high powered amp run above the speaker rating (in moderaton, of course, if you pop the voice coil out that isn't good). Square waves (ie distortion) are difficult to reproduce whereas sine waves are not. High power is needed for digital music because the dynamic range is so great - It takes over a 1000 watts of peak power to properly reproduce the sound of a pair of scissors clipped together hard.

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[josephsc]

[quote name='Kim' date='Apr 16 2006, 03:42 PM']My cab came with an Alpine 1005 Controller unit with a slide out/flip up video screen that can control 2 audio/videos/ CD changer, EQ, Nav, and has a radio.  When it flips up it hits the temp control button.....[/quote]That's one of the reasons why I haven't gone to a Nav system. Is there a in-dash screen system that lets you adjust the tilt angle -- or otherwise fits better?

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[Etnier]

[quote name='Darryl' date='Apr 16 2006, 04:09 PM']I'm finally going to find some time to get my items installed...I went with the Alpine CDA-9847 for the satellite radio connectivity.  You can then add an iPod via the AiNet passthough connection on the sat rad box.[/quote]

I would strongly advise against installing the 9847 if you plan to use it with an iPod. It sux in that regard: I just pulled mine out yesterday, after about 9 months in service, and replaced it with the current unit (jury's still out on that one, but it is better).



This isn't just a convenience thing: it's a safety thing. The human-interface on the 9847 as far as the iPod goes is dangerous. It makes driving a 6-speed while talking on a cellphone seem like the safest thing you could ever do. Every time I tried to use it I'd find myself thinking it was only a matter of time before I'd get into a serious accident because of the 9847.



PM me if you want details.

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[mitch968]

For mp3 playback, I use the Omnifi dmp1 into the aux in on my Alpine head unit. This was made by a subsidiary of Rockford Fosgate, but the product has been discontinued and can be had on ebay for about 100 bucks. There is an open source initiative to develop custom firmware to make it better than the somewhat lacking official firmware. The build quality isn't the best, but it's something I enjoy messing around with as I'm sort of a computer geek. It runs on a linux kernel with usb and wifi connectivity and I'm currently running the latest alpha build which is pretty stable. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for a total computer-phobe, but it appeals to the tinkerer in me, plays mp3's, and is an easy add-on to any head unit with an aux in or can be used with an FM modulator.



If anyone's interested, here are some relevant links....



http://www.omnifimedia.com/products/omnifi...productId=12541

http://openfi.sourceforge.net/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/omnifi/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/openfi_dev/





I haven't gotten around to making the install look good yet, but here are some pics of it in my 968. The controller can be surface mounted, so it doesn't require much depth at all. I've placed the hard drive bay in my glove box, but it could easily be mounted elsewhere. I've been using this for over a year with no problems and the hard drive still works fine despite the rough ride and temperature extremes. If I get around to it, I may paint the controller black and solder in amber LED's to make make it look better.

       

Bottom line....I consider this device to be great bang for the buck. I think it just failed in the marketplace due to being overpriced at $600. Let me know if you have any questions about it or want more info.

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[flash]

kim - no argument there - not recommending running above clipping either - really it's about matching - i wish i could find a decent small sized 25 x 4 amp with 2 pair of inputs - alphasonic used to make one - everything these days seems to be too big to fit in the space i have available



as for high power needs for a particular type of music, it's all moot if your speakers can only handle 20 watts - i understand about the power needs, but that means speakers that can handle it too - without doing a LOT of work in the cabin on this car, hartop or ragtop, you're kind of wasting your money there though - too many hot spots and holes to really get the image right and take advantage of the high end gear



i'm going with the "clean it up and keep it reasonable" approach on this one - kind of a fun challenge for me actually

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