"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
09/08/2014 at 15:43 • Filed to: None
4
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"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
09/08/2014 at 15:43 • Filed to: None | 4
| 28 |
I am looking for a new head unit for my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as the stock amp has died and instead of replacing it I am going to build a new sound system with aftermarket components. I am starting off with the head unit and would like to find something that is not flashy. Previously my go to unit was the Eclipse CD1200G as it looked very OEM. Here are a couple of images of that unit:
Unfortunately, this unit has been discontinued for some time and is no longer sold new. I would like to find something similar that meets these specs at a minimum:
- MP3 Playback
-USB/Aux Hookup
-Matte Black OEM Look
BONUS specs:
-Double Din
-Bluetooth for music/hand free calling
Let me know what you guys find and if you have any recommendations. I prefer this style of head unit to the touch screen style
Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 15:46 |
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You have a Caddilac STS?
HammerheadFistpunch
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 15:46 |
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Find a touchscreen unit, they look great and typically understated since its just a big nav screen. I have a double din unit in my cruiser and it looks factory...oddly nice and new, but factory.
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Bozi Tatarevic
> HammerheadFistpunch
09/08/2014 at 15:50 |
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I would prefer one that is not touch screen to minimize chances of theft and for it to be a little more durable
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HammerheadFistpunch
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 15:52 |
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Theft i don't think its going to be a big issue, but maybe I'm wrong. The durability of the head unit in mine has been outstanding. lets just say its from an era where you were supposed to use it with a stylus and it runs on windows CE...if that tells you anything.
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Bozi Tatarevic
> Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
09/08/2014 at 15:52 |
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Yep, that is my DD. More info here:
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/from-totaled-t…
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 15:55 |
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Blaupunkt New Orleans 220
treesmakewater
> HammerheadFistpunch
09/08/2014 at 15:55 |
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let's focus our attention to That low range gearbox :3
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 15:57 |
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Or go extra high end and pony up for a nakamichi NA788.
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Bozi Tatarevic
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
09/08/2014 at 16:02 |
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This looks promising
McMike
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 16:05 |
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I bought a Blaupunkt for the same reason.
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/omg-after-18-y…
TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H!
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 16:13 |
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I would go with this one, myself. Looks the same, but with the added bonus of bluetooth.
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 16:25 |
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Heres a few options via crutchfield:
I'll skip the blaupunkt ones because they were posted already, the Jersey one has bluetooth though.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWHR81B/J…
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500W235BT/Al…
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DPX500B/K…
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158WXGT90B/S…
Keep in mind a lot of these you can change the color of the display.
Also the order in which I would rank these from best to worst based solely on brand would be:
Alpine
Kenwood
Sony
JVC
(that's all just personal experience on brand interaction and I have no proof past that lol)
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Bozi Tatarevic
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/08/2014 at 16:29 |
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I like the alpine out of this list, the rest seem too glittery. The alpine and the blaupunkt new jersey are now under consideration
Textured Soy Protein
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 16:36 |
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From messing around on Crutchfield, here are some choices, in ascending order of price. Don't worry about the colors in the pics, their displays and buttons can change color to match your interior.
All of them have aux and USB jacks on the front, plus bluetooth audio streaming and direct links to apps like Pandora.
I like this last one since it's got a higher resolution screen that can display more info.
Chairman Kaga
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 16:45 |
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I ended up getting an Alpine, which wasn't as low-key as I wanted, but compared to the flash and sizzle of most HU's these days, it's still fairly plain. Great reviews, too.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500W235BT/Al…
Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 17:38 |
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I really don't understand why there exist so few low-key, OEM-appearing aftermarket head units.
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/08/2014 at 18:11 |
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Both are about 180 on ebay. THe alpine can be had for a little less on some auctions.
Thunderingbirds
> HammerheadFistpunch
09/12/2014 at 15:27 |
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A thousand times, no. My truck was violated specifically for touchscreen Kenwood and then the dipshits couldn't get it out so they just torn the trim off the face and killed the damned thing.
Also, real buttons beat a screen all day, every day.
Rotary-Fanatic
> Bozi Tatarevic
01/21/2015 at 13:52 |
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I opted for the Pyle PLR27MPBU for a couple of reasons. It looks at home in the dash of my 2001 Slowbaru Impreza, not a gaudy appearance at all.
Handsfree, bluetooth streaming, SD, USB and aux 3.5mm input. The display looks a little dated, but that's the only flaw it has and it isn't a major one.
http://www.amazon.com/PLR27MPBU-Sing…
thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/22/2015 at 09:53 |
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Just got the JVC KW-HDR81BT installed in an '02 I35. It's pretty awesome. You CAN change the illumination to match the illumination in the car. The color of the display is separate from the buttons so they can have individual colors and there are supposedly 30K different colors/shades to choose from. The blue color they have in the picture makes it look more ostentatious than it really is when you select more conservative colors.
