Car audio help

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
in The Clubhouse
Need to replace my wife's headunit.... long story I bought a Belkin handsfree kit for her car for Christmas as her current headunit doesnt isnt hands free, and I'd prefer to not have her die trying to talk to me on the phone. I installed it and it sounds like crap, and so I'm pissed my gift is crappy since I'm the audio guy.

I am fairly certain its because her 3.5mm jack is going bad on her current headunit (she hasnt used her radio in about a year). If we wiggle the jack around the feedback we are getting (because the Belkin uses a cigarette lighter to get power) goes away and so does static when streaming blu tooth.... SO I figured I should look at replacing the unit.

She's got a 2007 Chevy Malibu. I dont need anything crazy expensive but its got to have one of 2 features and be a single DIN headunit from a decent manufacture (Kenwood, JVC, Alpine, etc).

3.5mm input jack (for the Belkin we just bought)

OR Preferably.....

Have blu tooth built in to stream pandora, etc from her iPhone 6 (and I return the Belkin).

CD tray would be nice, but likely not required.

Now I've installed headunits in cars before but its been a bit and here is what I am not sure about. Her car has that car info crap built in and when we had her CURRENT headunit installed, we had some sort of Scoche adapter built in (kinda like this one) so she could still see those messages and whatnot.

How does that affect my ability to connect in a new headunit? I really dont want to pay to have someone do this as its gonna likely cost MORE than the headunit to get it installed.

Budget is say ~90 w blu-tooth (as I can offset costs by returning the belkin), or 70 w/o.

Thoughts or suggestions welcomed.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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Comments

  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    Think I found the unit I want…

    Its 90 bucks but if we return her Belkin that’s 35 back for a total cost of 55 bucks to add blu tooth hands free + Pandora streaming from her iPhone.

    Its got a 5 band PEQ as well so I can tweak things. No Spinny disc thingys (what are they called again :smiling_imp:), but she’s ok w that if it does Pandora & hands free.

    Should be able to install it myself, going to Best Buy tonight to see what we find there. They sell that unit listed in the link but no local stores have it.... may see what they are willing to do as far as discounts on anything else they have we like in a similar price.

    Otherwise no issue ordering off the web. Just need to make sure that stupid Car Info adapter doesnt make the install wonky....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    Cool looks like you got it figured out. Feel free to contact me if you get tied up on anything. Been into car audio, repair, and diy for ages...installed many systems over the years for myself and others.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    WLDock wrote: »
    Cool looks like you got it figured out. Feel free to contact me if you get tied up on anything. Been into car audio, repair, and diy for ages...installed many systems over the years for myself and others.

    yup my hope is that there is already a factory adapter on it for the existing kenwood, and I just remove the kenwood half and splice in the Pioneer....

    But like all things we will see once I take crap apart lol...

    I can tell you the hiss and static is just unacceptable for me and she agrees for once. As much as it in the speakers I put in I want good audio out of them....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    Should be really easy since there's already an after market head unit in it. Take the old one out, unplug the harness, cut the old radio wiring out and put the new radio wiring in, then just plug it in. Everything is color coded for an easy install.
    Cody
    Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    edited December 2014
    nbrowser wrote: »
    If it was me, I'd forget the cheap level Pioneer headunits...you get what you pay for. Spend a few more bucks and go for an Alpine with built in bluetooth (model numbers usually end in BT). Better quality all around.

    Have a year or two left on that car (it's been paid off hut going to be too small soon) before we buy a newer one for her, likely a minivan. Doesn't need to last forever, just a year or so.

    I've had good luck with Pioneer and Kenwood headunits myself.

    Alpine was another 20 more and we just couldn't go there. We were already spending more than we really wanted too..

    I wouldn't say 100 bucks is cheap when your talking headunits... I could bought a boss for half that lol...
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    nbrowser wrote: »
    Dan, I'm still rocking my circa 2008ish model Alpine CDA-9886...wish it had BT bad but eh at the time it was one sale for I think half off since they were clearing it out, still find em used on the local CL for roughly $200...I know nuts but back then I wanted high end source, still got it and the darn thing doesn't know the word "quit". I had 2 midrange Pioneers crap out less than 6 months into their lives. Just my experience.

