I'm going to replace the stereo in my FD with a single DIN space unit (so I can use the second space for gauges and to get rid of that damn Bose CD player).

I don't like the big flip up LCD displays. I really dislike the crazy graphic displays. I don't want a rave flyer for a stereo.
I would like in dash CD (no CD changer in the back) and maybe a tape too (if you can get the combo in dash) - but the tape isn't necessary. I would like a spectrum ananlyzer as long as it's not super flashy - but again, it's not necessary.

I was thinking about the Nakamichi MB-75 (6 disc in-dash CD changer & AM/FM tuner), however, someone told me that the nakamichi's sound great but don't have very reliable CD mechanisms - so I'm still not quite certain.

I'm fairly niave on the car audio front. I can tell you anything you want to know about studio sound, but I need to be educated about what to put in your cars, so I'm open to anything.

Oh, and it should be black for the most part. No silver.

...and, I'm going to use it with the stock bose speakers.

Thanks!

 

Premier (pionner best products) makes very good head unit and ther is a lot of choice if you want it with graphics or not. Gold plated connections is important when looking for a good head unit.

Rockford makes simple looking but good playing unit too.

puma

 

check out www.crutchfield.com

 

JVC SH-99

JVC sells the aluminum face here in the states. But there's a black face model available in europe and Japan. It plays MP3s, CDs and is DVD "ready". It may not be of the highest fidelity, but aesthetically speaking, it is by far the nicest.


Check it out.


Cheers,

Zelig

 

Hey
Alpine makes good decks that have light display graphics...they produce good power 50 by 4 watts...is very clean power too..LOUD....they are very dependable.....as soon as I get my FD(Im only 17) I'm going to put an alpine in and the MB quarts component system with two Mb quarts subs with PPI amps....youll hear me a mile away..Trust me I know my stuff with stereos Alpine got a good name just alitte pricey not like NAKA is..

Good luck
LOGAN

 

I am rather partial to the Alpine decks.

While some of the head units are oriented towards the... Shall we say younger market, with the fancy displays, and over the top motorized thinga majobs, they make several upper end units that look very basic, and are hard pressed to find a better sounding head unit.

But the cheaper head units do tend to look very... disco, so you will need to shop around a little to find a dealer that keeps the better units in stock.

 

Fujitsu Ten...aka Eclipse Audio. Best stuff on the market, IMHO. All their **** is top notch. Check out their website. Has lots of info.



Eclipse Audio

 

Alpine all the way. I worked at circuit city for two years, and those damn decks never came back...ever. I mean, I have four Alpine decks and Ive never had one problem.

 

I hate to say it, but I like the Panasonic CD players.

I got my Panasonic on my 16th birthday....I went through a Celica, Eclipse, Prelude and now my FD.....that's 5yrs worth and I have never had a problem and it will read every CD, most of my CD's you can't even see your reflection in they're so scratched.

 

actually alot of people have had problems with panasonic recievers(competition guys) they overheat and stuff, i guess yours is ok

CLARION make real nice stuff, i would highly suggest lookin into some of their decks,but pioneer and alpine make great stuff, im partial to the old Sony Mobile ES stuff (not the XPlod) i had thier $1200 competition deck...

 

Hey there, if anyone needs any car audio, feel free to Email me at IndoAudio@aol.com we have basically everything, we are a warehouse in Southern California, and I also own a '93 VR FD.

Thanks!

Ravi

 

Just to vouch for IndoAudio, I don't remember what i bought from him, but it came quickly, was reasonably priced, and he is very quick to respond to emails. I wonder what i bought
~Tom

 

I've got a Kenwood Excelon in my RX-7 now; previously had an Alpine...Both are great units! Changed to the Kenwood so the readout would match the instrument cluster......Red. Put the Alpine in my daughter's Civic Ex....still works great!

Whatever unit you decide to install, remember this....your Rex is a moving machine....not a bookshelf....the fewer moving parts you have the better it will operate. All the extra changers have moving parts that will get out of alignment over time...Stick with a single disc unit.

 

i agree with whoever pointed out the eclipse series decks. if you want mainstream stuff, id suggest alpine, clarion, or pioneer premier series or kenwood excelon. alpine's new f1 series is supposed to be pretty nice stuff.

most of the time, the higher end decks come with flashy graphics, they are kinda inevitable. i think eclipse and clarion have the classiest looking faces.

 

Which Kenwood Excelon head unit has a display that matches the instrument cluster?

