Headunit Shopping

[ramrod]

I'm not buying one as of yet just trying to get a general idea. Im looking to spend no less then 400 dollars. the headunit will probably be gotten off ebay. I want a sub out, and atleast another audio out, audio in would be nice lol. Looking also for a built in crossover, i would like to have some color and moving graphics. MUUUUUSSSTTT play mp3's. So you guys have an ideas?

[ghost]

Apline has some good stuff, I know some people who swear by them.

[keesor]

X2 on the Alpine!

[ramrod]

How are they on skipping?

[RallyEX]

How are they on skipping?

That depends on how hard you plan on rear-ending the car in front of you. :P

[ramrod]

Lol cheap shot

[RallyEX]

Lol cheap shot

Yeah, it was a cheap shot... but I had to take it. Couldn't resist.

I have a Panasonic HU that I really like, has all the features you listed (except built-in crossover, I believe) and I'm quite happy with it. I have little use for the sub/amp outs... but I do use the RCA inputs for my iPod and the results are excellent.

Good luck in the hunt.

[another cheap shot]

I guess if the DSM breaks, you can still listen to it sitting in the driveway... Just don't drain the battery. :D

[Jay]

Im a Pioneer fan, allways had good luck w/them. Ive had some Panasonics back in the day an they were awesome, but they looked really cheesy. The new ones look just as good as everything else does however I cant vouche for quality.

[ramrod]

Anyomne one heard anything about the JVC that has the minature screen in it ?

[m pwrd 3]

I have the same Panasonic that Tim has, I have no complaints.

[Jay]

Anyomne one heard anything about the JVC that has the minature screen in it ?

jvc's suck, alot.

[daveb91]

i ahve a JVC in the Honda its the first one i have ever liked. The previous ones the volume buttons wore out and would crank up the volume all by itself. The newer ones have the continou turn volume knob alot better never had any problems with it in 3 years and doest skip. My Neon has a Kenwood and it has the mp3 capability and is truely the best HU I have ever had. I cant remember but there is one company that has a HU with a detachable face with a built in external drive that you can use a USB cable and plug into your computer and download mp3.

[kmfdmk]

I have a Jensen MP3-3310 head unit. It has the regular L+R & F+R outputs, additionally it has RCA out's for sub/amps, and a pair of RCA in's for whatever you like, a portable cd player, ipod, whatever.

Look for one that will play WMA's as well. Occasionally hard to find albums are in WMA format (not that you couldn't simply convert it).

The Jensen is my second, and I REALLY Like it. It lets me navigate by skipping to the next song (No Fast Forward through MP3's). Also can navigate by Album/Folder. The navigation built in lets you move up and down through the folder structure just like it Windows (or the OS of your choice).

A really AWESOME feature is the capability to read ID3 Tags, both version 1 & 2. So you can view the Title, Band, Album, Genre and all that other info if it's been properly included in the file. (I use ID3 Tag-It, & Ultra-Tagger to fix mine. Some people like MusicBrainz). Another great feature it has is the ability to Pause MP3 playback. If somone calls I just pause it and answer.

It's got a real easy way to switch between modes: AM, FM, & AUX (line in). You simply press the source button. It's got 2 AM bands, 3 FM bands, a fully adjustable EQ. And the ability to use an optional remote.

Sadly I don't use the head unit anymore. I've had it since the first MP3 head-units came out. It's probably about 4 or 5 years old. It doesn't read mp3 discs anymore, barely reads normal audio discs w/o skipping, and it doesn't like to properly eject the CD's either. Mind you it's had about 18 months of dust buildup inside the unit before I would perform regular maintenance of blowing all the dust out w/ Compressed Air.

I've had the unit apart 3 times to clean the tacky rubber eject rollers which really suck up all the dust and dirt off the cd's as you insert them. Sadly now the only good thing it's for is hooking up my mp3 player to.