2000 Defer stereo upgrade advice...

[akelly]

Hey Gurus!

I'm about to spend a whack of time/miles in my 2000 Defender 130 HCPU travelling all over NSW. It has a very old kenwood cd player that sounds like crap. I like to listen to AM (ABC Cricket & Classical) and my ipod on long trips. I listen to heaps of podcasts but also have heaps of blues guitar-based rock (Hendrix, SRV, Clapton, all the Kings, etc...) on the ipod.

I'm looking for a whole new set-up that will give me:
-Strong AM reception
-Ipod/Iphone control
-bluetooth handsfree phone
-great sound
-I think I want one with a big screen too

I know nothing about stereos, what technologies are out there or even what the hell digital radio is! I'm happy to spend up to $1k including speakers and what-not and can install most stuff myself if I have to.

Googling is confusing me about what I really need, so start the advice flowing...

Cheers,

Adam

[akelly]

Hey all - I posted in the stereo forum http://www.aulro.com/afvb/communications-car-audio-electronics/140695-2000-defer-stereo-upgrade-advice.html

Anyone with 'sick beats' in their 'fender, please help me out.

Cheers,

Adam

[alexturner]

After some hektik beats are we?

[Tusker]

Just been through the same exercise. You can't have it all...

- Digital radio isn't here yet, but not far away. Worry about in 5-10 years.

- Modern head units are all about FM. Good AM reception just isn't a factor. Can't do much about it, other than install the best possible aerial. I use both GME CB look-alikes (essentially town & country, the better one is very tall...)

- Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood & no doubt others do Ipod focussed head units, sans CD.

- The trick while travelling is remote syncing of the Ipod, which Apple doesn't allow. (For me, say daily BBC 5Live English Premier League podcasts). I use Google Listen on an android phone with a decent data plan & cig lighter FM transmitter - play the daily downloads through that, then go back to the radio/ipod. If you get a head unit with a front 3.5mm jack, that'd be preferable to the FM transmitter.

- The above-mentioned, dearer head units have bluetooth phone compatibility. They seem to go through a dedicated (i.e. dearer!) Parrot. I wouldn't bother, just install the normal Parrot as a standalone. Brilliant carphone, will dim the radio, & come through the car speakers.

- Sound is an issue. There's no room really for a subwoofer. Speakers for a riceburner won't last long on corrugations. Can't help here, go to a store & talk to a pimpleface.

- Screen size is limited by the DIN size. The normal single DIN isn't that big. A double DIN is bigger of course, but I doubt the flip up screen would survive on corrugations.

FWIW, I ended up with 2 head units, with two aerials. The dashboard one will be a ipod centric Kenwood as above. But in the overhead console, I've had reinstalled an old AM/SW unit, off the second battery, single speaker in the back, for campsite use. The BBC world service, or what's left of it, is quite comforting in the middle of nowhere.

Regards
Max P

[TimNZ]

I just fitted one of these:

PARROT ASTEROID - Apps, Web, Phone & Music in your car. (http://www.parrot.com/asteroid)

Great piece of kit, really good hands free due to the stereo microphone, and intergrates well with the iPhone.

Only negatives; software has crashed on it a couple of times, but it resets itself, no CD player, (not really a problem due to the iphone, USB, and SD Card options).

Cheers,

Tim

[akelly]

WTF is a parrot?

Other than a bird...

[akelly]

So I'm getting the idea that a dedicated unit for connecting the iphone/ipod and bluetooth etc... could be combined with an old-school AM radio. That seems like a good plan.

What about these massive antennas that you see on yobbo utes - are they the go for improving reception on the AM radio?

[Nathan]

I wouldn't bother with bluetooth handsfree... Defender is too noisy! Use an earpiece instead.

I've replaced the front speakers in mine with some 4" Kenwood ones that fit.

I then made speaker boxes to mount some 6" 3 way speakers at the top of the cargo barrier, facing forward. Amp is mounted on the cargo barrier too, fits in the space between the cargo barrier and back seat.

I then removed one of the back seats so I could mount the sub-woofer box on the cargo barrier under the 3 way speaker -behind the driver.

All powered by an Alpine head unit - sounds all right, more volume is definately the antidote to cabin noise!

Nathan

[Benz]

1k should get you a very nice sound system.

go for one with a full speed ipod connectivity.
these ones have a dedicated ipod cord for your ipod and let you control the ipod via the head unit. it will also charge the ipod.
you can also hide the ipod out of sight. it wont get nicked this way.

just make sure it has bluetooth as well.

should cost you about $300 for a headunit with all that.

as for am reception i'm not sure about that one sorry...

with speakers you need to put them in a quality enclosure.

if putting them in the doors you need to sound deaden them.

[akelly]

Nah - I actually want to be able to listen to the cricket mostly :D

Just noticed I misspelled 'stereo' in the thread title, what a tool!

[alexturner]

I see,

I have an iPad mounted in my fender which I use for all my music/nav needs and a cheepy stereo head unit I bought in the states.

