car radio and speakers

[Dude#1279435]

Nothing too loud but was wondering what specs I should be looking for? Mostly radio but also loading my own songs into the system. I'd say $300 for radio and speakers but realize that may be too cheap.

 

[highfigh]

Nothing too loud but was wondering what specs I should be looking for? Mostly radio but also loading my own songs into the system. I'd say $300 for radio and speakers but realize that may be too cheap.

What make & model of car? That matters because some manufacturers don't make it easy to replace these. How many speakers?

I did car audio for more than 20 years and when one of my van's door speakers went bad, I couldn't even be bothered to replace the second because I hated going through it- the door panel didn't want to release and it was a royal PITA. I have removed the engine cowl many times and didn't even make the effort to replace the head unit........

If the car can use 6-1/2" speakers, there's a lot to choose from.

 

[Dude#1279435]

What make & model of car? That matters because some manufacturers don't make it easy to replace these. How many speakers?

I did car audio for more than 20 years and when one of my van's door speakers went bad, I couldn't even be bothered to replace the second because I hated going through it- the door panel didn't want to release and it was a royal PITA. I have removed the engine cowl many times and didn't even make the effort to replace the head unit........

If the car can use 6-1/2" speakers, there's a lot to choose from.

I'll have to get back to you on how many. It's a 97 Camry.

 

[highfigh]

I'll have to get back to you on how many. It's a 97 Camry.

Any DIN-sized head unit will fit and you won't need a mounting kit- remove the screws holding the OEM unit in place and use the same holes in the side plates for the new one. If you want something with a large LCD screen for NAV, GUI, etc, you would remove the pocket and again use the same screw holes to mount it. Using a wiring harness adapter is an easy way to connect the new head unit without having to splice wires in the can and those are color coded to match any aftermarket head unit, so you wouldn't need to determine the function of each wire.

I would listen to the front and rear speakers separately, to determine sound quality- if the rear speakers sound decent, it would be better to put the money into the front, since those are the ones you'll notice most, aside from the lowest bass response. Crutchfield has vehicle-specific search functions, for finding equipment.

If you plan to install everything, the trim ring around the head unit has metal clips holding it in place- buy a set of hook tools and use one of them to remove it. Harbor Freight has a set of four, for $1.99

 

[BMXTRIX]

There is a ton of info on YouTube on how to remove and install the radio on a 97 era Camry which is really nice if you want to do it yourself.

For example:

For an actual head unit, you will want to figure out what features you want for it. Most don't have internal storage. That would be a bit of a headache. But many DO have USB ports and you can pick up a micro USB drive which can store 256GB or more of songs onto it for about 20 bucks...

Sandisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 400MB/s (SDCZ430-256G-G46) - Newegg.com

Buy Sandisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 130MB/s (SDCZ430-256G-G46) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

MANY head units these days feature Android Auto or Apple Car Play. I've not used either feature, but many people do and as time goes on, this will become a more and more important feature. So, that's worth consideration.

Obviously, a larger dual din head unit with a screen will cost a fair bit more.

IMO, head units tend to be decent, but not great, and listening in a car itself is just a lousy way to listen to music. But, speakers tend to be far more important than the head unit. But, I will buy and spend a bit more on a head unit that I like. One that has the features I want and is easy to use rather than get a head unit that doesn't work well or isn't something I find ergnomic.

As such, I will go into Best Buy or any other local car audio store, and spend some time playing with their head units to see what is decent.

If you read reviews of head units on Crutchfield, it is pretty easy to see how the cheapest models, like those from Jensen and Boss still hold up VERY well next to the more expensive models from Sony, Pioneer, and Kenwood.

I would literally get any model that is in the $100 price range and call it done as long as it has USB playback and Bluetooth in it, then I would pair it with any set of decent speakers. I lean towards the Infinity speakers myself. Typically I have spent more and gotten their Kappa speakers, but honestly, they are well reviewed and when I got a cheap set once, they worked just fine. It's easy to see how you can adjust budget all over the place to make things work for you as you like. That is, if you find your rear speakers on decent, it opens up more money for good front speakers. If all your speakers are shot, but the receiver you really like is $200, then there are halfway decent speakers for $50 a pair. Infinity starts at about $70 a pair, so it would require a bit more budget or to lower the quality of the head unit.

