2008 2.5i Deck Upgrade

Hi,

 

I've been debating whether to upgrade the stock radio and can't really decide.

The stock sound quality obviously is quite poor and I don't want to spend too much since the car is getting old and already at 145,000km.

 

I was looking at Pioneer x8600BS or the Alpine 135BT single din units but how much sound improvement will be there?

I'm not planning on upgrading speakers or add amp/sub so the deck will be it, unless speakers make absolutely worthy improvement. (Some people suggest upgrading speakers before the deck??)

Also I think I like the look of stock radio over the aftermarket single din (doesn't mean I actually like the look of stock radio, just blends in with the dash more smoothly I guess) but I'm not sure since I haven't seen the single din installed in person. Can't really tell from pictures whether I like it or not...

 

Could you provide me with thoughts? Would it be worth upgrading?

I think my max budget is about $300.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

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Need to upgrade the speakers to get better sq with the HU.

 

That Alpine is a nice piece though.

In my experience.. A new quality head unit made the oem speakers sound 100x better.

 

I agree about the single din not looking great. Double din looks very nice though

Without question my Sony aftermarket single DIN deck sounds better than the stock head unit. I've put off upgrading the speakers because of this.

Thank you all for the insights.

I think I'm going to upgrade the head unit first and see how it goes. I have a feeling that I'll end up upgrading the speakers too!

Thinking of $200 deck (Pioneer or Alpine) and $100/pair speakers. Would speakers in this price range be substantially better than stock??

IMO.. you won't find a component set worth listening to for 100. I'd spend the extra on the head unit or if you find the cheaper head unit you like. Save up for better speakers.

IMO.. you won't find a component set worth listening to for 100. I'd spend the extra on the head unit or if you find the cheaper head unit you like. Save up for better speakers.

 

Rubbish.

 

Malmsteen, upgrade your OEM receiver and see how you like it. The difference in quality is going to be much more dramatic exchanging out your OEM receiver with an aftermarket one while using your OEM speakers VS already having an aftermarket receiver and exchanging out the OEM speakers with aftermarket ones.

OK, I will try upgrading the head unit first and see how much difference it makes. I know if I end up with a higher end unit I'll eventually want the matching quality speakers and add amp/subs... and I really don't want to send that much.

I love high quality audio but I just don't spend that much time in the car.

Here are the two units I have in mind, please feel free to chime in if you have any thoughts!

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130X8600BH/Pioneer-DEH-X8600BH.html?search=X8600

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SXM145B/Alpine-CDE-SXM145BT.html?showAll=N&search=145bt&skipvs=T

 

I like the fact that Pioneer has full dot display but in terms of sound quality I think I'll like Alpine better. As far as I know Pioneer is more bass driven (more lows) while Alpine sounds clearer?

 

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http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_74601_Pioneer-DEH-X8600BH.html

 

I recommend you order from sonic. Crutchfield has great support, but you're going to pay for it.

 

Roll the dice. You're not going to be able to tell the difference. Just find a unit that supports everything you need/want.

 

 

Pioneer is not more bass driven, and Alpine is not a clearer sounding unit.

Too true. I went in to buy a Kenwood and the Sony was $50 off so I went that route. I couldn't tell the difference in sound in the store, but the Sony had more features for the same price. Plus my last aftermarket deck was a Sony and had good luck with it.

So what I did was originally upgraded the all the door speakers and headunit together. And then disconnected the factory Harmon Kardon sub and replaced it with a new sub....

 

Then I grew up and put the factory headunit back in, removed the sub and replaced the factory harmon kardon sub with an 8" slim depth Pioneer one. I'm the happiest of all so far, lol.

So what I did was originally upgraded the all the door speakers and headunit together. And then disconnected the factory Harmon Kardon sub and replaced it with a new sub....

 

Then I grew up and put the factory headunit back in, removed the sub and replaced the factory harmon kardon sub with an 8" slim depth Pioneer one. I'm the happiest of all so far, lol.

 

And then you sold your camaro because you're not 18, right?

 

Looks like you're not done growing up yet, especially after a quick look through your posts.

 

Absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying music the way it was intended to be heard. And if you don't understand this, then maybe you should go back to university and enroll yourself in an electronics course. After that, come back and see if you've figured out why someone would want to replace their OE h/u.

 

 

**and maybe a couse or two in physics.

Hey everyone can do whatever they want, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for their own choice. I don't judge, I'm just saying my tastes are changing as I get older.

 

 

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I never said I can't see why someone would change their headunit. I totally understand everyone's reasoning. It's the same reason why I changed mine to begin with.

 

 

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Hey everyone can do whatever they want, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for their own choice. I don't judge, I'm just saying my tastes are changing as I get older.

 

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Well according to your recent post (#11), anyone with an aftermarket h/u hasn't grown up yet.

 

Grow up.