You really need to install woofers of some description in the fender for that lower bass response.

[p38arover]

Threads merged. Don't post the same query in multiple areas.

[akelly]

Threads merged. Don't post the same query in multiple areas.

So we still get ebay ads filling up the markets but posting a reference to another thread, just to make sure that it gets noticed, is a no-no?

[Don 130]

I've got an AM/FM/SW sony stereo with a 3.5mm front input. it wasn't expensive and works well. At Farina in S.A. I could listen to ABC SW From Darwin. I think the speaker setup in a Defender is important. I've mounted a pair of 6"x9" above the back window and a pair of 6" above the front seats as well as replacing the 4" under the dash. the roof mounted ones are solidly attached to the roof itself. The sound is pretty good for a rattletrap. Your'e not far away, if you want a look let me know.
Don.

[Tusker]

WTF is a parrot?

Other than a bird...

The Parrot I put in the Freelander is the CK3000 here

Parrot Bluetooth Car Kits (http://www.thecarkitcompany.com.au/index.php'manufacturer_id=5&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=67)


And the aerials you see on utes are probably UHF. For AM/FM I use both the AEM2 & the AEM3 here

Land - AM/FM | GME (http://www.gme.net.au/products/antennas/land-amfm/AE960)

Unlike telescopic aerials, you can unscrew these if the undergrowth is a bit thick.

Regards
Max P

[Sleepy]

G'day akelly,
Firstly I must note that our tastes in listening are very similar - ok perhaps not so much classical but ticks next to all the others.

I too like AM and, as mentioned, it isn't easy find a good AM receiver.
In my first Defender (2001). The standard Land Rover cassette-radio was a ripper. I recall being in a valley in the Victorian high country, listening to the Cricket from Melbourne, when everyone else had static. It worked well in the city too alongside all the tram lines and buildings. The AM in my 2005 defender is crap.
I liked this radio so much I recently bought one off ebay for $20. I am going to mount it in the 101 with a small amp (for music), it has a "line in jack" on the front for ipod. Only drawback is no ipod controls.

Probably not what you are looking for but just thought I would mention it anyway as it is such a good radio.:angel:

[akelly]

Hey thanks everyone! I'm starting to get some ideas about what I need. I think I will go for a old-school AM/FM radio plus a new high-tech set up for the phone and Ipod. Some new speakers properly installed around the cab should finish it off.

I use an Aldi BT handsfree at the moment and it works a treat - just a pain to have to turn the radio down each time and the sound is a bit tinny from the little speaker. The noise is nowhere as bad as the old IIA where I used to wear my noise cancelling hearing protection on my daily commute!

I'll check out those antennas too.

Report to follow once I get something happening. Recommendations for retailers/installers around the Sydney northern subs?

Cheers,

Adam

[akelly]

Hey all,

phase 1 is complete - I now have an old-school AM/FM radio (from an 82 Laser) that holds an AM station about 50% further away than the kenwood thing that was there before (tested today with 702 ABC holding south of the 'gong with no problems). I chose the laser one because it was cheap ($10 at the wrecker), it worked and it has a 5-pin DIN input for a tape deck. I modified the 5-pin DIN to take a 3.5mm jack and can run my ipod through that. It all works very well.

Next phase is to quiet down the vehicle electrically and add a better aerial. I'm getting a little interference when then engine is running and the station starts to fade a bit - assuming that is alternator.

Final phase will be speaker upgrade, amp and fancy head-unit for BT integration, iphone control etc...

Anyone used the Jaycar kevlar coaxial speakers? They get a good rap on the internet as being great quality for the dollars.

Cheers,

Adam

[rockyroad]

I would love to hear more on ways of mounting speakers. I currently have 6" speakers under the back seat and either side of the back door. Roof mounted sounds great but how do you do it without causing damage.

[Sleepy]

I am no expert but read here about someone who put a woofer in the back of the centre console with great results.

[akelly]

I've just done the first leg of a trip around southern NSW. The new radio set up works well. I was able to listen to 702 all the way to Nowra and even a little south of that although it got a bit sketchy in the hills between Kiama and Berry (to be expected).

Before heading off from Sydney I pulled the radio out again and got rid of the jumbled mass of wiring ****e left there by some previous villian - that made a big difference to the whining noise. I also added a Mobile 1 AM/FM antenna and made sure it had exellent earthing to the body and chassis. Lastly I put in the 4" Kevlar Coax speakers from Jaycar.

The speakers aren't working that well at high volume because I assume there is not enough oomph from the old-timey tuner unit to drive them. Otherwise the system is a gem - got what I wanted in terms of increased AM reception, quietened down the static noise and fixed the crappy thudding base from the old worn out speakers. Ipod line in working well too.

Anyone want to tell me how I can get the old radio to drive the speakers properly? From looking on the net it seems I need an amplifer with speaker line inputs - does that sound right?