I know, several years ago, I had a Jeep that had all the speakers in it that were worn out. Probably cranked it up and blew them all at some point, then they just rattled down to nothing. I hit up Crutchfield and ordered replacement speakers and the new ones weren't great, but were a solidly good and a vast improvement on what I had in there before. So, it doesn't really cost a ton to get decent performance.

I put a new head unit in my 2004 Odyssey, and I just had Best Buy take care of it. They had free installation and I only paid $120 for a Bluetooth and USB head unit that still had a CD player built in. Works perfectly fine and was nice to add Bluetooth and USB playback to my car. Bluetooth is really nice for the phone.

 

[highfigh]

There is a ton of info on YouTube on how to remove and install the radio on a 97 era Camry which is really nice if you want to do it yourself.

For example:

For an actual head unit, you will want to figure out what features you want for it. Most don't have internal storage. That would be a bit of a headache. But many DO have USB ports and you can pick up a micro USB drive which can store 256GB or more of songs onto it for about 20 bucks...

Sandisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 400MB/s (SDCZ430-256G-G46) - Newegg.com

Buy Sandisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 130MB/s (SDCZ430-256G-G46) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

MANY head units these days feature Android Auto or Apple Car Play. I've not used either feature, but many people do and as time goes on, this will become a more and more important feature. So, that's worth consideration.

Obviously, a larger dual din head unit with a screen will cost a fair bit more.

IMO, head units tend to be decent, but not great, and listening in a car itself is just a lousy way to listen to music. But, speakers tend to be far more important than the head unit. But, I will buy and spend a bit more on a head unit that I like. One that has the features I want and is easy to use rather than get a head unit that doesn't work well or isn't something I find ergnomic.

As such, I will go into Best Buy or any other local car audio store, and spend some time playing with their head units to see what is decent.

If you read reviews of head units on Crutchfield, it is pretty easy to see how the cheapest models, like those from Jensen and Boss still hold up VERY well next to the more expensive models from Sony, Pioneer, and Kenwood.

I would literally get any model that is in the $100 price range and call it done as long as it has USB playback and Bluetooth in it, then I would pair it with any set of decent speakers. I lean towards the Infinity speakers myself. Typically I have spent more and gotten their Kappa speakers, but honestly, they are well reviewed and when I got a cheap set once, they worked just fine. It's easy to see how you can adjust budget all over the place to make things work for you as you like. That is, if you find your rear speakers on decent, it opens up more money for good front speakers. If all your speakers are shot, but the receiver you really like is $200, then there are halfway decent speakers for $50 a pair. Infinity starts at about $70 a pair, so it would require a bit more budget or to lower the quality of the head unit.

I know, several years ago, I had a Jeep that had all the speakers in it that were worn out. Probably cranked it up and blew them all at some point, then they just rattled down to nothing. I hit up Crutchfield and ordered replacement speakers and the new ones weren't great, but were a solidly good and a vast improvement on what I had in there before. So, it doesn't really cost a ton to get decent performance.

I put a new head unit in my 2004 Odyssey, and I just had Best Buy take care of it. They had free installation and I only paid $120 for a Bluetooth and USB head unit that still had a CD player built in. Works perfectly fine and was nice to add Bluetooth and USB playback to my car. Bluetooth is really nice for the phone.

A dual DIN with screen can be found on Crutchfield for $179 and that's a name brand- they're not as expensive as they were in the beginning.

I bought Kicker for my van because I liked them when I was doing car audio full-time. Not expensive, got them at Best Buy but their displays are very dilapidated and they closed their local install shop, so they don't have anyyone who knows car audio.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'll have to get back to you on how many. It's a 97 Camry.

You are lucky the car is that old. You can't do it on newer ones.

 

[highfigh]

You are lucky the car is that old. You can't do it on newer ones.

While I was working in car audio, I was amazed by how long it took for the automakers to realize they were losing tens of millions of dollars to the aftermarket. First, they (GM) updated their head units, then Chrysler came out with their goofy Mark Levinson/Infinity system and now, just about everyone has some form of surround sound and immersive audio. VW has been using Dynaudio speakers for at least ten years and many vehicles have speakers from JBL, etc.

 

[BMXTRIX]

A dual DIN with screen can be found on Crutchfield for $179 and that's a name brand- they're not as expensive as they were in the beginning.

I bought Kicker for my van because I liked them when I was doing car audio full-time. Not expensive, got them at Best Buy but their displays are very dilapidated and they closed their local install shop, so they don't have anyyone who knows car audio.

