Cheap Option
Clarion CX501
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020CX501/Clarion-CX501.html?showAll=N&search=cx501&skipvs=T

Or the following in the 300-400 dollar range

I like the idea of mirrorlink, but who the hell knows if it actually has a future. The JVC also puts out more power.

Pioneers have larger screens Any thoughts?

Pioneer AV-HD4600BT ($340) needs adapter for mirrorlink
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVHX4600BT-Bluetooth-Hi-Volt-Pandora/dp/B00GN5K63M

Pioneer AVHX5600BHS
http://www.amazon.com/PIONEER-AVHX5600BHS-In-Dash-DVD-Player/dp/B00H5A8OBK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389234610&sr=8-1&keywords=AVH-X5600BHS

JVC-NSX600 (Mirror link built in) No HD Radio
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105NSX600/JVC-KW-NSX600.html

1/8/2014 9:36:54 PM

Why no Alpine?

1/8/2014 9:46:32 PM

I want alpine, but its an extra $100 bux in any catagory. Same with kenwood...

1/8/2014 9:58:52 PM

why not just keep the stock head unit and instead spend your money on an amplifier?

what speakers is this gonna be connected to?

1/8/2014 10:38:58 PM

Right now I'm considering some Polk audio 2 ways. I'm not trying to spend a ton of money on a component set.

Good audio will be good enough. The stock system has no aux, no Bluetooth and only a 6 disc changer. Features that I want.

I do have a amp and a sub but frankly i don't know if it's worth the time.

I'm looking to do basic improvement to an older 2005 crv not build an audiophile car

1/8/2014 10:52:16 PM

Bluetooth degrades audio quality. If you want it for speaker phone, then ok, but i wouldn't use it for music.

In my '10 Insight, I kept the stock head unit, but went with Memphis M-class speakers (coax, not the component versions), and a Memphis amp (I think it's 75x4, or maybe 100x4?). I also added a little powered 8" sub in the spare tire well, and set the crossovers on the door speakers accordingly. I retained the factory tweeters in the dash.

It isn't anything like my home stereo, but it's a car, and it's also a fraction of the price. I'm pretty pleased with how it sounds for what I have in it. It's also very stealthy--everything looks bone stock in the car.

If you are determined to get a head unit to get bluetooth and aux-in, and there's no aftermarket solution (rear inputs to connect to), I wouldn't spend big money on a head unit. Get one with a good interface and the features you want, and then make your power with a real amplifier.

1/8/2014 11:08:35 PM

I was thinking Sony MEX-BT4100P until I read ^'s post.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158BT4100P/Sony-MEX-BT4100P.html?tp=5684

1/8/2014 11:50:27 PM

the cool thing about the mirror link devices is that they use USB MHT as a way to move the audio from the phone to the device. Its better than an aux in, because there isn't mutiple conversions.

Outside of that, my focus is more on adding modern features to the vehicle with the improvement in sound quality being of a secondary.

If i just wanted great sound quality, i could stick with an old alpine HU with no aux in and burn MP3 cds but that dosnt have a feature set that makes it appealing.

1/9/2014 6:52:40 AM

pioneer avic series is the best i've used, especially around nav. if you have an android phone, you might check out AppRadio 2 (SPH-DA100)



[Edited on January 9, 2014 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2014 12:13:26 PM

Around $320

1/10/2014 5:04:53 AM

got the NSX600 jvc unit. Mirrorlink is pretty dang awesome for the GS3

2/8/2014 5:14:29 PM

I, too, need a head unit. But I'm trying to upgrade from stock everything in a '97 Crown Vic that doesn't even have a working CD player. So head unit first (want audio in port, CD, XM, nothing fancy), then replacing factory speakers with decent units, then amp.

Any particular brands to consider when trying to get the above below $150?

2/11/2014 2:19:41 AM

....sony or pioneer is what I typically shoot for. I've installed 4 Sonys and 2 Pioneers in the past 5-6yrs and they just chug along.

The key is to get them with the following:
- fixed face with CD port
- defined buttons


none of this shit:
- moving/flip-down face
- multi-purpose 'knobs' that spin/toggle/etc/

[Edited on February 11, 2014 at 7:57 AM. Reason : -]

2/11/2014 7:55:02 AM

^I agree on what to look for/avoid.

I have usually gone with alpine or kenwood though.

2/11/2014 8:39:06 AM

^^ http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158GS500R/Sony-CDX-GS500R.html

2/11/2014 8:50:22 AM

^yup.

^^yeah, to be honest, in that price range I would safely assume that most of the brands offerings are comparable.

2/11/2014 9:21:21 AM

i've used the CD player in my car only 3 or 4 times since i installed it 8 years ago...i use the USB port to play MP3s off a microSD card or hook up my phone via the aux in

i guess i forgot that some people still own CDs

2/11/2014 3:26:34 PM

Kenwood Excelon

/thread

2/11/2014 4:05:20 PM

^^ CDs are where it's at. Superior sound, and now they're cheap on eBay because people are moving away from them. I have lots of CDs and buy more all the time.

2/11/2014 11:09:47 PM

CDs? Analog is back. I hacked an Aux input into my stock head unit just so I can keep the tape player and still play Pandora. True story.