Also, it does:
HD-Radio which I've grown accustomed to over the years.
Bluetooth and includes a long USB cable that attaches on the back and a wireless bluetooth dongle which my installer routed into the glovebox so it would be closer to the passenger compartment. If you choose, the bluetooth dongle can be plugged into the headunits front USB input.
Front USB input can be used to charge and sync iOS and Android devices and can pick them up as a media player.
3 pre-amp out puts if that's a necessity for you.
Comes with a microphone my installer mounted above the driver with the wire run through the headliner to enable bluetooth phone capability.
Syncs via blutooth to 2 phones at a time for phone and media capability.
Of course, MP3/WMA capability on burned discs.
All in all, it's a very capable, very feature rich headunit. Don't let the colors scare you. They're only as garish as the ones you choose. In fact, here is one looking pretty low-key.
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> thunder1979
01/22/2015 at 10:04 |
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seems really nice. I was a touch worried about the actual brand JVC, but hearing first hand that it's nice is always a positive.
It's making me think about wanting to do one in my car now. I haven't had an aftermarket head unit in years.
You said it integrates with Android as well? Can you control pandora through the head unit on Android?
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thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/22/2015 at 10:54 |
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Kenwood and JVC are the same company now so I'm not sure if that changes your brand scale of reliability. I've never had any problems with a JVC headunit so there's my personal anecdote.
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thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/22/2015 at 11:05 |
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JVC and Kenwood are actually the same company now. JVCKenwood as of October 2012
Looking at the site for the model I have it does say it has "Pandora/Internet radio control for smartphone". I haven't tried that particular functionality as I don't really use Pandora, personally. Bluetooth music streaming works well and looking at the Google Play Store, it does appear there are some apps from JVCKenwood that can be used to interface with the headunit, but the reviews on those apps themselves are not great (low to mid 3s). I know I sound like a commercial, but the KW-HDR81BT is a very well featured. I also did not want a touchscreen headunit as I feel it's just another thing that breaks my concentration when driving (trying to figure out what button I'm touching without the benefit of tactile feedback).
Also, sorry for duplicating a lot of my responses in this text. I didn't realize I was addressing the same person.
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> thunder1979
01/22/2015 at 11:14 |
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no problem it's good info. And i agree on no touch screens. I'm positive it's why texting/driving accidents have skyrocketed, because people used to text and keep their eyes up. can't do that on a touch screen phone.
I've had good luck with JVC shelf systems, so i really shouldn't be anti-JVC. If I get around to putting a unit in my daily driver maybe i'll look into this one.
I do have a long ride to work so streaming music easier than plugging in aux would be a lot easier. It'll just be about dedicating budget to a stereo in the daily driver vs supporting the project car.
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thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/22/2015 at 11:43 |
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Funny you mention plugging in aux. it does also have a 3.5mm headphone jack for direct audio input if you so desire. Perhaps you don't feel the Bluetooth signal is clean enough or whatever the reason may be. Or perhaps you have a dedicated higher quality portable media device you'd like to use that has playlists you've already created, but the device does not have bluetooth. The unit leaves you plenty of options. I did notice you mentioned the screen on the 900 model seems to be of higher resolution and can display more information. That's definitely something to consider if that may be a sticking point. The 81 model manages this with prodigious scrolling, LOL. However, the other point where the differ is the inclusion of HD-Radio on the 81 that is missing form the 900 model JVC. Terrestrial radio seems to be of diminishing value for some lately, but if I didn't listen to radio once in a while, I'd never discover new music.
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> thunder1979
01/22/2015 at 12:17 |
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that's so true about radio. Tho Pandora gives me a lot of new bands that are already similar to ones i like.
Is HD Radio actually that good?
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thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/22/2015 at 16:30 |
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When HD Radio locks into a station, it really does sound like CD quality. The noise floor drops significantly and it's so much cleaner than analog radio. No hiss, or whistles. Also if you like AM radio and your favorite talk/sports stations transmits in digital, you'll get the same experience. A really clean feed with none of the characteristically AM pops and whistles you may be used to. Additionally, there are a lot of substations that carry more focused type of music. If you're familiar with digital TV sub-channels, it's much the same as you experience there, just in audio only.
If you end up going with and HD Radio equipped headunit, check out the HDRadio.com site to see what stations are broadcasting digitally in your area .
For me, I'd compare it to going from a worn out cassette tape in your car, upgrading to a CD headunit and then playing that same album on a CD instead.
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thunder1979
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
01/24/2015 at 15:18 |
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I figured I'd do you and the OP a service and show what the JVC 81BT looks like in the I35. Again, the colors as well as the brightness of the colors is very adjustable to match almost any interior illumination.