I did some searching at Crutchfield, and there are definitely some dual din models with a display which are affordable, but it does significantly impact the remaining budget. Totally up to the OP what their needs are and if they want a screen, or just want a traditional single DIN stereo system with newer functionality.

Every time I look I go back to realizing that I'm really happy with a single DIN solution. Dual DIN adds some nifty features, but not enough to justify it for me.

 

[highfigh]

I did some searching at Crutchfield, and there are definitely some dual din models with a display which are affordable, but it does significantly impact the remaining budget. Totally up to the OP what their needs are and if they want a screen, or just want a traditional single DIN stereo system with newer functionality.

Every time I look I go back to realizing that I'm really happy with a single DIN solution. Dual DIN adds some nifty features, but not enough to justify it for me.

Ease of use and quality of build make more difference to me than whether it has a screen. If I'm driving, I don't want to be messing with that, anyway. It's easy to find a single DIM with BT but some, like the JVC are a PITA to set up, especially if you decide to wade through their 73 page manual and that's only the English section.

I also work on boats and when a friend told me about Fusion Marine stereos, I became a dealer- while they're designed for the marine environment and many models are capable of feeding sound to 4 zones, the less expensive models come with 2 zones/4 channels of amplification with 2 zone/four channel line level outputs, BT, sub out for each zone. I have been rehabbing a boat for myself and one of the head unit models I'm considering is in the link- it has enough power for a start and if I need more, I'll add an amplifier. They also have an app for control but in a car, that's not really useful unless you want to let someone in the back seat operate the system (a REALLY bad idea, BTW). The one thing that would make it hard for you to install their head units is the shape and size- they're higher than a single DIN and not as wide. However, you could use it if you don't need the pocket below the OEM head unit.

Garmin Fusion® MS-RA60 Marine Stereo | Head Unit

MS-RA60 is an economical marine stereo that features a modern aesthetic, Multi-Zone Technology, and advanced connectivity options.

www.garmin.com

 

[Dude#1279435]

Should I put any greater emphasis on receiver or speakers?

 

[NINaudio]

For budget car audio speakers I've always liked Pioneer and Polk.

 

[highfigh]

Should I put any greater emphasis on receiver or speakers?

I don't think my Kicker speakers cost much more than $70 and for the price, they're decent. I know it's not a great system but really, it's good enough and I don't expect it to be amazing since I know how a great system sounds. If you want to stay in the $300 range, I would replace the front speakers and leave the rear alone, unless the cones/surrounds/voice coil have been damaged. I replaced mine because the cone separated from the surround and it was intolerable.

Head unit power specs are generally optimistic and a peak rating- have been for a very long time and they're not rated with the same guidelines as home or pro audio because the FCC specifically ignored car audio in the late-'70s or early-'80s. Eventually, we started referring to amplifier power ratings as 'Sony Watts', JBF (Just Before Fire) or WLS (When Lightning Strikes). Fortunately, many places have a liberal return policy, so if a head unit sounds really bad, you should be able to return it as long as the packaging is intact and all of the parts are there. Your car is easy WRT head unit swap, unlike some from that era, like Ford Taurus, which had a football-shaped head unit that made a mounting kit mandatory.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Should I put any greater emphasis on receiver or speakers?

In a car, if you aren't blasting the radio like crazy, then you really should have a balance. It's more about what you like than what the cost is. Or, more accurately, what you like will pretty much determine the cost. I personally found that head units right around $100 had all the features I needed. Bluetooth, microphone, USB, tuner, CD/mp3 player, and enough power to drive my 4 speakers in my car with reasonable sound quality.

I'm not sure I would go under about $70 a pair for speakers, so 4 speakers for $150 and that leaves you $150 for the head unit. I would consider that a reasonable balance. Not sure you get a lot more power or quality by spending $20 or $50 more or less from that price point. So, if what you like is $30 less, then it won't be a major difference in quality.

So when you look at this for $300...

Sony XAV-AX3200

Digital multimedia receiver (does not play discs)

www.crutchfield.com

and this for $120...

Alpine UTE-73BT

Digital media receiver (does not play discs)

www.crutchfield.com

You will find that the features are the difference. The touchscreen and Apple Car Play compatibility. The difference in rated RMS power is 2 watts. That's simply not going to be enough to make much difference in your world.

If there is a point you want to get 'more serious' about your car's audio, then you would be looking at adding a 4 channel amplifier for the speakers in the car and dropping a nice subwoofer with a dedicated amplifier for that to the mix.