[Edited on February 19, 2014 at 9:12 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2014 9:10:04 PM

Cassettes? Shit, I have vinyl in my car:

2/19/2014 9:18:41 PM

wax cylinders bros, wax cylinders

2/19/2014 9:41:55 PM

the 2010 mazda3 i just bought had a crappy after-market head unit and the guy cheaped out on by refusing to buy the steering wheel adapter (which is discounted to $80 from crutchfield if you buy a head unit from them)...and the unit itself is crap

so i'm thinking about buying a new one...it's a double DIN space, but i actually kind of like the cubby under the unit...any good reason i should go double DIN over single+cubby?

i want my new unit to have bluetooth so i can use my phone with it, but also so i can stream pandora from my phone...i saw what duke said about bluetooth quality, but i was under the impression that as long as the BT (in both the phone and head unit) supports something like aptX, poor quality isn't actually true...also, i'm in a car and it's not the quietest, so i'm not especially worried about it even if i'm stuck using A2DP (which i might, since i don't think my N4 supports aptX)

anyway, my question about BT was more asking about y'all's experience...a lot of head units mention being able to stream pandora via iphone using the USB input, but don't mention android...do you have or have you used a head unit that doesn't explicitly mention android but works just fine when connected to the phone via BT?

2/25/2014 1:22:00 PM

I, too, prefer the single din with a cubby type mounting kit. If you get the cubby buy one of those little $5 (or less) non-slip mats from the auto parts store and trim it to fit. Nothing will stay in there without it no matter how easily you drive the car.

One of these:



[Edited on February 25, 2014 at 3:33 PM. Reason : l]

2/25/2014 3:32:14 PM

^^other than looks, the only reason to go double-din is video (surrusly?) or nav.

3/4/2014 11:52:17 AM

Looking for an aftermarket headunit for a Rav4 I just bought. I've been googling this and it seems like I might be out of luck, but figured I'd give it a shot here. What I want is this:

App compatibility with Google Maps when connected to my iPhone. Not Apple Maps, not audio only...actual app compatibility. Is there any unit out there that can do this?

[Edited on June 21, 2017 at 11:14 AM. Reason : asdf]

6/21/2017 11:11:29 AM

doubtful, though I haven't kept up with phone-HU interactions... what exactly needs to be compatible? In the old days, it was just audio (nav directions, for example) over BT.

6/21/2017 4:45:33 PM

Compatible meaning I get the visuals on the dash screen and possibly controls.

For instance, any stereo with Carplay has this with Apple Maps. Or any stereo with Android's things (whatever it is) can do this with Google Maps on and Android phone.

6/21/2017 5:10:24 PM

Just get a non shitty phone

6/21/2017 10:51:20 PM

Quote :

"Or any stereo with Android's things (whatever it is) can do this with Google Maps on and Android phone."

Yeah my GF's VW has the app connect stuff where you can interact your phone's apps on the car's touchscreen while connected via USB. On the Android side, the app is called Android Auto which works beautifully with Google Maps, and on the iPhone side we can't use Google Maps, because yeah, why would Apple let you use the superior product instead of their own? Based on this sample size of one, I think you need to learn to embrace Apple Maps for now, which the GF claims has got better fwiw, because you're probably not gonna switch ecosystems based on this.

In general though, I hope this is the future, because fuck paying $2000 for a much shittier version of what I already have on my $600 phone, and dealing with map updates and stale software.

6/21/2017 11:11:42 PM

I do something like this in my car


any of the pioneer appradio units work

Android is the only way to get this flexibility, if you use iphone, you're stuck on apple maps. HOWEVER, with any of these appradio units that have hdmi input, you can mirror your screen on the unit, but other than volume, you'll have to control it via the actual phone.

[Edited on June 22, 2017 at 9:16 AM. Reason : /]

6/22/2017 9:13:27 AM

Yeah I'm not going to get a different phone just to be able to do this

If this isn't easily possible with an iPhone the question then is should I just save the money and get a cheaper unit, maybe one without even a big screen, and just use my iPhone as navigation instead. I really hated Apple Maps but admittedly haven't used it in years. It seems like Google Maps is still the best out there, and I'll never be happy using another navigation service if I'm at all suspicious it might not be taking me on the best route

6/22/2017 9:20:32 AM

buy a stereo that has video in then get one of the screen mirroring adapters

i've never used them and have no idea if they work with the current iOS version, but i know its a thing that exists

6/22/2017 11:21:39 AM

Something like this DTR? http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/car/info/support/hdmi_mhl/

6/22/2017 1:07:13 PM

that's what i was thinking of, i've never used one though

6/22/2017 1:21:45 PM

Yeah that would work, at least as a substitute until Apple decides to stop being such a fuckface about making people use their crappier product, if ever

6/22/2017 1:25:41 PM

cool shit. haven't seen this before but years ago wondered where the tech was

6/22/2017 8:02:17 PM

you could do what you wanted with this, but you're stuck using waze
https://flash.newegg.com/product/9SIACPN5B26943?SID=3d7aeee6631c11e7b0879ae98ab22c260INT&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-Slickdeals+LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=1225267&SID=3d7aeee6631c11e7b0879ae98ab22c260INT&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Slickdeals+LLC

7/7/2017 10:01:02 AM

I ended up getting the Pioneer AVH-X490BS, and yeah, I can use Waze or other programs they have. I might try Waze again but I used it for a bit and didn't like it.

I might just use my phone and only use the stereo as a stereo too. This whole Appradio thing kind of seems like it's been poorly executed thus far

7/10/2017 2:09:15 PM

it's pretty meh on iphone, but it's amazing on android.

7/10/2017 4:31:08 PM