ISO: New Car Stereo!!!

[silversleeper]

So, I recently donated my gold 325i sedan to my little brother. That one was equipped with a lovely Nak CD400. Powering the stock speakers and an aftermarket amp/sub in the trunk. The system sounded great for what it was. I was originally going to yank that Nak out and drop it in my alpine 325i coupe. But figured I would take this opportunity to explore other options. So I'm looking to revamp the audio in this car and wanted some of our local audiophiles to chime in with any setup recommendations.

What I'm looking for:
HU
- something 24-bit (optional)
- $200-$400 range
- amplified
- "less is more" as in, no flashy graphics and lights. I absolutely loved the understated look of the Nak and hope to find that in my next unit. Plus, I would imagine most would-be-theives think its a stock unit.

AMP and SUB
- 10" driver
- that's pretty much it, I'm open to anything really.

Frontstage
I have some Kenwood Excelons that I wanted to use up front, and I honestly don't really know if the rears are necessary. But any opinions regarding that would definitely be appreciated.

[photonn]

A HU that meets these requirements is very hard to find.

This is what I finally decided on (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qs0fMVk...x?i=023BBANE48)

[silversleeper]

A HU that meets these requirements is very hard to find.

This is what I finally decided on (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qs0fMVk...x?i=023BBANE48)

your right about that. after doing a bit more research and seeing what was out on the market, mostly everything out is kinda flashy. I may settle for another CD400, or might try to cop a CD700 Nak. Dunno. It's just such a clean looking unit!

[E30 Cabrio]

Here's what I decided on:

http://www.crutchfield.com/app/product/item/main.aspx?i=020D785USB&search=clarion+usb

The lighting of the display and lettering can be adjusted to match the BMW Amber.

It is Black with White lettering, and the LCD and lettering light up and as mentioned can be changed to Amber.

Check Frys.com as I bought mine there for $150.00 on sale. They are usually $250.00 - $300.00

Plays MP3's on CD, has a USB cord which allows you to play MP3's from a thumb drive or an iPod, as it has a built in iPod controller, as well as an AUX input, Time Alignment, Active Crossovers, 24 bit DAC, 6v outputs for Amps and Subs, Remote Control, Sat radio ready, Bluetooth ready, and a bunch of other cool features.

You can run the USB to the glove box and connect to your iPod and control your iPod with the HU, keeping your iPod out of sight and locked away.
You can even control other MP3 players like Sansa SanDisk players.

I keep a 8 GB USB drive on my keyring and plug directly into that as it holds plenty of music.

Sounds great and looksgood, but the only negative is that it does not sit flush with the dash and does not play DVD's as I would like to burn a bunch of MP3's to DVD and be able to play them in the car.

I may set up a 2.5" HD and convert it to run on 12v and plug it into the USB port so depending on the size of the HD, I can store a bunch of music if my collection ever gets that big.

Other then that, the color scheme works very well with the interior and it sounds good with my stock speakers, although the rear speakers on Cabrios are not the best and I'm looking to upgrade those if I can find something that fits.

[MC Hammered]

Grab a CD700 if you can.

I have a old CD35z and a CD45z and I going to sell the 45z when I did a side by side comparison in my blue vert with the crappy paper cone speakers. Just unplug one head unit and plug the other one in, everything is the same.

I've been so spoiled that I forgot how much better a 18+ bit DAC is compared to the 1-bit DAC that are being sold these days.

[silversleeper]

Well, after going back and forth and back and forth again, I think I'm almost settled on an Alpine... CDA9887.

It goes against what I wanted, but at this point I'm looking to find middle ground. This has the 24-bit Burr Brown processing, plus built-in tuning which I won't get with the Nak, and has the ability to select amber as the button backlight. I'll just have to make sure to remove the faceplate whenever I park the car. And maybe work on fixing my broke ass door lock system.

Any thoughts or opinions on the CDA-9887?

[StereoInstaller1]

I have said it before, I will say it again: ALL decks SUCK!

ALL of my customers say the same thing "I want a nice simple deck that is not all flashy and sounds good but has decent features" blah blah blah....no one makes one.

My next setup will most likely be a Pioneer AVIC F500BT and an AudioControl Three.1 and see if these will work together to finally make me happy.

I want about 50GB of music in my car. I want to be able to search, list, and playlist...but can't stand the idea of a tiny display. I also NEED navigation (ask anyone who knows me) and I really would like to try Bluetooth.

So hey, GL on that search. The Nak stuff is OK if spendy, and certainly not better made like it should be (bastards) nad the other stuff is stilla freeking circus, IMO.

GL!
Luke

[Sam Cogley]

I still like my HD-radio JVC Arsenal. :)

[StereoInstaller1]

I have an Arsenal KD3000 sitting on my bench.

Does everything nicely, seems competent, JVC has decent SQ and a tilt face.

I like that the buttons change to amber too.

No USB though, WAAAAAAH!