    I understand. I was rocking a Sundown 1000 watt amp with a Treo TE 10" sub in a ported box and then a 125x2 Sundown amp (wired to 2 sets of Polk db6501 component speakers). Front end was a Kenwood X709 with DSP....

    So I've done the car audio stuff. This was just to get her better than stock speakers (Went with Infinity Kappa 3 ways) and give her the ability to talk hands free so she's not trying to check her phone in traffic on her 1 hour one way commute to work everyday.

    I realize its not as high end as some, but I dont need that, I just need her to be safe and be able to talk. The blu-tooth streaming of music, and hardwired control of Pandora were all extras.

    Plus since this is a 2007 Malibu with like 150k on it we dont plan on it for too much longer....

    Family planning dictates something along the lines of a Minivan in about 2 years, which will come equipped with a decent enough system (for her) and all that blu tooth stuff built in, which is really all we care about.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    EndersShadow wrote: »

    I wouldn't say 100 bucks is cheap when your talking headunits... I could bought a boss for half that lol...

    $100 is incredibly cheap. But I do understand that is what your needs at this time dictates what you buy... Just don't kid yourself that $100 is expensive for a head unit.

    -Cody
    Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,596
    exalted512 wrote: »
    EndersShadow wrote: »

    I wouldn't say 100 bucks is cheap when your talking headunits... I could bought a boss for half that lol...

    $100 is incredibly cheap. But I do understand that is what your needs at this time dictates what you buy... Just don't kid yourself that $100 is expensive for a head unit.

    -Cody

    Dont disagree.... but its also not the cheapest out there either, and from a decently reputable brand instead of something from Dual, Boss, Soundstream, and honestly I dont care to buy something super expensive anymore. Its become to much a PITA to integrate headunits nowadays with all the electronic stuff that has to talk to each other.

    I'm mostly out of the car audio game unless its to replace blown speakers.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Its become to much a PITA to integrate headunits nowadays with all the electronic stuff that has to talk to each other.

    Agreed. One of the reasons why I wanted to get out...besides the fact that I hate retail. It's getting more expensive to integrate and harder to install things like alarms and such. OEM is much better than what it used to be as well, driving down demand for it.
    -Cody
    Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited January 2015
    Yeah, I have not kept tabs on it but it has to be tough for the car audio market. The average stereo these days with BT, etc is more than enough for the average listener. I'm in the same boat as Dan as my wife's old car has an old half working Eclipse unit and Crunch amp. My car is old also and I plan to buy something maybe this year or next. For the wife I want something with a nice NAV system etc. No need for anything aftermarket for her car...hard to believe as I have been into it for so long.

    My very first deck in the late 80's was a Kenwood. Then, I was an Alpine fan through most the 90's. I got my first Pioneer decK the P1R with all the built-in DSP in the late 90's. Next there was my Eclipse phase, then the later DSP decks were all Pioneer. I had a P9 combo for a short while. The Clarion was the last deck I purchased before I moved from MI to IN. I put together a high end system with a Clarion 9255 deck, Genesis SIII amp, Soundstream Reference amps, Acoustic Elegance IB 15" sub, Scan Speak tweeters and mids, Exodus Audio midbasses, etc

    Right before I moved, I sold off everything and focused on HT. However, one day I plan to build the dream system that I never got to finish. I want to do an IB sub/s, dash pods, and meaty midbasses in the doors...a 4-way system with some powerful DSP. Always wanted to compete in SQ comps back in the day...was putting together a project that I had to sell off due to financials. I spent about $5K on that gear alone....the most I ever spent on car audio. Never got to compete but did co-pilot to IASCA World Finals with a friend who was a former SQ Champ. He's had some awesome systems over the years.

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/320923_10200449741989925_802874015_n.jpg?oh=b8f43cca7e8b3d0018cebdab9c664d9c&oe=554384B7&__gda__=1428469632_3a1e4a58e4c93c6f114cc6e315f85d85

    https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1525664_10203097951313503_1855936594_n.jpg?oh=a7eae2017bc15b5d97492efc9fbd58ce&oe=5546C193

    http://smg.photobucket.com/user/WLDock/media/Car Audio/DSC01204.jpg.html

    Car audio is on pause until I get a nice 2 ch home music system together...then we will see whats up.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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