 

I actually have a question that is relevant to this topic. I have heard that if you have the BOSE system that comes with Touring models then it is not possible to just change out the head deck becauses of the ways that the speakers are amped not from the source but right at the speaker. I have heard that you have to change out all of your speakers and rewire the entire car. Are my presumptions correct or am I way off my rocker? I have a Touring model and would like to use the DIN insert for gauges as well and I already have a nice head unit to put in if it is possible.

 

You're way off your rocker. I installed my deck on my own and didn't have to rewire any speakers.

 

Thats not true. All you have to get is an adapter thing that plugs in between the aftermarket headunit and the wiring from speakers.

 

Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming if you have any more insight. Any more specific models that you have or haven't been happy with?

Thanks again.

 

I got a Kenwood Excelon Z828 MP3 in my 94 Touring with Bose.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...13Z828&o=M&a=0

Since it plays MP3's there is no need for a trunk changer.
It has lots of audio EQ and Crossover functions built in so it has great sound quality. I got it for around 5 bills. I researched all the MP3 players on the market and this one is the coolest.

 

ok, ok, ok. I'll jump in now. I've been waiting for a good car audio conversation. The last good one I had was with SPOautos .... he can verify I know my stuff. I'm a car audio nut and I have been in car audio LONG before car performance. Let me give a run down of some brands:

Kenwood: Great CD section. You can take a CD scratch it on the payment and it will play it. User interface is ok. The brand new MP3 decks are better than the previous ones, but the navigation is still a little tricky and getting CDs to burn correctly is also sometimes flaky. Good stuff-excelon is noticably better, but in an MP3 you lose the qaulity anyway (yes I know when you play a CD it will still be good).

Pioneer: Good all around decks. User interface is pretty straight forward and it can be simple or flashy. The sound quality is ok in most units, approaching excellent in the premier 900 series, even thought that is only with the auto EQ turned on (mean calibrated with the included headrest mic-real cool!) -personal note I've owned the top of the line Pioneer models for years ....

Eclipse: great sound qaulity decks, but avoid the SINGLE DISC PLAYERS like the plague! The CD pickup is extremely sensitive to road bumps and they have had MANY recalls/returns on these units. The in-dash six units are excellent. Great sound qaulity and seperate hide away unit ... which you may or may not want? You also have to clear extra room by prying the support bar behind the radio back. No big deal, just needs to be done. I currently own this unit and it is great. Even with no EQ (built-in or external) it sounds better than the top of the line Pioneer Premier 900R I used to own. These units are also the same as .....

Nakamichi: which is made by Fujitsu-Ten. Once again really nice sound quality decks. Nice lighting to match/go with 3rd gen interior. The 6-disc changer mechanism in the MB-75 had problems early on .. too slow & would break. So they made the MB-100 w/ hide away to fix problem .. while they fixed the 75.

Alpine: Never really got into them. They have a following, but their prime time was the late 80s/early 90s. Great CD anti-skip section

Clarion: Best tuner, average CD player

Sony: I'll **** some people off, but the suck. They all break faster than everyone else

Panasonic: Good bang for the buck.

JVC: Sound of good bang for buck .. I know many happy campers but I think the sound quality is lacking.

 

Ok, if you want the most out of the speakers you have .... get an external amp. It is the only way to do it. Even at the same power level and external amp will be 10 times better. However, install the deck and see if that sound is ok to you. You might find that it sounds ok to you and you can stop spending money. I however think they all suck no matter how much someone claims they are getting out of an IC mounted in you deck-they SUCK! I know you might be partial to you BOSE speaker or you are trying to limit $$ spent, but there are many alternatives to your BOSE speakers. BOSE is not really good stuff--sorry if that pisses anyone off, but it isn't. I can address all the different speaker companies and speaker material if you would like. I can go on, but at this point I don't know what other info you are looking for ....?

Recommendations: Eclipse 5605 (in-dash 6), Nakamichi (any!), Pioneer Premier 930, and Kenwood eXcelon 917 are the best without getting into too much $$ considerations.

 

Yep... as we used to say at the shop, "No highs, No lows... Must be Bose"

The bose system is good stuff for the $200.oo that Mazda spent to put them into the cars, but its pretty crappy for the $1500 that the dealer charged.

 

GET A MP3 PLAYER DOOD!!!!


you can't beat 140 songs a CD

 

My vote is for Eclipse!! i have the Eclipse 7002 In dash moniter with 5083 6 disc changer and all eclipse point source componet speakers. I love it. I've owned nothing other then eclipse componets and have always been 110% pleased with there units.